Every Breath You Take - Travis Thrasher

Every breath you take and every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take, I'll be watching you…

Every Breath You Take – The Police

The father holds his daughter daintily in his strong arms. Love swells in his heart and he thinks he is going to cry just by looking at her adorable face. He sings to her softly, trying to put his love into words for her. He thinks he’ll always be there. But he can’t be.

In a powerful and gripping love story with a supernatural twist, Travis Thrasher takes an overdone, hackneyed, and sappy theme and turns it into a vibrant demonstration of the nature of love. Let’s be honest. “Love” stories are everywhere. Whether it be harlequin or Amish, a soap opera or a chick flick, the basic premise of this novel is way, way, way overdone. In short: a girl must decide between two guys.

But despite the thousands of variations this theme has received, Thrasher puts himself a notch or two (or three) above your run-of-the-mill love story not only through his memorable characters or supernatural twist, but through his honest and raw depiction of true love.

Kayla was only two years old when her father died. Now she’s 26 and engaged to a wonderful man named Ryan. But while out with Ryan, she runs into Billy – a man she shares a lot of history with, and a man she seems destined to keep running into.

Such a fate may be certain, because the heavens themselves have decided to join in to help Kayla decide who she loves. Her father Thomas is sent back to earth with the mission to help Kayla see the situation more clearly, under the orders that she cannot know who he is.

Every Breath You Take is not just a love story between a girl and a boy – though certainly it is. It’s more the story of a father’s love for his daughter, who gets a second chance to be a part of her life, if only for a while. And the ending…well, it makes the book. It completes Thrasher’s theme of finding true love and takes the novel to a whole other level. It breaks the mold that love stories are often forced into and makes for an astounding read.

There are only 2,676 copies of Every Breath You Take in existence. I know not how many remain to be sold. I strongly suggest you pick up a copy before you miss out on this unique and soul-filled story entirely.

Because of the unique journey this book had to publication, I wanted to take some time with Travis Thrasher to learn a little bit more about what went on to get to this finished product:

TCC: Alright, Travis, you're the published author of almost a dozen novels, yet you made the decision to self-publish Every Breath You Take. What first gave you the idea to self-publish?

Travis: I've wanted to do something like this for several years--a special book for my friends and fans. After working hard on this story and getting close to selling it, I decided that I would go ahead and publish it myself. My father helped with some of the upfront costs--in a sense, we basically started a publishing company (complete with the name of Lucas Lane and the logo that I had designed a few years ago). Having said that, I am and always will be a writer, not a publisher.

TCC: You literally creating your own publishing company? You definitely involved yourself in every step of the process. How much work was that? And what, if anything, did you learn about the publishing side of writing a book?

Travis: After working 13 years in the publishing industry, I already knew a lot about publishing. But this was such an educational experience! I didn't go through a subsidy publisher nor did I work with a company that does the work for you. I did everything from working with a freelance editor, proofreader, designer, and typesetter. I paid them what a publisher would pay them. The freelance editor is one I've worked with on six other novels, so I trust her. The designer who did this is also the designer who worked on my second novel, The Watermark. 

I was fortunate to have contacts to work with. A few people helped me out tremendously with the use of their resources and time.

The biggest thing I learned was this: if something went wrong, the blame would land on me since I was the publisher. Let's say there was a glaring typo in the book. I'd be the one responsible for it. This made me appreciate publishers a lot more because there are so many things that can go wrong with a traditional printing. And I didn't just print one hundred copies. I did the lowest quantity I could for the best price, which ended up giving me 2,676 copies. 

TCC: If Every Breath You Take was so much a product of you, then where am I supposed to buy it? Amazon? eBay? Are you selling them door-to-door?

Travis: It's been too cold to go door-to-door. I'm waiting for springtime! No, seriously, the only place to get it right now is my website. Ultimately, my hope is to sell through the print run and then years down the road have those copies be worth something.

TCC: Website it is, then. Once again, handling all aspects of it yourself. Now, if you knew before you started this project what you know now about what it would take to pull this off, do you think you'd have even considered it?

Travis: Yes, I still would have done it. But at certain times I questioned the time and the money I spent on this project. If I had those two things in abundance, it'd be a different story. I still believe the story was worth publishing. I'm delighted to hear the response so far.

TCC: Besides this project, you also have some other irons in the fire. Mind illuminating us on those?

Travis: I have two books coming out this year--Broken in May and Solitary in August. The story I'm working on now is due to come out in 2011. There's some other exciting news that I'm dying to share but I can't at the moment. All I'll say is this: it's amazing to see which doors God opens and closes. 

TCC: That’s great! As one who has had the privilege of reading Broken already, let me just say wow. I’m looking forward to being able to share that review with my readers! Moving on to the last question...Well, more of a demand. You're a major LOST fan. I've not ever seen an episode, but I'm an honest seeker, definitely intrigued by it all. In three sentences or less, make me a fan of the show. 

Travis: I love to see real, flawed characters on journeys of redemption. I also love when things aren't always explained or when stories don't always fit into a box. Lost is about characters I've grown to love who are all on a surreal journey toward hope or damnation. 

TCC: Well, I think that love is reflected in your own writing. Thanks for taking time out of your schedule to allow my pestering you. Maybe if I can ever get my nose out of a book, I’ll check out this phenomenon that is LOST. Readers, remember – 2,676 copies total – once they’re gone, they’re gone. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to get a great book. And you can only buy it here.

Every Breath You Take - Travis Thrasher