Well, it’s time for another update. And while this might not be all sunshine and roses, I have to keep in mind that I’m incredibly lucky to be in this position. I know firsthand how hard it is to convince a profit-based enterprise to use their valuable time and money to publish something you wrote. I don’t take that for granted, and certainly there are people out there who would happily trade places.
Right, where were we? White Bird Publications went out of business with the passing of its founder and owner, meaning that the rights for A Day in Fall have officially reverted to me. Ingram, the world’s largest book distributor, had no problem transferring the book into my name.
The holdup lies with Amazon. Who would’ve thought? The world’s largest online bookstore has sought fit to crush my dreams with their refusal to de-list A Day in Fall from their platform. Why? I’m still not quite sure. The inquiry is ongoing, and at each turn I’m asked to jump through more hoops. But jump through them I will until the book is de-listed and switched into my name, at which time I’ll probably relist it (I’m hoping with an exciting new cover…TBD!)
That’s the gist of the update. But a few other things. I haven’t posted here in a while, which defeats the purpose of this space. I also don’t want to bombard the inbox of anyone gracious enough to subscribe. Therefore, in 2023 I’m going to post once a month about my books, good books I’ve read, and what’s coming next. Which brings me to…
A Day in Winter (a sequel to A Day in Fall) is almost finished. My goal is to be done with the initial draft by the end of February. I can’t make many promises about the plot and don’t want to give anything away, but Michael Larson and Echelon will be back. I can assure you that the spirit of A Day in Fall will be kept alive, not to mention kicked up a major notch.
Russia is involved, and plays an unconventional role. I don’t intend A Day in Winter or any book in this series to be a parody of the world we’re living in (however you perceptualize that). More so, they’re inspired by certain events, influences, and geopolitical trends that I usually find equal parts worrisome and fascinating. I do feel strongly that Christian nationalism and the far-right movement are growing problems that will need to eventually be faced and dealt with, and that’s a subtle undercurrent, maybe even a theme of this book. But I also understand that not everyone agrees with that stance, and they’re certainly allowed to.
Telling people how to think or what to feel is exactly the kind of behavior Michael Larson and Echelon are positioned against. A Day in Winter promises a whole new crop of wrongdoers, dilemmas, and the same twists and turns that (hopefully) made A Day in Fall an entertaining read.
I have another bit of quasi-news. I’ve written another book, tentatively titled The World Market.
Here’s the logline (kind of like a one-sentence elevator pitch) I used for it in a contest I entered the other day:
When a powerful American family has a Chinese tech mogul’s daughter arrested on Canadian soil, it sparks a revenge-fueled conflict for control of the criminal underworld.
I know a few things to be fact. The global shadow economy (or black market) is all around us. We all contribute to it in ways we most likely don’t even fathom. And there are people knowingly involved that we wouldn’t expect.
The foundation of this crime thriller is based on true events. I wrote about them in more detail here. Essentially, back in 2018, America pressured Canada into arresting the daughter of Huawei’s founder in Vancouver. In retaliation, China sentenced to death a Canadian man who had been arrested in Dalian for drug smuggling. This set off a tense standoff between the nations in question, but that’s all I’ll say for now.
I have no immediate plans for publication of this book. Currently, I’m working with someone outside my one-man collective to prepare the manuscript for presenting to agents and potentially publishers. When there are updates you’ll be the first to know.
Before I go, here are a few books I’ve read in the past month or two that I thoroughly enjoyed:
1. A History of Fear – Luke Dumas
I don’t read a ton of horror books, but I highly recommend A History of Fear. Creepy and unnerving with the most unreliable of narrators. Is Grayson Hale really being plagued by the devil, or is the whole thing in his head? Honestly, I still don’t know.
2. American Kingpin – Nick Bilton
I didn’t know much about the Silk Road—a website on the deep web where anything under the sun was for sale—or its founder. This book made the true story feel like a novel, and an insane one at that. In a matter of years, a kid out of Austin made a cool two hundred million operating a drug website that nobody in law enforcement could crack.
3. Counterfeit – Kirstin Chen
I certainly know more about designer labels and handbags than I used to. Like a heist story, in a sense, this crime novel was so good that I flew through it in a couple days. The scheme is marvelous in its simplicity, and the characters are truly well-done.
4. Akata Woman – Nnedi Okorafor
The third book in the Nsibidi Scripts series. Needless to say, I got hooked on the characters a while ago. Put it this way: if Nigeria holds even a sliver of the magic and secrets described in this book, all of us need to visit someday. They call this series the Nigerian Harry Potter, but that isn’t doing it justice. Just read it.
5. Slender Man – Anonymous
Another horror novel. I’m a big fan, even though the titular antagonist barely came into play at all. Honestly, that might have made the book better and creepier. Weird coincidences, nightmares, a story appearing from nowhere on a teenager’s laptop, and a missing girl all come together to make this an excellent read. It’s told in an unconventional format—journal entries, text logs, and voice recording transcripts. Again, just read it.
That’s a wrap. Thanks for reading and subscribing. If you have any questions or want to get in touch, email me at life9ent@yahoo.com!