Putting Yourself Out There

Unless you have tried and failed at something, you might not get it. If you’ve never stood your ground even once and told people exactly what you’re thinking, you probably can’t relate to what I’m about to say. If you’ve never tried to create something truly personal, and then taken the huge risk of allowing people to see it, read it, experience it…then you can’t know how it feels.

I’m talking about putting yourself out there; in this case as a writer. It might seem difficult to write a book, especially for those who never have, and it is. But it’s even more difficult to finish it and let it go. Out into the wild. Where people are free to love it or hate it. But I gotta tell you: it’s worth the risk. It is totally worth the risk.

Aaron Patterson and I released Airel this past spring. It was the result of about a year’s worth of work. Yep. That much. And as hard as the writing and editing and revising process sometimes was, it doesn’t compare to how difficult it can be to publish the Work—and allow people into what amounts to a very private inner sanctum: the imagination of the author.

It’s funny, too. I thought over time as I published more stories that it would be easier. But I still get nervous about releasing my work, whether it’s Airel or one of my upcoming digital short stories, Strongbox. As I read through the comments and look at the reviews that are coming in for Airel, I’m actually stunned. It’s crazy. And I have to take this moment to thank you, the fans, for everything: buying my writing, leaving awesomely honest reviews on Amazon, and most importantly lending me the support I need to continue writing. I could not do this without my admittedly modest (so far) collection of fans, so thank you.

There’s a lot more stuff in the works, releasing later this year or early next year. Want a little breakdown? Here’s what’s coming soon:

Digital Short Stories:

Strongbox: Thea lives in the strongbox. Inside it is safe and warm, and the door stays shut and locked. The Things from Outside terrify her, and she is glad for the safety and security that the strongbox provides. But one day she dreams, and the dream is so good that she swims down deeper into it, toward the boy in the dream. When she is awakened suddenly, she finds the door of the strongbox open. And then she is pushed outside. Alone. With nothing. It is dark, and there are sounds. And something is coming for her.

Yes, Dear: A man and woman arrive finally at the country house after journeying all day from London. She tells him to get the kettle on and stoke the fire; it’s cold and the snow is deep. She’s accustomed to bossing him. She’s used to his response to everything: “Yes, Dear.” But what destiny has pent up comes swiftly, without warning…and the works of a life produce consequence.

Novels:

K [phantasmagoria] part one: How far is too far? If a man is pushed past breaking and all bets are off, what are the rules then? K is a man severely damaged by life, by circumstance, by a past he can’t remember and probably by the meds his government-mandated psychiatrist has him on. He struggles violently, trying to make sense of his bipolar hatred for God, for people, for all the stupid assumptions, for himself. Is he going crazy? He sees the most horrific visions, a phantasmagoria that is slowly wrecking him. Day and night. And it can only be explained by the idea of precognition…until even science fails…and whatever barrier there is between this world and the next is destroyed by the unexplainable. This is a chilling story packed with lies. Some of them may turn out to be true, but which?

Michael: (with Aaron Patterson) Get ready for part two of the Airel Saga. Michael tells the story of Airel’s crush, Michael: a young man with strange connections indeed, and a lot of questions to answer…and many more things to answer for. Coming soon from StoneHouse Ink.

Non-fiction:

American Failure: a proper perspective: (Second Edition) Is there something we can learn from failure? I make the case for failure as a beginning rather than an end in this mildly autobiographical moral treatise. Filled with personal stories and my own unique perspectives, plus a running Andy Rooney-esque commentary on various bits of American culture, it’s a unique look at an essential part of life, and a nation struggling to find its identity and a way forward. Coming in 2012.