Recording

Vocals for "Goodbye Melancholia" and maybe a guitar track for a new song.

NOTE:

The most recent song I posted on my soundclick page, "Down by the River" reached #14 in the psychedelic rock charts out of around 7,000 songs and #118 on the rock general charts out of around 250,000 songs.

In celebration I am releasing a new song, "Tell Me", which I  just finished recording a week or so ago.

Go to http://www.soundclick.com/SurvivalPilot and check the songs out!

Sweetening the deal

Anyone who buys my short story collection, if you email me proof (gabegott@gmail.com), I will email you back pdf's of the blog version of the collection and an alternative version of my upcoming novel.

Enjoy!

"Beautiful Night" On a Sunday Morning

I would just like to thank Spanky for introducing me to The Burden Brothers last fourth of July.  I am rocking out to Buried in Your Black Heart right now.

I didn't start writing this till after 11 so it is going to have to be fast so I can get it out and legitimately advertise for the time period suggested in the title.

The music keeps pumping forward on a beat that jerks at your stomach like you are cresting a roller-coaster.

Then stops dead.

  

The Novel that I have been Working on for like... Six, Seven Years?... Out in the Garage

206 Pages

Paperback: $9.99 / e-book: TBA

ISBN-13: 978-1484983362

ISBN-10:148498336X

BISAC: Fiction / Coming of Age


Description:


Lance Adamson was born in the 80's.   His earliest memory is of that time when his mom left his dad.  It's okay, though.  Grandpa Harry saved him, took him out to the garage for the first time, taught him how to play drums.  I mean, really play.  How to make it count.  How to let the music carry him away.  Even his mom and dad had been rock n' rollers at one time, but they lost touch with the magic, stopped going out to the garage.

His best friend is Wayne; they go all the way to kindergarten.  Now they are in high school and have started the greatest band ever, The Knights of the Round Table, with their two best friends, Art and Louie Louie.  Maybe the rest of the school might actually notice them for once -- for a reason other than bullying them or suspecting them of being school shooters.

One summer Lance goes to stay with his Aunt and Uncle on their dairy farm near the small, Southern Ohio town called Babel.  There he meets the love of his life, Edie.  Together they must survive the oppressive Evangelicals who run the town and not lose faith in true love.

With the good and the bad and the whole tangled mess all swirling around, Lance trudges forward, discovering that no matter what happens he can always go back out to the garage -- as long as it is with the right people.


COMING OCTOBER 18, 2013!

Novel Two: Born in 1984

Officially beginning work on my second novel, Born in 1984, which is a full force plunge into social satire. I am pulling out all the stops and allowing myself to indulge creatively and say everything I need to say. My goal is to make a statement.

This is going to be a huge leap for me creatively, and I feel confident it's what I need to write right now. I have learned a great deal and I feel I am ready. I am at a stage where I have more or less finished what I have been working on and it is time to stretch my creative muscles.

I will also be writing some new short stories; I have ideas for at least three. I also have two I have written and am polishing to get published and one going to be published next year.

Still working on ways to promote myself, sell my collection, and build a fan-base. Also working on getting my first novel, Out in the Garage, ready for self-publishing.  I will be revealing the details for that, including the cover design.

Finally, I am gearing up to start doing the research for my thesis.  I am looking forward to it, actually.  It is a fun topic and I will be able to incorporate what I learn into my creative writing as well.  It's going to be a busy summer, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

NOTE:

Updated the book description for Tales from the Fringes.  I think this one is better.  We'll see if it helps.  Now I need to start really looking into getting reviewed by someone at least semi-legitimate.  Looking into getting onto some forums where I can subversively self-promote and advertise without really doing so.  Will continue posting to Facebook and Twitter.  I am trying to post more writing than advertising because that certainly gets annoying quickly.  The best advertising/self-promotion is the kind where it doesn't come across that way.  Really just trying to get this book on people's radars.

