I have been working as a welder’s helper to research my next novel (not a sequel to Deep Background)

Two big things have already happened this week for me. First, on Sunday, I realized that Deep Background was listed on publishing behemoth Amazon, and is listed and available for pre-order on the website of Barnes & Noble, the nation’s largest bookseller. My novel has gone from existing in my head, existing on my laptop’s word processor, existing in printed manuscripts, existing on electronic proofs, existing in a bound novel, to now being available to the masses on the largest bookish websites on the planet. In addition, I added Deep Background and my author page to Goodreads and created my Amazon author page.

And, until the release date of Dec. 6, if you want 15 percent off a pre-order of Deep Background, you can order from my publisher, Black Rose Writing, and use the promo code PREORDER2018.

Then, on Monday, I got confirmation that I will be having my first author event on Nov. 24. It will be a pre-launch event at Burrowing Owl Bookstore in Canyon (about 10 minutes south of Amarillo). They are a great friend to local and statewide authors, and I have a small relationship with the main proprietor, Dallas, as the former editor of the Amarillo Globe-News.

And, somehow, this news gets better.

I will be at Burrowing Owl from 10 a.m. to noon on that Saturday, which is also Small Business Saturday, which has traditionally been one of the busiest days of the year for the local bookseller.

I’m not done with the good news just yet.

That time slot is just before another author event at Burrowing Owl that will feature the multiple-award-winning New York Times and USA Today bestseller Jodi Thomas. I am absolutely thrilled to be her opening act and will learn so much from that experience. And, selfishly, I hope that I will be able to get some of her early-arrivers and perhaps meet some potential readers during and after her event.

I also have updated this site a bit (it’s not done, but better), including an easy payment button for those who may be interested in buying a signed copy of Deep Background. I have them in my possession and can’t wait to get them in your hands. I am also close to setting up a newsletter, so be on the lookout for that.

The reason I haven’t gotten that done yet is I’ve been researching my next novel (no, it’s not a sequel to Deep Background). I have been working full time (which, in this new world of mine is 10 hours a day six or seven days a week) as a welder’s helper for my best friend who is, as you’ve already guessed, a welder. Yes, the title “welder’s helper” is real and official. He can weld anything, but at the moment the money is in welding oil pipeline. So that’s what we’ve been doing for a couple of months at various job sites in Texas and Oklahoma. As the photo above shows, we sometimes cook out for lunch.

This new story, which I will begin writing in earnest in about two weeks when our current job is over, will not only introduce bookish folks to this world, but it will also be a thriller/murder mystery.

The only way for me to bring authenticity to this story was to dive in. And, it’s also turning into somewhat of an advance, as the pay can be very good, even for someone with the word “helper” in their job title.