As an author, my greatest enemy is apathy.
Reading takes effort, whether it's a traditional book or an e-reader. You need to commit to the experience; mind, and body. You must focus your attention and imagine worlds outside of your own, let the narrative carry you but keep your eyes working and your brain spinning.
Its a lot easier to turn on the TV, unfortunately.
I don't mean to condemn media-driven entertainment. My wife and I are watching the final season of AMC's "Halt & Catch Fire" right now. Its a deeply engaging narrative with well-written tension, and characters who constantly evolve and grow. This isn't a show for stupid people, it's not vapid, or shallow. However, it is easier to watch to than to pick up a novel.
That, my friends, lies the crux of it. I want you to read my book. I have no illusions, I know I won't get rich doing this, and I won't be famous. That isn't my dream. In my wildest fantasies I hope that you order a copy of The Bruja and open it up. I vividly picture your fingers running down the center of the pages, bending the spine with brutal monomania. I hope that you're licking your fingers and dog-earing every page as you consume each word, syllable and sentence until -- breathless -- you land on the final page, swallow hard, and gasp for air at the completion of a well-told story.
In other words - if I had to choose between 10,000 people buying my book and none reading it, versus only 100 purchases, and 100 readers who wanted to slather those pages with their jittering and twitching eyeballs, I would choose the later without the slightest hesitation.
I wrote a book for you. I'd like you to read it. I promise - you'll like it.
