Cover Reveal: ROB WORM'S BIRD ADVENTURE by Rob Kent

 

With nonstop action, adventure, and humor, this thrilling tale will have 7- to 11-year-old readers wriggling on the edge of their tails!

After an early spring rain, Rob Worm’s bunch burrows to the surface to enjoy the mud. At 9-and-a-half months old (10 years in human time), Rob has been deep underground over half his life. He yearns for adventure and can’t wait to see the surface! Unfortunately, a robin can’t wait to see him.

When Rob pushes his best friend to safety, the robin scoops him up instead and carries him off to feed to her hatchling. Rob wriggles free but is dropped on the roof of a human house.

To get home to his bunch, Rob Worm is going to have to first get down, and then contend with a nest of nasty yellowjackets, fierce colonies of warring ants, a crafty spider, sizzling hot cement, and a pond filled with hungry koi, all while being pursued by a revenge-seeking robin.

Available 3/23/23

It's going to be a great year, Esteemed Reader. I can't wait to share this book with you and to tell you more about it the closer we get to launch. I could never choose an absolute favorite story I've told, but this one will have to duke it out with the Banneker Bones trilogy for the top spot, and it would be a close fight. And really, I love them both so, so much (and all the rest of my books, of course).

For today, I just want to bask in the beauty of Steven Novak's incredible cover. Steven has designed all my covers and I wear his designs on my shirts and plaster them on mugs and light switch covers because I love them with my whole heart. He's an amazing artist and I'm humbled his breathtaking work has so frequently had my name on it.

This cover in particular is something really special. It makes me smile the biggest, happiest smile every time I look at it. It's just so bright and colorful and good natured and it makes me hope the story that is to follow lives up to it. It's certainly an improvement over the first version of the cover I drew in the fifth grade when I was 11 and thought naming the main character after myself was an inspired idea.

7 Questions For: Author Steven Novak

Steven Novak is the author of the Breadcrumbs For The Nasties series of novels, Forts, Goats Eat Cans, numerous children's books, and a number of comics. He is an accomplished illustrator and has designed book covers for authors across the globe. He lives with his wife in southern California, has two cats, and apparently likes to stare at the sky dramatically in black and white photos. His work can be found online at www.novakillustration.com

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Steven Novak has been writing, drawing, and creating stuff pretty much from the start.

Seriously, the guy has spent nearly his entire life hunched over a pad of paper with a pencil in his hand.

His spine is mostly crumpled.

After four years at the Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio, Steven headed to southern California. It was there that he married his wife, Tami, and began his professional career.

Steven is also a cover designer for hire and I highly reccomend him as he's designed the covers for all of my books to date.

Click here to read my review of Forts: Fathers and Sons.

And now Steven Novak faces the 7 Questions: 

Question Seven: What are your top three favorite books?

That’s tough. I don’t know. It’s hard thing to nail down. I still love The Martian Chronicles. I’m not even sure it’s Ray Bradbury’s “best” book, but it’s the first I fell in love with, and the one I always come back to. I read Fight Club when I was in high school and it blew my mind. As a lifelong comic book fan I’d hate myself if I didn’t mention Watchmen. Cat’s Cradle was a revelation back in the day. Then there’s Maus. Anything by John Swartzwelder is usually good for a laugh. The first book I ever loved was Harold And The Purple Crayon. Does that count?

Eh, who cares? I’ve already named more than three.

I’m a rule breaker.

Deal with it.

Question Six: How much time do you spend each week writing? Reading?

I write in spurts. When I’m really into the process I can bang out a book in a couple weeks. When I’m not, I’m lucky to crank out three or four words in a couple months.

Honestly, I’m not even sure I like writing.

Scratch that, I’m fairly certain I hate it.

It’s a pain in the butt. Once I have the story worked out in my head, I’m mostly done with it. The act of transforming that story into a book feels like slogging through waist-deep mud in concrete boots. It’s annoying. And pointless.

Who buys concrete boots anyway?

Why did I waste my money on those things?

Question Five: What was the path that led you to publication?

I was working as a freelance product designer for a company in Palm Springs a few years back. All of a sudden they no longer required my services. I was out of work, and the economy was garbage, and I’d grown so comfortable in the position that I hadn’t taken the time to secure much of a client list.

