John Robinson

Apropos of nothing, my wife and I were watching the local news one night when the main camera at the studio croaked, just as dead as Julius Caesar. It was a tense (for the station), but funny (for the viewers) ninety or so seconds until they got the auxiliary camera powered up. You just never know what's going to happen on live TV.

Which brings me to this: I was a broadcasting major, and wa-a-a-ay back in the day I ran camera for a KET series on Kentucky law enforcement.

So first day of the shoot we had this state trooper captain who looked like Paul Bunyon’s bigger and less humorous brother sitting there, droning on about last year’s highway fatality stats when blam, a fill light exploded, showering him with molten quartz. Thankfully he was wearing his Smokey hat, and so most of the hellish stuff missed his skin (it did burn some deep holes in his uniform, though).

Needless to say, he was Not Amused.

All that to say, I hope my TV appearances in Nashville go off smoothly. *G*

If any of you in the Nashville, Tennesse area feel so moved, here's what Penney Carlton, Sheaf House's publicist extraordinaire, just put up on my Facebook page:

On Wednesday, August 4th at 7:00pm meet John Robinson in Nashville! Meet-n-Greet at 7 PM at Davis-Kidd Booksellers -2121 Green Hills Village Dr - Nashville, TN 37215! Stop by and meet John! Give-aways and special surprises!!

I'm kind of wondering what those surprises are myself! By next week she should have the full schedule for August 3rd and 4th nailed down for me (including the TV appearances), so I'll keep everyone in the loop.

And as Bartels and Jaymes used to say, "thank you for your support." *G*

In a nutshell, Sheaf House has hired publicist Penney Carlton to handle the launch of Heading Home on August 3rd and 4th in Nashville TN. This includes some TV appearances on the local Fox and CBS affiliates, as well as a meet-n-greet party there in town. I'm asking for prayer for this (of course), and also anyone who feels like helping a brother out to please "like" the Heading Home page she's placed on Facebook. (more…)

Got my final endorsement for Heading Home in, and now I'm done. Several of these were from some very heavy hitters, and I couldn't be more pleased or thankful.

On another note, I spoke with Sheaf House today, and I should have my author's copies in hand by month's end. Thirty days after that they should start shipping to the stores nationwide, so they can arrive on the shelves in plenty of time for the 2 August release date.

And as always, if someone feels so moved to preorder a copy of Heading Home through any of the online sites, that, too, is much appreciated.

Thanks! Onward!

Okay, updates for Heading Home:

First, there's been a slight change in the cover (as you can see).

I believe I like this one better; speaks more to the actual storyline.

Next, I'm still waiting on one more endorser, then that'll be all.

Last, I received the PDF for final edits this past weekend, and they're due back to the editor this Saturday. Then it's off to the printer. The next time I'll actually see my book is when I hold it in my own hands. Tres cool! *G*

Okay, Heading Home is now officially availbale for pre-order at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. More sites will be added in the coming days, and you should start seeing it on store shelves August 2nd. Here are the links:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...+John+Robinson

http://productsearch.barnesandnoble....+John+Robinson

Thanks!

Okay, here's the long-promised update to the Heading Home publishing thread.

Today's May 4, and we're ninety days from the novel hitting the store shelves. At this point I'm still getting endorsements in (waiting on a couple of them yet), and they've all been positive (so far and thank God).

Early next week I should have the galley (a spiral-bound 8 1/2 by 11 copy of the house-edited manuscript), in my hands from Sheaf House, ready for my final read. This will be the last time I'll be able to make any changes, and for any writer, at this stage they need to be minor.

Then after a week or so of perusal that document goes back to the publisher where it will be sent to typeset. By that time the cover art will likewise be in its final stages, and then both it and the text will be joyfully married (awww! *G*).

The very next time I see it--probably sometime in late July--will be when I recieve my author's copies in the mail. And that's always a thrill beyond imagining.

Thanks again for taking this journey. My next HH post will contain snippets from the blurbs; join me!

Okay, next step in the countdown to August: comps, otherwise known as "comparable titles."

What that means is the distributor for Sheaf House is asking for other apocalyptic thrillers similar in style to Heading Home, if not exact content.

This can get a bit tricky, as creative types tend to feel their work is unique, or at least puts a unique spin on an oft-visited subject. I do; every writer worth their salt does.

But the marketplace truth is more stark: the ones whose job it is to get books onto store shelves want to know going in the competition they're up against. You really can't blame them; they've been tasked to try to get the right books on the right shelves in the right stores with the right readership, with the net result being enough units are moved to make everyone happy.

So what the heck; I did some digging, and gave 'em some comps.

I still think Heading Home is unique, though. Danged if I don't. *G*

... so said the bullfrog. Hard to believe it's been a month since my last addition here. I hope to do better with that; a countdown fits the bill nicely.

Here's what I mean. As of today, it's six months until my apocalypse-with-a-twist thriller Heading Home is released upon an unsuspecting world (much like Godzilla, or Paris Hilton). As each milestone of the book is hit, I plan to post it here.

Okay, first. The cover is already up for your perusal, both on the homepage of the site and on the "works" page. The designer nailed it, I think. She incorporated the novel's main themes, the consequences, the ticking clock, and the Vietnam backstory, in one picture ... neat trick, that.

And I know I've already said this, but if you're curious about the writing itself just click "works", then the book's title, and you can read the first chapter of it for free (the same goes for all my novels). In this case it's the first two chapters (I wanted to make sure you're good and hooked; generous sod, ain't I? *G*).

Next milestone: as of two weeks ago, the endorser copies have gone out. This is always a bit of a sweaty time, wondering if your peers will like the thing enough to put their names to it. Hope so. We'll see.

Next up (and this will be a few more weeks down the road), hard copies will be going to the review sites (Publisher's Weekly, The Library Journal, a bunch of others). In other words, sweaty palms, part deux.

But as I said, that's a little ways off.

I thank you for making this journey with me.

Just a short note to say the first two chapters of my apocalypse-with-a-twist thriller Heading Home are up on this site. Click the "works" tab to the left, and then click the title.

The thing was a ton of fun to write, and is sure to be controversial (I hope).

Enjoy!