Cheers to support and surprises

I’ve been an indie author now for 6 years and if I’ve learned anything, it’s that support doesn’t come from where you expect it.

Some people might be tempted into thinking that if they have 600 friends on facebook, at least 10 will read their book. Although some people have an overwhelmingly large support base from people they know, this isn’t necessarily the case for most people. In actuality, having anyone you know read you is more challenging than you can imagine. This could be for a couple of reasons, but one of the main ones is that people are unaware of the power that they have or the difference they can make. On the one hand, getting anyone to read your book is a challenge when you’re starting up and that anyone reads an indie author can fuel their fire more than you can imagine. Additionally, if a book has no reviews and no one talks about the book, what chance does it have for success? So in their hands, there’s plenty of power to make or break an author’s dream. 

Another thing that I’ve come to learn is that your tribe finds you, not the other way around. 

On one hand, people who know you have expectations of what you can do or on the flip side, maybe they see a disconnect between the person and the creator. People who don’t know you as a person react to you as a creator first and don’t have to bridge the two personas. The best way I can describe it is that people who know you will say something like: “remember the little people when you make it big,” and leave it at that, while someone who get to know you through your work will go out of their way to support you in ways you would have never imagined, just because they want to see you make it big. 

Friends from high school and college, co-workers, even friends are sometimes a harder sell than people who’ve never met you. I’ve been fortunate that I have friends from most of my circles that have come out to see me at events and have bought and reviewed my work, but I can’t say it’s an overwhelming majority. People know you from contexts, they know you have a career so they think that what makes your soul smile is just a hobby when it’s actually what you’d like to spend most of your time doing. In addition, there’s that bit about feeling awkward about talking about your work with some people you know. It’s not like you’re a stripper and people found out because they were having a bachelor party and saw you twerking for the weekend, but there is a learning curve in regards to feeling comfortable when talking about what you create with people that don’t know that side of you. I’ve learned that it’s not something you can force and is best when it happens organically. 

For me, it’s important to be thankful for the people who support you genuinely, who invest time in you, who honestly believe in you and how you do things, and I’ve been blessed with a lot of people who support me in countless ways. I always work hard to be extra thankful to the people who support me, who write me out of the blue to say something positive, to the people who read and review me, the people who bust my balls to write more and get cracking, the people who write me with questions about my books, and the people who inspire the best in me for the right reasons. So to all of you who are in this wonderful group, my cheers and my best to you always. 

Peace, love, and maki rolls   

The write to a thankful weekend

Thanksgiving is treated as a one-day event when every day we should be giving thanks for the blessings we are given. By blessings, don’t feel the need to establish any religious connotations and go ahead and attribute it to hard work, good fortune or just dumb luck.

Being a writer could honestly be a lonely job, though for me, it’s opened the world to meet people from around the world. I’ve been able to connect to people in the US, England, Canada, Mexico, Spain, New Zealand, Australia, Pakistan, India, Romania, and beyond.

Throughout the beginning of my adventure, I’ve also been able to appreciate people I don’t know on a physical plane just as much as people who give me physical support and motivation. That said, as I wrote my Black Friday posts, I realized some people are way more special than they realize and I mentioned in passing two people who have made a huge difference in my 2013. The two people who have read and reviewed my book.

You see, to you they are just screen names... to me they have become friends. Linda Anderson and Amanda Armstrong are two very talented women, they’re separated by an ocean and thousands of miles yet are connected by a love I also share with them: writing.

Drastically different, each one has their own style, different personalities and different things that drive them, yet they were kind enough to review Only Human. I didn’t ask them to, they wanted to and that makes all the difference.

Linda Anderson was the second person to review my book and has a blog you can visit by clicking here. 

Out of what she writes, my favorites are a series of short stories, snap shots from reality that leave you wanting to know more. By all means, give her a check and so you know what she thinks of Only Human, here’s a transcript of her review:

“I enjoyed the story immensely, though I got lost in trying to remember the whole cast of characters and who belonged to which faction. Love Bill; he seems to hold many of the keys that would open the door to enlightenment of the story. And I can't wait to see what problems Nathaniel causes/gets into/solves...I loved it!!!”

For her part, Amanda Armstrong is the co-author of Ten Yen True, a book I reviewed some time ago which was truly a wonderful read. Her website can be found here and she is currently working on the sequel to the book and her review came at a time when I honestly needed a sign to confirm my path and one day before my birthday, she posted the first review to my book (under the screen name mandymia):

“I admit I was a little skeptical when I started this book. I don't read vampire books usually. But this is not a vampire book. It's an amazing fantasy read that I completely lost myself in. The characters are so engaging, I found myself willing them on and the plot is fast paced and gripping. I urge the author to write the sequel, quick! Loved it!”

Just a few words that made all the difference in my life, so to Linda and Amanda... thank you.

Many people have shared various reactions to my book and often it seems they don’t know what to expect until they’re surprised by something that hooks them. Quite honestly, I couldn’t ask for a better reaction. Because they kept their faith in the story and stuck with it until they didn’t want to let go and are luckily now urging me to write faster. 

