The last time I was in the town of Rhinebeck was so long ago, I have no memory of it. The other day, I visited and found a quaint town bustling with Memorial Day weekend traffic and packed with people. Primarily, I was there to get Eye of the Moon into its first book store, thanks to Suzanna Hermans of Oblong Books & Music.

Upstate New York is wonderful this time of year, with the trees so green compared to California, my eyes hurt just taking it all in. In the meanwhile, I am at the BookExpo, BookCon, and Rights Fair in New York, where I learned today that 350,000 copies sold is not uncommon for a book that is good to begin with and then marketed well. The numbers are almost overwhelming. I can only conclude that I have a great deal of work to do, including finishing my next novel that I’m in the middle of writing.

It’s easy to forget that long distances can be traveled, that high mountains can be scaled, and that great things can be achieved with small steps. It starts with one, and in this case, one store, just like a book starts with one word and then the next and the next.

I thank everyone for their help so far and for their company on this journey. Who would have known what it takes at the beginning? I certainly didn’t. When I feel disheartened, I simply remember that creation is a process, not an event and to enjoy every minute. Onward.