For those few of you who regularly check this website/blog for updates, please forgive me (Shoutout to Peter F.). A lot has happened since my last blog post in February. A lot of Life has Happened. Mostly Good...but very, very, very time-consuming.
Yea...and that job isn't writing. Due to fiduciary reasons explained to me by my wife and children, they would like to continue to have shelter, food and access to British baking contest TV shows. So for now, I also work 20 hours a week doing remote work. Baby #3 is my remote work supervisor. AKA BossBaby. Because all of that doesn't sound busy enough, in the last 7 months we also moved homes. We went from renters to homeowners (owning is cheaper than renting where we live). Finding and buying a home took up an enormous amount of time over several months. Packing up and moving to the new house took up even more time (Except for 10 pieces of large furniture we moved everything ourselves). And frankly we're still unpacking, organizing and working on home improvements/maintenance. The last - working on the inside and outside of the house - has been especially time-consuming...and never-ending. In fact, I gotta go mow the lawn as soon as this blog is posted. And I can think of about 596 other things that need to be done around the house. All this means is that writing has been - and is still unfortunately - the lowest priority in my life, due to necessity. There's only so much time in a day and at some point I still have to sleep. Yesterday, September 2nd, was the first anniversary of Blue-Collar Noble: Here Be Dragons coming out for sale. I wanted to write a blog post about it yesterday, but was bed-ridden all day from some plague my children brought home with them from school (because apparently I still have enough time to be debilitatingly sick). A lot has happened in the last year for me and my family since the book came out. I'm incredibly grateful for the support my book has received from family and friends. Moreover, I'm amazed at the wide variety of people who don't know me directly and actually read it (and want to read Book #2). If you're reading this blog post, you're probably in one of these categories and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Please reward yourself now for being awesome by having a cookie. Your support is what keeps me going. I think about it everyday and I'm ashamed/sorry it's not already done.
I'm very sorry to those of you who've waited for so very long to see what happens to Cincinnatus Castel next. "The Grand Plan" a year ago said that Book #2 would have been out for sale/reading well before now and that I'd be deep into writing book #3. But we all know how plans go once they meet reality (see above references). I think about writing constantly and often while doing all the other higher priority tasks in my life (again see above references). What little time I've had to write in the last 7 months, I didn't devote to updating this website/blog either. Sorry for that as well. I don't know when Book #2 will be finished and out for purchase. I just know that I haven't given up. I'm going to finish it someday, and then start the next one. Thank you all for your support and...patience.
Yes, it's feel-good TV. But it's also a highly nuanced comedy/drama with complicated layers, exceptional writing, and great acting. I've seen every episode at least 4 times. And there's a moment at the end of season 2 that always sends a shiver of optimism up my spine whenever I see it.
As I write this, I know you can watch the 1st episode for free. WARNING: There is a lot of swearing. Also, no direct nudity (as of S2) but they do walk right up to that line several times with both men and women. Howdy Folks, It's been well more than a month since my last Blog Post. Sorry about that. It does mean however that I have been busy. In fact, I just finished writing a new draft of a chapter for Book 2 in the Blue-Collar Noble series. And now what I really want to do is reward myself for this effort. Specifically, I really want to play a video game I have been waiting several years to play: Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord. But I'm NOT going to do that.
Because if I did, it would send me down a video game addict hole for weeks. Would I enjoy it? YES! FOR SURE! Would I be professionally productive? Probably not. Maybe some of you can relate? I'm a novelist who is inspired by video games in my writing...but if I want to remain a novelist, I should avoid playing video games. Oh, irony. So I have made this promise to myself that I will not play 'Mount & Blade 2' until my next book is finished. I know it sounds like I'm playing a tiny violin...and I am...but this is one of many reasons why after I finish writing this blog post I'm going to start writing the next chapter in my book. I recently reached over 500 reviews on Amazon. It is a worthy milestone and I am deeply grateful. As an avid reader myself, whenever I'm looking for a new book to read, the higher the number of reviews there are, the more likely I am to give it a try.
