Today was the day! We did it! We’re here!
Steven Radecki, managing editor of Water Dragon Publishing and Paper Angel Press, the one that thought my story was worth taking a chance on, congratulated me first. Actually, he reminded me yesterday that the release date was coming, which prompted me to post to Twitter and Facebook and other places. Only 9 words:
My friends and family began celebrating with me on Facebook first. Today, Twitter discovered the post I just embedded, and the writing community has been congratulating me all day. I’m ecstatic!
I heard from a couple of people that the books I mailed out on Monday have already arrived.
Water Dragon posted the release annuoncement and I shared the link on Facebook. Several friends shared the link as well, and people I’ve never seen or met have been replying, “Wow, that’s awesome! I need to read this book!”
Then there was this tweet, unprompted but wholly appreciated:
It’s difficult to describe how this feels.
At Baycon, I went into the weekend with the attitude that I was just going to treat the event like a party. I knew I had a signing and a reading, and I was looking forward to being on panels, but I figured that I needed to keep my expectations in check, because I’m an unknown quantity. I believe in my writing, and I think The Repossessed Ghost is great, but why should anyone else that hasn’t read my work think anything of me or my fun little story? I expected the signing to be quiet time, and I figured the rest of the time at the convention would be me blending in and smiling.
Instead, people I’ve never met took interest in my book. Most of the book purchases have come from people that have known me for a while, but there were some strangers that bought my book and brought it to me to sign. That feeling can best be described as a mixture of surprise, gratitude, and exhilaration.
That’s what I’ve been feeling today.
Steven asked me yesterday, regarding today’s official book release, “Kind of anticlimactic since it was already pretty much launched at Baycon?”
It’s not anticlimactic at all! I’m grateful. I’m hopeful. I feel celebrated. I feel alive, like I’m doing what I was always meant to do.
I should publish books more often.
Here is the purchase link directly to the publisher. I think I’m still signing books that are purchased through that link. I will need to talk to Steven about it, as it means the books have to be shipped twice: first to me for signing, then on to the reader. I think Water Dragon gets a better deal when the books are purchased directly from them, but I don’t know how much that matters, and I understand that people have been waiting for the Amazon links to work.
Here is the Amazon link. That’s a good place to leave reviews.
Here is the GoodReads link. This is also a good place to leave reviews, I think. I only just got setup on Goodreads. If you’re there already, send me a friend request.
Thank you again to everyone that helped me get to this point. Some of you have had to put up with a lot from me. Some of you have kept me grounded. Some of you have provided encouragement, which I have relied upon and needed throughout this journey.
And if somehow you have discovered this page for the first time and we are strangers: thank you coming by. I hope you enjoy my book!