Every author has the same routine.

After we tuck our typewriters into their cribs and climb into our crinkly, 38-pound groundwood paper sheets for the night, the Writer’s Code mandates that we refresh our Amazon pages and check our statistics.

When I performed that hallowed ritual a couple of nights ago, I found this.

After all my years of hard work, I’d done it! I’d reached the coveted, lofty peak of prosaic prominence: #1 in New Releases in Children’s Coming of Age Fantasy Books on Amazon.

Don’t think poorly of me—I didn’t rush to wake my fledgling typewriters with the news. I did, however, use them to type a message for they woke the next day.

“I did it,” I whispered after the final chime of my three-year-old’s carriage return. “You can love me now.”

And scene.

To be honest, I haven’t put too much stock in release week. As much as I love the idea of becoming a surprise #1 NYT Bestseller, I don’t have it in me. I have spent the week visiting local libraries and bookstores and posting literary thirst traps on social media, but that’s it.

When I saw this stat on Amazon, though, I was genuinely surprised. Especially because I thought I’d put down different categories for my eBook!

I checked again this morning to find that I’m already off the top new releases list for that category. But in the larger scope of life and existence, it doesn’t matter.

My son turned two months old this week. Every time I visit him in the NICU, my heart wants to burst through my tear ducts. Being a father brings a few realizations to mind.

1) I want to love this child with every fiber of my being.

2) I’m going to let him down so many times.

3) His story is infinitely more important than anything I’ll ever write.

I haven’t looked up actual sales stats yet. I’m already locked in a cycle of checking B&N, Amazon, and Goodreads. The numbers will come, and I’ll be here when they do.

So I’ll yield to whatever Minecraft monstrosity is vying for the top of the charts. They can have their day. My day—the day we bring baby H home from the hospital—is coming.

And when I tuck him into his 70-pound cream paper sheets (only the best for my baby) and wipe his little feed roller, I’ll have reached the peak: being tied with his mom for Best Parent for Baby H.

If you do want to read my book…

For hard copies, I 100% recommend Barnes & Noble.

Paperback | Hardcover

The eBook is exclusive to Amazon for now, though that will eventually change. You can get a paperback there as well, but the hardcover is currently being sold at inflated prices by two shifty companies. Who knew my book would be so desirable?

eBook | Paperback

Other options—local and online— are coming soon!

Writing Updates

SPOOKY SEQUEL // It feels good not to go back and revisit this draft every few days. I did a lot of that between February 2023 (when I started drafting) and January 2024 (when I handed it off to my developmental editor). While I’m itching for a finished edit, that’s scheduled to happen at the end of March.

SPOOKY THREEQUEL // I’m leaning into the idea that I can, to use film parlance, “fix it in post.” While I love this story and its arc, I definitely want to clean up some of the messy pieces in future edits. For now, I’ll trust my instincts, make notes on things to change, and charge forward with drafting. We have so much action and intrigue to explore. Excerpt: