Hey all. I haven’t posted in a while but I can promise you I’ve been busy.
I’ve been back in America for a few months enjoying life with my kids. We’ve had a really fun summer!
Lots of parks, lots of playgrounds, and of course… lots of ice cream.
Adam and Leila are thriving here. I have dozens of books checked out from the library and we read together every day. They are freaking smart.
I get homesick sometimes for the Malaysian life we left. I miss my wife’s big family and the unique experiences we had. This past week was Malaysia’s Independence Day. Selamat Hari Merdeka!
It’s a world away, but I hope we can make it back next year. At least now we know what to expect from the journey.
In the meantime, I have a few developments to share.
I’ve been redesigning my website for a fresh look. I’ve tried to keep everything simple and clean. (And hopefully fast.) Take a look around. The blog is still here and you can contact me with any feedback.
The big driver for the change is that I’m finally (!!) ready to publish my book.
That’s right, after three long years it’s almost time to release my novel upon the world. I’ve worked on this thing through two kids and a pandemic. I wrote a good chunk while living in the kampung. I started with a scene and a voice and it’s grown into a living, breathing story.
I can’t believe it’s done.
There’s action and mystery and romance and drama and violence and wisdom and some crazy shit I just made up.
It’s a banger.
Here’s the cover:
Self-Publishing Review called it: “Explosive, poetic, and deeply human. A masterful story on the backdrop of worldwide intrigue.”
Not bad!
I’m currently making some final edits and preparing a marketing campaign. I expect to go live in a few weeks, and it will be available in e-book and paperback from Amazon.com. I’m excited to see where it goes.
Publishing a book has been a lifelong dream, and I can finally call myself a proper author. I put out a short story a few years ago, but that was mostly for fun and practice. This is the real deal. A hard, pipe-hittin’ novel. For better or worse, this will always be my seminal work.
I’ll confess it’s a bit scary too. It’s a work of art that I’ve poured my heart into that will soon be judged by a bunch of strangers. Some people may not like it. (Bastards!) And for a while I’ll live and die with each review. It’s a deeply personal thing, but that’s what makes life so rich. At some point you gotta put it out there. I’m proud to soon see that day.
I will update again once it’s published, but in the meantime you can sneak a peak right now. Just hop over to this link and read the first chapter for free:
Free sneak preview of my upcoming novel: The Ballad of Clay Moore
If not for me, then do it for Leila.
Love you all.
So happy for your book release!
I just finished your book and enjoyed it very much! As a fellow self-published author, I know what a momentous task it is to write, publish, and market your book. Keep on keeping on. I’m sure you will do very well.
Thanks for your comment and support! It means a lot that you enjoyed the book, especially as a fellow author. You are correct it is a HUGE undertaking, and I will always be proud to call myself a published author.