One Week...
In one week I'll be packing up my "booth in a box," loading up the car, and hitting the road to Topeka Kansas! TopCon Geek Expo (September 9th and 10th at the Kansas ExpoCentre) will be my first official convention appearance. I'm both excited and crazy-making nervous about running a vendor/author booth here. I haven't been to this particular event, so I'm not really even sure what I'm getting myself into. It should be an adventure all around.
One of my big concerns has been loading and unloading everything once I get to the event. If you weren't aware, a 20 count box of books is pretty darn heavy, especially if you have to carry it any particular distance. I've got three boxes of books, three banners, and my tub of table necessities along with whatever survival supplies I decide to backpack my way in. Add it all up and that's a lot of awkward/heavy crap to haul into an unfamiliar building from an undetermined parking lot destination (so many unknowns does not help my anxiety). To help myself out and give myself a little better peace of mind, I found a foldup handcart that may just do the trick! It's lightweight and fairly cheap, so I don't know how much I can trust the cart, but it's assembled and ready to go! I loaded it up for a test run last night and it worked out pretty slick even on the apartment carpet. Here's hoping it can hold up to the big test next weekend!
Looking ahead, I may have to reevaluate my needs once more books come out...
Speaking of other books, Book 2 is still proceeding at a snail's pace for those of you who have been asking. I've been struggling to understand why making progress on this volume has been such a challenge. I like the characters. I know pretty well what I want to happen. It strikes me as intriguing and fairly well thought out. But, for some reason, pushing through the writing process has been an extreme kick in the teeth this go around. Several factors are at play here, I know this (the dip in sales of Book 1 has been disappointing, lack of validation from others in the value of this project, trying to match or exceed the quality of Book 1, personal and family issues, etc.) , but the biggest issue finally made sense to me after a discussion I had yesterday (Thursday 8/31/17). One of the subplots/character arcs hits pretty close to home, and putting that out there for public consumption is extremely uncomfortable for me. I gave the subject a glancing blow in Ash to Ashes, but it plays a fairly significant part of the storyline in Book 2. Not knowing how that will affect how the book (and characters) are received embeds a serious degree of subconscious uncertainty in the creative process. For those of you keeping score, yes, that is indeed a creativity killer.
So I guess I have some options. I can go back and alter what I have to make the manuscript socially sanitary (read: less controversial) and less personal. I can scrap the project and start over or move on to a different volume that takes the heat off of me personally for the time being. I can do nothing and force myself to give up the writing dream and find a "real job" (just kill me now). Or, I can proceed with the story as it is with as much candor, authenticity, and courage as the characters, story, and readers deserve.
I already know which option I'll choose. I'm pretty bullheaded, and I learned back in my 20s that letting fear control your decisions is no way to live. I just have to acknowledge the issue for what it is and work through it, even if it means slowing down the production of the current book (sorry to those of you anxiously awaiting the next volume!). One of the reasons I chose to self-publish was that I never wanted an editor or publishing house to tell me what I could or could not include in my books for the sake of marketability/upsetting reader sensitivities. I'm damn well not about to start doing it to myself. Go authentic or go home, am I right?
Recap: One Week! September 9th and 10th, TopCon Geek Expo, Kansas Expocentre (Ag Hall)! Come see me! Get a picture with me! Get a book ($15)! Get an autograph (Free!)! Pick up the debut release of Kent Willmeth's Ash to Ashes concept art (5x7 postcard prints for $5)! Witness the cosplay! Check out the panels! Saturday and Sunday, SUNDAY, SUNDAAAAAAY!!! Book 2 is in progress! (I just have to keep my neurotic little self plugging away at it.)
Update: Amazon reviews have hit 20 with an average of 5 Stars! Five more reviews and Amazon.com starts playing ball with me a little more seriously. Thanks to everybody who has contributed so far!
Jack Voraces and I are still working on the audiobook. It's a real thing! We promise! I just reviewed the initial recordings for the last couple of chapters. Stick with us for continued updates!
I dropped the list price for Ash to Ashes on Amazon.com and Kindle. The paperback is now officially listed at $16.99 and the E-book is now $6.99 (Only $.99 if you also buy the paperback edition through Amazon!). If you can't make it to TopCon in Topeka, KS September 9/10 or Little Apple Comic Expo in Manhattan, KS September 23, you can find the book at Amazon.com HERE.
I've removed the Events page from the main website. I was extremely disturbed to find that the calendar sync was posting my personal appointments from my phone to the calendar on the website. I'll probably add a new events page again once I determine the value of such and how I want to format it.
