Officially A Hybrid Author

I'm ecstatic. 

I've been sitting on this news for a while but got the go ahead yesterday to make the announcement. 

My thriller, The River Is Dark, has been acquired by Amazon's mystery and thriller imprint, Thomas & Mercer, to be republished this fall! 

I can't say how happy this makes me! Thomas & Mercer was my absolute first choice for a publisher to work with and it was a dream come true when I received an email from the wonderful Kjersti Egerdahl who reached out to me about River. She was really taken with the book and asked me if I was interested in forming a partnership with Thomas & Mercer. 

That was when I basically did a happy dance. For a long time.  

I love self-publishing, I really do. It offers so many opportunities and freedoms, one of which is that I was able to become a full-time writer in the first place. But being traditionally published has a ton of benefits also such as a broader reach for readers and being able to work with many other talented people in the publishing industry. Having options is what this business is all about and being able to self-publish along with partnering with a publishing house is a fantastic way to go. 

This is a whole new world for me as an author and I'm learning as I go. Kjersti has been excellent to work with and extremely accommodating, and I know River is in great hands going forward with all the outstanding people at Thomas & Mercer.

All in all I'm simply thrilled. Getting a publishing contract has been a goal for me for some time and now that it's here I'd like to thank several people who helped me along the way: 

Thanks to my beautiful wife who never gives up on me and always has a kind word, I appreciate you more than you know. Thanks to Kealan Patrick Burke who is not only an extremely gifted author but also the absolute best cover designer in the business as far as I'm concerned. Thanks to Neal Hock, my editor. I appreciate your insight and skill that has helped me up my game. To Griffin Hayes, Craig McGray, Dylan Morgan, Julie Hutchings, and Keith C. Blackmore who are some of my favorite people on Twitter. You guys make me laugh, inspire, and drive me to become better, thank you. Thanks to Kjersti Egerdahl for making this all happen. Thanks to all the readers who make my day with feedback and reviews, you guys rock! Thanks to all my friends and family who have supported and encouraged me throughout the years. 

Without the people around me, I wouldn't be where I am today. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you.      

Now, more happy dance! Whee!