Monday, March 11, 2013

Monday Musings - Launching a Book

No sooner had I finished organizing the huge Book 'Em North Carolina Writers Conference and Book Fair than I was plunged neck-deep into the launch of my 15th book, Dylan's Song. It's a lot of work to launch a new book as publishers depend more and more on authors to actively market and promote their own works.  But it is also an exhilarating time.

This book has a special significance to me because it takes us to Ireland. We see a side of Dylan Maguire, the CIA operative, that we haven't experienced before, as he confronts his past and the real reason he left his native country for America. We are also transported to the village in which he grew up, to meeting the grandmother he calls "Mam" who raised him, and to meeting Thomas Rowan, his childhood friend who is now a Catholic priest.

I was asked recently if I could borrow a page from any author's life, who would it be and what would I borrow. I immediately answered: Carla Neggers. What would I borrow? It wouldn't be her status of New York Times bestselling author, though I do hope to achieve something close to that in my lifetime. Rather, it would be her ability to fly to Ireland, rent a cottage and simply write. I picture a pond outside the cottage, a leisurely walk into town, a romantic dinner, and writing in front of an open window as I admire the Irish countryside.

If you could borrow a page from any author's life, who would it be and what would you borrow?