Happy Independence Day.
About ten years ago I remember sending an early draft of my first novel, Leaving Independence, to an agent on July 4th, hoping the day would bring me luck. It didn't. She passed on it. I worked on it another year and offered it to her again the next July 4th. And she passed on it.
I don't know any gimmicks or tricks for getting noticed except to do the best work you can and to keep putting it out there. Success goes to those who do not quit.
So for all you writers out there—songwriters, musicians, artists of all stripes and levels of experience—my heart is with you today and every day you lean into your craft, offering it with trepidation to the world.
The quote above, from my latest novel, Alone in a Cabin, is a subtle shout-out to Daniel James Brown who wrote Boys in the Boat, one of my favorite historical fiction novels of the past decade—one I found inspiring as I struggled to find my own rhythm.
Keep putting your oars in the water.
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Alone in a Cabin releases Tuesday, July 6. It's available for pre-order now in paperback, hardcover, and ebook on Amazon (ebook on sale now for only $2.99). If you're in Nashville, you can purchase it locally at Parnassus Books. (Audiobook in production now. More info on that when it's available.)
Read more about it here.
P.S. For all who read an ARC and have already posted or are planning to post a review, THANK YOU! For those planning to read Cabin, please post a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads to help other readers decide whether they'd like it.