The Author Who Almost Didn't Let Me Read His Book
A while back, an author came right up to the checkout on FirstReader… twice. And both times, he backed away.
Now, when that happens (and yeah, it happens more than I'd like to admit), the easy move is to shrug, call it a lost sale, and get on with your day. I almost did.
But something about this one nagged at me. He hadn't just wandered in and bounced. He'd run his novel through the free chapter then set up for an analysis of the whole book, twice, and stopped. Twice. That's not a tire-kicker. That's somebody who wants something and can't quite let himself reach for it.
So I did the thing you're not supposed to do to a "lost sale." I asked him why.
What he actually said
His name's Troy. He's in Australia, he'd written his first novel, and he was standing at the exact spot every writer knows in their gut. Here's what he told me, in his own words:
No one's said they love the story. I'd love for someone to love it but they don't. It's a lot of money for me to spend. And people will probably still not love it afterwards.
And that stopped me cold. Because he was RIGHT.
Think about it. Every writer I've ever met is carrying around the same quiet fear, and it isn't "is my grammar clean" or "is my pacing 12% slower than the average thriller." The real one is simpler and scarier. Is this any good? Does the STORY work? Would a single human being out there actually love the thing I made?
Troy didn't need a list of fixes. He needed to know if he'd built something worth reading. That's fair. That's honest. And here's the honest part right back: no tool can really tell you that. Not FirstReader, not anybody's. Software can tell you a LOT about your craft (and believe me, I'm always chasing ways to get closer), but whether a living, breathing human will love your story? That's not something you measure. That's something a person has to tell you.
So I did something I don't normally do. I sent him the developmental analysis. The full report, for nothing. (Don't tell my accountant.)
And then, because I was curious about this book he was so nervous about… I read it. Not as a tool. As a guy who loves a good story.
Reader, I loved it
Strays is about a little corgi named Pip who gets snatched right out of his own backyard by a dog-trafficking ring (yes, that's a real menace in this world, and it is every bit as terrifying as it sounds). What follows is Pip and a scrappy pack of lost and stolen dogs trying to claw their way home, with a genuinely nasty villain named Diablo in the way. And when a brave dog named Hank sacrifices himself so the others can escape, the mission to get him back is what pulls the whole ragtag pack (plus a few strays) together.
It's a middle-grade book. Aimed square at kids 8 to 12. But listen, I'm a grown man who reads a LOT, and I blew through it in a couple of sittings. It's exciting where it needs to be, it's got real stakes, and underneath the adventure it's quietly about the thing all the best animal stories are about… family. Not the one you're born into. The one you find, and fight for, when yours is gone.
Here's the part where, if I let myself, I'd geek out for four paragraphs about how hard it is to juggle an entire PACK of characters without losing the reader (it's really hard), and how well Troy pulls it off. But I'll spare you. Just know there's real craft under the hood on this one. You can feel it on the page. This isn't a first-timer flailing around. It's a storyteller who knows what he's doing.
If you've got a kid in the 8-to-12 range who loves animals, this is an easy yes. And if you're a grownup who just wants a warm, exciting read with a scrappy little hero to root for (Pip will have you by page ten), it holds up just fine for the rest of us too.
Where to get it
Strays by Troy Hallam releases August 1, 2026. You can pre-order it on Amazon right now, and it'll land on your Kindle the day it drops.
And here's the thing about Troy. He's not doing this to get rich. "If it sells a few copies then so be it," he told me. "I'll probably just buy a bunch of copies for family and try and donate a few to local libraries." That's the kind of guy you want to buy a book from.
So grab it for the kid in your life, or for yourself, and go meet Pip. Tell 'em I sent you.
One last thing
That whole story up top, chasing the guy down instead of chasing the sale? That's actually the truest thing I can tell you about what FirstReader is FOR. It's not a gotcha machine or a report card. It's an honest first read from somebody in your corner whose only job is to tell you the truth about your story. And every so often, the truth is the best news a writer can get: this is good. Now go put it in front of people.
That was Troy. I'm just glad I asked why instead of chalking it up.
And Troy, all the way over there in Melbourne: you don't get to say nobody loves it anymore.
If you read Strays (or if you've got a book YOU think I should be shouting about), leave a comment and let me know.
Now go meet Pip.