The Opposite of Dark Has Arrived!

Publishing a new book is a rare event for me. I’m not exactly prolific, although I am trying to be more productive. So, when a new book comes out—the first in my new mystery series and in hard cover, no less—well, it’s a pretty big deal.

On Tuesday, my copies of The Opposite of Dark arrived and, happily, I was home when the postman showed up, struggling under the weight of three boxes. My daughter was also home at the time, so this was a shared joy as we both unsealed the boxes and lifted out those first copies.

You’ll know from previous posts that I’m a fan of e-books, both as a writer and a reader, but I have to say there is nothing quite like the feel and the smell of a brand new book, hot off the press. Yes, for a few seconds, I buried my nose in the copy I claimed for myself.

And there’s nothing like the feeling you get when you go for your usual workout and the staff not only buy a copy, but show the book around the room while pointing at me and smiling.

And there’s nothing like the feeling you get when your mom takes you and the whole family out for a celebration dinner at a terrific restaurant, and she sees the book—dedicated to her—for the first time.

These moments make the wait worthwhile. The Opposite of Dark represents fifteen years of writing and submitting (two years with an agent, two more years with a single publisher) and if there’s anything I can pass onto you from this experience, is that tenacity and learning and polishing really do pay off.

The official publishing date is March 15th. My publisher is making a book trailer and will post the first chapter on their website, as will I in a few days. Meanwhile, for more information you can go to http://bit.ly/i983XE