I was young. And a little dumb.

I ended up cleaning the bathrooms at the local Best Buy during the week, twirling signs on the weekend, and delivering packages during the holidays. It was a strain on my marriage and did very little for my already low self-esteem. While it put some cash in my pocket, it wasn’t exactly the most creatively fulfilling line of work.  

In order to stay sane I started writing the Forts series. I love those books. They’re the most personal things I’ve ever written. Technically they’re a mess, but who cares? I didn’t write them to sell them. That part just sort of happened. They helped me come to terms with some nasty parts of my past, and my father, and refocus on the most important things in my life.

Lemons into lemonade, and other hackneyed expressions.

Question Four: Do you believe writers are born, taught or both? Which was true for you?

Creative people are probably born creative. The act of writing is mostly taught. I don’t necessarily think all writers are artists. Writing is sometimes a job. Like any job it can be repetitive, and silly, and not very creative, and honestly, sort of dumb.

Question Three: What is your favorite thing about writing? What is your least favorite thing?

My favorite thing about writing is coming up with the idea. I don’t keep notes. I don’t plan, or storyboard, or do anything a good writer should probably do. If it’s not good enough to remember, it probably wasn’t that good to begin with.

It’s possible that’s just an excuse for laziness.

I can admit that.

My least favorite thing about writing is actually writing. I understand how stupid that sounds. I really do.

It’s also the truth.

Question Two: What one bit of wisdom would you impart to an aspiring writer? (feel free to include as many other bits of wisdom as you like)

Don’t listen to anything I say? Ignore me entirely and write a romance novel about vampires? I dunno.

I’m the wrong person to ask for advice. I’m a bit of a weirdo, and not “successful” enough for the masses to take notice. I own two pairs of pants and wear the same four shirts in rotation. I rarely shave. I’m the king of the introverts, standoffish in public and a goofball at home. I’m a grump and I like being a grump.

If your ball lands on my lawn, I’m keeping it!

I’m that guy.

I suppose the best advice I can offer is to write because you love to write. That’s it. Don’t plan on getting rich, because so few do. Even the writers who are actually selling books aren’t “rich.” They’re paying their bills, and feeding their families, and that’s great, and it’s a heck of a lot better than digging used tampons out of those little metal boxes in women’s restroom.

Trust me on this.

No matter what you pursue in life, make sure you love it. Life’s too short to waste it doing something you hate.

Also, never root for the home team. Be different. Same is boring, and in the long run same is always forgotten.

Question One: If you could have lunch with any writer, living or dead, who would it be? Why?

Poe?

That dude’s gotta be wonderfully weird, right? It would make for an interesting lunch. What would he eat? His old-timey money would be useless so I’d probably have to pay. He’s a little guy though. Probably wouldn’t eat much. So that’s a plus. We could complain about stuff together.

I’d show him a video on my cell phone and watch his head explode.  

www.novakillustration.com

Book Review: FORTS: FATHERS AND SONS by Steven Novak

WARNING: This story is upper middle grade trending toward young adult. Most readers should be fine to proceed, but there is some light adult language and adult themes throughout. Uncertain parents should probably read this one for themselves before giving it to their children (which is far preferable to complaining after the fact). Get involved in your children's reading, parents:)

First Paragraph(s): A thousand years of peace had come to an abrupt and violent end. Off in the distance, trees that had stood eons longer than there have been inhabitants in this quiet, peaceful world collapsed to the ground. The thunderous boom resulting from the massive structures meeting their untimely demise echoed throughout the red forest.  The creatures that called this very old, very simple place home felt tremors for miles in every direction. In response to the commotion, frightened groups of these thin, pale-skinned beings took to the treetops, hoping to learn the cause of the disturbance.  Making use of limbs longer than the whole of their bodies, they scurried up the sides of the massive growths. One by one large, egg-shaped heads containing grotesquely large eyes parted the densely covered foliage, breaking the crest of the afternoon sky. Like a flock of birds, their heads moved in silent unison, focusing on the ruckus in the distance. Less than a mile away, patches of trees toppled to the ground as great plumes of dust and smoke rose toward the sky to take their place. The monstrous wall of debris began to spread across the forest, blocking out the light of the three sister suns.  
For the very first time in  its history, this place was slowly being enveloped by a darkness brought on, not by night, but something else entirely - something evil, angry, and aggressive – something that would change it forever.

