I WON!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm now holding the Benjamin Franklin Award for Best New Voice in Fiction! Wow! What an honor!

When I walked on stage I forgot everything I'd planned to say. I threw my arms in the air and said, "I feel like I just won the Tour de France!" For reasons that I can't explain, my eyes filled with tears. What a journey it's been. In my euphoria, any semblance of a prepared speech went out the window. I forgot to thank many of the people I'd meant to, but I'm going to do it here. My publishing operation, Three Story Press, may be a one man show, but it's success is the result of the contributions of more people than I could ever possibly thank.

My wife has been so incredibly supportive, even though I've dragged her into this crazy business against her will. There's not a member of my family who hasn't made an amazing contribution of one kind or another. How will I ever repay them? The members of my critique group at NovelPros also deserve credit, especially Jamie Lankford who both founded the group and typeset my book. Bob Swingle at LightBourne designed a cover that gets noticed. Two-time Tour de France finisher and 1999 US National Cycling Champion Marty Jemison gave me hours of his time, relating amazing experiences as a pro cyclist. Thousands of readers have contacted me and spread the word about the book in various ways. Pro cyclists and others in the bicycle industry have encouraged me. Cynthia Murphy at Independent Publishers Group, my distributor, helped me immeasureably. Jan Nathan of The Independent Book Publishers Association helped guide me through the challenges of creating a book. That only scratches the surface, but you get the idea. It seems that every person I know has become involved in this project in one way or another. Thank you all very much!

Against all odds, we've created a book about the niche sport of bicycle racing, and it's getting rave mainstream reviews. I love introducing people to this incredible world, and I hope that if you haven't already, you'll take the time to find out what all the fuss is about.