Ray Manzarek :-(

Very sad to hear about the passing of Ray Manzarek.  The Doors were a huge influence on me as a teenager, and he was an important part of the dynamic of that group.  They were a perfect blend of rock n' roll, R&B, the blues, jazz, and whatever the hell else they decided to throw into the mix.  His keys playing was phenomenal, and I am sure he and Jim Morrison are jamming together in Hell with Kurt Cobain and John Bonham.

The Stuffness and his Band of Mercenaries

In case you are interested, I have pages on Author's Den and World Literature Cafe.  Also, if you like my writing, please follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and/or Google+.  Looking into more forums that connect authors and readers, as well as places I can potentially advertise.  Some zines maybe?  Small blogs with loyal readers?  Searching, searching, searching...  Would like to get some (hopefully good) reviews.

Can't spend any money right now, but, hopefully, as the summer progresses, I can put some money into marketing, buy several copies, send them out to some local media, do readings or something and selling copies...  Whatever I can do to get the word out.

Here is the updated information about my book, including links to the main places where it can be found:



OUT NOW!

Price: $7.99 paperback; $4.99 e-book
Create Space eStore
Amazon
Kindle Store

Nook Store
6" x 9"

15 stories/162 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1482787474

ISBN-10: 1482787474

BISAC  Category: Fiction/Short Story

Description:

Whether it's working at a McDonald's and playing in a band in "Greasy", mugging people to pay a violent drug dealer in "Survival", or accidentally starting the Zombie Apocalypse in "The Bananamen Prophecy", Tales from the Fringes finds people struggling through a variety of situations, with mixed results.  Mainly set in the Midwest, these stories capture the essence of what it's like to live on the fringes, where money is hard to come by and people are more often than not completely invisible to the outside world.

Gorilla Penises: By a Hipster, for Hipsters

I am a male, millennial hipster, so, therefore, my market (primarily) is likely going to be millennial male hipsters.  Does that mean my writing won't appeal to others?  I don't know.  Hopefully it will.  I mean, after all, hipsters do discover everything, so, if my writing becomes mainstream (eventually) I will have sell out and change my marketing strategy (by highlighting the sex and violence and denying any deeper meanings).  Until then, well, I am happy with marketing my writing to people who, like, like obscure, underground shit with some depth and, yes, even some irony.

And yes, I have come to terms with and accept the fact that I am a hipster.  While I don't necessarily see why this is an applicable label for me, I have been told that I am one -- by various people  -- so, therefore, if that is true, then who am I to debate it?  Do I love music, art, and want to preserve the environment, and don't buy into popular culture, necessarily, at least not 100% of the time (or really even 50% of the time)?  I believe those things are true.  Do I wear dark-framed glasses and Chuck's?  Yes.  Do I enjoy irony?  It depends.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.  I am not one to use it just because I want to sound cool.

I try not to be pretentious, but, realistically, everyone is to a certain degree pretentious -- anyone who cares about what other people think and does things differently because of that.  I guess that means I just try to keep my pretentiousness to an acceptable level -- at least as much as someone getting a master's degree in English Literature can.

I guess, since I am marketing to hipsters, that means I have to open up accounts to sell through ibookstore and probably smashwords as well.  If anyone has any other ideas for places where hipsters are likely to buy shit, please, let me know.  As a hipster, I know where I buy shit, but there are different types of hipsters (I mean, after all, what are labels if there aren't sub-labels and sub-sub-labels to more clearly define a person or thing).

Keep in mind that I am a poor grad student and am looking for free and cheap ways to get this collection, Tales from the Fringes, out to its audience (if it indeed does have one), and other future projects (such as my upcoming novel).

Speaking of my upcoming novel, I am changing my mind back to calling it Out in the Garage.  I don't feel like I have to spoon-feed anybody the main theme by titling it For Granted. If I have failed as a writer and readers don't get that, I am okay with it, so much as they get something out of it.  I am not going to keep dwelling on the same projects when I have so many other great ideas.  I am planning on releasing my novel October 18, 2013, because October 18, 1851 is the date Moby Dick was released.  If you don't know by now, I have developed a kind of obsession with Melville (as I am writing my thesis on one of his books).  It seemed appropriate to me  for that reason and the fact that the epigraph is a quote from Moby Dick.  Although, to be honest, the book is more inspired by Fitzgerald and Salinger.

