As I worked
on cutting and revising the first chapters of the manuscript, I came to a
realization: while I loved the book for what it was in its time, and while it was
the best book I could write then, it wasn't
what I wanted out there under my name today as a new reissue.
My style has
changed over the years. My readership has changed. There was a steamier edge, a
crudeness, to the book that didn't set well with me now. While many of my
readers have stuck with me since In
Sinful Harmony came out, many have joined me after, and I can't honestly
say this book would appeal to them.
It wasn't
something I was willing to put out again without a tremendous amount of work –
totally rewriting it, in fact, and that didn't seem fair to the book itself.
For its time, it's a great book. It fitted perfectly into its market in the
mid-90s. It would probably still fit
with a lot of people, but not so much the audience for my current books.
So I set it
aside. I may go back someday and indie-publish it as is. After all, it was
published by a major New York house, it had a great editor and copy editor, and
maybe some readers who feel nostalgic for the old books will find it and love
it.But for right now, it's staying on my computer.
