Hi, again!
I'm floating on Cloud 9 because today is the day: Official Book Release Day for Olivia's Story! As of today, Olivia's Story is available nationally -- and internationally. This is another of the very special days in the life of an author. This is the day when the book can be found on the shelves of bookstores and on a wide variety of electronic locations.
Until "Book Release Day" actually arrives, a book is still sort of a formless collection of words. Having the "real thing" available brings the whole process of publishing a book full circle. Many of you know Olivia's Story grew out of my work on Inman's War. Olivia's Story isn't a sequel, but there are some characters and events the two works have in common. So, after writing Inman's War, I felt that I had another story that should be told. When I first decided to write Olivia's Story, I was sitting in a hamburger joint in Waterloo, Iowa. I was by myself that night and doing my best to eat a spicy-hot chili-burger with fries. I distinctly remember putting down my chili-burger, spreading a napkin out on the table, and then outlining the first few chapters of what would become Olivia's Story on that napkin. What prompted me to start writing then? I honestly couldn't tell you. Maybe it was the atmosphere, which reminded me of Olivia's favorite restaurant back in St. Louis. Maybe it was loudness of the restaurant, which reminded me of the lunchroom at the high school where Olivia taught. Maybe it was the chili-burger! Whatever it was, I can say the writing of the story began in a restaurant -- and everything came full circle when the book was released today. And you know what? I'm going to go back to that same restaurant tonight and celebrate --and probably burp my head off after another chili-burger!
One more thing today: Please click on this address: http://www.paragonhouse.com/home.php
This will take you to the Paragon House website. Scroll until you get to Olivia's Story. On the main Olivia's Story page, then scroll down to the bottom of the page. You will then find a link you can click on to hear me reading the first ten minutes of the book. Enjoy!
Jeff