Well, it’s been a while. Sorry about that. Sometimes life gets in the way.
THE TRUTH ABOUT PARALLEL LINES was released into the world on June 4. The experience has been gratifying and devastating in equal measure. On the one hand, that people are reading it at all is thrilling. That people are enjoying it (and from the reviews it seems that they are) positively makes my heart soar. On the other hand, sales have been, well, let’s say sluggish. This is not a surprise. I am an unknown, first-time, self-published author with an embarrassingly small social media presence. (Why don’t I have more friends? Maybe I should smile more.) It is actually exactly what I knew to expect, when I wasn’t secretly expecting a miracle.
I changed law firms this summer. It was wildly disruptive and distracting, but things have settled down and I’m glad I’m here.
In other news – I have a new never-before-read story in the latest issue of Mystery Tribune. It is called My Summer Vacation, and I am really proud of it. Check it out – I think you’ll like it.
I was at Bouchercon in St. Petersburg earlier this month. Each time I go (this was my third) I feel a little less like an impostor. I had the good fortune of moderating a panel with Phillip Friedman, Laura Lippman, Robert Olen Butler, Peter Blauner and Lawrence Block. Needless to say, they made my job easy…
I just finished a new story and I am thrilled to announce it was accepted for inclusion in an upcoming anthology. Details to follow but I will say that I had a very weird time writing it. It took forever. Rome might actually have been built faster than this story was written. I literally started six different stories, none of which went anywhere (but all of which, in retrospect, were versions of what ultimately came to be). The story presented itself to me in dialogue, as a series of conversations. It finally worked when I stopped trying to tell the story, and instead just started listening, writing down what I heard. It felt like a play and rather than fight it, I let the play become a part of the story. You’ll see what I mean.
So, what’s up next? Novel #2. It’s been taking shape in my head for a while now, and I am ready to get started.
