In life…
…Beneath covers
Between parents…
…For months, years
Since birth…
…Until milestones
On the road…
…Among friends
Outside the office…
…Beside the ocean
Opposite the love of your life…
…Plus kids
Minus some…
…Without others
With God…
…Versus the devil
Within life…
…Before the end
Above ground…
…Near it all
Like heaven…
…But not really
WHEELMAN (in paperback) is going away on 5/31.
Go to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or iTunes today and grab 1, 2, or 20 copies and share with others. For Prime members, shipping is free on eligible orders. Let’s see how many we can get in circulation by month’s end.
Tough news hit me right before a wonderful family vacation last week. It came in the form of an email.
Have you ever received unsettling news that way? No voice. No eye contact. It didn’t help that there wasn’t a thing I could do about it at the time…except focus on packing my bags and loading the car for the beach.
We went to St. George Island. It was great weather, warm water. Still the news lingered in the back of my brain. Stinging at times, when I wasn’t enjoying the sun. It was that email. Rereading it over and over again in my head. It came from the CEO of Booktrope, Ken Shear. He regretted to inform writers of the company’s upcoming immediate closure. He wrote:
We are deeply saddened to share the news that Booktrope will be ceasing business effective May 31, 2016. This decision was not reached lightly and we will share as much as we can with the community over the next few weeks…. What you need to know now: Booktrope will remove all published books from sale as of May 31, 2016
May 31st.
Thoughts of What the heck? and How will my book survive this? hit me again and again.
Then, I remembered that WHEELMAN and other titles at Booktrope existed before publication, and they would survive this as well. God is doing great things through the books in the Booktrope imprint, Vox Dei. These stories will continue being told – just in different mediums.
I appreciated the response from Shear and the timely update. It gave me enough foresight to mull this topic over, and I know I need to pray about WHEELMAN (and other books’ futures) as well.
The company’s closing date will mean the removal of WHEELMAN from their roster and printing will cease, as well as the Vox Dei logo going away. However, I am in the process of learning how to get the story back out there in a different way.
As always, I appreciate your faith and prayers in this current situation. Thank you for reading, and if you haven’t picked up a copy yet, this will be the last chance to order for a while. (I believe if WHEELMAN is ordered before 5/31, it will be printed via Vox Dei. Let me know if you have any problems with this.)
May God continue to bless the stories being told. Fellow writer, Niki Krauss does a much better job of describing the process for her thus far and getting her story re-printed.
All told: the beach is still there, the sun is still there, and God still holds it all together. Amen.
Prior to hitting the road –
Let’s go!
2 months into its debut and we’ve hit 70 reviews for WHEELMAN already!!
Give yourself a pat on the back if you assisted in the reading/reviewing of this first novel (early readers you know who you are). Let’s crank it to 100 reviews!
Believe it or not, work has kick-started on a 2nd novel already (Titles and plot are hush hush at this point).
The 1st draft of the manuscript is being looked at for the first time by my editor this week. Prayers are appreciated for Martin Jones as he reads.
Now we wait…and we work and work and work. Is it summer yet? Are you traveling anywhere fun? Are your taxes done? If you answered yes to all 3 of those questions, I appreciate your honesty. Enjoy the weekend!
As you navigate this final week of March into upcoming Spring 2016, get excited! There are so many things you can reflect on and celebrate as you continue working hard. I was reflecting on a few personal milestones of this 2015-2016 and was shocked by how much was accomplished in just the time since this academic year began. Here are just a few:
2. This picture is self-explanatory
3. Reading Leo Tolstoy’s masterpiece, War & Peace, during Thanksgiving Break. F-i-n-a-l-l-y!!
4. Completing a novel (Wheelman) and getting it published. (I highly recommend NaNoWriMo each November!)
5. Adding a family pet in February 2016-
These were just a few of the memories from this year. As you think about your milestones, it’ll help motivate you to work through to the end of this season. I look forward to hearing your success stories.
My best,
Brian
Much like Castaway and Tom Hanks’ obsession with Wilson, there are things we can honestly say we don’t think we could live without.
My best friend is a music director, and he asks his students (each year) if they could only take three albums on their iPod to an isolated island – what would they be? Then, what would they do once the charge to the iPod runs out? Interesting discussion ensues…
Luckily for those paperbacks, they don’t require a charge and their only fault is not being waterproof. So, if you had to only pick 3, which books (all-time) matter the most to you?
Re-readable qualities…Characters you can’t live without…Narration that soars and exposition that is just right.
What are those 3?
Would like to thank Mrs. NeShaune Lasley and her 5th grade class at Eisenhower Elementary in Louisville, KY for the interview questions today. Hope they help motivate more young writers. Mrs. Lasley is doing great things and providing a great example for her students.
Here are the questions they asked:
The Burke Writing Interview – Brian L. Tucker
Thanks!
1 copy of WHEELMAN will be given away on Goodreads this Friday, Feb. 19th!
Step 1: Go to goodreads.com
Step 2: Create account or log-in with Facebook/social media
Step 3: Search ‘Wheelman’
Step 4: Scroll down and select ‘Enter Giveaway’
Drawing will be in 4 days!
I hope you win.
-Brian
The progression of writing a book (start to finish) is like the many faces of peanut butter consumption from first bite to pained discovery there is no water nearby. 🙂 … 🙁 … 😐
