Hi First name / Friend,
I’m popping out of the cave with a warm hello. Sort of. It was 48 degrees this morning, mild compared to the rest of the country, but it’s chilly for us South Floridians. Seeing the snow pictures coming out of the Northeast, I say: come visit!
The Publisher's Marketplace deal announcement for book 9, The Outbox, came out this week. That means the contract’s signed, and we’re simply announcing it to the world. Which also means, I’m superbly excited, though I wasn't always feeling this way about this book. This is the one that surprised me in every way.
The Outbox sold off a two-word title and a short paragraph. At the time we signed the contract, I was mourning a book I had to set aside. The struggle to get the words on the page was real. I battled with the story and all it represented. How could I create when I was still headfirst in another plot? It took me weeks to get into a rhythm. And time was ticking. The entire novel needed to be written by 5/2/26.
And then it slowly happened. A thousand words a day turned into actual pages and chapters, and I saw the faint shadow of a story arc. Soon I was invested, characters and plotlines coming to life. I looked forward to returning to the page. Excited. And in seventy days, I was done with the first draft. I had officially fallen in love in two months and change. I was officially a sucker.
Seeing the announcement in Publisher's Marketplace this week made the story real in a different way. It was a reminder of what I’d lost and what I'd gained. My publishing house handed me a gift. They believed in me enough to contract a book that hadn't been written. They had confidence in abilities that I didn't always see. The reaction from readers and fans also surprised me. Wait a minute…this sounds pretty good.
We don't always know where our stories will take us. But uncertainty is one thing we can count on. Lots of twists and turns and ups and down and pivots, and then we're surprised in the most unexpected way. I hope this book amazes and surprises you too.
