The Out-of-the-ordinary Thanksgiving List

On facebook I'm doing a countdown to Thanksgiving of the things I'm most thankful for, but this is a list of those things that might not come immediately to mind for most people. I'm a bit strange, and here's proof.

1) Washing Machines: I lived in the Philippines while serving a mission for the LDS church. For many reasons that I won't go into here, we hired someone who bought most groceries, cooked, and did laundry. But there were plenty of times when we did our own or we stopped to help someone with their laundry. I learned to use a washboard or my knuckles and a bar of soap to get my clothes clean and I can definitely say, I appreciate washing machines. (I'm the one on the right.)

2) Kitchen Sinks: When my husband and I married, we were both poor college students so when my uncle offered to let us live in the 1940's house/office building that had once belonged to my grandfather, we gratefully said yes. Unfortunately, the kitchen had no sinks, stoves, or any appliances besides a refrigerator. We used a hotplate and crock pot to cook and we had a couple of little blue tubs that we could just fit under the bathroom faucet to fill with hot water so we could wash our dishes. I still have one of them.

3) Pooper scoopers: I've bought all the fancy ones. They break. The one we have now is like something from an old 50's movie, where the guy goes around with the garbage bin that flops to the ground and the person sweeps garbage into it, only we use a rake. May be archaic, but it beats grabbing the stuff with a plastic grocery bag.

4) Toilet paper: See time spent in the Philippines from above. 'Nuff said.

5) Disneyland: No reason. I just love Disneyland.

Anyone else? What are the unusual items on your gratitude list?

A Short Shout-out

Yesterday was Veteran's Day. I spent the day with my family, thankful to live in a free, thriving country. If you question that second part  then I suggest you visit a third-world country, or one run by a dictator. We have our problems, but we're still relatively free to do with our lives as we please, to strive for opportunities and make of ourselves what we wish.

As far as I know, no one in my ancestry served in the armed forces. My dad was recruited for the Vietnam War then turned away because of a funky metal plate he'd had in his chest since he was a child. And yet, I'd always been raised to respect the men who have fought for our country and our freedoms. I was raised in the 70's, so I wasn't raised to respect the women who fight for our country, but I equally appreciate their work and sacrifice.

I don't want to go on and on today, but in the month of Thanksgiving and veterans, I just want to raise a civilian salute to all who have served and do currently serve. I have friends among those ranks, and thanks to my nephew's enlistment last year, I have kin among the few, the proud, the marines. Thank you for your service.

Funded! A Scary Halloween.

Kickstarter, Kickstarter, Kickstarter. Yes, you could say that word has dominated much of my thinking for the last 4+ weeks. I find it somewhat ironic that we reached our Kickstarter funding goal for Noble Ark on Halloween day. That's not irony, you say? No, it's not, but my terror at reaching my goal could go into the is-it-irony debate arena. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled. It's just that I'm also terrified. All of these people have stepped up to the plate in absolute support, and I have to deliver what I've promised by the time I promised.

Can I do it? Yes. Everything is in order. I've talked to the artist and though the contract isn't signed yet, she sounds eager to get started. The contract is signed with the editor. I'm in the process of self-publishing a small short story anthology as practice, and if that doesn't go well, I have several typography quotes from reliable companies and I can hand the mess to them for some money out of my pocket. It's all good, but I'm still scared because this is something I've never done before.

I think this hits all of us a few dozen to thousand times in our life; the step into the dark unknown. The point where all our preparation comes down to one thing...doing something we've never done before. Without human being's ability to risk and try, none of us would know how to walk, throw, swim, or a dozen basic things that we do in life. At one point, we decided the risk was worth the cost of failure, and we tried. It amazes me how many of us lose that ability to risk. Of course, we don't want to risk death because we'd like to try flying from a building. There are stupid risks that shouldn't be considered, but so many times we won't try something new, or attempt to learn a skill, or make steps to improve ourselves. Is it a fear of failure or is it fearing the responsibility we associate with success?  For me, I think it's a little bit of both. I should have started this Kickstarter months ago, but I had to work up the gumption to risk the consequences.

Now, it's time for the next risk, to publish the book. Again, I'm not sure which I fear more, failure making me obscure, notorious success, or some mediocre level in between. I know this, the risk is worth the rewards. If there's anything out there you want to do, learn, or become, I hope you can gauge your opportunities with a level-minded, hopeful eye, put fear aside, and take the risks that move you in the right direction.

Why Sojourner Tales?

