Yes I truly did write a real novel and why

Many people dream of seeing a book they have written on a bookstore shelve. Depending on the source I have seen the statistics state 10%-25% of the population would put “publish a book” on their bucket list. I was part of that statistic, but this week I crossed that entry off my bucket list.

On Thursday, October 15, 2015, my book, Fire Cop went on sale.

Yes, it is truly a novel. At just short of 75,000 words, it clocks in at the same length many current top fiction writer’s books.

No, it is not self-published. I have issues with the idea of self-publishing. In fact, I was considering self-publishing. This book was pitched to many agents and small independent publishers. Ultimately a small publisher offered me a contract.

Why I wrote it is hard to put into words. I love to read and find myself drawn to mysteries and police procedural thrillers. More than a few times I have said I could write something better than the book I just read. Often it is due to a lack of understanding by the author about the reality of police work.

Ideas for books have been in my head for some time. However, I never bothered to sit down and try to write them. Then last year I got hurt off-duty. A torn muscle that required surgery. I have well over three months of being off work. A person can only watch so much TV. So I started to type.

Next thing I know I had a book. A story about a police officer and volunteer firefighter. I can’t recall ever reading a good book about volunteer firefighters. There was a compelling feeling to tell a story with volunteer firefighter as the hero. I spent many years as a “volley” and wanted to showcase the reality of many American fire departments. Also, I wanted a police story that did not take as many liberties with police work as civilian authors tend to take.

I went back to work at the same time I started the process of finding a publisher. Figuring out the process of getting published was harder than getting the words on the page. Some of the feedback I got was positive, but not willing to gamble on a first-time author. Eventually, the amazing people at Gypsy Shadow Press said yes.

The book has only been on sale for a day at the time of this writing. A few people have emailed, and Facebook messaged me saying how they are enjoying it. One person even said they were up late reading it wanting to know what happens next in particular part.

Many people have asked if there will be a second book. All I can say is hopeful. A large chunk of it is written. I have an outline of how it will end, just need to connect a few dots making the narrative complete. Then it will just be a matter of the publisher saying yes once again.

You can pick up a copy from any of these fine book sellers
Amazon

Barns & Nobel

iBooks

Smashwords