It's true . . . you never forget your first . . . .

My first book, Murder on the Mind, came out on audio last summer.  Boy, was I psyched.  But I heard a snippet of it on the publisher's web site that kind of turned me off.  It was one of my favorite scenes in the book and Richard came off all wrong--bombastic, which isn't like him at all!  (So says his creator.)  So when I got my "author copy" I didn't have the courage to open it.  It has sat in the bottom of my armoire for more than a year, gathering dust.

But then last month the Booktown Mysteries came out on audio.  Because they're only being released as MP3 downloads, I was afraid I wouldn't get to hear them for years, but my publisher very graciously offered to burn me a set on CD.  Yee-ha!  I have had such fun listening to the stories.  There are parts I remember with such clarity that I can recite the dialogue along with the reader, then there are parts I'd forgotten I'd written.  (I ended up taking a LOT of notes so that I can update my Booktown Bible, the file I keep on all the facts on even the most minor characters.  Hopefully that way I won't have any glaring glitches.)

I had thought Bookplate Special was my favorite of the four books, but now I'm thinking that maybe Chapter & Hearse is my favorite.  (Thought I think it'll be eclipsed next year when Sentenced to Death comes out.

I was happily listening to Bookplate Special when my royalty statement arrived for the audio version of Murder on the Mind.  Bleak doesn't begin to cover it.  I think I should have taken a lot more interest in the book and maybe I'd be making more money--and more importantly, my publisher would be making back its investment. 

I had reason to contact the editor at Books In Motion on another subject and asked her about it.  She suggested I might want to sell copies at one of my signings.  So, I bit the bullet and ordered two copies for some future signing.  As long as I was ordering, I noticed they had used copies .  I figured I'd give a copy to my mother (who's been bugging me to let her listen to my author copy).  So I ordered one for her.  It arrived the other day and I decided that since I so enjoyed the Booktown books being read, I really ought to give the first Jeff Resnick book a try.

And ... it was pretty good. (And I can still recite the dialogue for it, too.  Kinda neat!)

I'm only about a quarter of the way through the book (it's hard to concentrate on writing when you're hearing your own words being read), but I'm enjoying Jeff's story.  (And, yeah--I love being read to.  I guess I never outgrew that.)

So, here's hoping some of you will take a chance on the book, or maybe ask your local library to invest in a copy.  It can be purchased on CD or as MP3 downloads.

From Audible.com

From Books-In-Motion

From Barnes & Noble

What I will ask you NOT to do, though, is to download a free copy from hackers who have stolen the book and are cheating me AND my publisher out of royalties.  Yes, there are nasty people out there who have no morals or care who they rip off.  They're stealing the book, and if you download it for free, you are in possession of stolen goods.

There's a reason most authors can't make a living at writing, and being ripped off is one of them.

Okay, I'm off my soapbox.  Despite that caveat, I hope you'll find a way to listen to the book.

Thanks!