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…
Recently, Kregel Publications ran a special sale of my first novel, Fatal Illusions, and then offered it free for one day, July 10th. If you missed out on the freebie, I’m sorry about that. I would love to have offered it free for several more days, but I had no control over the special sale. The freebie delighted me for several reasons. First, I have a good number of author friends who are pursuing indie publishing and speak highly of offering their novels for free on occasion. So I’ve often watched them offer their novels for free and wished I could do the same. Second, as anyone who watches me on Facebook knows, I love freebie Kindle books too. I love to download them, and I love to share them. I’d also put a lot of time and work into this first novel, and I was excited about folks being…
Yes, the release date of my second suspense novel, The Tenth Plague, is January 29, just four days away. This has been a lengthy journey but not one that takes God by surprise. I’m glad all things are beautiful in His time (Eccles. 3:11). As I look back at the last few hectic months and years of balancing writing with work and family, I can’t help but reflect on some of the important truths I’ve learned through this whole experience. I hope this little pep talk is encouraging to you; it applies to so many areas of life. 1. It’s okay to feel good about completing a task. “A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul” (Prov. 13:19 ESV). The finish line. Yes! 2. But every good task I do is a product of God’s grace in my life. “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13).…
Note: Previously published as a guest post at Thoughts of a Sojourner My Unconventional Path to Publication My boss sank into a chair across from my desk, hung his head, and delivered news no employee wants to hear. “We’re making cutbacks here at the college, and I’m afraid”—he took a deep breath and let it out—”your position is being eliminated.” A two-by-four to the side of the head couldn’t have jolted me more. What!? They’re cutting my job? It was January 13, 2006, and I was sitting in my office (see photo) at Northland Baptist Bible College (now Northland International University), where I’d been serving as an editor since 1995. With a BA in print journalism, I was in charge of editing and writing content for all sorts of campus publications: promotional brochures, a magazine, the academic catalog, the yearbook, even the website. And now, in five months, I’d no longer…
