I’ve been writing this novel, a tribute to my home town that has been (literar-ily) dying to get out of me, off and on for three years. It sounds like a bad love affair. It’s not, I promise. But then something happened within days of my magnum opus’ release:

My first bouncing baby book, Black Beast, who had his one year birthday just a month ago, was awarded the semi-finalist selection for The Kindle Book Review in the Mystery/Thriller category.

Imagine the irony. They sent me a badge to post and Dark Prairies, my new Thriller, well, it’s about a sheriff in a small Wyoming town and, you know: he wears a BADGE, too!

All right. Enough tomfoolery. We all know why I’m here. To shamelessly plug my new book, Dark Prairies. That’s what we sometimes do, we bloggers. We write about writing, trying to help people become better writers (including ourselves), but indeed because we are writers ourselves, and every once in a while (gods permitting) we finish a book—we promote.

Only this book, it’s more than a book for me. Ask my wife. Ask anyone who knows me. THIS book has been my love affair. I’ve lived and breathed this book. It’s been with me for decades. Maybe ever since I set foot on Wyoming soil, it’s been growing inside me. And I am telling you, if you haven’t read me before, that’s okay. Even if you have, set aside whatever you might think about me, the writer.

READ. THIS. BOOK.

You won’t be disappointed. You won’t plunk down your $4.99, which is still in the range of a venti-sized latte at Starbucks, read the book, and be disappointed. You will feel like you got a bargain. Try to stop reading this book. I dare you. I’ve already had trusted critics tell me they loved it more than the current “hot” book on the scene. I’m not charging you $9.99. Half price. You can read mine for half price. You be the judge.

You know what? I’m pulling a Joe Namath on this one.

I’m guaranteeing a WIN!

(Okay I’m guaranteeing you’ll find this one of the best Indie reads all year.)

And no, I’m not an egomaniac. Far from it. I am EASILY my own biggest critic. And this book—this magnum opus—it won’t be perfect. It won’t be the best book of the year. But it’s a damn fine read. And maybe just a skosh more.

I’m honestly not the kind of person to revel in self-promotion (which has actually made the past 8-10 months not only eye-opening but a little discomforting). As an Indie, that’s ALL YOU DO! I try to temper my SELF-promotion with a heck of a lot of cross-promotion of my fellow Indie writers. I happen to believe (quite strongly) that there are enough readers for everyone but REACHING the readers is perhaps one of the only real, nearly insurmountable challenges.

But yes, I am here to self-promote. I am here to say BUY MY BOOK and to ask you to PLEASE take the time to review it and (better yet) recommend it to a friend (or a hundred). For most of my career I plan to play it fairly low-key, but I believe really strongly in this book. I always have. So if I come off a bit pushy and shameless, I promise, I’m not. Or I won’t stay that way.

You know there’s an old saying I’m fond of making (I don’t know if it’s officially a saying, or even a proverb, but I say it, so it’s at least a Rob Saying): I have no problem at all with a person being cocky. As long as they can back it up. Joe guaranteed his Jets would beat an indomitable Colts team. I’m not going that far, but I’m telling you, I can back this one up.

Next blog I will share with you what readers are already saying. For now, all you need to do is

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