Good Kind of Knowing – Sydney Aaliyah Michelle

Thank you, Sydney, for hosting me here during my blog tour for my new novel, A Good Kind of Knowing. I thought I’d give readers a quick timeline of my road to publication for the novel, since it’s not exactly a straight path! In fact, the story began a long time ago, and it includes my first novel, Blue Straggler. So here you go!

1999 – 2000 Completed the first full manuscript of A Good Kind of Knowing while living deep in the heart of Texas.

December 2000 – Summer 2001 Moved to Colorado to live in the mountains and write; began revising A Good Kind of Knowing like a crazy person

Fall 2001 Pitched it to NY lit agents; got picked up on my 10^th bite! Thought I was Hot Snot (not really!) Began writing Blue Straggler.

Spring 2002 Got close to a contract for A Good Kind of Knowing, but alas, ultimately rejected by the Powers That Be.

Spring 2003 – 2004 Completed Blue Straggler; decided to leave my NY agent and sign with one on the West Coast who was a better fit for me.

2005 – 2006 Revised Blue Straggler; agent held auction for publishers; got oh-so-close again, but no final takers. Drank lots of vodka. Licked literary wounds.

2006 – Spring 2011 Left novel-writing for a while and published essays and short stories and bad poetry. Adopted a beautiful baby boy.

August 2011 Discussed self-publishing Blue Straggler as an ebook with my agent; she was supportive and I had nothing to lose, so I went for it!

Fall 2011 Blue Straggler as an ebook went viral, and sales exceed expectations. Signed a five-year contract with 30 Day Books of Seattle to publish the novel as a trade paperback.

March 2012 Blue Straggler published in paperback. It becomes a #1 bestseller in two categories on Amazon.

May 2012 30 Day Books passes after reading A Good Kind of Knowing, but encourages me to publish it myself.

October 2012 A Good Kind of Knowing is published as an ebook. Paperback release planned for December 2012. Sales are rockin’ along! Just released a Music-to-Read-By playlist, too.

So there you have it. My steep, winding roads to the publication of two novels.

Good Kind of Knowing is a novel about the power of music and friendship, the relationship two-steps that go on in old Texas dancehalls, and the secret to finding just a little bit of common ground in a world full of distrust.

Sera Taylor’s store is the one place in Lakeville, Texas, where individuals from all walks of life share a universal love for music and a respect for the gypsy-like woman behind the antique glass counter. Readers get a taste of the unorthodox connection between Sera and Mack, a young local cowboy and musician, and Sera’s previously untested devotion to her husband Bill. They learn of her relationship with Ruby D., the vibrant but misguided mother of five; with Louie, the shy high school band director; with Beverly, the religious, upper-class socialite; with Antonio, a local bar owner striving to make a life for himself; with Tommy Lee, a rich and directionless gigolo; and with Wes, the only out-of-the closet gay man for miles. As Sera battles a serious illness, the characters must overcome long-held stereotypes to save Sera’s store, and in the end, large parts of themselves.

Buy Links:

agoodkindofknowingcover

Amazon | Barnes and Nobles

Author Bio:

Kathy Lynn Harris grew up in rural South Texas—and comes from people who work hard, love the land and know how to have a good time on a Saturday night. In 2001, Kathy made the move from Texas to the Colorado Rockies to focus on her writing and soak up All Things Mountain. She lives in a 1920s log cabin with her husband and son, plus two fairly untrainable golden retriever mixes. Kathy has written two novels, three children’s books, a lot of bad poetry, short stories, newspaper and magazine articles, and personal essays. Kathy’s blog, You Can Take the Girl Out of Texas, but, can be found at kathylynnharris.com.