Six Magic Words
Only another aspiring author can understand what it’s like to survive a long, frigid and frustrating winter of unsuccessfully querying literary agents and publishers on your first novel. While I received a tantalizing trickle of nibbles and manuscript requests, the typical response was: “Love your writing. Love your characters. Love your plot. But no thanks.”
After receiving a bushel basket of rejections, I was approached last year by Elizabeth Engstrom, an accomplished novelist and the founder of an extraordinary writing group that I have had the good fortune of working with for the past decade. Along with other stalwart members of this group, Liz has encouraged, advised and inspired me as I wrote and edited—and then re-wrote and re-edited—“The Garbage Brothers.”
Liz offered me a contract on behalf of IFD Publishers, a small Eugene-based publishing house owned by author and artist Alan M. Clark, who works with a small stable of Northwest writers including Liz and Eric Witchey. Liz said she believed in my book and told me IFD was interested in championing the work of new writers. Then she said the six magic words I’d been longing to hear: “We want to publish your book.”
I deeply appreciate Liz’s support and IFD’s willingness to publish the work of a first-time novelist. By the way, IFD stands for Imagination Fully Dilated, which I have to say is one of the finest names for a publishing house I’ve ever encountered.
After some tireless copy editing by my former Register-Guard colleague Jan Lafeman and a superb proofreading by sci-fi author Kathy Oltion, “The Garbage Brothers” is ready for you to to buy — what a bargain at $11.95 — and enjoy. A lot of years and sweat went into this project, and I strongly suspect that I will never write another book that I believe in and love quite as much as this one.
I look forward to posting more blogs in this space in the weeks, months and years to come as I complete a second novel, “Chasing Sam Bradbury,” and then hopefully write more in the years to come. Keep an eye out for my next blog entry, which will focus on some of the unique challenges involved in transitioning from a career as a newspaper journalist to a first-time novelist.
Meanwhile, I hope you buy this book, read it, and enjoy it as much I did writing it. And, oh yeah, please help spread the word about “The Garbage Brothers.”
p.s. If you belong to a book group or know a family member, friend or neighbor who does, let them know about my book. If I’m available, I enjoy dropping by local book-club meetings and joining in the discussions. Please contact me here.
