Hey there, all you Vikans! Hope this Friday is treating you well.

Soooooo, yesterday, I dropped my public announcement video outlining some details from my #secretproject. You can find that link [here], and also permalinked below. However, I wanted to give more details about this #secretproject. I will make videos later explaining this stuff and put them on my [Youtube Channel] (PLEASE SUBSCRIBE!! I HAZ JV VIDEOS THERE!) at a later date, for the public that doesn’t follow this blog.

So, first point of importance, repeating details from the video::

• This book series (yup, you read right: SERIES) is my ultimate dedication to my best friend JV (who you can briefly get to know at my [Youtube Channel] in the few videos I have of us and our crazy friendship).
• Almost every single character in this series (or, at least in the first book) was one that either JV and I came up with for our group and personal roleplaying, and also 2 characters JV had created with her and her other best friend, Renee. Melding multiple characters from multiple different roleplays, insert them into a completely different universe, and still be true to how they were in our fun adventures together. If they had a different personality, I had to think about, “What would happen in order to change them from Point A to Point B?” Surprisingly, my mind instinctively filled in the holes without much conscious effort or planning.
• Like I said above, almost every single character was completely fictional, and stemmed from my and JV’s fun writing times. The key word there is ALMOST. One character in this series was based on and inspired by someone very key to this project: JV herself. I have inserted her in this series as one of the heroes. I am writing her as accurately and true to JV’s personality and values when she was alive.
• As a side note, when I got my edits back from my editor, there was a small paragraph in one section that I’d like to share…

  Needless to say, I teared up reading that after Ravencon a month ago. That was the best compliment I could ever receive from someone pertaining to JV, and hearing that from a professional editor made it that much more special. Glad I’m doing her justice.

Okay, Part II – Release information

• So, originally, I planned for a January 31^st, 2018 release date. That will be the 1-year anniversary of the day JV passed on. My logic was that even though she’d died, she would live on through my writing.
• I thought about it and thought about it, and realized that by releasing on that date would focus more on the fact she’d died, rather than a celebration of her life. She wouldn’t want us to focus on that; I know she wouldn’t. I swear I feel her yelling at me when I tear up on occasion remembering her. And then, she’ll probably start crying herself, and tell me to stop crying so she could stop crying. We were really in sync with our emotional personalities, and both sensitive to emotions floating around us.
• Sooooo, I’ve picked a new release date: October 19^th, 2017. Yes, there is a reason for that specific date. Travel back to October 19^th, 2011. My freshman year of college. I had found a little circle of friends who loved fantasy, Marvel, action, writing, and creativity. A bunch of us joined up together and started a private forum-based roleplay website through Probroards. It was through these friends and the roleplay that I became friends with JV. Five-and-a-half years may seem like a short time to most people, but to me, that time with her in my life contains memories and laughter and mutual collaboration that will last a lifetime.

Lastly, Topic #3, which is related to the release date – Funds.

• This book will be self-published through a self-publishing imprint of a large book distributor, meaning it will be available at THOUSANDS of print and eBook retailers. However, this company has a yearly fee, as well as initial start-up costs when uploading the cover/interior files.
• I also need to purchase ISBNs. One ISBN costs $125, while a 10-pack costs $250, and each version of a book needs its own ISBN, so the 10-pack is my best option.
• In addition, I will be utilizing the layout skills of Philippa Ballantine and Tee Morris, who create quite AMAZING layouts to print AND eBook! That will be a couple hundred as well, but that’s a really good deal compared to other layout freelancers.
• Also, add to that the cover, which I will be once again utilizing the dazzling, gorgeous graphic design skills of the great Designed By Starla. She did the cover for THE PROTEKTOR’S REALITY, which turned out AWESOME, so I know she can do this dedication justice.
• Soooooo, as you can see from the points above, getting this first novel published is costly up front, but, for me, it will be worth it. This series is closure for me, a way for me to feel closer to JV even though life has torn us away from each other.
• Now, with the release date changed over three months earlier, it will put a strain on my wallet and push my limits, both panicked and monetary. All those costs for the old release date would have been spread over the course of 8 months, now are crammed into 5 months. Less, actually, to have a preorder option.

So, let me outline some reasons and strategies if you’d like to make this JV dedication a reality:

• PATREON.

• My [Patreon] pledges from my Patrons get deposited into a checking account that is only used for literary expenses (i.e.- anything pertaining to post-production of a project/WIP).
• I’ve got some GREAT reward tiers, anything from insider info and news BEFORE the general public, to becoming a member of my private FB group, or getting chapbook or print versions of my works, depending on your level. Here’s my reward levels for my Patrons as of today (2017-05-26)::
• If you only want to donate for a few months, or even just one month, you can pledge a certain amount, and, once you feel satisfied with pledging or maybe overwhelmed by money issues, you can change to a different tier or even remove your pledges at any time.
• ANY BIT HELPS!
• Also, I’m considering doing a Kickstarter of some kind if I don’t get a lot of Patrons on Patreon. If you’re reading this, comment below on whether or not you think I should go that route or not. The reason I’m considering it is because that would allow me to take one-time donations toward this project, rather than people having to either pledge money on a monthly basis or grimace and unwillingly walking away. Comment below on your opinions, on a possible Kickstarter or anything else I’ve written in this blog post.

Oh, and now, my #secretproject will now be changed to #KineticRebirth, as this project is not-so-secret now. 🙂

Welp, that’s in for this post. If you’re new to this little slice of the Interwebs, here’s the link to my [Contact Me] tab, where you can find all my social media links, such as Facebook, Twitter, Patreon, etc.

OCTOBER 19^TH, HERE WE COME!

Keep Faith, Vikans. 😀