Do you like a nice middle grade story involving plucky protagonists literally sucked into a fantastical world where magic happens, Esteemed Reader? Of course you do, you're here:) You're going to love Forts and you should pick up a copy straight away.

It should come as no surprise I'm a fan of author Steven Novak. He's a writer of gloriously violent horror fiction for older readers as well as enchanting stories written primarily for children. He's a man after my own heart:) He's also designed the covers for my books, including the newest, a middle grade book revealed last week. So you know I think his artwork is top notch, but can the man write?

Esteemed Reader, he can and how! I've enjoyed his Breadcrumbs For the Nasties series immensely, but as with most of the adult horror stories I read, I won't discuss it here. Instead, I recently read Forts: Fathers and Sons, a decidedly upper middle grade tale, and enjoyed it so much I'm looking forward to volumes two and three. 

The first thing I couldn't help but notice, given my great appreciation for Novak's artwork, is what a really great looking book Forts is. Seriously. If you're thinking of publishing your own middle grade book, this is the way to do it (I read it just in time). It's well formatted and the wonderful illustrations throughout enhance the reading experience. Even after reading the book, I find myself flipping through the pages to enjoy the pictures again. 

So, Esteemed Reader, as you can no doubt deduce from the first paragraph above, the magical land of Fillagrou is in a hard way due to warfare being waged by the Ochan Army. It's tough times, but as it happens they've been waiting for five children to come and restore order to their world. Fortunately for them, in the first few chapters of Forts, we might five such children. 

One thing I really liked about Forts is that the chapters are written from various perspectives, allowing us to spend time with all of the children. But if we have to settle on a protagonist, the most likely main character is 14-year-old Tommy Jarvis, even if he is a rather unhappy child:

Instantly, Nicky recognized that his brother was in bad shape. His hair was a mess, his head hanging low, his expression tired and forlorn. The look on his face vaguely resembled the looks Nicky had seen on the animals at the zoo a week earlier when he class had been on a school field trip - sad, lost, and hopeless, as if they were meant to be somewhere else, to see something more but yet had been completely and totally unable to do so.

I love that simile:) Tommy has a lot of reasons to be as unhappy as an animal in a cage. When we first meet him, he's fresh out of detention and he's soon attacked by a bully and his gang. This is a smart move on Novak's part, introducing Donald the bully this way as, small spoiler, he's one of The Five. But the main reason Tommy and his 11-year-old mute brother Nicky are unhappy is their mother has died and their father, Chris Jarvis, has since become an abusive alcoholic:

“I don’t believe a God d**n word you’ve said to me, Tommy. You’re lying to me, and I can’t stand liars. I’m gonna teach you not to lie to me, Tommy. I’m gonna show you what happens to little boys who lie to their fathers.” 
Up the stairs went the mad pair of wildly flailing bodies; up the stairs and into the bedroom at the end of the hall; the terrifying noise muffled by the heavy slamming of the door. 
With his every limb shivering, Nicky Jarvis crawled back in front of the television, grabbed the remote and turned the volume up high. It was not that he did not want to hear the sounds that came from upstairs, but rather that he somehow instinctively understood that his brother did not want him to hear.

The Jarvis brothers immediately had my empathy and I was particularly touched by the way Tommy draws pictures for his little brother to cheer him up. If ever two boys were in need of a fantasy adventure in a far away place, it's these two. More, I like that Novak treats this element of the story so seriously. Because their issues are presented authentically, the fantastic is all the more believable and magical. 

But don't worry, Esteemed Reader. Though there are sad parts, Steven Novak is very funny and there are plenty of laughs:

Before Donald followed, he put his arm behind his back, poking questioningly at the seat of his jeans. After confirming that he had not pooped his pants, he quickly caught up with the two.