I was moseying through my emails when something different caught my eye: A Kickstarter by Tracy Hickman. I've always loved Tracy Hickman's writing, and I'm one of the fortunate people who not only has met Tracy, but been privileged to have some personal conversation time with him. He's an amazing guy and one of the kindest people I've ever met. So, I immediately clicked on the link to check it out. I watched the Kickstarter video, and fell in love with the concept. 

One thing that seems to be common among most Sci-fi/Fantasy writers is a love of games. I enjoy the occasional RPG or X-box, but I particularly love board games and card games. I like to interact with the people playing and the round-the-table, taking turns, method is my favorite. Sojourner Tales is even better. You have a game board with all the cool pieces, people roll dice and take turns, but the play is based on decisions people make in the accompanying story. One story module offers dozens of game scenarios and if you get multiple story modules, you've got a lot of games, and every one different. It's like one of those books where you make the character's decisions in those turning-point moments, then skip to page X to see what happens. Except this is putting the concept into an interactive board game. THAT IS COOL. So I signed up. I wanted the game, but I didn't realize there was more being offered until Tracy talked about Add-ons. I could get in on the game design.

For a very reasonable price, Tracy allowed contributors to create their own story modules to go along with the game, and gave us license to sell those modules. When he offered a limited number of openings to be part of the original experiment, putting together the modules, getting the kinks out of the system, and being among the first stories available in the store front, I said, "Please?" And Tracy said, "Yes." I am SO stoked!

I already have some ideas. I'd like to use Sojourner Tales to do prequels for characters in my book, Noble Ark Something along the lines of: Aline's journey after her parents died, Ichiro and his black market activities, Nathan's escape from Daerli, and the list of possibilities goes on. None of these will be spoilers for the book, but having read the book will make the Sojourner game even more fun, and playing the game will give you a more in-depth understanding of the characters--the kind of information that would slow a story down, yet makes a great story in and of itself. Can't wait! Because I already know where I want to go with this, I'm able to make the story module available as an add-on in my Kickstarter for Noble Ark. As soon as the story modules start becoming available to the public, I'll be near the front lines to get mine to my fans.

So, why Sojourner Tales? Why ever not!

A Blessing and a Curse

We're two weeks into our Kickstarter for Noble Ark and everything is going nothing like I'd expected.

A number of contributors have donated funds without asking for rewards. That is such a blessing. I'm getting closer to the goal, and I'll have extra funds to put toward publishing the next book. I've sworn that every penny would go to publishing and I mean it, so nothing goes into my pocket.

The curse part: it means I overshot the amount I need. I'm preparing a financial report to put on the Kickstarter page and it will show that I actually need a lot less money than I'm raising funds for. If I could change my goal, I would, but Kickstarter doesn't allow it. So, I really only need about $600 more to publish Noble Ark, but if I don't raise the full $1200 then I get nothing.

The solution: full disclosure to the participants and an extended publishing plan that includes the second book.  And hope.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/203246974/noble-ark-how-it-should-end

The Plateau

Plateaus happen. When you're trying to lose weight (something that has been part of my life since childhood), there are plateaus. When you're trying to learn a new skill, like writing amazing fiction, there are plateaus...a lot of them, by the way. And in my ongoing Kickstarter, there are plateaus.

Because of some amazing contributions, the Noble Ark Kickstarter reached 60% funding in less than a week. That's incredible! And then it plateaued. That's depressing. But understandable. Plateaus happen. I reached all the people who were going to immediately jump behind me and give me full support, and now I have to work for the rest. Sounds a lot like losing weight, huh?

So, as I'm kicking myself to get going again today, I encourage you to keep going toward your goals. Don't let the plateaus get you down or even slow you down. A plateau is the level bit before the next drop or rise. As long as we keep working, we'll attain the goal. As the upcoming holiday season reminds us (and yes, I'm already listening to Christmas music), just believe.

You Can Never Please Everyone...So Just Move On Already!

Last week I talked about the necessity of waiting, but today it's all about moving on. I also mentioned the video for Kickstarter that we could talk about another time. Well, it's another time.

For the Kickstarter video, I thought it would be fun to put together a HISHE-style video about how I started writing, which is when my work on Noble Ark began.When my daughter saw it, the look of fear and revulsion told me what she thought before I could ask. It was cute, but it was also horrible.

Scene 2:  My daughter is a make-up guru so she helped me get ready and I performed a scripted monologue. I set up the camera for nice lighting, practiced (and performed) a hundred times and then packed it all up. Done!

Not!

Looked at it later. The way I'd done my hair made me look ten years older, the background was dull and washed me out, and I didn't have to ask anyone. It didn't work.

