July 21st.

This date is important to me for three reasons. 

First, at 12:01am on July 21, 2007 I was a recent high school graduate, counting down the days until I started my first semester as a college freshman, standing in a Barnes & Noble with my little sister and and cheering with a crowd of hundreds as cardboard boxes were opened and copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows were lifted into the air. Years of reading and waiting were coming to an end as I entered adulthood, and the Boy Who Lived was facing off against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named for a final time.

Second, at 3:00pm on July 21, 2012 I ended my final shift as a Hogwarts student. I took off my robe, sweater vest, and Gryffindor tie and left the castle halls. I had graduated college a year previously, but now I was leaving school, leaving Florida, and achieving my childhood dream of moving to New York City and working in the film industry. Little did I know about what the future held for me. A literally rat infested apartment, Hurricane Sandy hitting the city (I thought I left Florida and the hurricanes behind?!), and the many, many, late nights and early mornings required when working on a film set.

Third, at 5:07pm on July 21, 2016 I walked to the mailbox, slid in the key, and opened the small metal door to discover a cardboard box wrapped in white tape covered in Inkshares logos. My heart skipped a beat, and I didn’t even wait until I was back in the house before ripping the package open. Nine years after I held the final Harry Potter book, a book I wrote was sliding out of it’s shipping box and into my hands for the very first time. 

Thank you, Inkshares. Thank you, Nerdist. Thank you, every single person who backed my dream, believed in my book, and brought me to this moment. If anyone told me a year ago that this would be happening today, I never would have believed them. I wrote a book, but you all made its publication possible. Thank you.

This is only the beginning.

-Zac

Nerdist has officially announced their schedule for #Conival, their weekend long event in San Diego alongside San Diego Comic Con! This time next week I’ll be in San Diego, attending several of the events as well as prepping to participate in a panel on Sunday, July 24th, with Inkshares CEO Jeremy Thomas, and fellow Inkshares/Nerdist author Dave Barrett! The panel is at 11:30am on the main stage, and it is free to attend! So if you’re going to be in the area, make sure to stop by and hang out!

If you are unable to attend, but live in Orlando, Florida, or are able to travel to Orlando, a Barnes & Noble will be hosting a launch party for Welcome to Deadland on Saturday, August 6th, at 7:00pm! The address is 7900 W Sand Lake Rd, Orlando, FL 32819. I’ll be signing copies and celebrating with some of the wonderful people that believed in my book, supported my dream, and helped it come to fruition. 

I hope to see many of you in the very near future!

Zac

Hello Everyone!

Today, as I was sitting on some steps at the park trying to catch a Dratini in Pokemon Go, I received an email with a link to an article. Out Traveler has listed Welcome to Deadland as one of their Top 8 Summer Beach Reads! And not only that, it made the list alongside both Amy Schumer and the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child script! 

Happy Friday, y’all!