I had been asked via email and this blog when Something Missing would be placed on Border’s Book Club list. For those of you kind enough to care, it will be on October’s list. It will remain in the new release section for a while, then go to regular shelving and back to the front of the store as a book club pick.
I must say that I have been both astonished and humbled by the communication I have received from readers and booksellers almost daily. Whether through email, comments on this blog, or Twitter, I receive constant feedback from people interested in the book. They want to know how well it is doing in stores, share stories about how they promoted the book to friends and family, and often ask questions I cannot answer.
Yesterday someone asked me about the life of Clive Darrow, a character in the book, prior to his appearance in Martin’s life. Since SOMETHING MISSING is written in the third person, with the view limited to only what Martin sees and hears, I had never put much thought into Darrow’s life before his emergence in the story. I only know the story and the characters through Martin’s eyes. He learns a little about Darrow as the story unfolds, but that’s as much as I know.
As odd as it sounds, I don’t know much about my characters unless I write about them. Save for my protagonists, I guess. I tend to know a great deal about them, more than sometimes reaches the page.
But thank you for all the words of support, appreciation, and interest that so many of you have shown in the book. It’s been remarkable. Just last week, a European reader posted information about my upcoming appearance at RJ Julia on my author page on librarything.com and helped to arrange an author’s chat on the site beginning on August 17.
Yesterday a high school English teacher informed me that he plans on assigning my book to one of his AP classes next spring.
And Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Cleveland, Ohio, had posters made to promote the book in their stores and offered to send me one in commemoration of the publication and its selection as their Book Pick of the Month. Something Missing has been a bestseller for them for the past two weeks, and they couldn’t be more kind and generous to me.
Many good people are helping me along in this process, including my agent, editor, and publicist. However, little did I know that readers and booksellers would also be supportive and helpful in getting the book into peoples’ hands.
Thank you all so very much.
