Archive for 2015

Trying To Do It All... But Failing

It's 2am and I'm thinking that I really need to go to bed, because tomorrow I need to be up early. I'm going to the museum with my mother to see the new King Tut exhibit. Yeah, I'm hella excited about it. However, I've thought very little about it tonight. Instead my mind is continually going over the gazillion things that I need and want to do.

Let me see if I can quickly list all of the things that I'm trying to accomplish in any given day: Writing/editing 2 books, book marketing, a daily YouTube vlog, a topic video on my author channel, dieting, exercise, active social media accounts, blog posts, updating blog features, and reading. That's just the average stuff. That doesn't include things like Christmas shopping, decorating, gift wrapping, or anything seasonal such as that. Maybe that seems like a lot to you, or maybe it doesn't, but to me it is.

I suffer from two personal issues: procrastination and...Oh let's just call it being overwhelmed. I tend to bounce between the two. It's so easy to put things off--just 5 more minutes, 30 more minutes...I'll get to it after this movie. Before I know it, I've got 4 hours before bed and only enough time to do a couple things.

Then there's the being overwhelmed part. I really want to work on this side book...Oh but I should work on The Beauty first...but then I've got to do something interesting for the vlog...Of course, if I don't exercise now, I likely won't later...

See how that works? The cycle normally goes on longer than that until I come full circle. At that point I usually fold up and watch a movie instead of doing anything constructive at all.

Essentially if I can't do it all, than I'll choose to do nothing.

These two issues have been my problem for ages. It's incredibly frustrating. I keep telling myself that I'll be better tomorrow. Often that's not the case. If it is, it doesn't last to the following day.

I often look at authors who run successful blogs and publish at least four books a year or I look at popular youtubers who post interesting videos every week/day while running side business--and I am in awe. How do they do it? How do they juggle it all and never feel overwhelmed? How do that do it all and keep the job from becoming "the job"? I aspire to be them and also think that I never can be.

I have great ideas, but I lack ambition and discipline. I'm more the philosopher type than the inventor type. Meaning that I'd like the spend the day staring at the sky and contemplating what could be; as opposed to those who spend the day making their thoughts a reality.

There are a couple things that I'd like to do to change this quality about myself. One is to take better care of myself. I recently juice fasted for a week. I noticed during that time that I felt more ambition. I just had this rare energy that made me want to get up and get doin. It was wild and wonderful. So I believe that if I continue to eat better and cleanse my body of toxic crap, this will aid me in my desired behavioral changes.

The second thing that I'd like to do is to take it all one thing at a time. Don't look at everything that I need to do all at once. Just pick one thing, do it, then move onto the next. That's why I'm writing this post now. I picked it, I did it, and I refused to think about the fact that I need to work on The Beauty or edit the daily vlog for tomorrow.

So that's where I'm at in my life. I'm trying to do it all--currently failing--but not giving up on myself just yet. If there is anyone out there that is actually reading this, I'd love to know how you cope with all that you have to do... -Lindsay Mead


Merch Sale! T-shirts and more!

Happy November everyone! I just wanted to pop in to let you all know that there's a sale going on over at my t-shirt shop. If you use the coupon code: JOY20 on orders over $30, you'll get 20% off. The code is only good until the 8th, so don't hesitate! Have a great month and I'll be back to talk about NaNoWriMo! -Lindsay Mead

THE BEAST Reaches 1,000 Readers!

On June 22nd 2015, I published THE BEAST-- my first book. What a ride it has been so far!

I can't say if the book has done well, bad, or average. I can say that it has exceeded my expectations. The book began with a ranking in the millions (Kindle Version) and I have watched it slowly climb the rankings. To clarify, a low number is good for sales ranking. Meaning that #1 is good and every number after that is "less good". The ranking system is like a mountain and every time THE BEAST got its toes into a new foothold, it refused to go back. I remember thinking that it would be amazing if THE BEAST somehow was ranked above 10,000. Now it's average
seller ranking ranges between 7,000 and 10,000. I couldn't be more proud!

It hasn't been all rave reviews and perfection either. I've gotten my share of bad reviews that really did a number on me. But I'm not going to talk about that here. I'm going to cover my experience with bad reviews in another post to come. In this post, I want to talk about one of the great things that has come from publishing this book.

That great thing is that, two months into its publication, my book has found its way into the hands of one thousand people. I am insanely humbled and in awe at the idea of this. I have received several photos from people reading and holding THE BEAST. I've saved each of these photos and do plan to start some kind of WALL OF READERS or something on this blog. We'll see about that later though.

