Steve Umstead: Paginations

Today is Friday, February 3rd, and tomorrow morning I’m getting on a plane to Mexico with my family on a week’s vacation, one we have done for the past seven years this same week (a Super Bowl party on the beach is better than hanging in some dude’s basement watching it). Today is also the one-year anniversary of something that turned out to be fairly significant for me: my first book sale.

One year ago yesterday (2/2/11), I uploaded Gabriel’s Redemption to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. One year ago today, I was driving to the airport at seven in the morning when I saw an email on my phone from Smashwords with the subject line “Purchase Notification.” Ho. Lee. Crap. Someone, out of the blue, bought the book I wrote.

Here it is, one year later, and it’s been a helluva year – one that saw two more books released, and some fantastic feedback and reviews received. I’m still flabbergasted (love when I get to use that word) at how the year went, and I’m incredibly humbled.

I just want to give huge shouts of thanks to my fellow writers for their unending support, and all those readers out there who supported in a different way – by buying, reading, reviewing, and spreading the word about my books.

I’ve had success beyond my wildest dreams. Gabriel’s Redemption was written as a personal challenge to myself, and as something I thought my kids would get a kick out of; never did I think it would have gotten to this point. A point where just yesterday, on that one year anniversary of publishing my first book, the first shipment of the paperback versions of books two and three arrived in the mail. Wow…just…wow.

I’m both thankful, and inspired. 2012 will be even more exciting.

Pssst…those two new paperbacks are now available to be ordered, and I’ve got a secret blog-reader-only discount code for all three…

Gabriel’s Redemption (1) ~ Gabriel’s Return (2) ~ Gabriel’s Revenge (3)

Super Secret Createspace Discount Code: HBV5NXDP ($3.00 off – don’t spend it all in one place)