The end of the beginning

On Sunday, November 16, 2014, I wrote the following words on my Facebook page:

"It is with a deep feeling of surreal disbelief that I find myself able to say the following words:

My book is available for purchase on Amazon."

In retrospect, I would have rewritten that.  It's kind of garbled and awkwardly laid out.  In my defense, I was flying pretty high on the endorphin rush of seeing my first novel available for purchase.

Awkward or not, the statement was a true one.  Even now, it's hard to imagine that the thing is actually done.

I started writing this book in the winter of 2011.  Then I rewrote it.  Then I freaked out and abandoned it.  Then I wrote two other books.  Then I came back and hammered this one back into shape.

The result is Fractured: Arrivals.  This is the first part of a six book series that I'll be writing and publishing.  I am hoping to have the second book ready to go by Christmas of next year, 2015.  In between then and now, I'm planning to publish two unrelated books during the summer.  I'm not making any promises, but if I actually tell people a time frame, it should keep me on track.

I do have two people I have to credit for their help with this.  Without them, it never would have happened.  My wife Susan Brudvig, and my good friend Josh Wirth.

Both were kind enough to act as editors for me, pointing out what did and didn't work.  Susan also designed the cover of the book; while Josh was the one who came up with the series title, Fractured, while we were kicking around ideas.

I've learned a lot in the last few years, made a lot of mistakes, lost faith in myself, and gained it back again.  So yes, it is the end of the beginning, for Fractured as well as for myself.  I have a lot of stories to tell, and this is just the opening act.