A couple days ago I had the most staggering experience: I received an email with a picture that someone had stolen from out of my mind. It was wonderful.

For those of you who don't know, my self-published book Fresh Cut just got picked up by awesome indie press Open Books.

What I received by email was the new book cover that had come in from my publisher’s super-talented graphic designer. I had given them only the most cursory descriptions of cover concepts I’d been tossing around, and voila – out comes this image that could have been a snapshot from my own subconscious.

How did they know? How did they do it? I can only come back to the original thought I had about this publisher: “These people get it. They get me. They get what I’ve written. It’s a freakin’ miracle.”

And it is! Check out the publisher’s home page for a book blurb on Fresh Cut and my author intro.

How do I feel about getting published? Words can’t describe. Not unless I was a professional writer of some sort. Oh crap, talked myself into a little corner there, didn’t I?

More on this subject later, but if I have a word of advice for aspiring writers, it’s this: Find where you fit. Check out the publisher’s other works. Get to know their other authors. Find a place that feels like home, and chances are it can be.