Right now I just want to take this chance to thank all of those people. Those that bought, shared, and reviewed THE BEAST-- Thank you! From the bottom of my heart, I thank you. Because of each one of you, my dreams are coming true. I can't say it enough...so... thank you <3 -Lindsay Mead


Signed Copies Available!


It's all available! Nook, Kindle, Paperback, and now you can get The Beast SIGNED! Price includes shipping. Order in the next few days to be included in the first shipment.

ORDER SIGNED PAPERBACK
How should I personalize it?

--- PAPERBACK
--- KINDLE
--- NOOK
--- ADD ON GOODREADS
Demon possession has swept through Glace's neighboring kingdom, turning humans into Hellhounds. These great, fanged wolves are wild, desperate, and hungry. Only the sworn Hunters have kept them back for five long, bloody years.

At the young age of fifteen, Belle LeClair became a Hunter. She no longer remembers how many hounds she's killed, or how many friends she's buried. Still, Belle leads the hunt till a tragedy forces her deep into the dark kingdom. Her heart will be turned, her loyalty tested— and fate will intervene.

Amid a backdrop of Steampunk inventions and a harsh winter landscape,
The Beast is a re-imagining of the infamous love between a beauty and a beast.

This is it!

So tomorrow is the big day. Can you believe it? All of the waiting, the doubt, the hard work...it's been leading to this. My book is going to be out there. The whole world will finally be able to read it. And anyone who ever thought that I'd never actually finish a book will have to eat some serious crow. 

But I know what everyone is going to ask me...How do I feel? Am I excited? Nervous? I'm not anything. Honestly. I thought I would cry or jump with glee. But I'm just kinda like, "yeah, it's a thing". I'm happy, but I'm not over the moon about it and I'm not nervous. I have a lot of faith in my book. I know that some won't like it and I'm ok with that. I love my story, I think it's great and I believe that the majority will love it too. I'd rather stay in that frame of mind rather than fearing the worst--which would destroy me.

I do have a couple theories as to why I'm not excited though. First, I've always known this would happen. I was always going to be a writer and I was always going to publish books. I think the excitement may come if I ever reach a successful place with my writing. If I can feed, clothe, and shelter myself because of my books--then I think I'll weep from happiness.

Second, there's a chance that it doesn't feel real to me. I haven't held the book in my hands. I've created this digital mass of words, but to me it's not a real thing. I'm not even sure if I'm being clear here. Maybe when the paperback proof arrives and I finally see it, real and existing--maybe then I'll be overcome. But that's not supposed to arrive till the 29th (ugh) of this month, so we've got some waiting to do.

But for now, I guess I'm just content. My life is moving forward. I'm in a good place, centered directly in my chosen path. The second book is steaming steadily into the halfway marker of the first draft and I feel confident in its 2015 release. So...I'm good. I'm genuinely happy :) -Lindsay Mead

Pre-order The Beast:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Z5LOJVA

Add it on Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/...

Get an email when The Beauty releases by signing up for my newsletter in the upper left column. If you ever signed up to be a reviewer or beta reader for The Beast, then you may have already gotten an email saying you're apart of the newsletter.



Paperback Cover Reveal: The Beast

Demon possession has swept through Glace's neighboring kingdom, turning humans into hellhounds. These great, fanged wolves are wild, desperate, and hungry. Only the sworn Hunters have kept them back for five long, bloody years.

At the young age of fifteen, Belle LeClair became a Hunter. She no longer remembers how many hounds she's killed, or how many friends she's buried. Still, Belle leads the hunt till a tragedy forces her deep into the dark kingdom. Her heart will be turned, her loyalty tested— and fate will intervene.

Amid a backdrop of Steampunk inventions and a harsh winter landscape,The Beast is a re-imagining of the infamous love between a beauty and a beast.

There's the synopsis, now scroll for the cover...


5
I
I
I
V

4
I
I
I
V

3
I
I
I
V

2
I
I
I
V

1
I
I
I
V




*-*-*-*BOOM!*-*-*-*

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE



Hope you like the cover and that you'll like the book even more! -Lindsay Mead



Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: Movie Thoughts

Don't worry, no spoilers. Not even for the first movie.

I'll start this by talking briefly about that first movie, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. It was good. Not as uplifting as I found the sequel. But it was good. I can honestly say that I enjoyed the first movie more the second time watching. Can't really say why. Maybe I was just in a better mood.

