Pretty Good Words
It’s been about four months now since my novel, Attachment Patterns, was released by the publishers. Okay, four months and thirteen days, 23 – no, wait, 24 minutes and who knows how many seconds. But hey, who’s counting? How’s the book doing, how many copies have been sold in the last four months, you ask? I have no idea. None whatsoever. The reviews have been very positive; all four and five stars on Amazon and there have been a dozen book clubs that liked it enough to want to set up a “meet the author” zoom meeting. But is the book circulating among the general reading public? Is it out there? Somehow I doubt it.
The experience with my first two novels was pretty much the same. The Tragic Age and The Practical Navigator were released by a St. Martins’ Press, in 2015 and 2018 respectively. Both got excellent reviews – Tragic Age received a Kirkus starred review; no small shakes – and I sat back and waited to see what would happen. What happened was pretty much nothing. Both novels were read by friends and acquaintances – the email list – but beyond that, they pretty much sank to the bottom of the general public pond. Was I disappointed? Yes, I was. But in retrospect, not as much as you might expect. Unlike the opening of a play, where it all seems to happen at once – the audience reaction, the reviews, your reaction to the work on stage – the release of a novel seemed to happen over a period of time. The ride to the bottom of the pond was a slow descent. By the time I realized it wasn’t going to go the way I’d hoped – to the bestseller’s lists! – I was already on to other writing.
Am I disappointed with this current release? Yes, but again, not as much as you might expect. I’ve had to ask myself what I’m looking for when a book is published. Compliments and acclaim? “Look at me, look at me!” Maybe in the beginning of my writing career but none of that is all that important to me anymore. Invitations to come to speak about what you do at book fairs and writer’s conferences. These days, I think I could do that twice and then I’d be done with it. Money? Well, money never hurts. It’s always been nice to make a buck as a writer. I did that for twenty-five years, working in the movie biz – took every paying job that came my way because I had the sneaking suspicion it wouldn’t last forever. And it didn’t. But it set me up to work on the things I care about now. Oh, and speaking of movies, would it be nice to see my books made into films? Guess what. I’ve already written the screenplays.
But getting back to the point of all this, four months after publication I find what’s most important to me is the simple knowledge that there are people who have read and in some way been entertained, even transported, by what I do. Thankfully, I know that some people have. Simple as that.
Occasionally I’m even one of them.
It’s an interesting experience to have books on the shelf – your books, your shelf – that you haven’t looked at in a while. One day, out of nowhere, something compels you to pick up a copy and take a quick gander. You don’t recognize what you’re reading at first. It might as well have been written by someone else. You read, you turn the page, you skip ahead, you read some more. Not bad, you finally say to yourself. Not bad at all. Pretty good words.
I had that experience for the very first time with Attachment Patterns the other day. There was a copy in the back seat of my car, and I was waiting for my son and what the heck, I picked the book up, opened it to the middle and began to read. Much to my surprise, I liked it. I really liked it.
What else is there to say?
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Side notes. My first full length play, Vikings, written when I was in my twenties, is going to be produced at the Austin Playhouse in 2024. What makes it truly special is that the role of the grandfather, Yens, is going to be played by my friend of over forty years, the actor, Dave Florek. A trip to Austin, Texas is definitely in order. And –
My second full length play, Strange Snow, is also being produced in 2024. In Japan of all places. How do you say “Opening day, opening day, look out trout, we’re on our way!” in Japanese? I have no idea. Maybe I’ll have to go find out.
Attachment Patterns is available on Amazon at:
