This is story, and while it is short, it holds a lot of truth.
It is the origin of the Ice Cream Harem.
Long ago, when I had more hair, I ran anime conventions. It was my entire life. There was no such thing as a 40 hour week, or an 8 hour shift. It was a job that required every waking moment, and it drove me mad. It wasn’t the stress, or the work, but the sense that there was no escape. No refuge. No quarter.
Late one night, when the world came closing in, I did what any queer kid would; when the going gets tough, the tough go shopping. So off I went with my band of miscreant housemates to the only pace open at 3:30 in the morning. My ass flailed and twirled through the grocery store aisles, frolicking the produce section and slinging insults at the meat cases.
It was somewhere between the lonely frozen dinners and the dairy penal colony that an idea formed. A single thought, glorious in its prospect, came into my mind. I screamed at the large man with a beard who lived in my attic to get me a cart. Wrapping my arms around one of my best friends, I whispered, "do you see it? Do you see what I see?"
"Yea," she said, shuffling her feet from the obvious nature of her lie.
When the cart returned, I piled it in. 25 pints of ice cream were liberated from the store that night. 25 pints of ice cream survived the 7 minute car ride home. Popping their tops, I lined them on the counter, 5 x 5, and pulled out a specific spoon. A special spoon born of one purpose. A spoon made to murder ice cream.
Well, I told you my hair was longer. That was the night the Ice Cream Harem was born, and I learned I could fit 25 pints of it in my freezer. It wouldn’t be for a few more years until I understood its power, or how important it was to my well being. This is just an origin story. One that has been waiting to be told.
And I so murdered all that ice cream. It was worth it.
Hello Cape’s Side Bayers!
When I first started writing Cape’s Side Bay it was called The Woods or something like that, and it was a screenplay. I realized that I would never be able to raise a budget for such a film, and so I reworked it as a novel and gave it the title: Cape’s Side Bay.
I had no idea what I would do with it once it was written. I had never written a novel before. Then I was on twitter one day and saw something about a book called Abomination by Gary Whitta. I was intrigued, and so I looked for the book on Amazon, but it wasn’t there. I googled it and it took me to this site called Inkshares. I signed up, bought the book, then over the next couple of months got to know the site better and ordered some books I otherwise never would have found.
I decided in July 2015 that Inkshares would be the perfect place to publish Cape’s Side Bay. Over the next six months I stayed onboard, writing and rewriting the manuscript, and watching other campaigns unfold on the site. What books succeeded, which didn’t (I was guilty of being gun shy on more than a few books, regrettably).
I’m glad I dove into this wonderful world of Inkshares. I’ve come across some fantastic books, and better people. I look forward to sticking around long after my books campaign has come and gone, and the book is published (fingers crossed full-publishing).
26 days remain in this campaign. As I said before, I am exhausted, but I wouldn’t change it for anything!
I want to just send a couple notes to a few of my fellow authors on this site who have been extremely supportive and have some books you NEED to check out!
The Knightmares, by G. A. Finocchiaro. I absolutely love this book, and think you will as well! 52 days left and almost at Quill! You don’t have to take my word for it, check out his guest post at Apotheosis Studios: http://apotheosisstudios.com/blog/2016/8/5/the-knightmares-guest-post-by-inkshares-author-hopeful-g-a-finocchiaro
Squids In, by Matthew Poat. Yes, it’s a ridiculous premise. Yes, it’s awesome! Check this one out, and don’t be afraid of it! Squids don’t bite (not that I know of) and this one is well worth your time! 31 days left to order! Don’t wait!
SideScroller, by Andrew Fantasia. I’ve known Andrew for around 10 years, so maybe I’m a bit biased, but I’m not. This is another Video Game book, and its a doozy. Andrew’s an exceptionally talented writer, I’ve read a bunch of his other work, and he will always have my support. He has 21 days left with over 100 orders needed to hit Quill!