Thank you dear reader if you were one of those reviews. In case there was any question, I am writing book 2 in the Blue-Collar Noble series. I'm really excited about sharing with you all the continuing misadventures of Cincinnatus Castel. Barring any disasters/apocalypse...and since there are only 2 weeks left in 2022...I should think it will come out in 2023. However I don't want to promise any more than that at this time. When I know a specific time/date Book 2 will come out, I won't be shy in sharing. And best of all, since I am an independent author, I'm not beholden to some 3rd party publisher's schedule. Book 2 will come out ASAP. I am very motivated personally and professionally to share it with all of you. Yes, that many Exclamation Points were necessary and appropriate. I count the most important days of my life in this order: 1) Being Born (Duh. The rest wouldn't exist if this didn't happen) 2) The birth of my children 3) Getting Married 4) Having lunch with author Lois McMaster Bujold! For you poor, poor, unfortunate souls who don't know yet...Lois McMaster Bujold is the greatest fiction writer of the last 40 years (at minimum), if not ever. That is a FACT. Not an Opinion. I will physically Fight anyone who disagrees. She is one of the most award-winning fantasy/sci-fi writers of all time. 6 Hugos (6 nominations), 3 Locus (7 Nominations), 2 Nebulas (4 nominations) and many more. She's won and been nominated so many times for so many awards, the Hugo's created "The Best Series" category for LMB to have first, to give other authors a chance. That way they could still give her a Hugo, and let others win the other categories. Did you read what I just said? People, she's so great, they Invented Awards for her, just so they could give her more without making the other (new) author's feel bad and actually have a chance at winning the traditional awards. Kind of like when The Oscar's give out Lifetime achievement awards. She is an Author's Author. Meaning that, on many occasions, I have heard other NYT-best-selling author's refer to her as their favorite author. For example, the famous Jim Butcher of the Dresden Files book series has said on many occasions she is one of his very favorite writers. She is also my favorite author, hands-down, no contest, forever and always. Reading her books has made me a noticeably better person (just ask my wife). The amount of pure joy this woman has brought to my life would turn a demon into an angel. And this weekend, I got to have a 3+ hour lunch with her!!!!!! My wife and I traveled to Minneapolis, MN for a book signing with Lois McMaster Bujold (LMB). I had never met her before, but have wanted to greatly for more than a decade, since I first started reading her work. My wife and I have read Everything that she has ever written that we can find, at least twice — and in many cases, more than a dozen times. LMB is "semi-retired" these days, so meeting her at conventions or book-signings is extremely limited. Especially in these post-covid days. So when I saw on a goodreads.com posting that she would be signing, I didn't blink at the idea of driving 5+ hours to meet her and making a weekend of it. We came only for the book signing, but with the help of a couple other fans, we got up the courage to ask Lois out for lunch after the signing. 100% I expected her to politely decline. I would have 100% understood. But miraculously, she said, "yes." Folks, I was less nervous asking my wife to marry me, than I was when we asked ask Lois out to Lunch. Luckily, my wife and I made friends with a couple other fans (Katie & Scott) at the event and collectively we had the courage to ask her as a group to a restaurant just a few blocks away. If you want your own signed book copies from LMB, contact Uncle Hugo's bookstore in Minneapolis for a hookup: http://www.unclehugo.com. Lois was wonderful! It was everything I could have ever dreamed and more! LMB was polite, and humble and very patient with all our questions. So well spoken and smart (obviously). I know I asked several dumb new-author questions, and she was so considerate and patient in her answers (I definitely failed my Charisma check). And our lunch lasted 3+ hours folks! So Patient! So Kind! She's like a quiet, genius-philosopher who writes fiction. It took all my willpower not to fall to my knees in front of her in worship and shout, "I'm not worthy! I'm not worthy!" (yes, I would sign-up for any cult she wants to create) She was also wearing her beautifully crafted custom necklace, made from all her award pins. You can see it in the picture at the top of this blog. It might as well be a crown, for how boss it is. I honestly can't think of anything else cooler than what I got to experience on 11/5/2022 for me. Of all the people, living or dead, that I would ever want to meet and have lunch with, LMB is my choice. And yes (like a creepy-stalker), after Lunch I did ask if there was some way I could send her flowers every month for the rest of her life. She politely declined and we settled on a charity of her choice that I will be giving regular donations to instead (Society of Inclusive Blacksmiths). Here's an example of a conversation I expect to have in the future at a cocktail party: Very Handsome Person: "I climbed Mt. Everest and have won 23 Olympic gold medals and once saved a whole village in a giant O.K. Corral shootout with the Russian Mob." Me: "That's nice...but I once had Lunch with LMB! So suck-on-that, made-up over-achiever person!" Very Handsome Person: "You are correct sir. My life seems a miserable waste compared to yours. Please tell me all about your lunch with the best person ever." They say don't meet your heroes...but in this case, I'm so glad I didn't listen. Lois, it was the honor of my lifetime. Everything else in life from here on out will be downhill in comparison, and I am more than fine with that. And to you Reader...if you have not read any of Lois' books...DO IT NOW!!!! If you like Sci-Fi & Sagas, start with: "Shards of Honor" OR "The Warrior's Apprentice" If you like Fantasy, start with: "Penric's Demon" OR "The Curse of Chalion" If you like Romance & Fantasy, start with: "Beguilement" ****************** P.S. - Our new Bestie Friend Katie, came all the way from Portland, Oregon, just to meet Lois. So when we overheard that, we knew we'd get along great, even though we'd never met before this weekend. It is so very rare in life when you meet someone else who just "Totally Gets It." And Katie gets it. P.S.S. - Yes, we took pictures together. No, I will not be sharing them. P.S.S.S. - As she is a source of inspiration and aspiration, LMB is in the Acknowledgements of my 1st book, 'Here Be Dragons.' I NEVER thought I would ever get the chance to present the book to her in person. But just 2+ months after first publishing, I got that chance. At the book signing (only found out about it 2 weeks ago), I presented her with a signed and personalized copy of my book. I genuinely hope Lois NEVER reads it, as it is not worthy of her esteemed time, in my opinion. I would prefer she use it as kindling to keep warm. I love bookstores.
