Somewhere along the line a person who couldn’t write a book if their life depended on it said, “You just tell a story, write it down, and sell it for a lot of money. How hard could that be?”

Heh. Well, with one week to go before Assault on Saint Agnes goes live on all the sales sites, I’d like to tell you a bit about the journey.

Please follow me on Twitter, and “Like” the Facebook author page. Don’t forget to subscribe (the box is on the right side of the page) to be eligible for free e-books and other benefits! Oh yeah – grab a copy of Assault on Saint Agnes if you’re of a mind.

First, lest you think I’m complaining, I’m really grateful that I’ve hit the point where this book is going to be in the public’s hands. I will find out, unlike so many who write books but never get them published, if my voice and style have any merit in the marketplace. Truthfully, winning contests and getting reviewers to say nice things (Ace of Spades Blog, Peter Younghusband) is a wonderful experience. But until a whole bunch of people plunk down money and ask if I’ve written anything else, it’s pretty much a theoretical question.

April 18, 2016 we will get the answer to the question “Can Joseph Courtemanche make it as an author?”

My answer is: Yes. God, and my friends in the writing community have led me down the proper paths to make it.

Part of that is just forgetting to sleep for a few weeks at a time. In the last month, I’ve gotten less sleep than in quite some time. I get up early, and go to bed late, working on audio book versions and social media campaigns. The audiobook couldn’t be started until we agreed on the final-final-final-no-more-changes version of the story. Consequently, I had one month to do that work. I hadn’t counted on some voice issues and a week of intermittent construction/demolition of the house next door. Hard to record when the walls are literally falling down ten feet away.

But you cope. You get home from work and record a chapter at eleven in the evening. Or, like Saturday, you get up at 7 am and try to record. That, naturally, was the day that the Minnesota Air National Guard decided to practice touch-and-gos at a local airport. I’m under the flight path at it’s far end. Lots of fun dodging C-130 noise when doing the LAST FOUR CHAPTERS. They’d been done, but needed to be redone due to a buzz on the recording. Herky-birds make a buzz as well. So, instead of three chapters, I got one in between propeller beats.

Did I mention creating artwork for party invitations? Or mailing out books to the fantastic people who have already bought autographed copies? (Speaking of which, my publicist informed me I need a “signature phrase for autographing” this morning. I have three I’m considering. A kind coworker suggested one as well, but I don’t think this audience would appreciate it. For those in the know, it starts out B.O.H….. Yeah. That’s the kind of friends I have.)

Then there’s the whole day-job thing. They, strangely, expect me to show up and do their bidding while I sit in their office. I have gleefully agreed to that, the checks are important.

Being a husband, neighbor, father to Stormy, and man who’s car broke down in the middle of it all, take a bit away from writing as well.

My point is, this is fun. It is hard work. If you know an author give them their proper due. You can’t just “phone it in” until you’ve sold that third million books. It’s not just a craft, but it’s a love-affair with words.

I love those words. In seven days we’ll see just how much they love me.

In the meantime, I’ll post a bit more on the journey Wednesday. Grab an autographed copy at the link on the top right. Be blessed. Thanks for taking the time to drop by and read my blog.

It wouldn’t happen without all of you.

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Yes, Assault on Saint Agnes is now available. Just click this link to find all the options! (I recommend the autographed copy. It’s cheaper than from the big stores, I scribble in it, and you get it mailed within 5 days. We all win.

I have a favor to ask of my readers: would you kindly share this blog with your friends, family, and colleagues? We hit 2 million views in 2016, and while the readership continues a nice growth trend, it could be a lot better. Just hit the Facebook like button, share it on your timeline, tweet the blog with a link, and tell that person at the next desk that there’s this lunatic who writes about all sorts of stuff that they might like.

I appreciate your help.