Scene 3: Different outfit, hair done nice, bookshelves as a backdrop. Everything went well, but when I looked at it later. Plain boring.

We continued on like that. I started getting people's opinions. Most of the feedback was positive, but some wasn't. We worked at it some more. I asked for more opinions. Most of the feedback was positive, but some wasn't. Repeat. Repeat.  (You get the idea)

The thing is, if I don't get 100% Love-Its on my writing, which I've spent thousands of hours studying and practicing and which I love, why would I expect to get that response on something I'm a novice at and have little interest in. With that realization, I hit the SEND button, placing the Kickstarter, and the  conglomerate video, into the review pile at Kickstarters.

The point: there's a time to wait while you get everything in order and there's a time to close your eyes and jump in. Never hesitate to the point of paralysis. I almost did, but comfortable with my face or not, with my daughter as my biggest fan, and a poor HISHE-style video, this Kickstarter tells the story and presents the possibilities. People will look beyond the flaws and see the book's potential or they won't. I'll continue moving forward.

On Time

The trip to the grocery store always takes longer than planned, the writing of a book always requires days or weeks of meditation to get that next scene or plot twist just right, and getting a Kickstarter ready...let's just say, *sigh.*

I'm still working on the progress bar for my website. I've seen these things in a number of places. It shouldn't be so hard. But, for me, it is.

I'm still working on the video for the upcoming Kickstarter. I've dressed up three times, made three attempts, and after viewing each one I was finally happy with the last one. This was the one that was practically unscripted and my daughter and I bantered with one another while telling the story of how my writing career began. I think it's a good story, but maybe that's a subject for another day.

I'm waiting on a contract with my editor, Evan Braun, and my artist, Suzanne Helmigh, is waiting on the contract from me. I finished drawing it up, but wanted someone to review it. A friend said he would...and I'm still waiting.

I did all the bank forms required for the Kickstarter, but they have yet to tell me the bank account has been verified.

Thumbnail pictures should be finished today. Let's hope that comes in on time, but I wouldn't be surprised, or upset, if it takes another day.

See, that's just life. We can plan all we want, but there will be hitches. What matters is if we let them stop us from getting done what we need, or want, to get done. As long as we keep moving forward, we will eventually reach the end of the trail, the light at the end of the tunnel. I think we all have a time when we recognize that whatever we're waiting for will eventually arrive and then we'll be surprised that the moment has come, whether it be in anticipation or dread. In the case of bearing children, both.

I remember having that a-ha moment as a kid. I was jittery, excitedly awaiting the time for some performance or reward; I don't remember what it was, but I remember that bitter pang that I couldn't wait and it felt like the time would NEVER arrive. And then I remembered all the times I'd felt the same, but then the day had come and it really hadn't taken as long as I'd thought it would, and for all my anticipation, the moment was over too fast.  That was when I started learning a new word, pragmatism.  It does no good to worry and fret when that energy is much better used to plan and prepare. Time passes regardless of what we do with it. I'm still human, I still worry a fair amount, but I can usually put at least some of that worry aside and get the job done.

With that pragmatism in mind, I asked another friend to look at the artist contract. I emailed my wonderful editor about the contract we need to put together. I sent an inquiry to the Kickstarter people about the bank account verification, and I'm going to get back to work on the video.  Will the Kickstarter finish "on time" as I'd planned? Probably not. Instead of Oct. 1st, we're now looking at Oct. 4th. Doesn't matter. We will still move forward, we will still run the project for 28 days, and we will fund. Sometimes, "on time" is relative.

The Second Book

I think anyone who is following this blog, if anyone is at this point, knows I'm working on the release of Noble Ark sometime in early 2014. But don't you hate it when an author comes out with a debut book and then you have to wait 1,2,3 YEARS for the sequel. This post is to let everyone know, you won't have to wait that long. Not even close. Because...the second book is already finished. I'm getting it back from the last of my critique readers this week and will begin editing. Now, that's my editing, not final product editing. In order for a book to truly be polished, it has to go through a professional editor. Many self-publishing authors skip this step, which is one of the reasons many self-published novels don't read as well as those done by publishing companies.

And by the way, the reaction to Desolation has been even better than the positive reactions I received about Noble Ark. You're going to love it.

So, by the time Noble Ark releases to the public, after what I'm sure will be a fabulous Kickstarter campaign, Desolation will be ready to go to press. If I can manage the funds myself, I'll release it on the heels of Noble Ark, within 3 months. If I have to do another Kickstarter then it will be closer to six months. By then, the third book will be finished and going through editing (assuming we can get our house sold soon and get out of the moving process ;).