And the reader doesn't have to wait too long before the fun starts. The Jarvis boys and their neighbor Staci are visiting a fort when they're attacked by Donald and his gang. Tommy and Donald fight it out and end up in a rushing stream where this happens:

Like the dark green, hungry monster Nicky had imagined it to be, the water gobbled them up and swallowed them whole. Tugging their thrashing, oxygen-deprived bodies into itself without an ounce of sympathy or remorse, it drew them down furiously and spit them out toward a fate already determined and a world that would change them forever

And that's about as much of the story as I can reveal without spoiling. There's a nasty prince bent on seizing power over Fillagrou (isn't there always) and though the odds are far against our five heroes, if they can somehow manage to work together, there might just be hope yet.

Forts: Fathers and Sons is a fun title and it ends on a cliffhanger, so you may as well buy book two as you're reading book one. The writing is highly descriptive, proving Steven Novak can create striking images with his words as well as his usual art supplies. There's plenty of suspense, and a bit of gore, which kept me turning pages, and the characters are memorable and easy to root for. As always, I'll leave you with some of my favorite passages from Forts: Fathers and Sons:

As he started to toss the sack over his right shoulder he noticed that the one functional strap was torn, rendering it useless. He stared at it for a moment, allowing himself to fully absorb the stinging pockets of pain sprouting up on various parts of his body like the glow of lightning bugs against a pitch black night.

Every last ounce of blood in Chris Jarvis’ body quickly rushed to his head, slamming into the underside of his brain like a train smashing into a car left on the railroad tracks.

He loved his father, but not quite as much as he hated cars, and grease, and working under hot cars while covered in grease.

In every direction trees were tipped over and shattered. Clumps of dirt and grass were strewn as if the earth had been lifted up and tossed into the air with no regard for where it might land. A thin cloud of brown dust and dirt permeated the air, blanketing everything for miles in every direction.  Vision beyond short distances was almost impossible.


STANDARD DISCLAIMER: Book of the Week is simply the best book I happened to read in a given week. There are likely other books as good or better that I just didn't happen to read that week. Also, all reviews here will be written to highlight a book’s positive qualities. It is my policy that if I don’t have something nice to say online, I won’t say anything at all (usually). I’ll leave you to discover the negative qualities of each week’s book on your own.

Introducing The Middle Grade Ninja Newsletter

Hello there, Esteemed Reader. The blog has slowed down a bit at the moment. Sorry about that. I'm typing this with Little Ninja on my chest in the midst of revising one project, writing another, and planning a third. It would be work if I didn't love it so much. As is, writing and planning books is now what I do during the time I used to play video games.

I'm learning publishing as I go and as promised I'll share my lessons with you. Every source I've consulted assures me that to make it as an indie author I need to have a mailing list. That sounds like fun to me, so I've got one going and you can sign up right now.

The Middle Grade Ninja Newsletter will be an update about going-ons at this blog. When I secure my next big author or agent interview, I may share it through the newsletter before posting it here and I'll also send occasional information about book sales and free ebooks. I promise never to bug my subscribers more than twice a month and probably not that often. The newsletter is free if you want to sign up. I think it's going to be a good time.

My critique group the YA Cannibals has got some big things coming your way as well, including a possible podcast (still in the planning stages). Wouldn't you like to listen to Mike Mullin and I debate the proper use of the word "that?" Of course you would! Who wouldn't? And check out this amazing cover reveal for Love and Other Unknown Variables by one of my besties, YA Cannibal Shannon Lee Alexander. Isn't that a swell looking cover? It's an even better book, so you should pre-order it immediately. 

Speaking of cover reveals, I've got a new adult horror novella coming your way next week. Steven Novak's incredible cover is on display over at one of my favorite book blogs, The Bookie Monster. Head there for more details about the book and to enter her contest to win a free copy of both my newest and All Together Now. I'll be posting an afterword here next week.

Since I'm not posting Mr. Novak's cover here (yet), I wanted to share this sweet logo he made for the YA Cannibals. It looks to me like it was meant to be worn on the back of a leather jacket and next time the cannibals head to a conference, expect to see us wearing our insignia like the rough, tough gang of young adult writers we are:)  

I can't say enough about the artwork of Steven Novak. My biggest regret is that I can't write more books fast enough for him to design covers for. But he's working on a new kid-friendly cover now to be revealed sometime next month for The And Then Story. I promise, this summer, you'll know why I call myself the MIDDLE GRADE Ninja instead of the Adult Horror Ninja:)

Until then, I have so much to do and all of it is fun, fun, fun!

