Well, after 34 years plus, I have finally achieved my goal and had my first novel published. HUNTING THE KING hit the bookstores in April. It took equal parts luck and tenacity to get here. Now I think tenacity takes over.

Over three decades, the dream stayed the same. I would be discovered, sign my lucrative contract, and the royalties would start rolling in. The dream began to fade almost immediately. Reality set in very quickly, almost as quickly as the promoting. As any publisher will tell you, unless you’re Stephen King or John Grisham and your novels are sold the moment they are finished, you must self-promote in any way possible. And probably in ways you haven’t thought possible.

This is how my April has gone so far. I had a book signing in Lowell, Massachusetts at the local Barnes & Noble on April 11. It was my first signing. Friends showed up, because I work just down the street. We made a lot of sales, and the store, which prominently featured the novel, had to order more. On April 19 I did a signing at an independent bookstore in Salem, Mass, the home of Nathaniel Hawthorne and witch burnings. A lot of friends showed up there, too, and the store sold out. Unfortunately, I got a parking ticket for overstaying my two-hour welcome at a meter. So my royalties went to the City of Salem. For my third event, I traveled out of state to Falmouth, Maine (Home of LL Bean, a former employer). I am from Maine, so a number of family showed up there. The tolls on the highway plus the gas to fill the tank ate up those royalties. Next week I go to Augusta, Maine, the capitol of the state. Ditto, tolls, gas, royalties.

Sometimes I feel like a small-time band playing the backwater towns with the hopes of someday playing the Garden. But it’s all worthwhile. You never know who you’re going to meet. You never know when that one event or one blog or one returned message may lead to something more important, and your novel takes a quantum jump. The road is a long one. The march slow and uncertain. But so was the journey to get here. I continue to fumble with blogging but still reach out as much as I can. I call newspapers to do reviews. I will be going on the radio and local access tv. A star may not be born, but I’ll wear out my shoes trying.

Next month the Harvard Coop!