I'm damn near speechless at the wave of kind words and compliments that "Accidental Family" has received. The downloads, the scores, the feedback, and... to the delight of my wife, the family bean-counter... the book sales.
Thank you, all of you. The warm feedback is the best gift of all. I'll be 82 in July, and it's damned reassuring to find that I'm still able to tell a good story. When you get there (and may God grant that all of you do, most happily) you'll appreciate the joy of confirmation.
For those who ask about the sequel, Book Two: yes, most definitely. I had NOT planned on two books, but the story grew and grew and it was obvious that I'd have to split the tale.
The first half happens in and around Idaho.
The second half will happen mostly in Mexico.
As for when it will be ready to post/publish: I am working on it each and every week. Example: yesterday I cranked out 4K words; today, I did another 2K words. Writers will appreciate the effort that takes. The first draft will be followed with proofing, editing, revising as needed, and more proofing. Then, when all chapters are done, posting. With the dedicated help of my editor, Tenderloin, we'll git 'er done.
I'll be away this week to central Idaho for a family 'celebration of life' to remember Meg, my daughter who, after an eight-year fight, lost to cancer but set a world record for courage and a beautiful spirit. We don't lose loved ones; they just move to a better place and wait for the rest of us to come along in our own time.
Joy, love, and fulfillment to all who seek.
Gray
Anyone who has purchased a copy prior to today at 9 pm PDT, I've uploaded a corrected version of the three formats (ePub, Kindle, and PDF). There was a doubling of Chapter 19; nothing was left out, but who needs to read the same chapter twice, right?
It was a very low blood-sugar day, that day, I guess.
If you've purchased the book, you can download the corrected version.
Thanks, Gray
Somehow the postings got confused; chapter one had the content of chapter two; and chapter two was correct, so it was a repeat of chapter one.
A kind reader emailed me to point out the error; I've sent a correct chapter one content.
My profound thanks go to Lazeez for his kind and patient assistance in getting the content of AF correctly posted in the Bookapy book site, with additional Kindle and PDF versions. I can't possibly say sufficient good words about how Lazeez patiently and efficiently deals with us amateur authors, with help and kindness.
It's appreciated.
It is one thing to write these stories, to craft the plots and tend the grammar and enlist editors to catch and kill the gremlins and glitches that infest our work.
It's yet another thing entirely to deal with self-publishing, to create error-free versions for e-readers in various digital formats. Folks like Lazeez are essential.
Gray
Accidental Family is in the queue for posting. The first four files include the "First Beginnings," a historical introduction to the discovery and extraordinary roots of the Yankee Girl mine, her prospectors, and their adventures.
"Prologue" is the second file, introducing the modern-day protagonist, Reese Adams, a 'half-breed' son of his parents, a white mining engineer and his wife, a Nez Perce native.
"Chapter One - Discovery" and "Chapter Two - Recovery" open the tale of Reese and his attachment to a grandmother and her four grandchildren, and the beginning development of a fast and fearsome adventure.
The book "Accidental Family" is offered for sale on Bookapy by Graybyrd.