This time last year — my third book, Research Randy and the Mystery of Grandma’s Half-eaten Pie of Despair, was about to go out into the world. This has been both a very long year and strangely short at the same time. The days are long, the years are short? I don’t know, but it’s been very busy no matter how I slice it.
Research Randy came out of a pure love for the books of my childhood, kid detective stories like Encyclopedia Brown, 5 Minute Mysteries, and the like — as well as my deep appreciation for The Lovecraft Mythos and cosmic horror. The book has sold okay, but it was not the breakout success I had secretly hoped for…yet. It may be that it looks like a kid’s book so adult readers just pass it by. It’s not really a kid’s book but if your kid is supercool and digs horror, you aren’t going to find anything unacceptable in the story. But it had to look like the form I was honoring, so once again, I write a book that is very tricky to market!
I do conventions now and again and I see many authors that are also expert merchandisers and marketers. I am always impressed by how they promote their books. I have some sort of mental blockage where I just can’t get myself in the place where I can shift into sales.
But I did want to recognize the one year anniversary of my favorite thing I have written. The ebook version of Research Randy is on sale for 99 cents through Halloween. It’s on AMAZON, of course, but you can get the same deal from any ebook bookseller. I hope that you check it out.
Also, thanks to everyone who has supported the book over the last year. It’s meant a lot. If you haven’t had a chance to, a short review on Amazon goes a long way. It doesn’t have to be a book report, just saying you enjoyed the read is plenty.
Tom Lucas 