Ted told me that getting the book published was just the beginning. He explained that the battle continues even when your name is in print. Now, I understand what he meant. The books don't sell themselves. We constantly have to promote. It's imperative that we treat this just like a business. Marketing ourselves is necessary.

Right now, the time is crucial. We have to strike while the iron is hot. In order for The Running Waves to be a success in our eyes, we want it to go national. It will take time, but we have faith that we can get there. If we want to accomplish this goal, we must first succeed on Cape Cod. This book should be in every bookstore on the Cape. It's a no-brainer. It's a story based on Cape Cod. If we can thrive here, we can then ride that momentum across the bridge and hopefully continue to grow. Please urge your local bookstore to carry The Running Waves, if they are not already doing so.

Our family, friends and fans have been amazing. You supported us even before the book came out. If that's not loyalty, then I don't know what is. We are starting to get some incredible feedback from people who have read the book and the feeling is astounding, but we still need your help. We have recently added a review page to our web site. If you liked the book, we ask you to please write a quick review. It doesn't have to be lengthy, just a summary of what you thought or how the story made you feel. These reviews are vital.

We have also added a memorial page. The book was written to keep the spirits of our friends alive. This page is for our readers who would like to do the same thing. Writing is the best therapy. We would like to thank everyone who has had our backs. Your support means the world to us. God bless.

-Seton and Ted

I was around nine years old when my dad's (James F. Murphy, Jr.) first book came out. It was called Quonsett - it shocked, entertained, and even horrified some of the people in our town. I remember how excited Dad was when he got the call that his book had arrived at the local bookstore (because he still hadn't seen the cover). Dad, Mom, and all six kids jumped into the station wagon and we headed to the store. On the way there, Dad pulled some of the punches of what the book was about. "It's about a crazy guy who causes a lot of trouble for a town," he told us. A few years later, I was to find out that he left out the part about the "crazy guy" having an operating table in his van and.... well, you can figure out the rest. Anyway, all of us speculated what that "crazy guy" would look like on the cover. I imagined him to be a cross between a werewolf and Frankenstein. He was far from it. The cover shot was of an average looking guy in a white tee-shirt and jeans running from exploding fireworks in the distance.

After seeing it I said to Dad, "This guy doesn't look scary at all."

While probably biting his lip, Dad responded, "I know he looks like he's running from a cookout to get more ice for the party. This has to be the worst cover I've ever seen!"

We all felt terrible for him. He had worked so hard on that book that would be judged by its cover.

He was constantly reminded at signings too.

"Too bad you don't have a better cover." or "God, that's dreadful." They would say to him as if he had drawn it himself.

Fortunately, his page-turning thriller overcame the bad cover and the novel was a success, so when it became a paperback the cover changed. This time he got the first copy in the mail. On the paperback cover was a van parked on a beach. A lifeless arm dangled from the van's slightly opened door. The lifeless arm set a tone that totally creeped me out (and also made me wonder who really was the guy who drove me to little league practice haha). Now that was a cover!

So with that backstory constantly banging my mind every time I get a book deal I worry about the cover. Fortunately, over the years, for my kids books I have had great illustrators - Doren Ben-Ami, Mark Penta, and Adam Taylor. But this was going to be my first novel for adults and Seton's first book! When Publishing Works told us that they were going to use photography for the cover I said to Seton, "I hope they don't screw it up." We both then got our friend Ben Allsup involved (please check out Benshotme.com) because he is one of the best photographers on the Cape. Ben was willing to do the cover, but we really had overstepped our boundaries by asking before getting the go ahead from Publishing Works. P.W. said that, although, they loved Ben's work (which they gushed about) they already had a photographer/designer on their payroll. She was their logical choice due to that reason, and that she was also pretty damn talented.
Ben totally understood our situation (us jumping the gun without knowing we shouldn't have made any promises) and diffused it with class that is Allsup, "Just keep me in mind to be your still photographer when this becomes a movie (Your words to God's ears, Ben!)."

A couple weeks ago, I got an email from Jeremy Townsend President of Publishing Works. The subject title of the email - COVER FOR THE RUNNING WAVES. I was so nervous I could barely click it open. Would it be the "guy running for more ice for the party" or "the lifeless arm dangling out of the van?"

I studied the cover for several seconds.

"Yes! Yes!" I pumped my fist and ran for the phone to call Seton.

"Open up your email from Jeremy now!" I ordered.

He clicked away on the keyboard. "Oh, no. It says it's the cover. Is it any good?"

"Just open it!"

"Alright, man! Hold on!" He snapped back.

After a few seconds he yelled, "Yes! Yes! She nailed it! Oh, man, she got the whole tone of our book in that one picture!"

"And the symbolism of the action figure is in there too!" I added. (Readers will understand that symbolism, but we don't want to give it away here. We had suggested they use an action figure and that was what was so cool! Publishing Works heard us!)

"You got your first cover, bro!" I said to him and it felt great.

"Thanks, man. This means a lot. Not just to me but to all my boys. You know what I mean?"

"Yup! Well, we can thank Anna for that!"

"You said it! We wrote a book!" Seton said and I think it really dawned on him that all of this is really happening!

That was a really special day to share with my little brother. It was even more special when we brought a color print and showed my Dad who was (and is) recovering from double bypass surgery in the hospital. He studied it and said one word to us, "Yes!"

