Thursday, June 30, 2016

Let's Make It Official...Unofficially

I'm not, like, announcing a date or anything like that, but, as I mentioned in my previous post, my flash fiction chapbook, "The Ever-Present Moment," is coming out this summer.

The concept is pretty complete; the stories are pretty much done and the layout/design is more or less already finished. I just ordered a proof, which should be here in a couple of weeks.

I do actually have a specific release definite date in mind; however, while it wasn't my original intention, I have decided to do this guerrilla-style.

There isn't going to be much in the way of a description or explanation. Being only 28 pages, it doesn't feel necessary; plus, it is one of those things that just is what it is: nothing more, nothing less.

Anyways, since I have already shared the photograph that is the basis for the cover, I don't see any harm in putting out the actual cover.



Saturday, June 25, 2016

Mindfulness

Photo by Gabe Gott.

Back by popular demand. By that, I mean, two or more people noticed that I have not posted to this blog lately, and while they did not directly say it or probably even think it, these days, if you aren't up-to-date enough according to what your audience demands, you run the risk of disappearing from the cultural consciousness.

That being said, though, while you don't want to turn the volume on low for too long, sometimes it is healthy to take a step or two back and just meditate on your life for a bit. A month, or so, is not that long, in the grand scope of things.

Going on a hike, or two, is a good way to remind you that there are more important things in life; not so much that you are human, but more that you are a part of the world, and, even though it is faulty in a lot of ways--especially in an election season--you realize that it is really a pretty magnificent place.

One of the things that I discovered during this process is that, more than pushing myself to be this big huge success in whatever, I will be far happier if I can continue working my full-time job and also pursuing writing, and whatever else, as an artist. I think I've mentioned this before, but I feel like I need to reiterate it, as it has been a primary focus for such a long time.

While some people get into writing to eventually do it for a living, and there is nothing wrong with that, and good luck to anyone who is pursuing that right at this very moment, that is not the right path for me. It reminded me that, as someone wise once told me, it's okay to define success in a different way.

Success doesn't necessarily mean owning things or having money or the type of job that you set out to get when you choose a major. Sometimes, it has a very different definition. To some, it can mean holding true to a certain ideal, or set of ideals, even in the face of criticism. Sometimes, success can be just saying, "fuck it."

In that spirit, I am releasing not just one but TWO flash fiction chapbooks this year. It was originally only supposed to be the one (split into sections), but it actually works out better as two distinct more-clearly-focused collections.

For the first, I am shooting for a late July, early August release. It is titled "The Ever-Present Moment" and will feature the above photograph as a significant part of the book's cover. It will be fairly short, only 26 pages and less than 2,000 words, and will feature six, both new and previously published, stories.

The second set will have a yet-to-be-designed pop art cover and is titled "Dispatches from the Information Age." It is longer, 44 pages and over 2,000 words, and is intended for an Election Day 2016 release. It will feature twelve stories.

While I am glad that I had the chance to take some time away, I do hope to pick back up the "once a week on Saturdays" blogging thing. We'll just have to see what happens. I am not making any promises, but the outlook right now is good. I will definitely publish something here at least once a month, which I think I am good for, even if sometimes it stretches to over a month between posts (technically).

For now, I am going to go enjoy the rest of this beautiful Saturday afternoon, and maybe grab some lunch. Yeah, that would be a good idea.