My Blog

Did you know it takes many people to help the author get that new book on the shelf? I bet you missed it. What part of a book do you skip over? Is it the dedication? How about the acknowledgments? There’s also the biography of the author to read at the end. Sometimes, like in my books, there is information about the research, history or how the story came to be created. Most authors will also put a list of other books they’ve written and if you’re lucky, you might find a snippet of a new one that they are currently writing. In Whiskey & Sweet Tea, I wrote what you could expect in two of the other books in the series.

So why do this?

• Dedication: This is where you honor someone or a group for some reason. It could be someone who has supported them through thick and thin. It might be an organization who needs to be recognized for their input or service.
• Acknowledgments: For me, this is where I give a shout out for all those people who went through fire to bring my story to you. The editors, agents, proofreaders, publisher, designer, beta readers, ARC readers and street team all play a huge part in helping me. I want you to know who they are and support them as you do me. I love reading this part.
• Biography: This is where the reader gets to meet the author and what they are all about. Sometimes I read this part first when I decide to buy a book. It helps me know if they know what they’re talking about, how they became a writer, or if they have pets. I enjoy knowing they are a real person.
• Other books: I want to know how many books an author has written. Most of the time I’ll buy another one of their books if I enjoyed the first one. That is the goal of listing them.
• Preview of a book: This is bait! They want to tease you into wanting more. It helps the author and makes the reader happy.
• Research: In my geopolitical books, I do a great deal of research. One of the things I’ve always enjoyed about Michael Creighton and Steve Berry books is the enormous amount of research they’ve done to create their novels. It fills me with amazement that the story I just read could be based on facts. I’ve learned to do that and hope you’ll read those sections at the end when it is available.

A lot goes into creating a book. I wanted to spotlight all those who help me get to where I am today and especially on each book I create. I am not the only author who does this. Every author spends a great deal of alone time to make the visions in their head a reality to the reader. Thankfully, these people are standing by waiting to get the final ball rolling so it can be published. So when you see me put up my latest book, Whiskey & Sweet Tea, know that that there are people behind the scenes encouraging me and giving me a gentle shove toward completion of the book.