Moments With Joey

Pin It Several of you may know that Jason was about to publish his first book, a collection of his favorite "Moments With Joey" (some stories shared previously on this blog, as well as several new segments) around the time of his death.  Its taken quite some time, but I finally felt ready to revisit this project, as well as a few others he had been working on.

Yes, Jason now has his first book published.

It is bittersweet to see this come to being and not have him here to see his joy from all that hard work finally coming to pass.

Can I just imagine this moment for a minute? (Yeah, I know, my Photoshop skills suck, but just roll with it people!)

Jason had a way with words that could capture a moment and infuse it with  childlike wonder and delight so real that you could reach out and touch it. As such, I feel it is all the (to quote Jason) "more better" to now be able hold a little piece of that magic in our own hands.

Any proceeds that come from the sale of "Moments With Joey" will go into publishing other books he has worked on, including one some of his old students are well familiar with, "Take The Long Way Home". As planned, "Take The Long Way Home" and "My Brother Ryan" will both be published in 2019. Several children's picture books are planned as well. More on that to come.

With the purchase of the paperback, you will receive a deal to also purchase the eBook version at a discounted rate, perfect for giving or keeping for yourself. The Kindle version is also available to read for free as part of the Kindle Unlimited library (just in case you happen to be a member).

You can find "Moments With Joey" currently on Amazon, or just click the link above. Feel free to comment with some of your favorite Joey moments, or memories of Jason below, as we would love to read them.

Lastly, I get asked about the Joey Dosent Lyke Kittys shirt that Jason used to offer (drawn by his ever-talented sister, Miya Edwards). Yes, the shirts are now available again. Click the link above to be taken to Red Bubble's website where you will find the design available on a variety of shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers and more. As Jason would say, it is all just pure awesomesauce.

I wish you all the best for this holiday season, and joy in the new year to come.

~Shawna

Writing update - There's a lot to do

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Whoa…

I just read over a BUNCH of information about becoming a published author, and there is a LOT more to it than I originally thought!

Author Rick Walton said: “If people really knew how much work it takes to be a successful writer, most people would never start.”

I must say that I am inclined to agree. Now, does this mean that I am giving up? Of course not! However, does it mean that I still have a lot to do?

Yes.

I guess you could say that I am feeling a bit overwhelmed tonight, and wondering if it will ever really happen…if it does, great. If it doesn’t, it hasn’t happened yet, and I am still alive, right?

I think that I would be able to continually to survive this as well.

No more tonight…but thanks for reading.

All 8 of you.

Writing update - The book…

Pin It Well, I have realized that I still have a long way to go with my story before I allow this thing to traverse into the halls of publication.

This realization came when I started to read it aloud to my class the other day. Whoa…does this story NOT flow well when read aloud! It amazes me just how much I tried to “bring the reader” into the story through detail, and this actually bogged down the flow of the thing altogether.

So, what does this mean? Well, for starters it entails a major rewrite of the story, and the cutting out of a lot of unneeded text. Nip here, tuck there, flesh it out a little in a few spots as well.

Final prognosis? The patient is doing well, but is in for some serious rehab…

Let it rain

Pin It My head is full of reflections tonight; these tumble about in my head like the crystalline rushing of a mountain stream over a bed of smoothly-worn stones of thought.

I’ve come to realize just that life is much too short to live in apprehension, cowering with the fear of rejection, and listening to the whining of that little incessant voice in the back of our minds which whispers, “You just can’t do it.”

Who’s to stop me?

Probably just me, after all, I’ve done it numerous times before. I’m good at it too…too good to be exact.

The waters rush on as I stare at my computer screen tonight. As I do, I realize that there will be so much more to consider in the waters, what with the oncoming of the rain in the distant mountains.

Luckily, I do have an umbrella.

Let it rain.

Writing update - Me? A published author?

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I returned home from an evening out with some dear friends.

I checked my blog.

I had a few comments, which I proceeded to read. Nestled amongst them was a remark from my sister, Miya. She left me a link to a self-publisher known as Outskirts Press.

I thought about it…

I thought long and hard about submitting…something.

I just don’t know about this though. I did a little figuring and discovered that my book, “Take the Long Way Home,” would be in the vicinity of 129 pages if published as a 8.5” x 5.5” book…which would run about $5.00 in cost for each copy printed, plus the cost of set-up, barcode fees, as well as about a thousand other “small” charges which—amazingly—drives up the cost by $1,000.

Though it would be grand to have one of my books published, going this route could very well turn out to be a pretty expensive endeavor.

I guess I don’t know if it is really good enough to be published…or worth this cost. The story was written awhile ago, and probably still needs a million things fixed/added/changed…

I just don’t know…