Dear Readers:
2019 has started strong, and I have a new story underway.
It’s a baby book with children’s illustrations.
The ever-so-skilled Katerina Dotneboya (Pokeweed artist) has agreed to do artwork on this venture.
It’s an ocean tale complete with critters and vivid, seafaring imagery.
Be on the lookout for updates regarding this and other exciting things in the coming weeks!
Thank you to all my readers & supporters,
Brian
(Book reading / signing for Pokeweed this Saturday, 10/20 from 1-3pm at the amazing Star Line Books, downtown Chattanooga.)
My debut novella, POKEWEED, is now available for pre-order. When you purchase my book, it will ship your way on September 20th. Here’s a video teaser –
Prior to this publication, I wasn’t savvy to how important pre-orders were, but they ultimately determine a book’s well-being. Therefore, the more copies I sell during the pre-order period, the better its chance of living, breathing, and growing.
Writing this novella was amazing, and I’m so grateful for all those whose input went into it before publication at Black Rose. Thank you, Katerina Dotneboya, for the exceptional artwork created from halfway across the globe!
Some of my literary heroes read my work beforehand and shared their blurbs with me. They’re on my website & will be printed on the inside of this book.
I’m currently developing my first children’s picture book as well. I am so fortunate to have found a community of people who share my passion for writing both online and within the Chattanooga community.
Here are the two central link(s) to preorder POKEWEED: www.blackrosewriting.com/childrens-booksya/Pokeweed & http://ow.ly/d3cJ30lO2MS
Please share. I am so, so grateful.
#brwriting #pokeweed #throwforwardthursday
I hinted previously that there could be a new book coming down the pike this year.
THERE IS! It’s one I’ve had quite a fun time with, as it really defies classification.
Here’s my best effort to label it –
With the current landscape of modern high school libraries shifting away from books involving shootouts, I was nervous to promote such a book for teen readers. However, the strong historical significance won out for me, to tell a story about this ‘not-so-famous’ Kentucky feud, which unlike the Hatfields & McCoys (happening due east of Perry County), spawned not from the greed over a hog, but something much more closely tied to every Appalachian – land, the coal within.
I look forward to sharing more details, as they develop, and I gladly welcome any of my more talented writing peers to offer to blurb for this book well in advance of its intended release, which is: 9.20.18.
Happy Easter Weekend to everyone!
Brian
While it’s still very much in its infancy, I’m so excited about an idea I’ve been constructing of late!
It’s still too early to give much away, but suffice it to say it encompasses post-Civil War America. But not the parts in Reconstruction mode we all think about and get sentimental for.
It’s taken more research than I thought I’d put into a book, but hopefully that will pay off in bringing truth to light.
And most importantly, I hope you enjoy it as much as you’ve enjoyed other projects. Baptisms & Dogs, Wheelman, and Swimming the E. were all largely passion projects from personal experience and growth. This one isn’t memory-driven at all, but rather, an overflow of interest regarding a region. There. I’ve said too much.
It’s being composed as a quasi-illustrated novellette. (Say that 5 times really fast.)
And as much as I’d like to share sketches, plot, and a forthcoming title…it’s still too early in the game to do so.
However, my promise is to get these things to you soon. If you promise me, you’ll share the heck out of it once it becomes a real, living breathing thing.
The SouthWord Literary Festival, 2017 – Chattanooga, TN.
Writers included some of my all-time favorites. A list as talented as the Golden State Warriors of present day. No. Better. Way way better. Forget the comparison. Just look at the list below.
In no particular order:
Wendell Berry (I could stop right here.)
Tom Franklin
Jim Grimsley
Tim Gautreaux
Ron Rash
Steve Yarbrough
Maurice Manning
Bobbie Ann Mason
Charles Frazier
George Singleton
Brad Watson
Allan Gurganus
Tony Earley
Lee Smith
Silas House
Richard & Robert Bausch
Now I understand why some obsess over Disney World/ Disney Land. This conference housed rock stars in the literary arena, and they all came together and discussed the craft of writing. I was star struck like a girl at her first Beatle’s concert. May the magic never wear off! I’ll probably never wash hand again.
