The Ghost of Laurie Floyd: Released and Finalist

I decided I liked being an independent author so much from my first experiment that I decided to take it a step further. I wanted to see how hard it would be to create a print product on CreateSpace in addition to releasing on Kindle.

The result?

The Ghost of Laurie Floyd

It’s now available on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle. And also from CreateSpace.

It’s been very exciting. Marianne at Premade Ebook Cover Shop created the cover, which just stole my breath the first moment I saw it. It was not anything like what I’d initially envisioned but…it was just one of those things. I knew it was the “one” the moment I saw it.

And to feel the weight of the book in my hands and the texture? Oh, pure rapture!

I was proud of my first book (Beneath The Morvan Moon), but…

It was a first book. I didn’t realize it at the time. It was a good first effort but with some strategic editing it could’ve been even better.

But I was in a hurry just to have something out. I wasn’t in as much of a hurry this time.

As much. There was still some urgency though.

You see, I did get tired of the rejections. I had a couple of major publishers interested. It was too much romance for one, not enough mystery. It was the exact opposite for the other.

Well, thanks to the cancer I don’t know how much time I have. I can continue to keep trying to submit and break in to a big publisher or…I can take matters into my own hands.

Yes, I’ve managed to make it six years in the clear, but I’m at high risk for developing new problems thanks a combination of the treatments that saved my life initially and family history. I don’t have time to send stuff out, wait six or more months to hear back, and on the off chance it does get accepted wait who knows how much longer for it to be published.

I know it’s good. It was a quarter finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest five years ago.

Granted, based on the last round of judging I made it through there and that judge’s comments, I did make some edits.

Maybe that’s why it’s an official finalist in the Chanticleer Book Reviews’ Mystery & Mayhem Awards 2014?

I don’t know, but I found out about it today and am over the moon I made it that far.

I have no delusions of winning. This may be my claim to fame for the moment. As I was going through the proof for Laurie Floyd, which is very nearly the same product I sent in to the Chanticleer contest, I found some typos and such.

I’m fairly sure only the flawless will survive through the four rounds of judging to come, but…The Ghost of Laurie Floyd was good enough to become a finalist and for me? That’s a huge victory.

So is having it out. I’m very proud of this book. I feel it’s a fun story and a quick read and I’m looking forward to hearing thoughts from readers.

If you read it, please leave a review on Amazon. It helps me in so many more ways than just sales. It helps me know if I’m on the right track or not. Plus, it lets other readers know what to expect and whether it’s something for them to spend their hard earned money on or not.

For now, I’ll push on with my marketing of Laurie Floyd while I work on releasing my next fiction book. Which will likely be my debut horror novel as C. Le Mroch, Shadyside.

However, I’ll also be releasing some more Haunt Jaunts Guides this year. Going to be busy, but fun and fulfilling!