The writing bug will bite you every now and again if your job isn`t to write for a living that is. For me, it has always been a labor of love. I`ve had no formal training: no English degree or fictional writing courses under my belt. You don`t need any of those things to be able to write, and that`s the beauty of it. If you pour your deepest, inner-most thoughts out on to the page or screen, it doesn`t matter if it is good or not. If you want to make a living, yes, it does need to be structurally, grammatically, and punctually correct. But to express yourself and communicate your point to the reader, all you need is a pen, paper, laptop, or dare I age myself - a typewriter. It doesn`t really matter if people don`t like it. It`s your own avenue for therapy.
My truest love is in fiction - SciFi/Fantasy, to be exact. My foray into the realm of self-publishing was more a journey of exploration than it was a reach for any monetary rewards. My goal was to simply put down on paper an idea that had been growing in my mind for some time and then learn about the self-publishing process. There is much to be learned about the world of self-publishing. First and most important is the realm of marketing, for without which, you may as well be selling a love note scribbled upon a napkin for all the good it will do your sales.
My first iteration was Tales of Enochius, a first-person perspective historical-fantasy set in Ancient Egypt about a warrior priest who would soon discover that he was in fact, a descendant of the gods, and would play an important part in the battle between good and evil, played out on earth over the course of millennia. From there, I revised two more copies, expanding everything from the setting to characters and reader perspective. Alizzah became such a strong voice that she warranted as much of the book as the lead hero, Enochius. The current version is available today on Amazon, but after a recent conversation with a marketing guru where he suggested that I rename the book due to SEO and category search issues, I may be re-branding the cover and title so those of you that have the original "Chapter One" copies, you may be holding a rare and valuable item in a couple of years. Hah! Right!
I`ll put a link at the bottom of the page in case you feel like checking it out.
That brings me to my next literary adventure, Stop Selling Yourself on Why Not! Just a couple of months ago, we here at our "undisclosed location" were subjected to a tense number of days that can`t help but make you wonder about the choices in life that lead us to where we were at that moment. I never considered that I might dabble in non-fiction, at least not the self-improvement realm. But suddenly, I found myself realizing that I actually had something to say. What if I died today, and I never got a chance to teach my daughter about life`s nuances and hurdles. How to cope with, or evade them entirely. How to deal with toxic people and organize her finances. So... I thought about my life`s journey. From the streets of Liverpool to the country roads of Harrogate, the beaches of Somerset, and then across the oceans onboard cruise ships around the world, and finally to the U.S. as a Fire Fighter and U.S.A.F. Medic, leading me to Afghanistan. I have learned many lessons in my life. Many of them the hard way, but then that`s what life is - a series of learning experiences that shape our character, and hone our personalities until one day we wake up and realize that we may have actually gained just a grain of wisdom or two. Stop Selling Yourself, is not a book written by a man attempting to be an industry expert or self-help guru, but is written as a big brother or sister might tell you in their own words about the hard-fought wins and losses they gained and what lessons were learned along the way. From leadership to money, from work, health, military, to life in general, this is an informal and anecdotal book about how you`re holding yourself back, what things in your life are creating hurdles, and what I discovered that you can do about it now.
Not everyone needs this book. I believe that it is the most beneficial for those between the ages of 17-40. However, we don`t all have our shit together, let`s be honest. If we did, there`d be no reason for these books to exist. If you have ever said out loud, "if I only knew then, what I know now," then this is the book that would have saved you the trials of learning the hard way.
I will be taking a look at some printed copies as soon as they arrive, and once approved, I will set a release date for the paperback and keep you all posted, so watch this space.
Don`t be afraid to express yourselves with literature people. I can`t tell you how many times someone has said to me, "I should write a book, I have really good ideas." Know why those people haven`t done it yet? Because they keep selling themselves on why not!
Until next time, be well, be merry, but most of all, be good. :)
My truest love is in fiction - SciFi/Fantasy, to be exact. My foray into the realm of self-publishing was more a journey of exploration than it was a reach for any monetary rewards. My goal was to simply put down on paper an idea that had been growing in my mind for some time and then learn about the self-publishing process. There is much to be learned about the world of self-publishing. First and most important is the realm of marketing, for without which, you may as well be selling a love note scribbled upon a napkin for all the good it will do your sales.
My first iteration was Tales of Enochius, a first-person perspective historical-fantasy set in Ancient Egypt about a warrior priest who would soon discover that he was in fact, a descendant of the gods, and would play an important part in the battle between good and evil, played out on earth over the course of millennia. From there, I revised two more copies, expanding everything from the setting to characters and reader perspective. Alizzah became such a strong voice that she warranted as much of the book as the lead hero, Enochius. The current version is available today on Amazon, but after a recent conversation with a marketing guru where he suggested that I rename the book due to SEO and category search issues, I may be re-branding the cover and title so those of you that have the original "Chapter One" copies, you may be holding a rare and valuable item in a couple of years. Hah! Right!
I`ll put a link at the bottom of the page in case you feel like checking it out.
That brings me to my next literary adventure, Stop Selling Yourself on Why Not! Just a couple of months ago, we here at our "undisclosed location" were subjected to a tense number of days that can`t help but make you wonder about the choices in life that lead us to where we were at that moment. I never considered that I might dabble in non-fiction, at least not the self-improvement realm. But suddenly, I found myself realizing that I actually had something to say. What if I died today, and I never got a chance to teach my daughter about life`s nuances and hurdles. How to cope with, or evade them entirely. How to deal with toxic people and organize her finances. So... I thought about my life`s journey. From the streets of Liverpool to the country roads of Harrogate, the beaches of Somerset, and then across the oceans onboard cruise ships around the world, and finally to the U.S. as a Fire Fighter and U.S.A.F. Medic, leading me to Afghanistan. I have learned many lessons in my life. Many of them the hard way, but then that`s what life is - a series of learning experiences that shape our character, and hone our personalities until one day we wake up and realize that we may have actually gained just a grain of wisdom or two. Stop Selling Yourself, is not a book written by a man attempting to be an industry expert or self-help guru, but is written as a big brother or sister might tell you in their own words about the hard-fought wins and losses they gained and what lessons were learned along the way. From leadership to money, from work, health, military, to life in general, this is an informal and anecdotal book about how you`re holding yourself back, what things in your life are creating hurdles, and what I discovered that you can do about it now.
Not everyone needs this book. I believe that it is the most beneficial for those between the ages of 17-40. However, we don`t all have our shit together, let`s be honest. If we did, there`d be no reason for these books to exist. If you have ever said out loud, "if I only knew then, what I know now," then this is the book that would have saved you the trials of learning the hard way.
I will be taking a look at some printed copies as soon as they arrive, and once approved, I will set a release date for the paperback and keep you all posted, so watch this space.
Don`t be afraid to express yourselves with literature people. I can`t tell you how many times someone has said to me, "I should write a book, I have really good ideas." Know why those people haven`t done it yet? Because they keep selling themselves on why not!
Until next time, be well, be merry, but most of all, be good. :)
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