Why do I like stories about disasters and tragedy? The Titanic. The Galveston Hurricane. The Holocaust. These are all topics I find myself interested in, mainly because, though some people certainly die, I like the stories of everyday people who overcome incredible odds. That’s the crux of every good novel, if you think about it. Plus these are real people—nobody made them up—and their stories of courage and tragedy haunt me. The Johnstown Flood of May 31, 1889, is one of those stories that grabbed ahold of me and wouldn’t let go until I’d finished reading David McCullough’s fine, engaging book. I wanted to know how two thousand people could just die because of a broken dam. And how could a dam fall into such disrepair and fail? Didn’t the people in the valley below realize they were living in a major flood zone? Didn’t anyone warn them? Why would anyone…
Welcome to a New Year! And a new publisher I’m excited to be working with. Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas is reissuing my first novel, Fatal Illusions, with a special Kindle sale. You can now purchase the Kindle version for only $3.99. And if you once purchased the print edition, you may now purchase a digital copy for only $1.99. Check it out here. Stay tuned. The paperback version will be available soon.
I recently read this book and loved it. I plan to share a detailed review in the future (what I liked/what I didn’t). Stay tuned. What are you reading these days?
Yes, it’s official. Kregel Publications recently informed me that Fatal Illusions, my first published novel, is officially out of print. Out of print? What exactly does that mean? That means sales have not been sufficient to warrant a reprint, and all remaining copies of the novel, once kept in a warehouse, have been sold away (though if you go to Amazon.com you’ll still see some copies for sale). Kregel basically “bought” ownership of my book for five years, and now the book is back in my hands: lock, stock, and barrel. Is this reason for despair? Not at all. This is pretty routine in the publishing industry. While every novelist would like to see his or her novels being published and going through countless reprints infinitum, let’s admit it: most novels just don’t sell like hotcakes forever, if they sell decently at all. Is this disheartening? Well, yeah, it can…