Now onto the second! The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is more what I expected from the first. Just a fun-loving and uplifting movie. It was certainly that.

The second movie focused more on the hotel owner than any other, but that
wasn't a bad thing. The only complaint I could have is that I was hoping for a certain resolution with one relationship and I never felt that I got it. I know, that's vague. But I can't say more without spoiling the movie--and I already promised not to do that.

The best thing about this movie is the way it made me feel about life. Here I'm watching these elderly folks going to India and embracing life. I realized that, though I'm young, I haven't really done that. To be fair, I'm pretty well broke and that prevents a lot of life living lol. But watching this movie made me want to get out there, see things, DO THINGS!

Ok Ok. Admittedly, nothing has changed in my life since seeing the movie. I'm still trying to lose weight (Just started a new 21-Day Habit Challenge) and trying
to publish my first book (April release). But sometimes you just need a movie that makes you feel this way. A movie that makes you feel like hopping on a plane and traveling to some exotic locale. Even if that feeling only lasts till you get home and reality sets in, it's still oh so worth it. -Lindsay Mead <3 <3



Mr. Turner: Movie Thoughts

SYNOPSIS: A look at the last quarter century of the great British painter J. M. W. Turner. Profoundly affected by the death of his esteemed father, loved by his housekeeper, Hannah Danby, whom he takes for granted and occasionally exploits sexually, he forms a close and loving relationship with a seaside landlady with whom he eventually lives incognito in Chelsea, where he dies.

Throughout all this, Turner travels, paints, stays with the country aristocracy, visits a brothel, is a popular if anarchic member of the Royal Academy of Arts, has himself strapped to the mast of a ship so that he can paint a snowstorm, and is both celebrated and reviled by the public and by royalty.

MY THOUGHTS: So here's a movie you've never heard of. Unless you watch my daily vlog, then you basically know what this is going to be about.
Otherwise, here we go.

For the record, that is the official synopsis above. Rather spoilery isn't it? Had I read that before seeing the movie, I might not have gone. The trailer, however, painted (Haha, coincidental pun) a more upbeat story. Don't misunderstand me, we weren't fooled.

The filmed earned several awards for things like Best Costume Design and Best Set Design. This is a pretty big clincher that the movie will be overly artsy. Artsy films end with the death of the protagonist about 80% of the time. Critics love these sort of movies and normal folk, like me, don't. As proven by this: "Mr. Turner has a "certified fresh" score of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes based on critic reviews, but a score of only 59% based on audience reviews."

But before you think this post is one big "I hated Mr. Turner" bash, just hold on. I appreciated Mr. Turner. It deserved every award it got. The acting was good and interesting. The scenery was stunning. Blew my mind a few times. I laughed a few times and felt for some of the characters.

The big flaw was in post production, I would say. The story had no point. I walked out of it feeling nothing. Much of the story was disjointed and didn't make much sense. Characters lived and died, and I didn't really care. The music was horrid. Oh, it was bad. During scenes with beautiful landscapes the music was like that from a slasher film. Yes, it was that bad.

I would say the part I liked best about the movie was how they captured the nature of an artist. I may not be a painter, but as a writer I related. His life was his work. He based everything around it, just as I do. I appreciated these moments more than anything.

Oh, I'd also like to give big props to the cinematography. There were a few scenes that were just masterful. It was like a stage play at times. But the camera flowed through the scene and everyone had to be on point when the camera came to them. Then the scene ended and you wanted to applaud them for doing so much in a single take. Those scenes, I will remember best.

FINAL THOUGHTS: I would not recommend Mr. Turner. Unless most of the
stuff I hated sounded good to you, then have at it. To everyone else, I say to avoid it. If it's a cleaning day and you find it on TV, then put it on. Let the beautiful scenery flash across the screen while you vacuum. You might enjoy it.

Thanks for reading. <3 -Lindsay Mead

Watch my vlog from the day we saw Mr. Turner.

