I is for Irony

Of the Alanis Morissette type anyway. In January of 1993, I sold my first book, PLAYING LOVE'S ODDS, to Meteor Kismet. It was released in August of 1993, and was the next to the last book before the line closed, and the rights to the book were mine again almost as soon as I'd licensed them. Fast forward twenty – yes, TWENTY – years, and I was able to upload the story digitally. This was my first published book, and it was written at a time when stories were a bit more…melodramatic – a complaint leveled at the story in a recent review. And you know what?

It is melodramatic. But it was also true to its time. Romantic Times gave the book a 4. It was edited by Kate Duffy. Ergo, there's not a damn thing wrong with the book for a book written in 1992, published in 1993. I'm damn proud of the story. Does it sound like what I write now? Not at all, but it's been twenty years and I can't imagine any author sounds the same twenty years later.

Here's the irony.

The book's initial print run, I believe, was ten thousand copies. So this last week for five days, I ran a Kindle Select special and gave away the digital version completely free at Amazon. As of this writing, four or so hours before the giveaway ends, the download count is just shy of FOURTEEN THOUSAND copies. In five days. This makes me laugh on so many levels. I absolutely love that this book has found a second life and reached new readers, even if it is wordy by today's standards, and not a fast-paced suspense as are those written by the great romantic suspense authors of today. It is what it is, and I'm happy it's out there. I'm also happy I kept the 1993 setting instead of updating it for the reissue. The story wouldn't have been the same, nor would it have hung together with today's technology. But that, too, makes it a story of its time.

[image error]