Justin Blaney's Blog, page 58
September 26, 2013
September 24, 2013
September 22, 2013
September 17, 2013
Announcing a new graphic novel project > I need your input!
I’m planning a new graphic novel project with my co-illustrator Benji Todd and we need your input.
The plan is to release 7 short stories, like the ones I’ve been publishing on this blog, in a graphic novel format. This is sort of my response to the Diary of a Wimpy Kid craze with a darker, hopefully cooler twist, targeted to middle schoolers and up. Here’s a cover concept if we were to publish just the Cinderella Goes to the Potty story on its own (the left half is the back of the book, right half is the front cover). PS, the quotes are fake, including the spelling errors. Hey, now that I mention it, I’d love to feature a real quote from you! I might mine the comments of this post for the quotes on the back cover. 
Do you have any feedback so far? Please leave a comment!
Here are the first eight pages of the graphic novel.
Each image below is a two page spread. The printed version would be a square book, probably about 8″ by 8″. The full short story will be told over 32 pages so the complete novel with 7 short stories will be a little over 200 pages. The layouts are meant to require a little interpretation. Since the whole book could be read in about an hour, I wanted to make each page unique enough that the reader could spend some time figuring out what’s being said with the words and images.
You can click on the images to see them larger.
What do you think so far? Please leave a comment with your feedback.
And finally, at the end of the story, we will show the full image we developed for that short story. This illustration is capturing a moment in time which happens at the end of the short story. Cinderella’s is below.
If you haven’t read it yet, here’s the complete short story for the illustrations above. Look for more on this project in the next few weeks 
Cinderella Goes To the Potty
Cinderella lay in her bed, eyes wide, staring at the splintered ceiling. The stone wall next to her, lit by silver moonlight, was covered with scratches. Cinderella knew exactly how many scratches were on the wall without counting. She made them herself, scratched a new line every night when the clock rang twelve.
999 lines.
Cinderella had always promised herself she would not stay long enough to see 1000.
It was 11:58, two minutes until the clock struck midnight.
Cinderella tried to ignore the howls coming from the forest beyond the creek. Should she attempt to escape through the window, 100 terrifying feet above ground. Or, should she wait for the old man and the old woman to come. They checked on her every night about this time. She could hide behind the door, shove them out the window when their backs were turned.
A scratching sound, like feet on stone, from the other side of her rickety wooden door.
Then a thunk.
Something heavy was being drug up the stairs. Candle light flashed through the gap beneath the door. Voices.
Thunk.
“Hurry,” said the old man in a deep raspy voice. “The Potty is hungry.”
Thunk.
Cinderella crept out of bed and peeked through the keyhole. The old man drug an axe behind him. With each step up the stairs, the bloody axe head clanked on the wooden planks.
“Is the girl fat enough?” said the old woman.
“She’ll have to do. The Potty will eat us if we don’t feed it soon.”
The old woman reached the top of the stairs, fumbling with a rusted ring of keys. Cinderella backed into the shadows. The clock chimed.
Dong.
The handle turned. Cinderella grasped at the wall behind her, looking for something to strike her captors with, but her hand felt only scratches. She climbed up into the window.
Dong.
The door creaked. Cinderella risked a glance down. Her stomach twisted. Her hand, slick with sweat, slipped and she nearly fell backward
Dong.
“She’s getting away!” The old woman yelled.
Dong.
“Grab her, quick,” cried the old man.
But Cinderella was quicker. She stepped out onto a ledge and slid sideways across the face of the tower. The old man crashed through the half open window, shattering the stained glass. He leaned out, head bleeding from a fresh cut, axe in hand. Swinging, his axe flew at Cinderella’s face. She ducked just in time, feeling a whoosh of wind as it struck stone. Sparks showered down into the darkness.
Dong.
“Let her fall,” The old woman said. “The Potty don’t care if she’s breathing.”
Cinderella heard the old man and the old woman clambering down the stairs. Cinderella managed to slide around to the side of the tower where she found thick ivy growing. She used the ivy to rappel down, wondering, after a few minutes, why the old man and the old woman weren’t waiting for her at the base of the tower.
She jumped the last few feet, landing softly in a bed of leaves. Crawling around the base of the tower, she peered through an arched glowing window. A huge tree with eyes and a mouth shaped like a toilet grew through the floor boards. The Potty. Sticking out of the tree’s mouth were two pairs legs. The old man and the old woman.
Cinderella smiled. They meant to feed her to The Potty, but became the meal instead.
But what to do now? She couldn’t stay. No, there was nothing left for her in the tower but the memory of her captors and a carnivorous toilet tree. Were there good potty’s out there in the world somewhere? Kind toilets that don’t eat old men and old women and little girls? Cinderella had to find out.
She dusted off her faded blue dress and turned to the forest. Goosebumps formed on Cinderella’s arm as the sound of howling grew on the air.
A broken sign, creaking in the wind, pointed down a dark, winding path.
Toilet Forrest. 1 Mile.
Cinderella started down the path, stepping carefully to avoid making noise. But the howling grew closer with every step. Coming to a bridge made from an overturned clawfoot tub, she glanced back at the tower, no more than a faint outline on the horizon. Breathing deep, she turned to the forest and crossed the creek, staring up at the dark toilet trees growing tall around her.
Cinderella was going to the potty and there was no going back
I’m giving away a $250 Amazon Shopping Spree and 50 signed copies of Evan Burl and the Falling.
This week’s winner is Heather Miles!
Along with winning a signed copy of Evan Burl and the Falling and Beth Guckenberger’s Tales of the Defended Ones, Heather joins the other semi-finalists in the $250 Amazon gift card giveaway. Claim your prize by emailing
Click here to enter now for your chance to win, plus get the free eBook instantly, just for entering!