NINJA STUFF: The Distraction Of Reader Feedback, Accountability, and Cover Reveal

Hello there, Esteemed Reader. I hope this post finds you well. Though I'm posting this Monday, it's a Saturday morning for me. I've got coffee, Bob Dylan is singing softly (imagine, an English Major who likes Bob Dylan!), and Little Ninja is cooing beside me in a way that tells me I've got about 30 minutes before he'll demand to be fed again. Mrs. Ninja is getting some much needed sleep and the boys have the house to themselves, which means it's time to write.

I even know what I'm supposed to be writing (it's the story to go with the cover to the left of this). Today it's to be a sad scene between a husband and wife, one of whom is nervous about the state of their marriage, and the other of whom is a zombie. The situation is high stakes, the motivations of my characters are clear, so this scene should write itself:

"Honey, we need to talk."
"Grrrr."
"Ahhhhh!"
Chomp, moan.
"Graghhahahaha. Mmmmm, brains."

But I can't seem to summon the willpower to get it done. It doesn't help that past me wrote present me a manuscript note after the last section reading: "this next scene is the heart of the character. Nail it." Oh, thanks for taking some of the pressure off, past me, ya jerk!

I turned off my internet, but it did no good. So to prime the pump, I thought I'd at least jot down a blog post. If I'm going to squander great writing time futzing around the house, updating this blog is at least more productive than playing Plants VS Zombies 2.

A famous writer recently said to me--okay, fine, it was Hugh Howey, but I'm starting to talk about that guy as much as I talk about Batman. I don't want him scared to visit Indiana because I come off as a stalker and there are other writers to be discussed now and again. But not other writers who posted this on my Facebook page: 

"I know that blogging helped me transition into writing by teaching me the joy of getting words down every day (and also the immediate positive feedback, which books take too long to get, which means giving up too early)."

Update: Little Ninja is now in his pouch on my chest and we're listening to Tom Waits.

While I'm talking up my hero Hugh Howey, I also have to link to this post about self publishing that every writer should read and that I wish I'd written, but I wouldn't have because I'm not that smart and it contains essential naughty language (fair warning). Good writing advice from a guy who's been there and come out successful on the other end is worth paying attention to, especially when he's giving it away for nothing.

And Howey's right, of course. Blogging is not only a distraction from writing, it does give me immediate feedback. Even after I write this 1000-word zombie scene (more chomping in the real version), I'll still have a good 20,000 words to write (lots more chomping) before I can turn All Right Now over to my critique partners, the YA Cannibals, who will require I do tons of editing before I can turn it over to my editors, who will require even more revision before I can make the story available to you, Esteemed Reader.

But I'm writing this post today, I'll look it over and polish it again tomorrow, and Monday it will be up at the blog and I'll get immediate feedback from readers as well as a notice from Mr. Howey's lawyer advising me of the new distance I'm court-ordered to maintain from Jupiter, Florida.

Sudden subject change: Writers who claim not to read their own reviews are either J.K. Rowling, who couldn't read them all if she tried, or are lying. There are probably some writers made of steel who never procrastinate during writing time and aren't even aware there are sites dedicated to discussions of books where readers are making their opinions of writers' work known. To my knowledge, I've never met one of these writers, but if you are such a writer, good on you. My hat is held to my chest in awed admiration as you pass.

The rest of us writers have to grapple with putting the feedback we receive from Esteemed Reader in its place. I'm not about to advise you how to do it as I'm still figuring out how to do it myself. Susan Kaye Quinn warned me not to get Yellow-Spotted-Sales-Checking Fever, but I totally got it anyway. Indie Authors can get up-to-date details on how many books they sell just as a blogger gets real-time updates on traffic and it's impossibly intoxicating to see those numbers move, made even more enjoyable as each time they move, I get money (that's new and quite rewarding). 30 books sold in an hour and I'm Stephen King, two hours with no books sold and I'm a destitute failure whom no reader could ever love.

