I wanted to let everyone know I’m still alive, and still writing. The writing is actually why I haven’t posted for so long. I’ve been huddled in my office, pounding away at the keyboard, and haven’t wanted to come up for air until I had a complete manuscript, and what’s more, a complete manuscript on the road to publication.
So I’m excited to tell you all about However Long the Day. I started the first draft last May, in response to a writing prompt I solicited on Instagram. I expected the story to be short, but it turned into a full novel. The book will be published in September, and be available in all media (hardcopy, ebook, audio). You’ll be able to pre-order about a month before launch.
Here’s the blurb:
However Long the Day is the tale of two strangers—Niall Donovan, a poor immigrant (an alien, in the parlance of the 1918) from Ireland, and Frederick Philips, a rich ne'er-do-well from New York's Upper East Side—who discover they look so similar they could be twins. Frederick, desperate to avoid a lecture from his father, bribes Niall to switch places for the evening. Niall finds there's more to the story than Frederick let on, and is dragged through the turbulence created by World War I, the Spanish Flu, and social upheaval, and into the corrupt belly of Manhattan on the cusp of Prohibition. As Niall and Frederick hurtle through the next twenty-four hours, will either get what they bargained for?
I’m excited to have people read it.
The production, distribution, and marketing phases of publication have been a whirlwind of learning opportunities (another reason I haven’t posted in some time). From hiring an editor, to working with a cover designer, to finding a publicist, I’ve had the chance (and they are chances, even when they’re new and uncomfortable) to explore things I hadn’t considered before I started my journey as a writer.
Here’s an example: several beta readers mentioned a map might be helpful for those who aren’t familiar with New York City. That sounded like a great idea, until I sat down to figure out how to hire someone to create it. I started with the cover designers I’d spoken with, but it turned out they like to focus on book covers. I spoke to several internal book designers (people who lay out everything between the covers), but they wanted to lay out my whole book, and not just do the map. I thought about posting the job on gig sites like Fiverr, Reedsy, and Upwork, but in the end, I decided to do it myself. How hard could it be, right?
In my experience, and in all of human experience, when someone asks themselves how hard could it be?, the answer is always way harder than expected. And so it was this time. Even so, I was able to produce the map that will appear at the beginning of my book. Here it is:
I created this image with Inkscape, an amazing free alternative to Adobe Illustrator. It took me much longer than I expected, and I watched a lot of YouTube videos about how to accomplish certain things (if you’re interested in learning about Inkscape, Logos by Nick is a great YouTube channel that covers the topic in a very accessible way), but in the end, I think it will look pretty good spread across two pages.
I’ll share more about However Long the Day, like the cover and official launch date, as things get closer. In the mean time, have a safe and happy Independence Day (if you live in the States). Thank you for all your support and kindness over the past several years.
One Response
Super exciting Justin. Can’t wait to read it.
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