My latest book, Death Dive, the third in the Hayden Kent series launched on September 19^th. The days preceding a new release are hectic. There’re interviews to complete, guest blogs to arrange, a social media campaign to set up and implement. Much of this begins well before the launch month. As an indie author who has sent two other books into the universe in 2023, many of these actions are on autoplay. I never took dance lessons at Arthur Murray, but I know all about the painted feet on the floor. Follow them and you’re foxtrotting before you know it. All except for the kick. You have to learn the kick on your own.

Everything perked along well through August. Then came September. Sure. I knew I’d have the Labor Day weekend to contend with. No worries! The book is set in the tropics. Perfect timing to snag an audience looking to extend summer vacation into the school year. Hold that thought. This is where it all gets dicey. Here comes LIFE. The author of the inescapable monkey wrench in the works. Time to learn that kick I mentioned above.

The day after Labor Day, I headed to the Humane Society to drop off a box of books for their silent auction. I’ve had essays published in the Chicken Soup series, the latest in Lessons Learned from My Cat. The tie in was obvious. The Shelter Manager greeted us with glee, and the words that she had found the dog my husband wanted. She came out from her office holding a ten-pound Cavapoo. The exact dog, in the exact color, that my husband described to her two years before. He was a brand-new intake, about three months old.

Amid book launch duties, the new puppy added housebreaking, socializing with four rambunctious cats, and amassing puppy stuff to the to do list. Despite the disruption, launch plans were ticking along nicely. Until a few days later, when my barking cough vied with Buster’s yipping. All energy ground to a halt. Like a Victorian heroine, I took to my bed, unable to put two coherent words in a simple sentence.

NASA via Unsplash

Recovery was slow, but steady. By the time I was up and around, the Amazon file was ready to be finalized and a major marketing push begun. You’ve heard of Hurricane Lee? It was knocking at our door. As a former Floridian, hurricanes hold little mystery. I checked the water supply. We made sure the generator was ready to go and got on with life. As I was scheduling Kindle promotions and finalizing my newsletter, the power failed. It stuttered on and off for the next two days.

My area of Aroostook County escaped the worst of Lee’s wrath. Not so in Coastal Maine and Nova Scotia. In the overall scheme of things, the struggle to launch Death Dive seems inconsequential. Amazon will release the book whether I have power or not. Prearranged ads will do the same. As with writing, it’s all about perspective.

By the time this blog appears, Death Dive will be out in the world. It’s always fun to experience the birth of a new book. This one is all the sweeter for its complications and lessons.