
That's right, friends and neighbors, Pete Kahle, with Bloodshot Books has offered to publish my first novel, "The Raggedy Man," and I couldn't be happier. It's kind of surreal, if I'm to be honest. You imagine something for so long, you believe it could happen, and that it might happen. But then it does happen, and you're like, "Wait...what?" I am over the moon, right now!, and I can't wait to see my baby on the shelves, being all book-like and all!
It happened like this: I forwarded a partial and cover letter to Pete over the summer. (I'd gotten the Bloodshot Books site info from DarkMarkets, a site dedicated to helping poor slobs like you and me find possible homes for our children, in case you were wondering. If you're a horror writer, you need to be there, daily!) That very weekend, I heard back from Pete Kahle, letting me know that he had received my submission, and would be getting back to me to let me know either way about my work. And for those of you who don't know, a publisher getting back to you is a rare pleasure. A publisher getting back to you quickly is like find a leprechaun sitting on a bed of four-leaf clovers, wondering if you'd be so kind as to take this huge pot of gold off his hands --it's SO heavy! Anyway, a little while later, Pete emailed me to ask for the complete manuscript, letting me know that mine was one of a small number of manuscripts that had made it past the initial round. Amazed, I forwarded the manuscript right away, and waited to hear back, knowing - just knowing - that it wouldn't be me. Except that it was. Which just goes to show that the old adage is true: "There are those who succeed, and those who gave up." And that's my advice to those of you who are still trying to achieve the holy grail of writing. Don't give up. I did it. So can you!
I don't have much more information than that my novel is scheduled to be out by next August. I'll try to refrain from over-saturating social media with this: I've got plenty of cool stuff to talk about! But I will definitely update you as things come closer to fruition. In fact, for those of you writers that are new to the game, expect to see more from me regarding the actual process of publication. Scott Nicholson was the first writer I saw to do this, and it was SO helpful, that I decided that if and when I ever got published, I would do the same.
So, that's it! That's the news! Thanks to Pete Kahle, for giving an unknown writer a shot. Thanks to you, for taking the time to read this. Maybe you'll stick with me a little while. It's a long journey, and I'll feel much better with you along. Until next time...
Chris,