To keep everyone informed, I'm going to stop writing this post now, so I can spend some time trying to figure out how to put up a progress bar on my webpage. That way, you can always know where I am on each book, and what other books I've written that may be forthcoming.  I'm not the most tech savvy, so wish me luck!

On Rejection

After expectation often comes rejection. I have a daughter who said to me once, "I refuse to hope anymore. Nothing ever works out, so why bother?" Not entirely true, but where we dare to hope, occasionally our hopes will be dashed.

Yesterday, I received an email from a publisher stating that though she "likes my writing style," my novel, Noble Ark, didn't "fit with their current lineup." A rejection. I've had a fair amount of these. Anyone in the writing business has. I had a well-known agent that I was dying to work with request the full manuscript and then say that it needed more romance up-front and it's hard to sell science fiction in the YA market--rejection. Finally, a wonderful agent read it and picked me up, and then the sit-and-wait started. I got fed up with the whole publishing process and decided to self-publish, which is why this rejection hurt so much.

I wasn't excited at first about going with this publisher. I had just started the ball rolling to self-publish so why should I hand over a percentage of the profits? But they would take care of formatting, help with advertising, and handle much of the distribution. Okay, it might be worth it IF they could give me a good book cover. And then THEY rejected ME! Yeah, it hurt.

And then we move on.

I still have an incredible editor lined up, an amazing artist, and though I'd like to crack my skull against a wall, I'm figuring out how to do a Kickstarter project.  Many people have said they want to see Noble Ark published, to have a copy in their hands and know that the sequels will be coming. Kickstarter will be the test.  I hope it will succeed because hope is the one thing I can't give up. If those hopes are dashed, I'll pick up the pieces and continue to move forward. From this point on, fans and friends, we fail or succeed together.

On Expectations

As I watched my daughter fret about whether or not she made the volleyball team, looking at her emails every hour or less to see if the coach had contacted her, it got me thinking about expectations. The coach had said she'd send the email over the weekend, and my daughter felt sure it would come by Saturday night. I've had some expectations lately, too. Our house is for sale, we lowered the price, and I expected some interest. None came. I have my novel with a publisher who was very quick to ask for the full manuscript, so I expected a follow-up response this week. But our expectations don't always come to fruition. In fact, I'd venture to say, they rarely do. Life is very good at curve balls. The coach emailed Sunday night, and she did make the team. 

In thinking about this, it reminded me of a lesson I've been trying to teach myself my entire life: don't worry about the things you can't change, be active about the things you can. My daughter couldn't make that email come any sooner and she caused undue stress by worrying about it. But she did have her paperwork ready to fill out, her doctor's physical form in a place she could find it, and she had plans for whether she made it or not. I can't make anyone want my house, but I can continue to make it look better and analyze the pricing with my husband and with the realtor. I can't make that publisher respond within my expected time frame, but I can decide what I consider reasonable, when the time comes I can let her know that I need to move with it, and I can have preparations in place to self-publish it if that's what I decide. 

My critique readers and many interested in my career have asked me when they would be able to purchase a physical copy of Noble Ark. I promise, somehow, some way, it will happen in 2014. Wheels are in motion, one way or the other, and I will not let you down. As for the other series I've started, I'm taking them down a different path, so you might have to wait a bit longer. But little by little, it's all coming together, and it will be fabulous!

Black Space

I struggled with what to name this blog, but everything felt wrong until I used my pseudonym as part of the blog name. I debated between Black Hole and Black Space, but I can be kind of spacey, so I went with the Black Space concept. Although, if I get on a rant, which I sometimes do, some of you might want me to shut up, in which case, telling me to shut my Black Hole might be appropriate. 

So, why the pseudonym? I wanted to keep my personal life and my writing life somewhat separate. It's impossible to keep it entirely separate, but having a pseudonym gives me a semblance of anonymity, and I like that. Then came the moment of choosing one, and as many authors do, I looked to my maiden name, Black. Initially, I thought to call myself Colette Noir--the French equivalent of Black. Everyone said it sounded too romance-author, not that romance is bad, and almost all my stories have an element of romance, but I primarily write sci-fi, fantasy, horror. Everyone liked Black, it fits with my writing style, and it moves me back near the top of the alphabet. I love my married name, but whenever anything is in alphabetical order, my mind starts to wander. By the time they call me, they have to say my name two or three times before I wake up and respond. Very embarrassing. 

So, my name is Colette Black. If you want to get to know me better, welcome to the Black Space between my ears. Good luck not getting lost.