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!!

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