Kismet and Serendipity Walk Into a Bar
So, there are a few things about me that are worth noting in terms of today's Blog:
One (1), I don't actually get down with the bar scene (despite what multiple scenes in Ash to Ashes might suggest). Bars are noisy, they're often crowded, and they're the natural habitat for drunk people. Drunk people annoy me. From their squinty eyes to their poor decision making skills, I have very little patience with the condition. (Sloppy drunk or angry drunk? No. Please. Just no.) Also, I personally rarely drink. Most of the time when I go out, it requires me to drive to get there (two concepts that should NEVER go together). I also don't like hindering my sense of awareness or personal control, especially in public settings. So aside from serving as an accessible meeting location, bars just don't really have a lot to offer me.
Two (2), I've become a pretty severe recluse. I like my quiet time and independence. I don't really go anywhere or do anything without receiving a direct invitation from somebody. Even then, I'm limited in my options based on travel and time constraints. I have friends, thankfully, but I seem to have fallen into that space of being the friend that people get excited to see simply because, "Jesus, dude, I thought you were dead!"
Three (3), I am a firm believer in the concept of "Everything happens for a reason." Kismet, Serendipity, Karma, Fate, Destiny - whatever you call it, I acknowledge it. (I frequently forget that I acknowledge it, but I Do acknowledge it.) I have friends who proactively share this opinion, and I have friends who vehemently question my intelligence for believing in such things. When it comes down to it, I have experienced too many circumstances in my lifetime to believe that chance and coincidence are the only forces at work in our universe. (Don't @ or PM me. This isn't an invitation for a philosophical debate.) If something seems like a sign, or too big of a coincidence, I take notice and try to follow my instincts in the matter. I also try to say "Thank you" if it's a scenario that falls into my favor. (Because I like things working in my favor, and I don't want to come off as an ungrateful slob to the PTB*.) (*Powers That Be)
With those three points in mind I present to you the current update:
Last Tuesday(ish) I received a message from one of my friends who moved away to Oregon last year. In addition to sharing the fact that she was reading Ash to Ashes on the plane (an update I always get a thrill from), she let me know that she was going to be in the area last weekend. Plans got made, and I agreed to meet her at the bar (1) our mutual friends own in the town down the road. I was excited to see her and our other friends I hadn't seen in a while because I don't make the trip that often (2). Also, after the last two weeks, I was more than ready to skip town, even if only for a few hours.
The week rolled on, and I was no closer to finishing my second edit pass for Wolfkin or figuring out what I was going to do to resolve my publishing conundrum (which prompted the Blank Spaces Blog entry last Friday). Saturday came along. As I was shaving and getting pretty for my big outing, it occurred to me, "Wait. Crap. Is today St. Patrick's Day? Double crap. Yes, it is. Do I really want to go to a bar (1) that's 40 minutes down the highway on National Amateur Drunk Day(1)?" The simple answer was, "No, I really don't want to. (2)" But my traveling friend was leaving the next morning and there wasn't any time to reschedule a separate meetup with her. Guess what, Jonesy? You're going to the bar.
"F***," I said.
I went to the bar. I left for the bar slightly later than I'd intended but still somehow managed to arrive earlier than I'd planned (time and space are such fickle concepts for me *cough*). My traveling friend was not there yet, and my bar owner friends were busy getting settled and ready for business to pick up for the night. I found myself in that awkward space of standing around like a dink, waiting for a social cue to tell me what to do next.
A lady walked in and sat down at the bar. I thought I recognized her from my Halloween party adventures last season. I also thought I remembered talking to her at length about my publishing experience and her own experiences writing and doing freelance editing with an editing group. Me being absolutely terrible at retaining names, I introduced myself again and confirmed that this was, in fact, the lady I had talked to (once) before (3).
As our discussion proceeded, I was delighted to find this person to be intelligent, articulate, and multi-talented. Not only was she an experienced editor, but she was also an artist with an interest in graphic design (i.e.- the cover art I don't know how to do) and a writer/reader of fantasy fiction (3). I told her about my project(s) for Wolfkin and showed her the cover for Ash to Ashes. She seemed pretty confidant that she could make my design concepts a reality and commented that she had just finished an art piece that was similar to what I had in mind for the inside of the cover frame (3). Not only that, but she was currently looking for independent projects to work on as a sideline to her regular contract work. By the end of our discussion we were both pretty excited about the opportunity to work together on getting Wolfkin to print!
Hello, light at the end of the tunnel! Oh how I've missed you!
Granted, this doesn't completely solve all of the issues I have with losing the experienced folks at Createspace. There's a lot of technical crap I still have to figure out in terms of interior layouts and e-book conversions. But, oh, holy hell, does this solve some of the biggest problems I was facing in getting this book done(3)!
As an extra crazy twist, the next night I received a text notification from one of my bar owner friends. This coming weekend (3/23/18 & 3/24/18) would be the last weekend the bar would be open to the public. Business had been hurting for a while now, and they decided to close up shop to pursue different opportunities. Had I not reconnected with this potential editor/artist when I did, I would have missed the opportunity indefinitely(3). As it is, I'll be meeting with her again this weekend to review some initial cover art that she's working up and get a chance to discuss our business details further!
I'm beating on desks, doors, walls, whatever I can reach every time I bring this topic up (I seem to have terrible luck with spouting off about something I'm excited about only to have it fall apart), but I have a good feeling about this turn of events.
In the meantime, I have an author's note to draft and an "About the Author" page to update for Wolfkin! It's time to get this job in gear, and I couldn't be more thankful!
