Today is release day for my newest novel, There Will be Stars.
If you’ve hung with me for the last seven books (sheesh, seven books!), chances are you’ll know the name Bobby Barnes. He popped up the first time way back in Snow Day, then again in The Devil Walks in Mattingly, then one more time in In The Heart of the Dark Wood. Kind of strange that one of the most recurring characters in all of Mattingly should be the town drunk, but then that’s me. I’ve always been drawn to characters who are broken in some way, probably because I’m a little broken, too.
Probably because we’re all a little broken.
You guys know that, right? We’re all broken people living in a broken world, and the trick is to seek out the beauty in all the cracks. That’s what life is all about. It’s certainly what it’s all about for Bobby when you get to the end of this story.
People often ask me if the shine wears off after seven books. I tell them no, it doesn’t. Between you and me, though, that’s kind of a lie. The truth is that every release day marks an event I spent a really long time trying to convince myself would happen.
Twenty years passed between the day I sat down and said I wanted to write a novel and the day my first novel was released.
And between the two . . . well, let’s just say a few of those years were dark ones that I don’t care to ever live again. So each year that a new novel comes out is a cause for celebration—it means I’ve made it this far. But while I’ll likely walk around for most of today with a goofy smile on my face, I know I haven’t quite made it where I want to be just yet. That’s why I’ll also spend much of today getting ready for what’s next.
In the meantime, please do head over to Thomas Nelson’s site for places to order a copy of There Will be Stars. Or even better, head on down to your local bookstore grab it there. And don’t you worry about Bobby Barnes. Sure, he’s not the sort of guy you’d want around. But the great thing about starting out with a ruined character is that it leaves the door open for redemption by the end. And is there a better thing in this life than that?
