Yes, it is a story, and it is a book

Over the weekend, I did something that I hadn’t done before.

I read my own novel, Dancing Priest.

It sounds funny, but it’s true. For the last six years, I have known the novel as a manuscript – a text that I wrote and rewrote, edited and wrote again, divided and rewrote, proofed and edited, checking the edits made by the editor and publisher, rewriting and rewriting yet again.

I had not read it straight through as a story, a book to read.

So I did, with one of the ebook versions.

I know this is something you expect the author to say, but I surprised myself. It’s actually a good story. It reads easily. The writing is on the spare, lean side. The story moves.

On Monday morning at work, I was in a rush. I had started the morning helping train almost 1800 people on the rudiments of social media. I had a day chock full of meetings, with a short 45-minute break to get some work done.

A co-worker came into my office, sat down and stared, not saying a word for a few moments.

Then she said, “I read your book.”

“You did? Oh, that’s cool.” I didn’t say more because I wasn’t sure what I was going to hear.

“It’s fantastic,” she said. “I loved it. I couldn’t put it down. Even all the God stuff. I told two other people to buy it and I’m getting the paperback for my daughter.”

She rose to go, and then said, “It says there’s going to be a sequel next summer.”

I nodded. “That’s the hope, if this one does okay.”

She nodded. “That’s too long to wait.”

The ebook versions of Dancing Priest were posted last week on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. The iBook version is supposed to be available sometime this week.

The print paperback was scheduled for January, but things happened faster than expected.

Last night, my publisher sent me the photo at the top – the proof copy of the paperback.

It will be available within a few short days.