What is your first published work?

My first published story is also my first attempt at writing a short story, and it's Finding Marty for an anthology called Library of Dreams.  Being able to participate in that anthology was a tremendous experience because I learned a whole lot about the process of self-publishing. 

It was also tremendously helpful as I prepared to write The Boy in the Woods.  This was an entirely new story with new characters, and only the second story I was attempting to write.  It was a big step for me and I felt like a lot was riding on it.  By writing a short story about Marty and Jess, my two main characters, I had the opportunity to flesh out their characters.  They became real to me, which made writing Boy a whole lot easier in the beginning.

On top of that, the thrill of seeing a physical book with my name in print above a story that I wrote... well, I'll never for get that feeling.