The smoke has cleared from the pre-release and the June 4th release day fires, but the candle is still burning bright. It has found new light in a room I thought had deteriorated, like Paulo Tower or the second-floor library in The Maroon Candle. And the light wasn't in the castle's ballroom or great chamber.

It was on TikTok.

Ready to claim defeat last year after my first three books seemed to lose luster on the platform, I tried my hand at it again for my latest release. Turns out, the mystery-thriller genre is thriving on TikTok.

And my "live" sessions are actually unearthing new readers from all over the USA.

I built a small theatrical space in my garage where I can showcase The Maroon Candle and lean into that castle‑on‑the‑lake ambience. And I’ve learned that giving a small gift with each purchase sparks the whole experience for new readers.

A castle, a skull, tissues, a skeleton key, a wedding mint, and an actual maroon candle...all included with your purchase!

I saw another author on TikTok pushpin every state with purchases of their book. I decided to try that as well, only filling in each state purchase of The Maroon Candle with "blood". I am currently up to sales in 26 states! Washington and Oklahoma were claimed yesterday.

The grind is real. I’m pushing this book with the intensity of a whole publishing house because right now, I am the publishing house. Every duty, every responsibility, every mile.

And I can’t let the flames burn out—this spark began in Tennessee, and I’m chasing it until it lights up all fifty states.

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