Launch Day

Sounds like a rocket lift-off, doesn't it? Yesterday, Switched, Too went live on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords. Usually, authors talk about "Release Day"--the day their publisher releases the book for publication. Since I'm the publisher, too, I like the concept of a launch. Sort of fits with what I write. Space adventures. It feels as if I launched that book into space.

So, you may ask, if yesterday was the day I launched Switched, Too, why did I wait until today to write about it? The thing with DIY publishing is that you never know when the various sites (Amazon, B&N, Smashwords) will actually make the book live. Smashwords is great but their distribution to other outlets (Apple, Sony, etc.) takes a while. Amazon and Barnes & Noble say 12-72 hours. Big gap. It was exciting to see them live yesterday. Whoo-hoo! It seems like this book took forever to get to this point. So, pardon me, while I gush a little.

Switched, Too started back in 2001, after I finished Switched. I had to tell Scott and Veronese's story. The fans of Switched told me so and I know I disappointed many by not getting it out there right away. I made some mistakes along the way (writing certainly has a learning curve) and then "life" intervened. I had to put Switched, Too aside for a while and here it is eleven years later. Sometimes, a story isn't ready when it's started. It needs percolating in the author's mind. Switched, Too certainly percolated.

In other blog posts, I've mentioned how much I like Scott. Good thing since he's the hero. I don't usually have a real person in mind when I write. I'm not one of those authors who uses photos of models or movie stars as inspiration. But this time, I kept "seeing" Tom Cruise in Top Gun whenever I thought of Scott. Not the physical person but the character--a hotshot pilot, trying to prove he's good enough, with a "ya gotta love me" grin (like when he was singing "You Lost That Lovin' Feeling" in the bar).

That was my Scott. He's so cocky he figures trading places with his identical twin wll be a piece of cake, that he can actually be a starship captain. Self-confidence is not his problem. If he only knew what Fate had in store. Okay, not Fate--me. Storytellers are told that to make a story better you chase your hero up a tree and then throw rocks at him. Keep making the situation go from bad to worse. Hehehe. The things I throw at Scott and Veronese--starting with the ship under attack the moment they beam aboard. And then . . . Oh, my.

Those two have some growing/changing to do, too. She has to lighten up and he has to show he really has more depth than he lets on. And of course they have to admit they're attracted to the other.

I had fun writing this book. I'm so glad it isn't still lingering in my computer. I hope you are, too.

Here's the blurb for Switched, Too:

Be careful what you wish for...you might get it.

Down-sized astronaut candidate Scott Cherella leaps at the chance to go into space. He just has to pretend to be the captain of an Alliance of Planets starship. His lifelong dream quickly becomes a nightmare when sabotage erupts. To save the ship and crew he has to depend on an uptight, disapproving colleague.

The only time Veronese Qilana broke the rules tragedy resulted. She vowed never again. Now, to protect the real starship captain, she'll have to deceive the crew by helping the imposter. They must work together to uncover the saboteur and get the crew safely home. In doing so, they discover opposites really do attract.

Switched, Too is available at: Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and Smashwords.com

For an excerpt, see the tab "Excerpts" at the top of this page.