January 29, 2012
Greetings, or as they say where I'm from, "Hey."
As I type this, my book is about to be in the spotlight for a full day on a blog/facebook page viewed by thousands. But my newfound fame won't taint me. I've promised I won't forget the little people who've brought me this far. I will wave at you from my expensive limousine, unless I'm with someone who’s really cool and they think you look dumb.
All kidding aside, this is a big deal to me. This isn't something I got because I knew a guy who knows a guy. This is something I got because someone read my book and liked it. That is a huge honor to me, and I don't take it lightly. I've been receiving good ratings on a few websites. I'm averaging four stars and that's after getting docked for my rushed editing errors.
(I'm proud to say, though, I have an editor now. She's taking her time and doing the job right to give me the best chance I can have. Thanks so much, Ashlie! I owe you big time!)
It's surreal, really. I have people that know my work now. Some people I've never met are posting about how good it is, and that to me is the highest complement. Not that having a friend appreciate my work means less, it just feels different getting respect from total strangers.
I pour my heart into everything I do; I can't deliberately do anything half-assed. I'm so used to getting rejection letters and equally used to having my work panned by teachers and classmates, it's just totally mind blowing to have someone say "I really liked the way you segue into dreams and back," or "Holy crap! I never saw the end coming! You totally had me thinking it was gonna go one way, but I never saw that coming!" That’s great to hear! I spent the whole time thinking the reader was gonna see right through everything and think the whole book was a flimsy plot device, but so far not one person has thought that. So stick that in your smope and pike it, Emporia State! And as a matter of fact, I've been told my art is good, so suck on that too, while you're at it!
Anyways, I'm not Stephen King, or Dwayne Vance. I want to be, but I'm not that good…yet. So please, keep the praise coming, as I rather enjoy having a big head. My poor ego has stagnated behind these rugged good looks, though I can't see how. They are beyond compare! And feel free to say it sucks: I'm developing a thick skin to that sort of thing. Yessiree Bob!
On a side note, I love, need and want corrective criticism. Without that sort of thing you go from writing characters like Han Solo to Jar Jar Binks. The last thing I want to do is that! So some of you should feel free to fill me up like a balloon, but I'm sure that someone, someplace will have the good sense to tie a line that grounds me! Thanks a ton!
~Jason