Why An Author Should Be A YouTuber

I was recently asked by completelynovel.com to write a guest post about how to become a vlogger when you're an author. I loved this idea, but I didn't want to just write a how-to tutorial. Especially when starting a youtube channel is pretty self explanatory. Instead I wanted to tell why I think it's so important for an author to also be a youtuber. So I did :)

Below you'll find the entire article, but here is the original blog post: http://bit.ly/1wW02ak

Why Authors Should Be YouTubers – by Lindsay Mead

I know. I know. You’re thinking that YouTube is only for cats and fail videos, and you’re probably wondering what a “YouTuber” is. Well, let me grab your attention by pointing out that John Green is a YouTuber. Yup, the John Green.
John Green is smart. In 2007, He co-founded a YouTube channel called, VlogBrothers, with his
brother, Hank Green. Once a week they would each make a video about some random topic. They rolled into Youtube stardom pretty steadily, hitting 1 million subscribers in 2013.

Vlogging to market books
Now, if you’re wondering what this has to do with being an author, please let me smack you upside the head with this sign that reads, “Marketing!”. John is an amazing writer, but his success is largely tied into his success on YouTube. I found the VlogBrothers back in 2007 and have been an avid watcher. John’s writing regularly came up in their videos. John committed to signing every single pre-order copy of Fault In Our Stars, and put a big thermometer drawing up in his background to track the number of copies he signed. He signed whilst he was filming! Needless to say, the pre-orders poured in.

John Green is not the only Author/YouTuber out there either. Jackson Pierce boasts an impressive 13,000 subscribers and over 2,000,000 views. Then there’s K.C. HiltonLindsay CummingsKaleb NationEpic Reads (Owned by HarperCollins Publishers) showcasing a cast of their YA Authors, and I’m sure there are many other authors-turned-YouTubers that I don’t yet know about. Not to mention the rise in YouTubers-turned-authors. These people have all figured out what an amazing tool YouTube is for reaching new readers, and how your readership and your viewership can play off one another.

Build a dedicated fanbase
I know I’ve thrown a lot of big numbers at you and you might be thinking this is your key to getting rich. You’re wrong. You might be that rare phenomenon that is just going to blow up on your first video and no one will know where you came from. Most likely though, you’ll be like me.
I started making videos in 2007. It was a rocky start with a really bad camera. There were a lot of ups and downs, and many years where I struggled to figure out what kind of YouTuber I wanted to be. As author channel and just over 300 on my daily vlog channel (a channel being the home for all of your videos). Compared to the aforementioned people, that might not seem like a lot. But I do have a loyal fan base. Many share and comment everyday. They tell me all the time how excited they are for my debut novel, The Beast. I had a successful crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo, which covered my publishing costs, because of them. These are people from all over the US, UK, and even one in Taiwan. I haven’t met them face to face. Many have never read anything I’ve written. Yet most of them pre-ordered my book during my campaign!
I stand now, I have 1,300 subscribers on my 
My subscriber numbers steadily climb each week. I have no doubt that my YouTube fans will support my writing career. Because of that, my books will reach new people and those people might subscribe to my YouTube channel.
It should be said that If I’m completely wrong, I will still post videos. Just like I will still write books, even if they never sell. I do it because I love it. YouTube, like writing, is a commitment. You’ll never succeed if you don’t love doing it.

Top tips for authors ready to become YouTubers

1. Pick your name wisely. You can change your display name, but you can’t change your username. This only matters if you pick a name like, ButtUgly222. Your display name may be John Smith, but your URL will still be youtube.com/buttugly222. No one wants to click that.
2. Make videos that you love. You don’t have to talk about books. I make daily videos about my daily life and I love doing that way more than when I posted two videos a week talking about what books I bought. You gotta do what you love. If you don’t, then you won’t do it when people aren’t watching.
3. “Don’t let the praise go to your head or the hate go to your heart.” – Michael Buckley, a
very awesome YouTuber. Haters will hate and trolls will troll. Expect them, because they will come. They will be cruel. There is only one way to respond: Delete and block. Do not engage. Grow a thick skin, then reply to every person who says something nice about your video.
4. Post consistently. Whether it’s everyday or twice a week, get on a schedule and keep it. Consistency makes the viewer base go up. Inconsistency makes it go down.
5. Link to everything you do in your video description. Don’t make people search. Always keep them one click away from what they desire, especially your books!
6. Watch other YouTubers. It’s a massive community. Find channels like yours and channels that aren’t. This will help you develop your own style and create connections.

And that’s it. That’s all you really need to know about starting a YouTube channel. So get at it, have fun, and make friends!


Hope you enjoyed my article. Thanks for reading <3 -Lindsay Mead



It Is Done...Again.

