Paperback writer

On a sultry September day in 1997 (yikes, was it THAT long ago??), UPS rat-tat-tat-tatted on our front door with a square fat box addressed to me. Tears brimmed as I pulled the books from the box. Here they were, my first published book, the first hardcover copies of A Butler's Life.

For about a week, I carried a copy with me everywhere. Even if I wasn't showing it to someone (anyone! The clerks at the grocery check out! The bartender at our favorite restaurant! The pharmacist at CVS!), it sat on the passenger seat of my car while I ran errands. On my bedside stand while I slept. On the kitchen counter while I prepared meals. Had there been a Facebook back then, I would have probably annoyed all my friends with my "baby" pictures.

Because my last three books have been released first on Kindle, I've forgotten the deliciousness of opening the mailbox to find the physical copy of my book. But two days ago, Choice was released in paperback, and I received the first copy in the mail. Woo hoo! I can TOUCH my newest work. Caress the nice matte cover. Riffle the pretty ivory pages. I'd forgotten how good it felt to heft the weight of words -- my words -- in my hands.

Released by CreateSpace, Choice is POD -- print on demand -- so it doesn't go against my priciples with regards to wasteful publishing. If it doesn't become a runaway bestseller (and of COURSE it will, right?) it won't be taking up landfill space. Each copy purchased will be wanted.

You can find it here on Amazon. It can be your next beach read! (I'm a little nervous about taking my Kindle to the beach, what about you? Sand, the potential of salt water...? Not so good. Paper -- better.)

I admit it, I have been carrying my first copy of Choice around with me. Showing it off, like a new puppy. In a week, I'll have copies for sale here at the B&B. And I'll announce it on Facebook. But I'll still try to spare you the baby pictures.

Comments

  1. HartJune 22, 2014 at 9:48 AM

    You know I'm there with you on this. Have decided before a tackle the rewrite of the last book of my trilogy, I'm going to reread the first two to make sure I've incorporated all the good stuff. But this time, for the first time, I'm going to read the print copies. My own words in print. Yeah, I get it. Congratulations!

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