My First Novel in the Orange County Public Library System

It's hard to think of an institution that has played a longer and more influential role in my life than the local library. It's probably the only place I visit as frequently now as I did when I was four years old.

As a young child in Pittsburgh, I was a regular at the libraries in Squirrel Hill and Wilkinsburg. (The recent movie fanfare around "The Hobbit" reminded me of a Squirrel Hill library book illustration content I won when I was seven years old: I drew a picture of Bilbo riding the barrel down the river.) During my time in San Francisco, the libraries were a disappointment (though they may have improved since I left in 2001.)

But since moving to Orange County in 2003 I've become a serious addict to libraries once again. There's no way I could afford to buy all the books I read (I borrow literally hundreds of titles a year from my local Irvine Heritage Park branch. Orange County has a wonderful Internet system that allows you to reserve a book from any branch in the entire country and pick it up at your local neighborhood branch.)

I am pretty proud that Employee of the Year has sold over 250 copies during the past year, considering it was self-published as a side hobby and received no publicity and marketing to speak of. But I am prouder still that people here in Orange County and now borrow it and read it for free.  And although Employee of the Year Kindle version is priced the same as a cup of coffee, there's no denying that many people will always prefer a paperback.

So this is an exciting milestone for me.