So here's how writing a book goes... You start off with this great idea, or more like the seedling of an idea. It gets planted in your squishy, pink brain and it stays there. It drives you mad! So you know you have to get it out and the only way to do that is to write the story.

Except that there's a disclaimer on this little seed that you don't see. The disclaimer states that if you try to remove this seed, it will start to grow. It will get bigger and bigger--fuller and fuller!

Before you know it, you've got this full blown tree in your head. I mean, the thing is massive. It reaches from one end of your skull to the other. Its branches contain characters, backstories, cities, and even whole worlds. You can't write just one book to get it out; you have to write three, four, five, or possibly more!

So you toil and fight. You spend whole months of your life trying to make this tree into a story. Finally, by some will of god, you reach the end of the first book. It was by no means easy, but it sure was exhausting--and oh so worth it.

It's the best feeling of your life!

But you love this story so much that you want others to experience it too, which means that you have to clean it up. Edit. Edit. Then edit some more. You even muster a small army to help you complete this task. They take their cruel, but effective, axes to it and begin chopping away.

At some point they hand you back a few trash bags filled with wood shavings. You cry and rage at the sky for a few days. The horror! THE HORROR! But by the end of day three, you grab those trash bags, dump out the wood shavings, and begin piecing it together again.

Rebuilding the story doesn't take quite as long this time, but it's an emotional rollercoaster. You learn to let go. Very slowly this seedling, that you turned into a tree (Or I suppose it's just a branch of the tree, if I want this analogy to work), becomes a book.

Anyway, Somehow you love it even more the second time around. Ok you also hate it a little bit because you're so sick of looking at it, but you love it.

Then, yet again, you must send it off to your army...and wait. This is where I am at. The horrible stage where you have to wait to hear if your revisions were good or if you botched the whole dang thing.

I've chosen not to sit idle and worry. I've moved onto the second book. That's a
whole barrel of new awesome. Not even gunna lie. I suppose it's daunting for some to have to start all over again, but this is the fun part for me.

So this blog post was suppose to be about finishing my first book for the second time, and it kinda wasn't. It was mostly about the writing process, wasn't it? Or perhaps it was really more about the progression of writing. An author must perpetually move forward. It's about making the book better, getting it to the next stage.

I'd imagine that some people think that when The Beast is published (*cough*April9th*cough*Maybe*cough*), I'll be able to sit back and bask in the glory of my finished book. But they are so wrong! Members of my editing army are already asking for the second book. How long after it's published will it take for readers to start asking the same?

So... An author must perpetually move forward.

Thanks for reading <3 -Lindsay Mead



The Happiness Of Owning A Fish

Hello everyone, I'd like to introduce my blog readers to my new friend, Oscar. He is a baby-blue Betta. I rescued him from a teeny plastic tub at the store and put him in this high-tech underwater paradise. It was kind of expensive. I believe the grand total of the whole venture was right around $70-ish. With hindsight at my side, I think it was worth it.

Ever been to a bonfire? Did you notice how hypnotizing the fire was? For some
reason you can't look away and you don't really want to. You find yourself perfectly contented to just sit there in silence, watching the flames move about. Owning a fish, or at least a betta, has a similar effect. I love watching him swim around his tank. I couldn't even say why. He's happy and pretty, and I can't look away.

Since documenting this journey in my daily vlog, I've heard a repeat of the same phrase; fish are a lot of work. As I sit right now, I have to disagree. I feed him twice a day, turn his tank light on and off, and that's basically all the required work I've had for the last three days. I do need to add about an inch of water to his tank and in a few months, I'll have to disassemble the whole thing for cleaning. Even with that considered, it's not a lot of work. My dog requires
more effort in one day than this fish will in a month. I'm sure I'll be griping when it comes time to clean, but I'll have several easy and happy months to look forward to after.

This isn't my first time owning bettas either. I owned two a long while back. One red female and one blue male; Lucy and Ricky. I had them for a long time and they both died in the same year. It broke my heart and I swore off fish for years.

Back then I thought they were a lot of work, but I also didn't have filters on the
tanks. Which meant I had to clean often. This time I made sure that Oscar's tank came with a good filter. Live and learn.

As I write this post, I spend most of the time watching Oscar. He likes to stick
near the water's surface and likes dashing in between all the nooks and crannies. Oscar is probably the most curious fish I've ever seen. He watches me constantly. He's like a child shoving his face against the glass. I know he's watching me because he'll follow me. He's just as curious about me as I am of him. I think that's what I love best about him--all that personality.