I'm sure we'll have critics for the cover as well as the book, but we love it, and on behalf of my co-author Seton Murphy, I would publicly like to thank Anna Pearlman of Publishing Works for designing a truly awesome cover!

-Ted Murphy

Seton and I have received numerous emails from people asking why we haven't posted anything since Seton's post on October 21st. That's a great feeling knowing that there are so many friends out there supporting this journey! To answer that question, we left Seton's first post up before posting again because we wanted as many eyes to read that post - it hopefully answers the question of why he wanted to write this book, and also clear up any assumptions of what this book is really about. What was alluded to on his post, but I wanted to answer is why I wanted to write this book with him. At a young age, I have also had to experience losing friends and loved ones. I have a loving family, but as a young man I also didn't know how to deal with those deaths and didn't go to my family. Unfortunately, young people face tragedies all of the time and this tends to be standard behavior. We thought if we were able to tell our story and not sugar coat it, young people might pick up this book, read it, and feel they are not alone. When someone feels they are not alone then they can begin to deal with their situation. At least, that is what we like to believe. As for me, I also needed to get my old feelings of losing friends and relationships on paper to close the door of my past. This is a book of fiction, but I did put so much of myself into it. At times, it was extremely difficult to write because it was like I traveled in a time machine to 1994 and was relieving those painful experiences of losing friends or breaking up with who I thought was "the one". But by writing it all down, I realized it was worth it! The final reason that I wrote the book is simple - my brother is my best friend and this project meant so much to him. It meant a lot to me, but I never realized how much it did until we read the final chapter out loud to my Dad ( our in house editor, a novelist, and Professor Of Creative Writing for over 50 years), and with tears in his eyes said to us, "I'm so proud of my boys."

That says it all!

To back track a bit, when it was decided we'd write the book, Seton and I decided to symbolically give "shout outs" (if you will) to all of those friends and loved ones we have lost and also friends and loved ones who have been there for us over the years! When Cape Codders read the book they might be able to find those shout outs..... But I want to make something clear. This book isn't just about dealing with death 'cause right now I sound a little bit like Debbie Downer! This book is also about celebrating life! There is a lot of "guy" humor in TRW (and admitedly the humor might not be for everyone), but we hope we have found that right balance of humor and sadness that will make this book a realistic and a fun read for people on the beach, airports, or just lounging on their hammock when the book comes out in May 2010! So now that we have both addressed why we wrote this book, please check back often because the posts will be coming fast and furious from now on! Also, thank all of you who have told family, friends, co-workers, etc. about The Running Waves and our web site. Believe me, we don't enjoy having to constantly promote on Facebook or Twitter to check out the site, but since we don't have a big advertising budget it's a necessary action. Fortunately, we have some great people in our lives who are passing the word on, and with a little luck maybe next May we'll get the exposure we need to make The Running Waves a household name!

-Ted Murphy

Right now Ted and I are working on the edits for The Running Waves. It has been a fun and novel process for the both of us. This being my first book and this being Ted’s first co written one. This experience has been such a blessing in many ways and has brought the Murphy brothers even closer together. We are about six months away from having our story on the shelves of bookstores and the feeling is indescribable. I wanted my first blog to answer questions that are often asked.

This story first took form in 2001 as a screenplay originally titled “Undertow.” We never finished and put it down “for a while.” We always promised one another we would get back to it someday and then in 2007 we decided to write it as a book, using the screenplay as an outline. I was nervous, yet excited. I knew I wanted to write, but I was afraid of failing. As a kid I never tried because of those same fears and missed out on so much. I couldn’t allow myself to do that again. Life is short. Taking chances is necessary. We both felt this story needed to be written for many reasons.

Numerous people have asked “How do two people write a book together?” In The Running Waves the two main characters, Colin and Dermot Brennan have their own chapters. Ted writing for Dermot and I writing for Colin, but the whole time discussing what we thought should happen in their chapters. We were in constant communication with one another, sometimes talking on the phone five times a day. Our discussions always prompted more ideas, so in the end it is really safe to say we wrote the whole book together. I was fortunate not only to have my first book be with a published author, but also my big brother.

This book was therapy for both of us because even though it is fiction, we put a lot of personal experiences on paper. We love Falmouth, Massachusetts and are happy to have grown up on Cape Cod and have the friends we do. It’s those friendships we had as children and young adults that helped Colin and Dermott Brennan come to life.

A lot of people have asked me if I am Colin Brennan. My answer is yes…a little. But it’s everyone who has experienced loss and fear of not ever reaching their full potential in life. Not to sound corny, but there is a little Colin Brennan in all of us. It is also anyone who experienced the pain of 7/22/93. Ultimately this book is a tribute.

I thought of many people as we wrote this book and would like to name a few; Ricky, Amy, Bob and Brenda, The Hurds, The Swains, The Doctor, Gumby, Downsy, C.J., Sushi P, Goldman, The Pearsons, Morgan Smith, John Little, Dan W.W., Matt Arnold, Lindsey, Erin, Becky, Kristen, Danielle, Megan, Ashley, and of course my best friends growing up; Furf, Seth, Fornsy, Jake, Stack, Jay Lively, Corey…and my dog, Wayne Rose. There are many more but these folks will always have a connection to me for the rest of my life. God Bless all you guys and I really hope you enjoy The Running Waves…

Seton Murphy

Tags: edits, writing, falmouth