In less than one month my debut novel, Street Preacher, will be released.  There is much to do.  I anxiously await final proofs of the manuscript and cover art.  Meanwhile, I am planning for a release party in October where I hope to distribute my book in person.  All of this is very exciting, and I am hopeful that the book is well received and will pave the way for my second novel (which is in the beginning stages).

However, in quiet times I am haunted by this thought, "people are going to read it."  That is a scary thought.  Up until now, only a few have read it.  My wife read it and she loved it.  Of course, she is the most supportive person I have in my life.  She would not tell me if it were awful.  A couple of friends read it and offered some criticism.  They were tough on me, but I think it improved the book.  So what am I worried about?  A fellow author read it and also enjoyed it.  Was he just being nice?

I suppose I am most anxious about finding out if the ideas in my head really made it onto the paper.  I began Street Preacher with a rather unusual character and then undertook the huge challenge of seeing him interact with the world around him in a transformative way.  I poke some fun at some church pet peeves of mine and I challenged some common ideas of the Christian faith all while trying to get to the core of something.  I tried to dig down to the very core of what it means to trust Jesus.

Somewhere in there, I began to realize that although I am nothing at all like my main character, I would find myself at that same core.  So now, as I am a bit nervous about reviews and reception and sales, I am probably most anxious about the fact that I've exposed something.  I've uncovered a bit of my self and tried to pick and dig until some truth came out.  With publication, I do that with an audience.

No turning back now...

You may be wondering why I built this website.  After all, there are a handful of poems and no other writing.  I have a few reasons:

1. I know that if I expose myself this much, I will have to keep writing! It is safer to keep my stories hidden from the world, but a writer is not finished with any work until it is read.  This page forces me to produce and allow my work to be read.
2. My biggest project to date will be released soon.  Street Preacher debuts in just over a month.  I need to get ready to share it!
3. I want to explore my own motivation for writing.  That will be the purpose of this blog.

So, ready or not, here I come!