It Never Gets Old...

[Writers Plot]

Posted by Lorraine (L.L.) Bartlett

It's been almost two years since my first book was published by a small press and given a teeny, tiny print run. The book didn't get a lot of notice, which quite frankly broke my heart. Not surprising, anyone in that position would feel the same. I got some lovely reviews online, but it wasn't enough to get the book into libraries and the hardcover price was also a turnoff to readers unfamiliar with my name.

Fast forward twenty-three months. In October the book was published in mass market paperback by Worldwide Mystery, an imprint of Harlequin. It's called a "limited edition," because it's essentially only available to their Reader Service book club and on the Harlequin website.

Within three weeks of publication the book showed up on Amazon as "used." The prices are deceiving, though, because for the exact same money (possibly less--it's lower than list price), you could get the book spanking new from the Harlequin website. Go figure!

Amazon had originally listed every one of the people I thanked in my acknowledgments page as "editors." Whoa! Untrue. I e-mailed Amazon and they told me they'd take it down, but that it would take a few days. So yesterday I decided to take a look. Yup, fixed! (Thanks, Amazon.) And low and behold, there's a review for the book. (Mind you, the hardcover edition has ten Amazon reviews.)

This unknown-to-me reader said: "What makes the novel better-than-average is watching the awkward relationship between the two brothers develop into real trust. The older brother Richard is more complex than you think he is at first, and his willingness to help Jeff investigate, even when it appears he may be delusional due to his injuries, is proof that he loves his younger brother much more than Jeff realizes. I hope to be able to read another story involving these two characters."

Reading that gave me a Sally Field moment: She got it. She really, really GOT it. (Can you tell I haven't received a lot of fan mail?)

This new edition of the book is another shot at life for the characters, with (in comparison) a spectacular print run. The sequel will be published (again, by a small press) in late June 2008, and while it can stand alone, it'll have a lot more meaning if readers meet the characters in the first book.

Maybe you'd like to meet them, too.