Method in my Madness

by Marsha Ward

I'm up to my waist in details for launching my newest novel, Gone for a Soldier. They say the devil is in the details. I've never been sure exactly what that means, but I interpret it as saying if you don't take care of all the details, they will bite you.

One such detail is the actual availability of the book for purchase. One would think that a book should become available on its release date, which I previously designated as September 18. One might be wrong in that assumption. It becomes complicated when at least two formats are involved: ebook and print book.

I have decided that, for reasons of my own I won't divulge here, I would go live with the Smashwords edition of the ebook this week, and so I did. (Click on the link to view and purchase it.)

The Amazon Kindle edition is available for pre-order, and will be delivered on September 10.

The print edition will be available at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and other online retailers sometime after I check over the printed proof copy and give the go-ahead for production. That could be before the official date of September 18, on which I will celebrate the birth of Gone for a Soldier with a grand Launch Party via Facebook's Events. A Blog Book Tour will follow, during the week of October 6 through 12.

I learned a lot about book launch parties and blog tours when I released Spinster's Folly in 2012. The biggest lesson for me was don't ever do this by yourself again! To that end, I hired a party and tour planner, and they're doing a good job for me. I've had to provide them with information and images, but that has gone pretty smoothly.

Just a few more details to take care of, and I can return to writing. That makes me as happy as attending a party I don't have to host!

~~~

In case you've never heard of Gone for a Soldier, here's the book description:

Rulon Owen loves two things more than life--his country and Mary Hilbrands.
When Virginia secedes from the Union, Rulon enlists, and finds himself fighting foes both in battle and in his own camp. He struggles to stay alive against all odds, with a knife-wielding tent-mate and a Union army that seems impossible to defeat. It will take every ounce of vigilance he has to survive and, with a little luck, he might make it home to his wife and the son he's never seen.
Forced to live with her parents for the duration, Mary faces a battle for independence. With a mother whispering that her husband won't come home to her and a son who needs her to be both father and mother, Mary has to dig deep for strength to overcome her overwhelming loneliness and the unknown future ahead.
Separated by war and circumstance, Rulon and Mary discover that not all enemies wear the Union blue.