Hey, remember when I posted stuff in my blog every day and we all had a good time while learning? It's a distant memory, but if you squint, you may be able to pick it up.
Anyway. It's summer, I've been working on awesome projects that I can't talk about, finishing up awesome projects that I've talked about a lot already (Memories of the Future, special edition of Happiest Days, etc.), and since Ryan came home from school and I have my whole family together under one roof again, I'm not especially motivated to stay at my computer after I'm done working, you know?
To close some tabs, though, please enjoy these things that are all related:
Indie Kindle Author lands book deal
He will be published in hardcover in 2010 and is working on his next book featuring swashbuckling adventurer Tyler Locke.
Kick ass, Boyd Morrison! I hope your experience in traditional publishing is better than mine was, and I hope you'll keep your fellow authors informed about your experience.
Author Michael Stackpole: "I don't worry about pirates."
I have a similar philosophy, and I consider myself tremendously lucky to have the kind of relationship with my customers that I do.
Sunken Treasure has gotten some incredible reviews at Lulu:
Wil's writing is very honest, clever, vulnerable, raw, and unprocessed. He's not afraid to show his doubts or fears, and he's not embarrassed to share his highs. It makes him very real and very likeable. After reading this sampler, I wanted to know more about him.
Finally, I simply appreciate the fact that this is an independently published work. I think a lot of people shy away from self-published books because they're concerned about unchecked quality. The writing here is terrific and there is a feel of integrity and control in presenting it.
So...yeah, that's pretty awesome. I love it that so many readers enjoy
Sunken Treasure, and the biggest complaint is that it leaves people
wanting to read more (kind of the idea, but don't tell anyone I said
that, okay?)
This morning, Twitter user @KenMcConnell said: "Wil (@wilw) Wheaton's Sunken Treasure used on Scribd page for ad copy. Cool for him! http://bit.ly/19Y18W" I grabbed a screenshot, because it's one of those things I kind of want to remember when I'm in the adult diapers stage of my life. If I haven't kicked the everlivingshit out of this dead horse, allow me to take a few more whacks (slow, then fast): publishing with Lulu has been a fantastic experience for me. It's easy, the quality of the final product is fantastic, and it frees me up to do the creative stuff I couldn't do when I was fulfilling orders in my living room with the occasional help from my friends and family. If you're considering publishing, I suggest you give Lulu serious consideration.
When I was in Portland, working on Leverage, I spent all of my non-acting time writing stories. When I wasn't writing, I hung out with John Rogers and talked about writing stories. I'm not sure if I grew a level, but definitely gained a whole lot of XP: I wrote a short story that I love (to be released in the near future after I give it a second draft and Andrew applies the Red Pen of Doom) and began work on another that shows at least some promise.
Ryan just wandered out of his room and sat down next to me on the couch with his laptop.
"Dude, you have to see this!" He said, pointing to something on the screen.
"Who is this is?" I said, glancing up from my own laptop.
"Check it out!" He clicked the mouse and flipped the screen toward me. This is what he showed me.
"Dude..." I shook my head.
He giggled. "I totally got you."
"You totally did."
It's really great to have him home.