If we were having coffee, I’d be complaining about how hard it is to sell a debut novel. I’d tell you how all my author friends say the first book is the hardest but to keep at it. They always assure me that by the time I publish the third or fourth book I will be on my way. But then again, they’re not really friends, are they? They are the competition.
Still … I’d tell you that I see their point. I’d finish my coffee and carefully place the empty mug on the table, then stand up and announce, “That’s it, then .. my next novel will officially be my FOURTH novel!”
Sigh.
Thomas Fenske is the author of The Fever
http://www.thefensk.com
Like any great cook, Hilah took what I did and tweaked it to fit her style. And of course, she knew what to do to make it look great on screen too. She did an awesome job! Did I say I was humbled? I am downright gobsmacked!
I saw this photo today on Facebook. Okay, I blatantly borrowed it from a page called Texas Pride. There, I cited it. Great page, I am happy I found it. This is a springtime picture from near Ennis, TX.
My cat Cookie is relieved!
Today’s winter storm along the east coast reminded me of a scene I depicted in The Fever … Sam, the hero, is caught driving across most of the state of Texas in a horrible ice/snow storm. One reader told me it was one of her favorite parts and that while she was reading she had to get up and put on a sweater because the description of the cold gave her a chill.
Well, here we are two weeks into the new year … I guess it has finally hit.
In olden days I processed subscriptions for an academic publisher. Among our many publications, we handled three different political science journals. One day we received a routine renewal for an individual, a woman, living in Southern California. At the time we kept hard copies of all payments, usually photocopies of the check we received (but hey, we’d even photocopy cash if they sent that). If there was a minor problem with a subscription, we might go to their previous payment in our files to completely verify the past and present status of the subscription. I can’t remember the exact problem but it was probably a renewal duplication. We would send out a series of subscription renewal notices, like every six weeks or so. We had apparently already received a renewal from this woman. Duplicates are not that unusual either … somebody is clearing off their messy desk and they find either the duplicate or a copy from another mailing and they forget that they’ve already renewed and send another check. We would routinely extend their subscription. 
I’m happy to be a part of this holiday blog hop … so let’s get to it!
Scratching the Surface 