As a nod of friendship to both the reviewers, I included them in my daydreams on the Sherbet Shore, Volume 3 and Volume 3.2. The reason behind the numbering is simple, I wanted them to be together and I’m also a numbers freak and am a big fan of certain numbers, in this case the number 8. If you see the volume numbers, 3 + 3 + 2 = 8. The .2 was my way of joining these two wonderful people in something I wrote. The number eight when divided by 2 is 4, also a very special number to me. Is this a little nuts? Sure. But so am I. :)

As I continue my daydreams, I continue connecting with people, allowing myself the chance to hang out with them if only in a dream. I rant a little and share these details so you see how my brain is wired and to invite you also to connect to others and help me connect with others as well. I also write this to continue giving thanks during the weekend.

So here’s to dreams and reality, may they coincide to share a meal, a drink, an ice cream sundae, a coffee or just a spot of tea.

Cheers my friends.

Peace, love and maki rolls.

JD

Far from the Black... I give thanks

Yesterday was the official day of Giving Thanks. Millions of families had turkey, ate 2 or 3 types of dessert, met up, spent time together and were reminded that life isn’t all about work, or study or, yes, even shopping.

Today is Black Friday... a concept that celebrates the definition of sales, capitalism and the pursuit of great deals better than anything else concocted by mankind. What once started as a sales event has devolved into a sort of collective dementia where people forget how thankful they were hours ago, strap an uzi to their side, bite a blade and say chargeeeeeeeee as they attack vendors with their credit cards.

Although Wilma Flintstone and Betty Rubble may be proud of that particular battle cry, I have opted to do my giving thanks today, instead of yesterday. Yesterday was a time for family and although I did log onto Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms, I wanted to focus on the people I was with. It took some effort and though I could say I was disappointed I pulled out the phone on occasion, the reality is that some people whom I deeply care for are simply out of physical reach.

That said, already the reports I’m seeing of people going bonkers for specials, fighting over material things and all in the name of the victory of a sale. For me, I’ll just say thanks.

Thanks to my wife, the inspiration for Captain Jane Rivers, for believing in me, for loving me, for supporting me, for all the details that make the difference in my life and for being equal parts witch (in the harry potter sense), pirate and angel. Thanks to my family and friends for being there when I have doubts to smack some sense into me and spur me into action. Thanks to all the people who read my blog, see my Instagram, share my pins and follow my twitter feed; it motivates me to keep writing and connecting. All who have commented on my blog have brightened up my day for taking the time not only to read, but to write, including Veronica Brannon (whom also offers so much support thank you), Karen Ohren (I’ve rediscovered my love for poetry because of you and Kim), Amy, Katherine Lipnitskaya (keep writing and shining), Ifeomadennis (thanks for the inspiration, I’ve written a lot because of the momentum I got), Julie Barrett (for enjoying my Sherbet dreams), Philip Drayer Duncan (for a great idea), Raishimi (another great idea) and Patti Hall (for comments that made me smile). A like on Facebook or a retweet is always lovely. To read someone who took time to write in response to something I put out there, that’s very special. To Shannon Adams, thanks for referring the wine place in Napa and being a sweet friend and Dave from Dave’s Travel Corner for the recommendations for my anniversary trip. Thanks to JR Kierce for being a true friend and believing in me as a writer and a professional. Thanks to everyone who has read my book, with a special mention to Linda Anderson and Mandymia for reading and reviewing. I hope many others are able to enjoy the book and hope they feel compelled to share their thoughts on my work. Thanks to Fraser Thompson for the profile on his website (I promise I’m working on something for the magazine). Thanks to Jack Cheng and Gabino Iglesias for advice and for also putting out great work and also starting out their writing career. To Jennifer Howard for kind words published and kinder words shared; self-publishing is looked down upon by a few... and they’re missing out. Thanks to Amazon, for making it so easy to offer my book to people and for giving me a platform that will continue to allow me to share my work and focus on writing. Thanks to Claudette Anderson for being a lovely friend whom mucking about helped inspire a lovely series where I will slowly connect with the special people I’ve met throughout the Internet. The daydreams mean a lot to me and if we hadn’t met, they wouldn’t exist. To Cate Evans, a massive thank you for the kind advice on the blog and life, I think it looks better and unsolicited, earnest advice from someone who cares and believes are worth endlessly more than any consultation. And to mom... I love you more every day and I give thanks for your example and for your soul. You inspire me to give my best and nothing less.

To all others who have written and connected on a personal level, I thank you especially. From silly Djs, to record store owners, to book store owners, to history loving kitties, erotic authors, people with strong faith, people from different religions, horror fans, comedy fans, and individuals from countries around the world who have touched my life, today is my day for giving thanks, to fans of Firefly, The Walking Dead and Big Trouble in Little China, to new friends and old and to anybody who has given me the gift of connecting, to people who share the passion of reading and writing, and who can cry in a Pearl Jam concert.

Far from the black,

Smiling without a cause,

A word to connect,

To find stories lost.

I share my thoughts

And voice opinions,

To resonate and relate,

That’s my religion.

So dear friends raise glasses,

For today there’s good cause,

To say cheers and smile,

And enjoy without pause.

Peace, love, maki rolls and the deepest thanks,

JD