Publishing News 2.0!

In my last post I alluded to possibly having some more news to share soon, and it has come to pass. The “ink” is dry on the contract so I can finally announce: Denver-based indie publisher Literary Wanderlust has agreed to publish my debut novel, The End of Jimmy Ray Day!

As I mentioned, they are an indie publisher, which means they don’t exactly have money to throw around. They’re editing and designing the cover, etc. but they wanted to be clear with me that I can’t rely solely on them when it comes to marketing and advertising—I’m going to have to get busy getting the word out there, both on social media and (gasp!) out in the real world. I see some readings and probably some conventions in my future, and who knows what else.

I’m not kidding myself, this is going to be a hard, lengthy process to get the book ready and actually out for sale (I’m not even entirely sure on the time frame, I just know the editor I’m working with is swamped with other projects, so it’s going to be a while), but I could not be more enthusiastic to do plenty of legwork to spread the word and sell some books. I’ll update as things move along, but for right now I’m just taking a moment to let it all sink in and digest the fact that I’m finally publishing a book. Best of all, my dad has been in poor health lately but he lit up when I gave him the news. He’s very proud, which makes me happy.

As for the book itself, it’s a quirky crime tale, with some drama, dark humor, and several not-too-smart characters. Here’s the blurb:

Rough and tumble repo man Jimmy Ray Day is sent from his home in Dallas to Bakersfield, CA by his boss ‘Big’ Bill Byrd with a special assignment: to take someone out—Bill’s own son, in fact—and bring back Bill’s grandson safe and sound. Jimmy screws the pooch in short order and spectacular fashion, and flees Bakersfield for the sleepy Mexican town of Cantamar, where he falls for a nefarious nymph who convinces him that in order to ensure her safety he’s going to have to perform at least one more dastardly deed. 

Before he knows it, Jimmy has a lunkhead from Dallas tracking him down and fears for the life of his young daughter. Jimmy must race from fCantamar to Wichita, KS to save his little girl from a hellbent Hispanic and a twisted Texan, both looking to settle some scores.

I’m sure that could be tweaked before it’s sent far and wide, but that gives you the gist. I’ll be back with updates or random posts soon, but if you’ll excuse me I’m off to do my happy dance.