I make gut decisions. Have done so all my life. My intuition has been pretty good. Druid blood.
Yesterday, having incorporated the last (?) of the edits submitted by my inner circle of readers (thank you all from the bottom of my heart), I was waiting for a sign as to when I should pull the trigger and send it in to Reagan Rothe at BRW.
Of course I was still feeling the adrenaline rush from meeting my first set of street fans Carole and Ron Becker, the day before, but I knew I had plenty of time before I had to submit it in order to meet the existing June 27, 2024 release date production schedule.
Now I have other writers who have submitted blurbs for the cover. They really excite me. I am forever in their debt.
But one of the writers that I have been friends with these past couple of years, Kerry Fryar Freeman, has also helped me with Book & Bevies ads for TWA and FJM. She’s amazing.
https://www.kerryfryarfreeman.com/booksandbevies
https://www.kerryfryarfreeman.com/booksandbevies/tom-mccaffrey-and-the-wise-ass
(That’s the real “Lenny” from The Claire Saga)
(That’s the real Kyle Dooley – Hells Kitchen Bartender Character from FJM)
And finally, my son Luke’s novel, Lebanon Red.
(That’s himself). Brilliant book. Far more talented than his dad.
https://www.kerryfryarfreeman.com/booksandbevies/luke-mccaffrey-and-lebanon-red
Kerry’s done this now for years, for free, just to support other writers. It’s quite brilliant. It is quite selfless.
I’ve also had the privilege of reading Kerry’s debut novel, Sedona: A Novel. It drops on November 15th. It is amazing. Buy it.
So when I was looking for cold readers to read the complete draft of Where The Ley Lines Meet, I asked Kerry if she would be willing to do so. She leapt at the chance.
About a week ago, she sent me an email with her review of the book. Her analysis tied WTLLM into the prior four novels, and made me weep.
I have never had a “Forward” from another writer in any of the prior books, but since this was the last (?) of The Claire Saga, I decided to pull a Costanza and change things up, and asked KFF if she would be willing to provide one.
Again, selflessly, Kerry agreed.
Well, yesterday, while I was pondering when to send in the final draft for WTLLM to BRW, I got an email from Kerry with her Forward.
I wept again.
I also took it as the sign I was looking for, dropped that Forward into the front of the final draft of WTLLM, and packed it off in an email to Reagan Rothe. Fini.
Shortly afterwards, Reagan sent me an email asking if I would be okay going right into production and moving the release date forward by over two months. Yes please!
So now Where The Ley Lines Meet will be published on April 16, 2024. A BRW Special Tuesday release.
Trust your gut.
Thank you, everyone – human, nonhuman and mystical – that has played a roll in getting this book written and in final shape. I’m not kidding, I could not have done it without you. I have never felt more confident in the success of anything I’ve ever written.
Thank you all of my fine, five readers, whose support over these last 2 1/2 years has directly led to the success of The Wise Ass, An Alien Appeal, Kissing My Ass Goodbye, and Finding Jimmy Moran.
Word of mouth has been a godsend.
Thanks Mom for all of those heavenly Kindle orders. One more proof that energy crosses the veil.
Thanks to all of my old and new friends that volunteered to appear as characters in The Claire Saga.
Thanks my expanding inner circle of readers for keeping me honest and on pace this summer. You are all tres magnifique. 53 days, start to finish. Your consistent and timely responses, critiques and challenges along the way, made this the best story ever.
Thanks to the cluster of cold readers who vetted WTLLM after having read all four prior books and confirmed that it’s the perfect ending (?) to The Claire Saga.
So now I will just have to get that final cover going.
I know Richard Lamb will hit it out of the park. http://inspiredlambdesign.com/
Speaking of getting going, I better –
Kitty to cuddle and rounds to make.
But again, thank you my fine, five readers for making this journey with me.
So looking forward to what is next.
Now, let us all go forth and make today a great one.