Many thanks for the attendance at last week’s Q&A, Reading, & Signing at Star Line Books in downtown Chattanooga! It was a great return to that wonderful independent bookstore. Sharing Swimming the Echo and its construction with everyone was a fantastic time. The questions were thoughtful and welcomed! Hope to see you at the next event soon.
Star Line Books loves to have local writers in the shop, and Brian Tucker is no exception. A great friend of Star Line, Brian will be joining us in the shop for a reading and signing of his most recent novel, Swimming the Echo. Born in Monticello, KY, Brian is an immense talent, who has lived in the foothills of the Appalachians, Houston, and eastern North Carolina. His fiction has appeared in more than twenty publications. He is an alumnus of the Eastern Kentucky University Bluegrass Writers Studio and was a finalist for the Linda Bruckheimer Series in Kentucky Literature Award for his collection, Baptisms & Dogs. He currently lives in Chattanooga, TN with his wife, Leah. SWIMMING THE ECHO, was released May 30th by eLectio Publishing.
About the Book:
It’s an adventure of a lifetime. When a summer job to explore Mammoth Cave lands in Cade Rainy’s lap, he doesn’t think twice. The teen from Southern Kentucky makes a break for it. But when he finds his dad is connected to a man working at Mammoth, Cade discovers there’s more to this trip than meets the eye. AND THE CAVE IS JUST THE START. Cade sets out to map the real route of twisted lies through fissures and stalactites, battling claustrophobia and bats.
EXPLORE. ADVENTURE. DON’T DIE.
So you’ve written a book and it feels daunting to send it out into the world? Maybe even just looking at all of the options for finding a home for it are causing stress? You don’t want it to end up in the wrong metaphorical hands with a publisher seeking to do it harm. So, what do you do?
Here are a few of the things I’ve learned, as a writer seeking publication over the past few years:
Self-publishing can work
There are several good resources available for making this happen –
1.) Amazon alone makes the submission, editing, and publishing process simple with Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) & CreateSpace
Now Amazon even has its own line of publishing platforms you can get picked for and that’s largely how people are gaining recognition and getting 1000s of reviews (books which would’ve never been discovered just 7 years ago!)
Ex: Pines (Trilogy) from Blake Crouch released by Thomas and Mercer (Amazon imprint in 2011)
2.) Don’t feel you need to reinvent the wheel.
You might not even need an agent (oops! I said it), if you go a different route.
When in doubt, seek publishing databases supplied by places such as Poets & Writers at: PW.org
or, Newpages.com
Agents can really help get you noticed
1.) A great “agent” resource, especially if you write Christian Fiction is at: Michael Hyatt’s website
2.) If you’ve already found the agent you dreamed of, finding/securing an established publisher is the next step. Please always remember there’s nothing wrong with small, indie, or even hybrid presses. And often, they can supply larger %, offer personal feedback, and run promotions much the same way as larger presses.
One last word – If you have the time (and budget) to attend a conference in your neighborhood definitely block time on your schedule to go. It can be a real boost to morale and help in that ever-so-helpful department of networking. You never know who you’ll meet.
Ex: I plan to attend one in Chattanooga this fall and it previously helped me get introduced to Ron Rash, Roy Blount Jr., and a bunch of other writers who’ve helped me immensely!
Happy hunting!
The new book came in a wave of anticipation from my publisher yesterday. Blasting comparisons to summer reads for teens, young adults, and beyond! I was ecstatic to see it go up on their site first yesterday at: ELectioPublishing.
Swimming the Echo is near and dear as it encompasses parts of southern Kentucky, including caves like Mammoth. It makes me appreciate the memories of exploring at a younger age. I hope it does the same for you.
*with every paperback copy ordered
Other retailers will add the book to their databases in the coming days!
I’m thrilled for those already sharing the book and reading it! Feel free to post pictures online of your travels with this one. Thank you.
-Brian
