Hi there.
I wrote a mystery novel.
It’s called Tucson ’93.
It involves a mystery and it takes place in Tucson during the summer of 1993.
And it’s out now!
This is Life After Launch.
I’m sitting in a coffee shop in beautiful Edina, Minnesota. For the first time this autumn, it actually feels like autumn. There was frost on my car this morning and I loved it. I like the change of seasons. Even after being in Minnesota for the better part of 30 years (!!!), it still feels fresh to me. Growing up in Arizona, seasons were a rumor, something experienced in movies or in literature. There is something comforting about the consistent rhythm of four seasons, even as climate change increasingly makes them feel more like improv jazz than a John Phillip Souza march.
In this coffee shop, I sit anonymously in a corner. There are very few other people in here, but even if it was packed, I’ve learned that people rarely pay attention to me. At this stage in my life, I’m more akin to wallpaper. This is a great situation for a writer. I can sit and observe and not be bothered.
I’m here on the supposition that I’m working on the sequel to Tucson ’93, but now I’ve decided to write this blog. A lot has happened over the last couple weeks on many levels of my life. Personally, I officially launched Tucson ’93 on October 19th!!! (more on that in a second). And last week, this happened, supergluing the broken pieces of hope that laid scattered across my soul, back to together.
Back to the book, I’m beyond grateful for what has happened since launch. On a pure commercial front, we are up to 111 orders. Considering that 90% of self-published books sell less than 100 copies, Tucson ’93 is off to a great start. Another stat that makes me happy is that 57% of those sales have been for the paperback version. I probably read more on a Kindle (adjustable font size!), but the paperback version of this book is the best way to enjoy the incredible cover art by Ashley Harris, and I love that my readers are going analogue.
I continue to promote the book on Instagram, and I even popped back onto Facebook for the first time in nearly eight years (I honestly don’t understand Facebook anymore, but I’m giving it a shot). I’ve also started to experiment with ads on Amazon. I have a very limited budget, but I’m learning a lot.
The sales numbers and marketing are exciting, but reading the first few reviews posted on Amazon is even more satisfying. For me, putting a book out in the world has proven to be an emotional elixir, equal parts excitement and anxiety. Reading the first batch of reviews has calmed my nerves. It’s helped that they’ve been positive, but I’m prepared for that to not always be the case. Just taking the time to write a review, with all the demands for people’s attention these days, is a minor miracle. If you’ve purchased and read Tucson ’93, I’d love for you to add your unbiased review on Amazon.
And while the public reviews are cool, the personal calls and text I’ve had with my friends and family about the book are even better. From my mom (who liked the story but wished there wasn’t so much cursing) to my friends (some who are infrequent readers but busted through this novel in just a few days), it’s thrilling to hear their excitement for my little mystery novel. So, thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone who has read the book or bought the book or is waiting for it go on sale (Black Friday???). I appreciate all of you, and your energy and excitement means the world to me.
One more thing: my attention is now turning to writing Tucson ’95. I’m very excited about how the sequel is coming together (I’ve written just over 34,000 words) and I thought I’d share the first paragraph (no promises that this won’t change) as a reward for making it this far in the blog.
Tucson ’93 starts on a rooftop, but Tucson’ 95 starts somewhere much more subterranean.
“I’m leaning against a stalactite, or is it a stalagmite? The Colossal Cave tour guide explained the difference between the two right away in her opening spiel. There is some sort of trick to knowing it, but I wasn’t paying attention. I’m too busy watching my mark, whose hands are all over his date.”
See you on the flipside,
-BV
If you haven’t purchased Tucson ’93, you can find it here. If you haven’t signed up for my newsletter, you can find it here. And if you are looking for some cool merch for this holiday season, you’ll find it here.