Now I am going to say The Great Gatsby a bunch of times: The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby...

That should be sufficient for now.

NOTE:

I'm working on some ideas for some posts.  Unfortunately, I don't have time to write any extended posts right now, but stay tuned, and, in the next day or two, I will definitely get to it.  I have some ideas that are stewing in my brain and will shortly be ready to serve.

Working on marketing, branding, and all that, which are all a part of self-publishing, and really, publishing, in general.  Not that I am trying to be rich or anything, but, I definitely want to build an audience, and I am working on some ideas on where I can do some recruiting.

Basically, I need to define who my audience is and what my appeal to them is and get my writing to them.  I have figured this out, so the next step is in doing some researching, developing my strategy, and getting it going.

TALES FROM THE FRINGES is OUT!

RELEASE DATE: MAY 14-15, 2013

Price: $7.99 paperback; $4.99 e-book
Create Space eStore
Amazon (coming soon!)
Kindle Store

Nook Store (coming soon!)
iBookstore (tentatively coming soon!)
6" x 9"

15 stories/162 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1482787474

ISBN-10: 1482787474

BISAC  Category: Fiction/Short Story

Description:

Whether it's working at a McDonald's and playing in a band in "Greasy", mugging people to pay a violent drug dealer in "Survival", or accidentally starting the Zombie Apocalypse in "The Bananamen Prophecy", Tales from the Fringes finds people struggling through a variety of situations, with mixed results.  Mainly set in the Midwest, these stories capture the essence of what it's like to live on the fringes, where money is hard to come by and people are more often than not completely invisible to the outside world.

UPDATE

Unfortunately, Tales from the Fringes will be tomorrow before I can release the print version.  There was a mix-up in the files and I send the wrong one to be reviewed.  The review process takes about 24 hours (although, in my experience, it is actually only like 12), which, now that I have gone through that process for the wrong file, I must do it again for the correct one, then I can release it for sale.

Like I said before, the Kindle e-book version is already for sale for $4.99.  The print version will be $7.99.

For those of you who use other formats for e-books other than Kindle, I am looking into the options and am going to release it for sale in those markets as well.

I will update again soon.

Tales from the Fringes

The Kindle version of Tales from the Fringes is out right now: Tales from the Fringes:Amazon:Kindle Store.

The print version is delayed a bit due to a snafu with their website, but will hopefully be available later today or tomorrow at the latest.

"Hey, I'm a poet, and I didn't know it"

Writer's Block

It's right on the edge, toes kicking dust and stones plunging over, falling, spiraling, diving down into oblivion, falling through to the otherside to these words.  The idea, it's not ready to take the leap.  I can feel it's presence there, the trembling, making my heart beat a little faster, my skin tingle, the rapture working it's way from the center of my cells and bursting out like the first rays of sunlight.

But the idea, it is non-committal.  It doesn't know the effect that it has on the rest of me as I sit here, trembling and glowing.  I can't force it, if I try it will rip apart, exploding into a million pieces and splattering all over the inside of my mind.

I try to nudge it, fill it with confidence, but it won't make the leap.  It won't come.  It keeps dancing around the rim.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, sending a wave of calmness through my system.  The idea dances to a dirge.  No matter how hard I try, I can't convince it of providence; immortality.  The transformation of it's soul from fleeting electrical impulses to ones and zeros.

But I can't force it.  If it won't make the leap, then it will inevitably be forgotten, idea Hell.

I plug in my headphones and put on There Satanic Majesty's Request and know that as much as I want to be in control of my thoughts, they have free will.

NOTE:

Just a quick note.  With these papers due next week, I don't have a lot of time (for anything).  Things will get back to normal here at my digital domain, as soon as I hand in my last one, which will be by Wednesday at midnight.  Until then, peace!

*beats head on keyboard*

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