Of Missions, Mea Culpa’s, and Dates–Thoughts And Updates From Reid

You may have noticed the release date for Book Three has been moved back six days to December 23. It may be moved back a few days one more time–HOWEVER, Book Three, Uncompahgre-where water turns rock red, is indeed on its way… Book Three has been a bear for many reasons. And in truth, part of that is our overly optimistic scheduling for the effort and time it took to revamp the series per our huge reader’s poll, the mini-series, and the publication (an “additional book” and surprise to our readers) of the overnight number one best seller, July 2013 Book One, Threads West Reprint, it’s eight new chapters, additional 120 pages, etc. And for that I, as the author, sincerely and personally apologize. NO ONE wants Uncompahgre in your hands more than I!!! Fortunately, Books Four, Five and Six are right on schedule beginning March 2014! In fact, if we hadn’t delayed Book Three all of these books would have been late to some degree–new covers, new series outline, etc.

However–we ain’t totally out of the woods yet! This is roughly how book delivery to shelves flows:

• Printer ships to publisher’s distributor
• Publishing distributor ship to key distributors or corporate warehouses (like Barnes and Noble)
• Key distributors or corporate warehouses ship to stores

The printer also ships at same time to the publisher–which is why they have the book first (no circle jerk of three or four locations like above). But we can’t control trucks, holiday shipping madness or weather. When they get in I know the publishers are geared up to turn them around the same day for folks who have reserved on this site–and same with the various warehouses for BN, Hastings, and suppliers (Ingram/Baker and Taylor) of all the great Indie book stores out there!

Circuitous and archaic, but there it is. Now compound all of that nonsense with storms over the past three weeks both east and west, and the holiday shipping madness (a timing admittedly born of internal over-optimism discussed above)…That is why no one has been able to give you an exact date, and it keeps being pushed back in small increments.

I write this series, and have taken on this huge project for a number of reasons. I love the story and the characters–they are my friends. I am fascinated by the diversity of beliefs, cultures, brave men, independent woman and their differing origins that are the tapestry of America–unlike every other country on earth, which are mosaics. And I am disgusted –and enraged–at the purposeful revision, and intentional erasure of American history by the powers that be. I am convinced the touchstone of the past is the guidepost to the future. One of my missions in penning this story of us for you, is to put the chalk back on the blackboard of our history–who we are, what we are, and how we got to now

I am absolutely tickled all you gals and guys, and folks young and old, are fans of the series. Want to express my huge gratitude that you turn those pages–and reiterate my personal apology for the delays in Book 3—but you will be smiling at the promptness of Books Four through Thirty-Three!!! The three novels (Moccasin Tracks, Footsteps, and Blood at Glorieta Pass) coming out in 2014, and each year thereafter, are right on time beginning this March, less than three months away–exact release dates, WHICH WILL NOT CHANGE– to be announced in the last half of January!  🙂

Hope the holiday season is going better than well for all of you and yours–and keep your ears to the track here for updates! Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, and the best of New Years to all!

Reid