“Truth at the Kitchen Table”
By: Caleb Mercer
From the fictional town of Cedar Valley, where characters from Quiet Echo continue to respond to real-world events.
I heard this week about the testimony given by Kash Patel, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, sitting before Congress and answering for past decisions, agency changes, and the question of trust in our institutions.
It made me think about the two places where truth matters most: the giant auditorium in Washington, and the little kitchen table right here in Cedar Valley.
I sat this morning with my daughter, Sophie, over pancakes and orange juice. She asked why grown-ups have to talk in front of cameras and microphones. I told her it’s so people can know what’s happening. She tilted her head and said, “Can’t we just talk at home?”
Her question landed heavy. Because she was right. Real accountability, real truth—it often begins by someone sitting across from you, saying, “Here’s what happened,” and you saying, “Okay. I’m listening.”
I work for the local utilities crew. Last week I climbed the pole on Maple Street to fix a transformer. A resident came out and asked whether the outage was because of someone’s mistake or just bad luck. I told her: “We’ll trace it back. I’ll tell you what we find.”
Later we found the fault. And I made sure to call her, explain what happened, and listen to how it affected her business. A simple call. But to her, it was trust built. Just like the big stories in Washington, but smaller, closer, in our community.
Standing in line for stamps, I overheard two neighbors talking about the hearing in Washington. One said, “If the director can’t answer hard questions, what hope do I have in a small town?” The other shook her head and said, “It starts here—who tells the truth when no one’s watching.”
And that stuck with me. Because we like to think of Cedar Valley as the place where someone is watching—by the coffee shop door, by the library window, by the pick-up truck parked outside the hardware store.
Today, I’m not asking whether the FBI got everything right or wrong. That’s for courts, committees, and long reports. But right here—what we can ask is simpler:
- Are we willing to be honest when nobody else’s eyes are on us?
- Do we step back into our chairs at the table and explain what we did, why, and how we’ll fix it?
- When we succeed, do we tell someone who trusted us? When we fail, do we accept the phone call, the knock, the question?
In Cedar Valley, we don’t have grand hearings. We have neighbours. Families. The quiet work of truth. So while national headlines shout about agencies and power, let’s listen for the smaller voice in the room: “I will tell you.” Because our trust is built not just by those in high chairs, but by people sitting in theirs.
This editorial is part of the fictional Cedar Valley News series. While the people and town are fictional, the national events they reflect on are real.
It’s free, live, and fresh! Quiet Echo—A Cedar Valley News Podcast is live on Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/4nV8XsE, Spotify: https://bit.ly/4hdNHfX, YouTube: https://bit.ly/48Zfu1g , and Podcastle: https://bit.ly/4pYRstE. Every day, you can hear Cedar Valley’s editorials read aloud by the voices you’ve come to know—warm, steady, and rooted in the values we share. Step into the rhythm of our town, one short reflection at a time. Wherever you listen, you’ll feel right at home. Presented by the Readers and Writers Book Club: https://bit.ly/3KLTyg4
Author Campaign Method (ACM) for Authorpreneurs
This is Publication Consultants’ motivation for constantly striving to assist authors sell and market their books. Author Campaign Method (ACM) of sales and marketing is Publication Consultants’ plan to accomplish this so that our authors’ books have a reasonable opportunity for success. We know the difference between motion and direction. ACM is direction! ACM is the process for authorpreneurs who are serious about bringing their books to market. ACM is a boon for them.
Release Party
Web Presence
Book Signings
Amazon Author Page
Facebook Profile and Facebook Page
Active Social Media Participation
Ebook Cards
The Great Alaska Book Fair: October 8, 2016
Costco Book Signings
eBook Cards
Benjamin Franklin Award
Jim Misko Book Signing at Barnes and Noble
Cortex is for serious authors and will probably not be of interest to hobbyists. We recorded our Cortex training and information meeting. If you’re a serious author, and did not attend the meeting, and would like to review the training information, kindly let us know. Authors are required to have a Facebook author page to use Cortex.
Correction:
We take the quote by Marcella Smith, Small Press Business Manager, Barnes & Noble seriously: “The author is essential to the success of the book, giving energy behind the book to make it something that a customer will come in and ask for. That is what makes the difference in a book that sells, that develops legs, and has a life of its own. Otherwise the book goes on the shelf and stays there for three months. Then it gets returned.”
This is Publication Consultants’ motivation for constantly striving to assist authors sell and market their books. ACM is Publication Consultants’ plan to accomplish this so that our authors’ books have a reasonable opportunity for success. We know the difference between motion and direction. ACM is direction! ACM is the process for authors who are serious about bringing their books to market. ACM is a boon for serious authors, but a burden for hobbyist. We don’t recommend ACM for hobbyists.
We’re the only publisher we know of that provides authors with book signing opportunities. Book signing are appropriate for hobbyist and essential for serious authors. To schedule a book signing kindly go to our website, <
An Author Page on Amazon Author Central is a serious author ACM requirement and desirable for the hobbyist. Author Central is a free resource designed to help authors become more active participants in the promotion of their books. In Author Central you can manage an Author Page, update information about your books, and view Customer Reviews and sales information for your bibliography. If you don’t already have an Author Page on 
We hear authors complain about all the personal stuff on Facebook. Most of these complaints are because the author doesn’t understand the difference difference between a Facebook profile and a Facebook page. Simply put, a profile is for personal things for friends and family; a page is for business. If your book is just a hobby, then it’s fine to have only a Facebook profile and make your posts for friends and family; however, if you’re serious about your writing, and it’s a business with you, or you want it to be business, then you need a Facebook page as an author. It’s simple to tell if it’s a page or a profile. A profile shows how many friends and a page shows how many likes. Here’s a link <> to a straight forward description on how to set up your author Facebook page.
Active Social Media Participation
Mosquito Books has a new location in the Anchorage international airport and is available for signings with 21 days notice. Jim Misko had a signing there yesterday. His signing report included these words, “Had the best day ever at the airport . . ..”
The Lyin Kings: The Wannabe World Leaders
Time and Tide
ReadAlaska 2014
Readerlink and Book Signings
2014 Independent Publisher Book Awards Results
Bonnye Matthews Radio Interview
Rick Mystrom Radio Interview
When he published those overseas blogs as the book The Innocents Abroad, it would become a hit. But you couldn’t find it in bookstores.
More NetGalley
Mary Ann Poll
Bumppo
Computer Spell Checkers
Seven Things I Learned From a Foreign Email
2014 Spirit of Youth Awards
Book Signings
Blog Talk Radio
Publication Consultants Blog
Book Signings
Don and Lanna Langdok
Ron Walden
Book Signings Are Fun
Release Party Video
Erin’s book, 
Heather’s book, 
New Books