So it is with great pride that I've unlocked this newest achievement in writing. My 1st novel is now being carried by one of my favorite bookstores, anywhere in the world: Pageturners Bookstore in Indianola, Iowa. I was extremely humbled when Kathy Magruder (owner) & Karisa (manager) were willing to take a chance on this "noob" novelist. At the moment, they are carrying paperback copies. Here's a link to the store: https://pageturnersbookstore.com Today I received my 200th review on Amazon for my 1st published novel, Blue-Collar Noble: Here Be Dragons. It is a noteworthy achievement for many reasons. I'm humbled that so many people were willing to give my book a chance and leave a review. It means a great deal to me professionally. Thank you!!!
************* This past weekend I got to do 2 things that I've been dreaming about for a long time. The first - and most important - was getting to see lots of family and friends. Some of whom I hadn't seen in nearly 14 years! Many of whom were supportive of my new novel, even after all these years. It was great catching up with them. Having people in your corner makes all the difference. Especially when you're taking a risk (ex. being a new author). The other thing I got to do was join a balloon chase crew. I was humbled and honored to be asked to come along. The balloon is owned and piloted by a great family clan that you never want to get into a pun contest with. I've got no ambition to fly in a balloon these days, but I've wanted to be on a chase crew since I was a young teen. Being on the Chase Crew means you help unpack and inflate the balloon. Then hop in a vehicle and literally chase the balloon until it lands and pack it back up. Pilots pick the sites to take off from and they aim for certain spots to land, based on the wind direction and speed. Ballooning is arguably one of the more faithful acts you can do in life. It's like performing a trust fall with mother nature. There are certainly things you can do to help or hurt as a balloon pilot. But at the end of the day (from my perspective), as long as your balloon is in good shape, location and weather matter a great deal. The best pilots know that mother nature is the one in charge. Getting up is the easy part...but that landing is an open question. Even when it goes well, it usually is ending in a controlled crash. Luckily the flight went well for my tag-along (see pics). It was a perfect fall weather evening in the Midwest U.S. and the wind wasn't too bad. If it hadn't been for some powerlines, the pilot would have gotten to where she was aiming for. But it all turned out okay with a tiny overshoot and landing on nearby good ground. The crew and I helped to quickly pack up the balloon and afterwards, the fun clan that owns the balloon celebrated with dinner at a local restaurant. It was a great weekend. I recently attended a Ren Faire. For author's like me who write in Fantasy, Ren Faires are a gold mine of inspiration. I must have written down 2 dozen ideas that day for my future books because of what I saw, heard, or experienced.
One of the coolest things was running into this blue-monkey-cat-fairy: Chimdera. Chimdera was totally full-immersion at the faire. Unique accent and way of speaking in a simple 3rd person kind of way. They carried shiny "jewels" which they handed out to kids and those offering donations. Chimdera throughout the day was climbing on trees (and other high-up places) and would call/meow at you from above. For donations you could get pictures with this elusive blue-monkey-cat-fairy (yes, I did left Chimdera with a good-sized donation). So if you see a blue-monkey-cat humanoid mentioned in one of my future books, you'll know what inspired it. Though I will say that Chimdera is definitely one of a kind and could never be properly replicated upon the page. My novel is featured today as one of the Bargain Deals. Get it now while you can at this price.
$3.99. Cheers! https://ebookdaily.com/bargain-kindle-books/2022-09-20/B0BCVH4S3Hebookdaily.com/bargain-kindle-books/2022-09-20/B0BCVH4S3H ebookdaily.com/bargain-kindle-books/2022-09-20/B0BCVH4S3H
It is highly encouraged by EVERY social media app and publishing connection that you have your Author's Picture on everything. I get why you're asked to do that...but I'm not a fan of my own real-life image. The camera does not love me.
So the other day, I sat down with an up-and-coming 6-year-old artist, and had them draw my portrait. I love it. And it's of course extremely accurate and flattering. It's been often said that my nose looks like a tiny carrot. For now, this will be my Author's Profile Pic. Hello online denizen! Welcome to my new author's website. If you're reading this, it's probably because you've read my Blue-collar Noble book...or you're my mother.
I'm an independent self-published author. I've got no big publisher behind me. I've got You. I also have a family to support, and it's a lot quicker to publish new stories if I don't have to split my time earning money in more traditional ways. So if you enjoyed my book, and would like to help me continue writing, please leave a positive online Review and/or Upvote other Reviews you Like. Leaving a Review is one of the best ways you can support my writing in the long-term…and it’ll allow you to feel justified when you buy an entire cake to eat just for yourself as a good deed reward. Thank you for visiting the world of Gyson with me. I’m honored. |
AuthorT.S. Gray is the author of the LitRPG / GameLit book series: Archives
September 2023
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