Sometimes my bad habit of ego-searching on my own name and book titles has a serendipitous result, as most of my bad habits (excessive drinkin’, pants loss, and imagining I am sort of an intellectual) often do.
I am sitting here going through the copy-edits on the manuscript for The Digital Plague, the sequel to The Electric Church, and lo and behold, The Digital Plague is now listed on Amazon.com. Who knew? I sure didn’t. You can go pre-order a dozen RIGHT NOW!
I just got an amazing email, too, which I will anonymously quote here. This is the sort of email that makes writers weep – after all, by this point The Electric Church has been out for 2 months and all the initial buzz and hoopla has died down, and I find myself sitting here wondering if that’s it. You can’t help it. I feel like I ought to be out on the street wearing a sandwich board and ringing a cowbell or something. So when I get an email like this, I get all warm and fuzzy (I’ve edited this email for brevity):
“I just want to say how much I enjoyed The Electric Church. I read that book daily – chapters at a time until my eyes felt like they were gonna bleed at 12 a.m. or later. I’m very glad to hear Jeff will be releasing a new Avery Cates book. . .I honestly can’t tell you how thrilled I am about these books, I haven’t enjoyed fiction this much since Lord of the Rings. – While they are very different from each other – they both keep me coming back for more. . .
“I hope this encourages you to keep writing, I look forward to more of your books.“
That’s gold. I don’t know about other writers, but I often lay awake at night imagining that the world picks up my book, reads it, and then immediately tosses it into the trash, shaking their heads in disgust. To hear otherwise is always wonderful.
Now, if only I could find those pants…
Hey Jeff, good to see you are having some definite success with your book, and I hope you will have something up your sleeve in terms of an ARG for your sequel. If you don’t, then you can kiss a good majority of stay-in-their-room-until-they-reek-of-B.O. gamers goodbye :). Anyways, I just wanted to say congratulations and that an ARG that fun would warrant a book a book that good, and it did. Anyways, I was a part of that small unfiction community that finished the game and I never got a prize :(.
All I was asking for was a signed coffee mug/book/sock/pair of glasses/IOU slip…
I have to agree with the aforementioned mysterious writer… I thoroughly enjoyed The Electric Church! I might go as far as to say it was among my top five favorite novels (and I read two or three a month).
Believe it or not, I typically do not read first person narratives. I’m not certain why, but I’ve never been a fan of them. You’ve actually changed my opinion on that. I plan on going back and reading some books I gave a pass on, merely due to their writing style.
I am anxiously counting the days until the Digital Plague releases. I truely hope you consider writing these books as an ongoing series. A mere three novels would be a shame.
Vman,
Thanks. As for an ARG for TDP, I’m not sure that’s in the cards. One, I’m not sure we’d want to do the same thing again, and two, you don’t always get these kinds of pushes in publishing. You never know, of course–if I have a brilliant idea, it may happen.
You didn’t get a prize! Unbelievable. Just checked the records and I do have your email – so sorry! What size sock would you like signed? Or something else?
J
Paul,
Thanks! I really appreciate that.
Three novels: Well, you never know. If I have the ideas, and people like the books, then I’m in.
J