Level Best Books will be releasing my new novel, Do It for Daisy, on May 11th. I’m excited to have a highly reputable publisher taking on me and my story. For those of you following my writing journey these last six years, you know I’ve come a long way. There was a year or two of rejections, followed by appearances in literary websites, then competitive anthologies, and two self-published books in 2020. Now I’ve reached a skill level where an editor and her company are willing to bet on me. I’m grateful to everyone who has supported me, especially my readers.
Here’s the story in a hundred and twenty-five words.
- Tommy Lyle was desperate for love. Orphaned when police killed his criminal parents during a shoot-out and twice-divorced before he was forty, the only person left in his life who cared about him was his big sister, Daisy. And Daisy just pushed her wealthy husband to his death in the middle of Tommy’s dinner party.
- Tommy’s desperate effort to keep his sister’s affection tests his already slippery hold on morality. She demands his help covering up her crime and navigating a revengeful mother-in-law, a crooked medical examiner, a cheating undertaker, and a steely-eyed trustee.
- If that wasn’t enough trouble, Tommy has to keep Detective Nick Bongiovanni from turning a simple follow-up visit to the husband’s accidental fall into the crime of the century.
During the past six weeks, I’ve been busy preparing my promotional activities, including:
Advance Reader Copies – my publisher intends to send pre-order copies of the book to a handful of my dedicated readers before the national release. These fine men and women agreed to quickly read the book and generate a review for Amazon and Goodreads. The purpose is to have some buzz (hopefully positive) once the book becomes available.
Blog Circuit – I have a blog posting at Gabriel’s’ Wharf in mid-May. Teresa Trent, a successful cozy mystery writer, will hype Do It for Daisy, along with a giveaway of Art of Absolution at her website, Books to the Ceiling. I intend to guest blog at least once a month between now and the end of the year.
Podcast – I’ll be on Shawn Simmons’s Five Question podcast on May 17th, talking about gender and writing, as well as sharing experiences and opinions about writing.
Announcements – The book’s release will be posted in the next issue of the Mystery Writers of America monthly publication and promoted on the Sisters in Crime daily summary.
As you can tell, author promotion is vital in selling books, especially for indie or small-press published writers. The competition for reader attention and dollars is fierce. While my livelihood is not dependent on me selling many books, I want my publisher to feel their investment worth it. I intend to push sales on as many platforms as possible, so they benefit as well.
Be safe and enjoy the cicadas.