This brings together a lot of things: A boy growing up under difficult circumstances, some local history for Cape May County folks, shipbuilding, the Civil War, and even some "sort of" pirates. And of course a good story. Good people, evil people, bewildered people. Give them a motive - control of a shipyard - and stir, with the Civil War as the elephant in the room nobody can ignore.
I'd thank my agent and publisher, but, hey, that's the way it goes. When you do it yourself you get a bigger share of fewer sales; that's the theory. However, I'm already working to boost the visibility of this. I'm even giving bookstores the usual publisher's discount, even though it appalls the Scottish economist who resides somewhere deep in my soul.
Next up: Contemporary fiction with diffident detective/wealthy performer/local ne'er-do-well Tom Swain; two books on "how to" for reenactors; and marketing for "The Ludlam Legacy."
All my books are now available on my own Web site in addition to Amazon and Smashwords and who knows where else. It's nice to get up in the morning and have to package up books. :-) Then there's wood to cut, a kitchen rebuild stalled by the countertop production folks, and, sometime this summer, a boat to build. And something's wrong with the pool. Busier than ever.
