Hi Reader, Kath grabbed me by the shoulders on my way up to my writing room this morning and turned me toward her. "Smile," she said. "It tricks the brain." I nodded. "Do it." So I did. She's right. My brain falls for anything. This week, I've been telling it that I'm not enough. I should be doing more. Achieving more. Finishing more. Not helpful. Noble Reckoning releases next week. I should be writing about the launch. But that's not what's on my mind today. This morning, I walked into the...
3 days ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, I'm not a gambler. But I kinda love watching people bet—the more, the better. It's fascinating and kind of dark. A study in human behavior. By the way, that's a writer thing. Standing around—watching people. I once stood next to a guy and watched him lose an absurd amount at a blackjack table at a resort in the Bahamas. It was an absolute train wreck that, apparently, the idiot could afford. The dealers rotated and I asked him how he was doing. "Down a quarter mil." "When do you...
10 days ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, I was not optimistic about Kath's big interview. A few hours before it started, I watched a tear slide down her cheek. She'd never done anything like this before. She had nerves. Lots of them. That's when I decided I'd better put on a good shirt because there was a fair chance I'd be pinch hitting. Let me back up here. When Kath was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, I asked how she wanted to handle this. Privately? Publicly? Her answer: "Publicly. Through you, Andy. I'm not good...
24 days ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, I realize something about myself that I'm not entirely proud of. Give me a compliment and I can't say no to whatever comes next. This writing train runs on ego. So when BookLife, the indie arm of Publishers Weekly, told me they were launching a platform to help authors navigate the business side—and wanted to start with me? Yeah. Of course. Sign me up. I walked around with a balloon head for a few days. And then I realized what they were asking. It wasn't the video that made me...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Letting it go Hi Reader, Yesterday, four hundred copies of Noble Reckoning were sent out to members of the Street Team. I should be feeling relief, right? The cover is done. The book is out of my hands. The launch is set. All is right with the world. Well...kind of. I remember lugging my son's belongings up seven stories when he moved into his freshman dorm. It was a hot August day and I was in full dad-sweat. But it was a welcome distraction from the weird grief I was feeling. Then he said...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Noble Reckoning Cover Reveal Hi Reader, I didn't choose the title of my latest book. You guys did. Noble Reckoning. I love it and am so grateful for your input. But the covers? They aren't voted on. I keep that decision private. Covers are tricky. They need to reflect the genre and the book. They need to be familiar but not derivative. Everyone has an opinion. It's just a hard thing to get right. So there I was a few years ago—a brand-new author with my first book, getting ready to launch. I...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, Kath and I just returned from a long weekend in Washington, DC. No, this wasn't research for a new thriller. It was something more personal. And more important. Last weekend, over five hundred stage IV lung cancer patients and their sidekicks (caregivers) gathered in one place. Last year, if you'd asked me what that looked like, I'd have guessed grim. I'd have been wrong. For those who are new here, Kath was recently diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer that primarily affects...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
"Plate Spinning" Hi Reader, This week we’re talking about book launches. I can tell you that releasing a book internationally through a traditional publisher is very different from self-publishing. On the stress scale, 1-10, I’d put the number at… Zero. None. Nada. Because they don’t need me. I don’t know the markets. I don’t know the language. I wait, and eventually a box of books shows up at the house. Very cool. Self-publishing in the States? Now that’s a different animal. It’s not stress...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, A box arrived from New York this week. From my literary agent. Well — former agent. Let me explain. In 2021, I sent out one query letter and landed one of the top agents in the publishing world. Which, if you know anything about getting an agent, is entirely bonkers. Her client list could field a literary All-Star team. Frank McCourt. Sue Grafton. Elizabeth Strout. She delivered immediately, getting us two international deals. Then spent a year walking Fortunate Son around New...
2 months ago • 2 min read