If you're interested in seeing me buy Oscar and make a home for him, I suggest starting here: Meet Oscar! (Vlog #258). This is the day he enters my family and
in the day that follows I build his tank. They're good little videos, you'll be entertained ;-D


Cake Books VS The Great American Novel

I'm not writing the "Great American Novel". I'll just be upfront. I'm not.

But I found myself wondering, do I want to? Great American Novels are held up on pedestals. They're read in high schools everywhere. They win prestigious awards and, not to mention, a permanent place in bookstores. We know many by name; The Great Gatsby, Gone With The Wind, To Kill A Mockingbird, and so on. They are the pinnacle of literature.

Why? I honestly don't know. I've tried to read classics and I just can't. They're wordy. Ever read the first paragraph in Treasure Island? It's actually one very long sentence. The second paragraph, I think, adds up to two very long sentences. Treasure Island is not a "GAN", btw, it's just considered great literature. But for my point to this blog post, it really doesn't matter.

When I read, I want to get lost. I want to be swept up and taken on an adventure. The books that fill my bookshelves--The stories that I love so much it sometimes hurts--aren't considered Great American Novels, or even great literature. They're fantasy and romance. They're sci-fi and dystopian. They're Harry Potter AND Twilight.

To me all of these books are great literature. Some because they're beautifully written and some because they made me feel things in wonderfully profound ways. I would trade all of the Gone With The Winds in the world for my books--Yes, that includes Twilight.

Still, I see the accolades given to the Great American Novels and I wonder...Is that what I should be writing? Should that be my goal? Are the books I'm working on lesser in comparison?

I contemplated this for several days, wondering at the values applied to classic literature and Cake Books. Cake Book, btw, is a term I made up. It's a term I apply to books that are filled with all the good things. Just like cake. I wouldn't consider Harry Potter a cake book either. It's too serious and dark as the series goes on. Twilight I probably would consider a Cake Book. Mostly, I call adult romances Cake Books. They're usually light and leave me smiling. They're also usually considered trash by the general public.

I don't feel this way. Cake Books have brought me far more joy than any Great American Novel ever has. They inspire me to be happy and to seek happiness. I hope to someday write these books. Mostly because I think it would be fun. It's freakin cake! What isn't fun about cake?!

So bringing this article back to its original purpose--Is the Great American Novel better than a Cake Book? The answer is no. A book's reason for existing is to take you away; help you experience something new. They're meant to give you joy, make you laugh, and even break your heart. A book, any book, that can do this is great literature.

We shouldn't be ashamed for reading Cake Books, or for writing them. Let society hold up its GANs, like they're the prize sheep of the herd. I'd still rather read Twilight :)

It Is Done.

On January 1st, 2015, at 10:30pm--I did it. I did something that many set out to do, but few actually complete. I myself was one of those many for a long time. I was always the "aspiring author", or just "the one writing a book". Now, I've written a book. In a matter of months, weeks, or even days, I will be an author. There is no "aspiring" about it.

As we speak, the book is in the hands of some highly intelligent literary friends of mine. One is reading the final pages as I type these words. Their goal is to check the story. They're watching for continuity errors, places where things might be lacking, themes that perhaps might not have been fully realized, and the like.

Assuming I don't have to do any major rewrites, I should be diving into heavy edits in about a week's time. My intention is to barrel through. Get it done and get it done fast. I want it in your hands so bad, it might start to cause me pain lol.

To my INDIEGOGO CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTORS, thank you for your patience and your unwavering faith. You. All. Rock. As I draw nearer to publication, you guys will receive more updates. You'll get updates when the t-shirts are made, when the book trailer is done, and when any little thing worth noting comes along.

Also, to EVERYONE READING THIS, Barnes and Noble has opened a print division. This print division does not sell to the public. However, they allow me to order hardcovers of my book. I order from them, they ship to me, and I sign and mail to you. At some point I would like to set up pre-orders for signed hardcovers. For those who have already pre-ordered signed paperbacks through my campaign and would like to upgrade to hardcover, I'm gunna see about making that possible too.

So The Beast is coming and coming soon. Are you excited? Cuz I am. I don't intend for The Beauty to be far behind (Already at a 23k word count) either. To stay completely up-to-date on everything, I mean more up-to-date than anyone else--subscribe to my daily vlog on YouTube. My subscribers are the first to see and hear everything.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and a good New Year. Now get ready cuz it's time to kick some 2015 butt!