Like I’ve done countless times before, I logged into the Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites and typed an author’s name into the search bar. The result appeared in nanoseconds, yet it was time enough for me to notice moisture on my palms.
This was the first time I’d ever had a reason to search my own name.
And there it was:
Trail Angel
by Derek Catron
I stared longer than was necessary. Before I start sounding like new parents who speak of their child’s birth as if they are the first couple to have accomplished the feat, let me just say: It felt good.
For most first-time authors, the rewards in writing a book are intangible. The satisfaction in completing the work. The relief in learning someone who doesn’t share your last name enjoys it. The pride in hearing readers discuss your characters as if they are real people. These moments may be the only payoff for months of lonely labor, and if you don’t pause to appreciate them, you’re unlikely to find the motivation to go back and write the next book.
So allow me my moment. I’ll get over it soon enough, just as the thrill of seeing my name printed above a newspaper story wore off a long, long time ago.
In the meantime, I hope you’ll repeat my experiment and type my name into the search bar of your bookseller of choice. These are pre-orders only. The book won’t be released until Aug. 17, and on that date it may be available only as an e-book. I’m told it may take another week or so before the delivery of the books makes sales of the hardback possible.
But why wait? The more books they sell before Trail Angel’s publication, the more they’re likely to order from Five Star Publishing. I’d like to sell a lot of books. I’d like to cash in that lottery ticket someday. But mostly, like any author, I want to be read. It’s the intangible reward that keeps all of us writing.
To make it easier, here are some links:
I’m listing Barnes & Noble second because they don’t have the cover photo on their page yet. (I can’t imagine how they will get over this slight.)
I too stared a little longer than necessary. I recognized that name. That is my best childhood buddy, whom I’d lost contact with and have just recently reconnected, and he wrote a novel. How cool. I will be ordering my copy this morning. I can’t wait to read your first of what I hope are many novels. Congratulations on seeing this amazing journey to its conclusion.