And I read my reviews. I've checked Amazon and Goodreads more than once in a day like a spider watching his web, hoping for new reader feedback. And you writers reading this, don't try to act like you're better than me. I've had authors comment here on reviews two months later in response to an Esteemed Reader's comment. You've probably written a better book than mine, but you're the same reader feed-back addict I am. I see you twitching and doing the same junkie shuffle I'm doing hoping for that next fix.

If you've been an author for longer than me, and statistically speaking, you have, you've probably learned how to maintain a healthy relationship with your readers and their feedback. Fortunately, I've blogged for long enough to know that it does get better. I used to check my traffic stats here once an hour, but I eventually got to where I could check just once a day, and when I'm not blogging, I sometimes go weeks without checking.

The shiny newness of having blog traffic has worn off and I know that apparently no matter who I interview or what book I review, it will never get as many hits as my review of Bunnicula, this blog's traffic grand champion (shrugs). I may never again write another post for writers as popular as the number two winner, A Pound of Flesh, No More, No Less: A Post About Editing, and most of my posts will not be as popular as the interviews with writers and agents and other folks more interesting than me, which is as it should be.

The thing to remember is that those traffic-champion posts didn't start out any more popular than the other posts at this blog. I wrote them, edited them, posted them, and then wrote the next post and the next. While I was busy generating new content, readers were linking to the old posts and word of mouth was spreading. My post about editing is nearly three years old, but when I check the traffic stats Monday evening, I have no doubt it's readership will be 3-5 times greater than this post. This post might catch up, but it will take time and by then I'll be more concerned about my newest post.

What appealed to me about indie publishing in the first place was that in some ways it makes writing books like writing blog posts (but professionally edited). I was reading a new review of All Together Now not too long ago instead of writing and I read this:  "I'll be looking forward to more from Robert Kent."

"Score," I thought, "this reader wants another book!" Then, immediately after that thought, "too bad she's never going to get it as I spent my writing time reading her review."

All Together Now is done. There's nothing left for me do except occasionally promote it and eventually translate it to more formats (hang in there Nook readers). I need to leave it online for Esteemed Reader to find it and recommend it and that book is going to do what it's going to do. By the time it's getting more traffic, it would be nice if there were some other books for readers to buy. I feel this is a more successful strategy than hoping this particular reviewer remembers what she said whenever I get around to finishing the next book.

My time is not better spent just promoting my one book anymore than I would spend my blogging time promoting one post. Old posts becoming popular raises the traffic to new posts and new posts bring attention to old posts and there's plenty of traffic to go around and as they're all part of my blog, no matter which post wins, I win. And so it must be with books, except that traffic comes with money:)

Which brings us back to Hugh Howey, of course (someone call security). There's a writer who gets way more reader feedback than me and interacts with his readers, yet still keeps the books and blog posts coming. He doesn't have a day job or a new baby, I suppose, but he also has way more stuff to deal with (mo readers, mo problems). So, as always, when in doubt, I opt to imitate the behavior of more successful writers. Therefore, All Right Now will be a story of zombies attacking different levels of a silo deep below the earth. Just kidding--I'm saving that for my erotic Wool fan fiction:)

What I'm going to do is write in public to keep myself accountable, Hugh-Howey style. If you go to his webpage right now (and you should've gone to read that blog post I told you about instead of this), or the websites of a million Howey imitators, you'll see word counts for works in progress (why is there no countdown for the I, Zombie sequel?), which makes waiting for the next Molly Fyde a little easier.

I'm going to turn this blog from a distraction to a motivator. I want to have All Right Now in reader hands by October of this year, if not sooner, which means I need my first draft no later than March. As of right now, I have 7,701 of an estimated 25,000 words before I'm done. It has taken me since January 1st to get to that many, which is sad, sad, sad (you get a new baby and see how fast you write).

Update: Little Ninja is now kicking me from a boppy pillow and we're listening to Blondie.