That’s all for me. Enjoy your day and take care!
https://www.inkshares.com/books/cape-s-side-bay
Happy National Book Lovers Day! Today also marks the official launch date for Welcome to Deadland! Next week will be the year anniversary of entering the Nerdist Collection Contest, and today this book no longer belongs to just me, but to all of you and to all of the future readers who pick up a copy. Over the weekend I had the opportunity to take Welcome to Deadland to the source of its inspiration, where the initial seeds of imagination were planted in my mind.
I had the privilege of launching Welcome to Deadland at a Barnes & Noble in Orlando. The turnout was beyond what I could have expected. I didn’t get a picture of the entire crowd, but this was about fifteen minutes before we started and the seats were filling up fast. I read the prologue and answered a series of questions. One of my close friends filmed the entire event and will be editing together a video of the event as well. I was overwhelmed with support, friends and family drove down and flew in from all over the country. Each time I was surprised by the appearance of one person, someone else unexpected would show up and surprise me all over again.
Another awesome moment of the day was a stop by the tattoo parlor where my mom received the first Welcome to Deadland tattoo, and had it done in my handwriting!
Also: Welcome to Deadland Ferris wheel tattoos!
My dad and stepmom drove over from Tampa, and I had my siblings by my side.
I can’t say thank you enough to everyone who showed up, to those of you that backed and preordered my book, the readers who ordered the book beyond the funding campaign, and to Inkshares and Nerdist for giving me the opportunity to put Welcome to Deadland out in the world. From the bottom of my heart, I give you all my sincerest gratitude.
And remember, the infected aren’t the only thing you have to watch out for in theme parks. Dinosaurs are right around the corner, too!!
Hello my fellow Knightmares!
As I start off every update, I thank you for all the support! You are all the reason why this project is 44 pre-orders away from Quill publishing, and I can’t thank you enough.
With that said, we have 51 days to get those last 44 pre-orders.
So, this is that time to jump on this train if you’re still on the fence. This is the time to grab that additional copy for a friend, for your local library, for that special girl or boy in your life. I say, "give them the gift of KNIGHTMARES!" No, really, they’ll thank you.
And remember:
Want to see that t-shirt?
I recently did a guest blog post on the Apotheosis Blog, you can read that here. And while you’re at it, check out the blog owner’s book:
Rune of the Apprentice - by Jamison Stone - Filled with magic and mystery, Rune of the Apprentice is an action-packed novel of adventure, love, and self-discovery.
I ordered a copy, and you should too.
BOOKS TO KEEP YOUR EYE ON:
This week launched a new contest here on Inkshares for fantasy writers, and the site is inundated with new authors. Digging through all the new content has been overwhelming, and there’s so much good stuff that’s getting buried under the chaos. Here are a few that caught my eye.
Big Bad Beautiful by Daniel Garvin - She is a monster enslaved, the Wolf. He is her reluctant handler, the Red. Together they are the protectors of their leader, their savior, their tyrant, Grandmother. This is their pilgrimage.
The Living God by Kaytalin Platt - When Saran’s magic is stolen, she must confront a life without the ability to manipulate time, struggle to see a rebellion finished, and keep Keleir from falling ever closer to becoming The Living God.
The Delicate Art of Soulripping by Sara Polk - When you die your soul doesn’t just leave your body. There’s a process: ripping, reaping, replacing.
The Hunter Saga by H.A. Paaso - A seer in ancient Greece has a dream of monsters wiping out humans. With the help of divinities and mythical beasts, will our heroes save the future of humanity? History, magic, legend, comedy and tragedy, all will be included in this epic adventure.
Crowdfunding is hard, and the ONLY time it’s fun is when things start falling into place and you see all your hard work paying off. So if you have a few extra Alexander Hamilton’s hanging around, throw one or two at one or two, or all four of these projects. These are people’s dreams you’re supporting. Support independent artists because these are the true gems of the world. These are the people with jobs, families, priorities and still manage to put 20-40 hours a week into their dream.
