A Day For Dreaming

Horray! Today is BOOKBUB DAY! This means that my debut novel, THE SOWING, is temporarily discounted to $0.99. DID YOU HEAR THAT? YOU CAN BUY AN ENTIRE BOOK FOR NINETY-NINE CENTS! Does anyone else find this a little bit crazy? Crazy awesome, amirite?! After all, once upon a time, books were the possessions of the elite, the wealthy, the aristocracy, and even they didn’t have very many of them. And before that, often the only people who had books were monks, because only monks could read, because no one else really needed to read – they were too busy slaying infidels and rescuing (read: harassing) damsels in distress to bother with books. And before THAT, people vastly preferred to listen to speeches, hear oral histories, or keep records on tablets or walls, because paper was so expensive, and hard to preserve, and happens to be quite flammable. And before THAT, we recorded all of our thoughts on the walls of caves, and didn’t even have letters or alphabets or pictures with which to write things down….

When you look at the history of reading in the grand scheme of things (as I like to do, because I am a super-nerd), it’s pretty fucking rad that you can buy a book for literally under a buck. You can buy a book for less than the price of a cup of coffee to go along with it. It’s actually a quarter the cup of a latte from any quality coffee house. In fact, the amount of coffee it may take you to power through this book could be as much as ten times the price of the book. And if you throw a few egg sandwiches or smoothies or lemon bars or cookies in there because sitting at a cafe and reading is even more delightful with some food in hand, well….

Am I rambling again? I think I’m rambling again. I always get distracted when thinking about lemon bars.

My larger point in all of this is that I am astonishingly lucky to be living in a time when writing, recording, and passing on our thoughts is so easy. I am lucky I don’t have to write my books out longhand, like Austen or Voltaire or Dickens. I am lucky that if I lose my work, odds are good there will be an auto-save of the document somewhere either on my computer or in the cloud. I am lucky that it is so easy for me to share my writing with friends, family, readers. I am really lucky that I am a writer today, and not fifty years, a century, a millennium ago. I am really fucking lucky.

Readers, too, are fortunate, especially in this day and age of the indie revolution. Now that agents/publishers no longer control the sanctified gates of quality, and readers can determine for themselves what is worth reading and what isn’t, the floodgates have been opened, and everyone has a chance to find a book that they will fall in love with. Not to mention that competition between all these authors has dropped the average price of a book through the floor. When you can buy a book for $0.99 and keep hundreds, possibly thousands, of books in a virtual library called a Kindle or a Nook, why shouldn’t you jump at the chance to read as much as you possibly can? Why not open yourself to as many stories, as many worlds, as possible? Why live one life when you could live thousands?

We are living in a golden age of storytelling, ladies and gentlemen. Anyone who tells you otherwise can go fuck themselves.

And so, I have something of a favor to ask. If you’ve enjoyed my blog or my poems, I would be deeply humbled if you would take this opportunity to pick up a copy of THE SOWING. I co-wrote it with my mom and my sister, and people seem to like it. A lot of people have even said nice things about it. If you’re on the fence, well, that’s what Amazon reviews are for – give them a read-through, and see if it looks like it might be up your alley. (And if you have read it, and wouldn’t mind saying some things about it, I’d be equally delighted to hear your thoughts.)

The Resistance Has Begun.

Remy Alexander wants vengeance. When she and her friends discover a clue that could help reveal the truth behind the massacre that claimed her sister’s life, she may finally get her chance.

Valerian Orlean wants answers. Why the girl he was in love with disappeared three years ago. Why she joined the Resistance – a covert organization sworn to destroy everything he believes in. When he is appointed to lead a government program whose mission is to hunt and destroy the Resistance, he may finally find his answers – and Remy.

In a world where the powerful kill to keep their secrets, and the food you eat can change who you are, Remy and Vale are set on a collision course that could bring everyone together – or tear everything apart.

In this science-fiction dystopia, the mother-daughter writing team of Kristina, Amira, and Elena Makansi immerse readers in the post-apocalyptic world of the Okarian Sector, where romance, friendship, adventure, and betrayal will decide the fate of a budding nation.

Writing is a dream for me. I am damnably lucky to be able to do it on a daily basis, and I hope to one day be lucky enough to devote my life to it. Today is another little step along that path. Today is a day to keep the faith. Today is a day for dreaming.

And for ninety-nine pennies, it’s the cheapest dream money can buy.

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Note: This is the first time in a long time, and will be the last time for some time, that I will attempt to sell you anything, especially anything I’ve written. Thanks for reading, y’all. Peace.