My latest child has moved out. Okay, so I'm talking about my new novel. As anyone who has written anything with any conviction knows, once you're done and it's out there, there is a certain feeling of emptiness that follows. That's the way I'm feeling right now about MAKING GOD LAUGH. It's the sequel to my first novel, 5IVE SPEED, written because of the demand of the readers who read this first novel.

I'm very happy with the way the sequel turned out, and the characters are happy about it, also. Now they're spinning around in my head organizing the next book. I never planned on writing a series. I always pictured myself writing different books about different things; but Donald Roth and his gang won't leave me alone.

Now comes the toughest part of the whole process. The marketing and getting the word out there that there is a new Charley Warady novel for everyone in the world to buy. This takes time and energy and frustration and non-immediate results. Everything I hate. But it's an evil necessity, and since I am self-publishing, it's a responsibility I took on voluntarily.

Of course I want MAKING GOD LAUGH to be a huge success. And obviously I need everyone to help me get the word out about the book. I'm doing the Twitter thing, and the Facebook thing, and I'm writing this blog, but when it comes down to it, most of the book's success is out of my hands. A control freak such as myself hates that part. I have to rely on the readers to put reviews on the Amazon site. I have to rely on the readers to recommend it to their friends on Facebook and Twitter and every other social networking outlet. I have to rely on the readers to love Donald and Zara and Foster and Emily just as much as I do, and I have no control over any of that. So, just like when a kid leaves the house, sometimes you gotta let it go.

Tomorrow, I'm definitely going to try that.