Of cabbages--and kings

From Wikimedia Commons: A scene from "The Walrus and the Carpenter", by Lewis Carroll, drawn by Sir John Tenniel in 1871.

I'm breaking my self-imposed vow of silence for a brief moment. The last couple of months have been insane, but resolution is near. We accepted an offer on our house in Wisconsin and are in the process of finalizing arrangements to purchase one in a small town in Delaware. If all goes well, in a couple of weeks I'll be driving across the country with the dog, to join the rest of the family already in Delaware.

Meanwhile, my book will be coming off Kindle Select tomorrow. This means that it's no longer exclusive to Amazon. When I get a chance in between packing, cleaning, and other preparations for moving, I'll make the e-book version available through other channels, including Kobo, iBooks, and Nook.

Once I get settled in Delaware, I hope to increase my involvement online (and do more writing!). I'll also need to build up the other side of my writing career--the one that pays the bills. Stay tuned.

Updates

The last few weeks have been incredibly busy. After the book release comes the "real" work: marketing and promoting it. However, I haven't had much time to devote to that task of late. The last promotional effort, a Goodreads giveaway of a signed paperback copy, will end on February 28. After that, I'll be able to tell if people just like entering giveaways or if they actually want to buy the book :)

Among other things, our household is gearing up for a move across the country. We've been working on minor house projects and also de-cluttering (the less stuff we have, the less there is to move). Meanwhile, I've been trying to build the business side of my writing career once again.

I still plan on finishing a short story that will serve as a "teaser" for the book, but it's dropped fairly low on my list of priorities. More to come in a couple of weeks.

On writing reviews

I'd be the first person to admit I'm terrible at writing book reviews. I had to do very few, if any, book reports as a kid. It didn't stop me from reading everything I could get my hands on.

I do try to post my reactions to books on Goodreads, but that's not the same thing as a formal review. My "reviews" are short comments on why I liked the book, often based more on emotional responses than critical theory. A formal, structured review can be very helpful to an author, especially an independent author who has no recourse to traditional review outlets like newspapers and magazines.

Dactyl Review has excellent guidelines on what constitutes an acceptable review. I'm going to try and discipline myself to learn them.

Meanwhile, if anyone wants to review my book--formally or otherwise--I'd be most appreciative!

Bombay Bhel now available

I'm pleased to announce that Bombay Bhel is now available on Amazon.com. If you read the book, please consider leaving a review.

Amazon will have exclusive distribution of the e-book for 90 days. After that, I'll consider distribution through other channels, like Kobo, Nook, iBooks, etc. Thank you to all the family, friends, and other indie authors who have helped make this possible!

Edit: The paperback version is also available on Amazon.com at the moment. It will eventually make its way through channels like Amazon.uk and other countries.

Bombay Bhel: Almost there

The proof copy arrived yesterday. As much as I like e-books, there's a certain satisfaction to be derived from actually seeing almost two years of work in a tangible form. The soft rustle as I flip the pages, the weight of the cover, and the smell of ink on paper can't be reproduced on an electronic device.

The final revisions are complete, and now it's a matter of waiting for the last stage of the Amazon.com process. Are we there yet?

Watch this space

Without getting into technical reasons, this blog may be temporarily unavailable at its current address over the next few days. It's part of my preparation for the big book launch.

Speaking of the book, interior layout is done and the cover layout will be finalized tomorrow. Then it's time to work on the Kindle version. It's been a fun ride!

Bombay Bhel: Choose a cover

Almost two years in the making, Bombay Bhel will be out by the end of February. It's time to decide on a cover, so I thought I'd ask for help. Please vote on one of the options below by entering a comment.

Synopsis

A schoolboy’s loyalty to a street vendor is tested when the vendor disappears without notice.  After a setback that threatens more than just his livelihood, a shopkeeper struggles to make ends meet. Two college classmates reunite and launch a new venture to meet an urgent need.

Like the city’s ubiquitous snack food, Bombay Bhel  blends a variety of ingredients to serve up glimpses of life among the Goan and Anglo-Indian communities—minorities in one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities.  The interlinked stories are set in the late twentieth century, before a wave of anticolonialism crested across India and resulted in the city’s rechristening. Each story in this debut collection offers a taste of the rhythm and verve of Bombay life.

(click on the cover images to enlarge them)

Cover #1

Cover #2

Cover photography by Christian Haugen

Thanks!