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 something I will never forget.
“Dad, thanks for everything.”
My eyes welled.
Everything.
Fetus to freshman. Everything.
He tilted his head, wondering why his father was wiping his eyes. That's when I realized he was just thanking me for bringing his shit up the stairs.
Still.
It's hard to let things go.
If you're wondering whether I sobbed when I sent out the digital copies of Noble Reckoning like I did in the university parking lot—
No. I didn't.
But the feeling is eerily similar.
For over a year I've been wringing out my brain bag to get Noble Reckoning into the world.
That means focus. A lot of it. The kind that borders on psychosis. But let's pretend it's just the good, healthy focus of a writer at work.
It's just me, my imagination, and my laptop. Every day. Sometimes dancing. Sometimes stumbling. Sometimes convinced I've figured it out. Sometimes wondering what the hell I'm doing.
And then, eventually, it's done.
I like the book.
I really do.
I think Emma's story goes somewhere interesting. I think there are moments readers won't see coming. I think I did what I was trying to do.
But now what I think doesn't matter. Because it's not mine anymore.
Four hundred people have the book.
Soon there will be more.
They'll decide what works. What doesn't. Whether this one is better than the last one. Whether Emma did something they love or something that drives them crazy.
There will be five-star reviews.
And there will be one-star reviews.
There always are. It's okay. Everyone gets an opinion.
I've been here before. I know what's coming. That doesn't seem to make it much easier.
For me, one of the best parts of writing is being in control. I can change anything. A sentence. A scene. A character. An ending. If something isn't working, I can keep going back until I think it is.
Then one day you send it out.
And that's it.
I have a good feeling Noble Reckoning will be well received.
But there's still a little pit in my stomach. Like the last time. And the time before that.
It's not because I doubt the plot or the writing.
You're supposed to feel a tug at your heart when something you love leaves home.
Happy Friday!
Andy
P.S. Check out the book trailer before you take off.
