Killer Cows update

Just to give an update on the first week of the eBook release of Killer Cows...

One site has posted a review of the novel. It can be found at http://marsneedswriters.com . Once you’re there, go to the ‘Random Things’ link. It was exciting to read this review, which was mostly positive, mainly because these people don’t know me. They aren’t relatives or friends who’d be tempted to simply give me some ‘attaboys’ for writing the book. And I wouldn’t have cared if Mars Needs Writers wrote a good review or not. Like someone once said (probably a rock star), there’s no such thing as bad press.

Here’s the review:
Killer Cows by D.M. Anderson. Guest reviewer: Rachel Ruiz.

This is a well-written book. It's fast-paced, entertaining, with interesting characters. A lot of it is far-fetched but, since we're talking about a sci-fi novel for young adults, it's very forgivable. And it's not as far-fetched as you might think, considering its title.

Not that Killer Cows is a perfect book. Some of the characters had quirks I found annoying but not so much that it detracted from the overall book in a huge way. You know, it wasn't Dean Koontz' magic super dog/perfect amazing gorgeous humble wife/genius psychic-powered kid trifecta annoying -- and it's definitely worth a read if you're into the sci-fi YA thing. In terms of the quality of the read, it wouldn't be out of place among all the traditional paper-published YA stuff you see on the shelves; it's the kind of thing that would have appealed to me back when I was in the target age bracket, if that tells you anything.

I'm the Killer Cows readin' kind of person, I guess. And the non-g usin' kind of person, too. So I give it my recommendation. Thumbs up for Cows!

As I’ve stated before, the ebook can currently be purchased at either www.echelonpress.com or www.omnilit.com for $6.00. As of today, according to Omnilit, Killer Cows is their second best selling young adult novel right now, and the seventh best selling book overall. Granted, I don’t know how that translate in numbers. For all I know, the BEST selling YA novel sold three copies today and Killer Cows sold two, but seeing the cover and title on their charts definitely strokes the ego.

It sure sounds like I’m ballyhooing myself again, doesn’t it?

It’s just that, all my life, my dream was to publish a book. In my youth, I spent a lot more time talking about it than actually trying to do it. It wasn’t until these past few years that I got truly serious about it. My first finished novel was a piece of crap, but at least I took that step to write one after years of simply talking about it. That book remains safely in a desk drawer where it belongs (in fact, I never even tried to submit it anywhere), but at least it gave me the confidence to try again, in a genre I never thought I’d pursue...young adult fiction. And when I finished Killer Cows, I had no illusions as to whether or not I could place it with a publisher. In reality, it’s the first novel I felt was actually worth trying to sell. The fact that, after over a year or submissions and rejections, I did sell it, was the greatest moment of my writing career.

The second greatest moment is what I’ve mentioned already...a few people I don’t even know think my work is worth buying. It gives me incentive to keep it up, that I can do this. And at this point, I’d love to do this for the rest of my life. But until that day comes (if, indeed, it ever does), it sure feels cool knowing I’ve touched a few people.

I personally still think my second YA novel, Shaken, is a better than novel Killer Cows, even though I have yet to place it with a publisher or agent. But over this past year, I’ve learned to never say never.