I don't know how well this is going to work, but writing a book about zombies is in my wheelhouse. I know how this one ends and I've already planned most of it, which means I just have to write the thing. I think updating this blog with my word count will keep me honest and certainly will embarrass me if I don't reach my goal. If this works, I may do it with the next book as well. Honestly, Steven Novak's cover is so pretty, why wouldn't I want it gracing my blog as soon as possible:)

And now, because I found it helpful, here is more wisdom from Susan Kaye Quinn, who could save me a lot of time if I just applied her advice the first time around:

NINJA STUFF: New Cover and Ninja Update

Hi there, Esteemed Reader! My how I've missed you this last month. Fatherhood and writing are going well and I've got a snazzy new cover for my book, All Together Now: A Zombie Story.

Fatherhood has changed my life in ways I'm only beginning to understand. I'm barely awake most days, so it's going to be a while yet before I return to blogging full time, but I am writing a new story for you (it has zombies in it) and I've got a middle grade book I'm very excited for you to read coming yet this year.

As I write this, my son is sleeping on my chest, supported by a pouch. He's eaten 2 ounces and I just changed the stinkiest diaper you ever saw, so I think I can get to the end of this post if I write fast:) I'm channeling all my thoughts on how amazing his arrival in my life has been into this new zombie story--I think that will make sense when you see it:) So let's talk about publishing.

When I went indie with my writing, I promised I would share my experiences with you so that you could do with them what you will. This is only my fourth month being an indie author, so I'm not sure I'm ready to dispense with advice, but I will say being an indie author is a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I expected to fail miserably my first time out, so my experience has surpassed all my expectations:)

To date, I am not an incredibly wealthy and famous author. Neither are the majority of the writers I've interviewed here. If you want to be rich and famous, what are you doing writing!?! But I'm rich in a way I never expected to be so early in my publishing career: I have actual, honest to God readers! Like, for real readers, meaning people I'm not paying, in a critique group with, and who are not my mom! And they like me!!!

Esteemed Reader, after two decades of writing for no one, I teared up a little the first time someone I've never met went on Amazon and wrote me a 5-star review. After years of sending out messages, someone received one and my book did what I always hoped it would: it entertained a paying customer.

Actually, reviewers have been absurdly kind. No one is more in love with my writing than me and even I think some of these reviewers read some book other than the one I wrote:) I'm looking over my shoulder to see the writer they're actually talking about. If you want to keep tabs on my reviews (why wouldn't you!), my guest posts, and my interviews, you can follow them here.

The content of All Together Now: A Zombie Story has not changed. I wrote and published the book I wanted the first time and I think it's a sin to alter more than typos in a book people own. Meaningful changes to a story that no longer belongs to the teller but to the audience is how great storytellers end up with "Greedo shot first" fiascoes. But I could change the book if I wanted and I have made some small changes to the front matter.

The cover, however, needed to be changed. I know this because readers told me so and when Esteemed Reader talks, I'm smart enough to listen. I love Adam Smith's original cover. He designed the image I wanted and I think it's an amazing cover. More, Adam is busy creating artwork for our next release and if I'm lucky, I'll get to feature some of his artwork in every book I ever publish--the books would be poorer without.

I have Adam's cover hanging on my wall. But readers have said publicly in reviews and told me privately that the original cover looked too much like a kid's book, which I like about it. Still, there's a warning on page one of All Together Now for a reason: it is absolutely not a children's book. I wasn't a father when I wrote it and now that I am, I have no intention of letting my son anywhere near that book until he's at least in his teens.

As I am going to be publishing children's books in my name, which will be available right next to All Together Now, I wanted to help parents out and update the cover to convey that this is a scary story for teens and adults. So I reached out to the incredible Steven Novak whose artwork adorns some of my friend Susan Kaye Quinn's titles.

I knew Steven would do a great job, but I'm over the moon in love with his cover. He over-delivered in every possible way. He was absolutely professional and easy to work with. If you're thinking of going indie yourself, I'd hire Steven before demand for his work drives his prices through the roof. Seriously, I didn't pay a fraction of what this cover's worth. Maybe I shouldn't have told you about him as I'm definitely going to want to use him again.

I think this cover would be at home on Stephen King's newest, and it's mine all mine! What do you think, Esteemed Reader?