Hello friends

Just a quick update on The Catcher’s Trap’s journey.

I am quite close to a draft of the book I would feel comfortable sharing. I am in the process of revising Chapters nine to twelve before I sent them to my friend and editor extraordinaire Koleen. After that, I will dedicate my time to the last two chapters.

Of course, when I finish this draft I have to go back and review and re-write many pieces. I made serious unplanned changes to the plot –because it made sense- which had ripple effects all through the book. Very butterfly effect I must say…sans Ashton Kutcher of course.

I am incredibly impatient, so the slow process of putting together a well-thought and believable story is testing the boundaries of my ADD. But, as I said before, I want to publish the best novel a first-time author is capable of creating.

My main fear when I started writing The Catcher’s Trap was that I had no talent, and I would embarrass myself.  The support of my friends and reviews from kind people I have not had the pleasure of meeting yet have made me more confident in my work. Of course, my colossal ego helps a good deal as well.

Pre-orders are moving steady, but I still need your help. This morning I hit 850, which is fantastic; but remember, I lost the contest by one book; so I won’t rest until I hit the mystical 1000.

On another super positive front, The Catcher’s Trap Facebook page has almost 700 followers! If you want to join the fun here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/catcherstrap

Well, I guess my definition of “quick” is questionable –same as my fashion decisions in the mid 90’s -

Please pre-order the book and spread the word. If you have not ordered yet, please support my efforts. If you are a fellow author, know that I am here to support yours.

Have a great day!

Hello, Friends!

The Aftermath...

It took me a couple of hours to move from the corner of my couch where I usually sit when I am depressed. “One book, you lost by one book.” I kept telling myself while wondering whose fault that was. Was it me for not moving fast enough? For not asking enough people? For skipping doors in my neighborhood? Or was it that friend who said she was pre-ordering 3 weeks ago and after 5 reminders never did?

If I have learned anything from 50 years of Doctor Who, is that there are moments fixed in time that cannot be changed no matter what we do. I believe this was one of them. I was not meant to win The Nerdist contest, and I have to live with that.

Yesterday’s urgency and  later on grief made me miss something magical happening around me. A chain of people from all over the world; from Eugene –Oregon-  to Sydney; and from Hamden to the Chilean Atacama Desert, spent a day fighting shoulder to shoulder with me to help me win.

My phone was ringing the whole day with messages and texts from friends who decided to turn yesterday into a global “get out the vote” day for The Catcher’s Trap.

 It certainly felt like an election day. By noon –Eastern Time- I knew it was going to come down to 1 or 2 books. I was hopeful, though; orders were pouring, and an entire contingency from the University of Utah had joined the campaign mid-morning. In the opposite side of the globe, my massive Chilean family worked as a team trying to figure out a website written in a language unfamiliar to them.

At 2:58 I knew I had fallen short. I watched the seconds fly away as a landslide of rage and sadness overcame me. For the next two hours, I obsessed over the failure.

Today I feel nothing but blessed. The universe decided that the best way to show me how many people care about me was making me lose one of the most important campaigns I’ve ever run. Well played universe; I get it, I totally get it.

The Catcher’s Trap will become a reality one day. I am not sure when, though. I am really close to the 750 copies needed for an electronic run of the book, but I am not sure I will go that road.  I need an actual book, one that I can sign and personally deliver to that core group of people who yesterday put their lives on hold, just to support a friend’s silly dream.

Thank you all for your support. I promise I’ll be in touch.  

Dear friends

Just a quick and final update to thank you all for your support. The contest will be over in a couple of hours and it seems like the most likely outcome will be that I end up in 6th place. Being so close, and at the same time, so far away from the prize is going to sting. But that’s life.

If I have learned anything during my years living in this country is that everything is possible; so who knows, maybe those of you who are following me but have not ordered the book will get inspired and make a difference.

No matter what, I am thankful for this whole process. Through it I learned a lot about the author’s community, my friends and myself; all good things.

If I don’t make it to top 5, I have to think what the future of The Catcher’s Trap will be. I can tell you that one way or another I will make sure this book gets published. I believe in my work, I believe in the inspiration behind it, and I believe in the good that it can do.

That’s it!

Love you all

Have a fantastic day!

Hello all

Hello all, I hope you are having a great weekend! 

I want to share with you and quick and fun video where I speak about the inspiration behind The Catcher's Trap. 

Editing and subtitles were done by my mini-schnauzer Penny-Lane so any complaints I'll pass to her...enjoy.

https://youtu.be/hdgq_PGh_U4

Thanks!!

Dear Friends

Thank you for pre-ordering The Catcher’s Trap and thank you for following the book. As I said on my previous update, the competition is fierce. Right now The Catcher’s Trap is still among the top 5, but I need a lot of support to stay there.

Please, if you haven’t pre-order the book, do it as soon as you can, and if you did, ask one friend or a family member to do the same. This is a guerrilla-style campaign; only a personal ask will move people to pre-order.

In the meantime, and I am flattered to say because of popular demand, I have released a teaser for Chapter 2. As I said before it is a draft, and things may change.

 In this chapter you’ll get an idea of where our Hero comes from, and the origin of his struggle.

The teaser is in the book's Facebook page. I will make the entire chapter available on Inkshares next Monday.

I am planning to update the Facebook page often with exclusive content you won’t find anywhere else, including videos of me talking about the project, excerpts from future chapters and many more things. 

I invite those of you who I haven’t met yet, to use this page as a way to communicate with me and share your thoughts regarding the book or any other topics related to being an indie author.

Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/catcherstrap

Have a fantastic weekend! (get it? Fantastic…)

Dear Friends

It has been an excited 24 hours. The Catcher’s Trap is number 4 in the leading board, and that is all thanks to you. Quoting the amazing Sandra Bernhard  “Without you I'm nothing!”  

I am humbled by your support and by the messages that many of you have sent me. Of course it is still early in the game; the competition is fierce, and I am sure every reader will count at the end.

I have read many of the excerpts available from the other authors in the top 10, and there is so much talent there. I wish Nerdist and Inkshares would pull an Oprah and say “you get a book, and you get a book and you get a book.” :-)  but that won’t happen so we have to keep hassling.

I am thankful for all the love, but I know that writing is the most important part of this process. Believe me, I have not stopped working on my book; I am so close to the finish line I can hear the cheers from the crowd.  But I know many edits and many drafts will come before I’m ready to share a final product with the world.

You have done a lot already, I know, but I have to push my luck and keep asking you for more. Please ask  a friend to pre-order The Catcher's Trap. In the last week I have learned that sharing the link on social media gives me great exposure and drives a lot of traffic to my page, but it doesn’t translate into orders; what seems to work is a personal ask. If you believe in my work, or if you are one of those friends who ordered just because you think I am charming (I take it and thank you) I ask you to please ask one friend to pre-order; we can win this!

Honestly, I wish I could send a fraction of my excitement your way; I can assure you it would paint your day with rainbows.

Ricardo.