Nutty Bites Podcast Tonight

Join me on the Nutty Bites podcast (live tonight at 6pm PDT) as we discuss crowdfunding, creative work, and other things awesome.

You can watch here, on YouTube or Google Hangouts.

Like Mind 2: The Serial

If you're like one of the 25 other people who enjoyed my first novel, Like Mind. Then you probably won't be annoyed while reading the sequel, Like Mind 2 (clever title, I know).

I've been posting the chapters of the sequel to my Patreon page, and I'm all the way up to the second chapter (so it's not too late to get all caught up).

If you're curious about what's going on with all of this you can read the interview below.*

Why did you decide to release this story as a serial?

Great question.

Thanks! I thought it was. You're very kind to--

Aren't I supposed to be the one responding here?

Oh, yeah. Sorry.

No problem. Where was I?

Releasing Like Mind 2 as a serial...

Right. I decided to release this story as a serial for a couple reasons. First is that I needed the next project for my Patreon audience. I'm nearly done with the series of short stories inspired by logical fallacies (the collection will be coming out later this year). Second, Like Mind reads a lot like a serial already. It has short, punchy chapters that often end in cliffhangers -- not unlike the traditional serials of old.

You mean like Dickens' David Copperfield? 

Um... sort of. I was more thinking about the later serials, but if you were on the edge of your seat in suspense reading Dickens then I guess it applies.

So... what's with the title?

It's not quite done yet (neither is the cover). So in the meantime I'm just using Like Mind 2 and the doctored cover from the first book as placeholders until I get the new title figured out.

So what's happening with Corey and Anka in the sequel? 

Well, it takes place about a year after the events of the first book. Corey has been working (begrudgingly) for the NSA at a location in Seattle, but Anka was transferred to Helena, Montana.

But weren't they hooking up at the end of the first book?

Yes they were. At the opening of the second book they're trying to figure out how to be in a long-distance relationship while they both work for the NSA.

Sounds complicated.

Any more complicated than any relationship?

Well, the NSA thing adds a level of complexity that most people don't have to deal with. I think that Corey and Anka probably face a much more difficult road, relationally, because they met and fell in love under distress. Research indicates that relationship that start that way tend to--

Hey, aren't you supposed to be asking me the questions?

Sorry.

It's alright.

Thanks.

Sure thing.

Is there anything you'd like to add?

Just a shameless (okay I have a little bit of shame, but I'm going to do it anyway) plug for my Patreon page. This thing has really transformed the way that I'm able to create since it provides a consistent income from my work instead of me having to deal with all the ups and downs of selling books the old way.

My patrons are awesome, thoughtful, generous people who help me to keep getting better at writing and telling compelling stories. Because of their high-level awesomeness I'm going to give them the first crack at reading Like Mind 2.

What do you mean by that?

Well, I'm going to put up the first five chapters of the story for everyone to read, but after that only patrons will be able to see the rest until the whole story is out and published.

How much does it cost to pledge?

Patrons can pledge as little as a dollar per chapter (I release one a week, usually on Thursdays).

Thanks for your time. 

Thanks for interviewing me. I had a lot of fun.

*I am playing the parts of both the interviewer and the interviewee. Plus other parts as they come to mind. 

New Patreon Rewards

I've added some new rewards for my patrons over at Patreon. I'm doing my best to make the rewards both awesome and enticing for people. I love writing and making a little bit of money from my writing helps me to do what I love. 

$1 per story - You get electronic access to everything I write. Ebooks, short stories, flash fiction, all of it.


$2 per story - In addition to all the electronic stories you can get your hand on, I'll send you a hand-written note of thanks. Because you're awesome and you deserve it.


$3 per story - All of the above, plus you'll get a print version of my first novel, Like Mind. It's won awards and stuff.


$4 per story - You get a custom story of flash fiction. That's somewhere between 100 and 500 words of prose for you.*


$5 per story (option 1) - If you choose this option you'll get a print version of my short stories twice a year. That'll be around 26 stories and the length of a novel.


$5 per story (option 2) - Or you can choose the option where I write a short story just for you. It'll be in the neighborhood of 1500 words.*

$6 per story - You get to name a character in one of my upcoming novels (within reason). I've got several novels in progress now. You pick the novel and the name.


$7 per story - You get to be the model of a character in one of my novels (again, within reason). It can either be modeled after you or someone you know.


*I retain all rights to the stories I write, even if I write it for you. 

If you're interested in one of these rewards you can click on over to my Patreon page and pledge away.

Experiments in Applied Telepathy

Patronage for the modern world

In the ancient world artists were beholden to a patron -- a wealthy benefactor who could afford to pay the artist to create. Some of the greatest creators who ever lived did so because of a patron -- Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Shakespeare all had patrons.

In the modern world we don't do things the same way, and in many ways that's a good thing. But it does make it more difficult to get art from the artist to the audience. That's where the website Patreon comes in. It allows people to pledge money to creators in exchange for creations.

It's not a one-time thing, but an ongoing relationship -- like a subscription to a magazine. And that's where the experiments in telepathy come in. See writing is as close as most of us will get to applied mental telepathy. I think things, I write things, you read what I wrote, and you think things. Through the written word I am transmitting my thoughts into your mind. Cool!

But I'd rather have a conversation than just force you to pay attention to whatever's in my brain. A patron of old could sit down with the artist and talk about what they wanted. They could watch the creation in process and collaborate with the creator. That's what I want.

I want you to collaborate with me as I write things. I have several short stories that I want to share. I'm working on editing them and getting them ready for the world. I want to release them through Patreon. I want to release them to you and have you help me in the creative process.

Through Patreon you can pledge support per story (with a monthly limit so you don't go over your budget), you and I can interact through the Activity feed, and you can see how I'm progressing as a creator just like the ancient patrons did.

So head over to my Patreon page, watch my video, and pledge an amount per story. Then we can get to work on some telepathy experiments!

Thanks,