Over the last few days, I took a risk that scared the Hell out of me. I gave away writing I worked so hard to give quality. I gave it away on three days leading up to Thanksgiving, as a way to say thanks to all, people I know and people I do not, in celebration of an outstanding creative year.

CITY OF SIN is the second book I’ve published, after CITY OF WOE, which earned me honors from thebookcast.com (“book of exceptional quality”) and the Independent Book Publishers Association (“Best New Voice in Fiction, 2013”). Even though it isn’t a best seller, people and organizations are beginning to notice my work is worth a look. I wanted that to continue. I had to maintain quality. I had to be creative. I had to deliver. So the pressure I put on myself was intense. Luckily, early response to CITY OF SIN suggests readers are enjoying this work as much as they do CITY OF WOE. This is energizing as I continue writing the sequel to CITY OF WOE, to be named CITY OF NIGHT.

Why would I give away writing I worked so diligently to do well? Because writers and readers are in a relationship, and for a relationship to start, someone has to say hello first. My hello took the form of a Thanksgiving Giveaway. For three days leading up to the holiday, everyone was allowed to download a free Kindle copy of CITY OF SIN. No strings attached. No tricks. No other commitment. My belief is that if I reached people who like suspense thrillers, supernatural police procedurals, or any combination of these genres, they would be glad they gave Detectives Mallory and Gunner a chance. They might even come back to read more of their adventures. But first, people needed a reason to try it. What better way than to say hello, and thank them in advance? What better time to do this than Thanksgiving?
(For those reading outside the USA, thanks just the same for spending some of your time with me. I honor your presence and generosity sincerely.)

Still, it was a scary risk. What if no one took me up on my offer?

But many of you did, more than have ever read my creative work. So, again, I have to say thank you. Thank you for giving my work a chance. Thanks for letting Mallory and Gunner into your lives. Thanks for letting me create. When authors sit alone at the keyboard, sure they are interacting with their characters, but when they emerge from the dream, they are alone again, and sometimes it feels like a connection will never be made. Thank you for at least saying hello back. Here’s hoping this is the beginning of a long and enjoyable relationship for all involved.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Christopher Ryan is author of City of Woe, available on Kindle and Nook, and in print. For more info, click here.</em