Ten years ago, I was between jobs, about to drop out of college (as well as a silly metal band I was playing barre chords for), and my marriage was heading for a pre-mortem finish. I turned to the only life preservers I’ve found in this world – music and writing – and combined the two in a story that took six months of full-time work. It was so difficult, I still remember it well.
And back when self-publishing was not as prevalent (or even viewed as legitimate), I finished the story, formatted the manuscript (Gerund font), designed the front and back cover using graphic software for the first time, and paid for an ISBN to make it a “real book.” Then the book was unleashed on this day ten years ago.
Because I never marketed The Road to Fluffer the way it deserves, it never sold well. But amazingly, it STILL SELLS (a copy just last week). That’s a success to me. All my friends like it. It has found readers in 20+ countries, the story traveling more than I ever have. The book is far, far from perfect but it’s a fun story and it proved to me that I could do the thing…and then build on that for better stories in the future.
A decade seems like a lifetime ago and I haven’t been in a position to finish another book until the last few years, when I moved to Detroit. Only then could I get out of “survival mode” and be comfortable enough to make something as loose and freewheeling. That book, The Body Shop, will be available in the coming months (sooner if I can’t find an agent).
So happy 10th birthday to The Road to Fluffer, Darrell, Chester Drawers and the Numb Skull gang!