Watch for my next blog to see if you’ve won. These are some places to read the blog: Facebook, Twitter, in your email, on my website, on Amazon, or on Goodreads.
Check out these posts before they're gone forever
A note on the newest version of Evan Burl, part one and two
The funnel > You know more than you know
The System Is Dead
Xarlie and the Xanthum Gum Factory > An illustrated short story > Isfits Vol. X
September 3, 2013
Thank you!
I remember very clearly a year ago when there was a little 0 next to Evan Burl on Amazon and I wasn’t sure if it would ever get to two digits.
Now it reads 100.
I know this may not seem like a big deal, but any creative person who puts their work out for public critique must know how I feel.
I’m so thankful to all of you who have left a review, whether you liked my book or not. I’m blessed to have one most supportive groups of fans and friends any author could wish for.
Thank you!
Click here to check it out on Amazon!
And here is a link to my latest giveaway: justinblaney.com/giveaway
A note on the newest version of Evan Burl, part one and two
The funnel > You know more than you know
Evan Burl’s next 6 months and giveaway winner
The System Is Dead
August 26, 2013
Xarlie and the Xanthum Gum Factory > An illustrated short story > Isfits Vol. X
Xarlie and the Xanthum Gum Factory
When other kids were playing four square and bullying each other during recess, Xarlie Bumpkin was dreaming up food additives.
There are so many problems with food that can be solved with chemicals. For example, Xarlie invented monosodium glutamate, or MSG, because the macaroni and cheese from his school cafeteria tasted like mashed potatoes. Xarlie discovered a dash of MSG could transform his soggy noodles into parmigiano-reggiano and tagliatelle topped with white truffles.
It wasn’t long before the other students at Xarlie’s school were begging him to improve their food too.
Suzy Goinhoffer wasn’t hungry on Monday so she paid Xarlie $5 to make her meatloaf last until Friday. Sodium benzoate. Bing!
Jackson Dan was sick of eating blueberries so he offered to do Xarlie’s homework for a month in exchange for transforming his blueberries into redberries. Red #3. Bing!
Hungry Hal was falling behind in gym class so Xarlie spiked Hal’s pumpkin juice with a shot of jet fuel. Xarlie didn’t even charge him. Just wanted to see what would happen. Hungry Hal finished first in the school’s track meet that afternoon. But he did have to spend almost an hour in the restroom later that night.
Even the teachers were lining up for Xarlie’s talent with chemically enhanced food. Xarlie used nitrates to make Mr. Mister’s limp grey bacon become as taught and pink as a slapped baby’s bottom. And when Coach Cusser needed to beef up his football team’s front line, Xarlie put them all on an IV of 100% pure corn syrup. Those guys weighed in at 500lbs by Saturday. It didn’t matter that they couldn’t run; they just sat down on the field like an impenetrable wall of jelly.
Xarlie was so successful creating food additives he started a whole factory dedicated to manufacturing these marvelous ingredients. He became fabulously rich. Made the cover of Isfits Daily before his ninth birthday. Boys wanted to be him. Girls wanted to marry him, which was totally gross because girls have cooties.
There was just one problem with Xarlie’s success–besides hordes of cooties infested girls following him everywhere he went. Xarlie could never quite strike the right balance of jet fuel to caffeine in Jerk, his popular line of energy drinks. Too little jet fuel and Jerk didn’t have the desired punch. Too much, and his customers, like Hungry Hal, suffered rather embarrassing episodes.
Xarlie thought about this problem as he sat, feet propped on the hovering glass desk, staring out the floor to ceiling windows that lined his 500th floor office. Reaching for the phone, he dialed Hungry Hal.
“I need your help,” Xarlie said, hearing someone pick up on the other end of the line.
“Who is this?”
“You have caller ID. You know who this is.”
“I hope it doesn’t have to do with that energy drink, Jerk.”
“Of course not. Come down to my factory and I’ll show you.”
“I don’t know, I’ve got homework–”
“Forget about that nonsense. Hey, what about I give you a king-size candy bar if you come.”
“Mom said I shouldn’t eat any more candy.”
“You’re twisting my arm here Hal, but tell you what. If you help me with my little problem, I’ll give you a whole box of king size candy bars.”
“My bike’s got a flat.”
“I didn’t know you could ride a bike.”
“Can you give me a ride?”
“I’m sending a limo.” Clicking off his phone, Xarlie walked to the elevator, heels clicking on the sparkling travertine floor. He stooped down, lifting a small brass fuel tank and topped off the elevator’s engine. At the push of a button, the glass elevator shuddered, then plunged downward, descending 500 floors; past floor L, past parking levels P1 through P10, all the way to the lowest level of the shimmering office and factory complex.
From the elevator’s speakers came the sound of a soprano saxophone playing a lively version of White Christmas. Xarlie found himself humming along until the elevator came to a lurching stop. “Ding, floor negative 11,” a female voice with a british accent said.
The doors slid open and Xarlie stepped into the experimentation room. Hungry Hal was waiting for him, flanked by two men in sunglasses whose large muscles were concealed behind fine layers of bespoke suit cloth.
“That was quick,” Xarlie said.
“You said you had a box of candy.”
“Oh, right.” Xarlie snapped his fingers. “Bodsworth.” The large man on the right pulled a box of king size candy bars from inside his coat. Hal began eating the candy without even unwrapping it.
“Now Hal, don’t be mad, but…”
“I ‘ew ‘it” Hal said, pointing a finger at Xarlie, crumbs of chocolate and peanut butter and plastic wrapper falling from his mouth.
“I need your help with Jerk. I just can’t get the mix right.”
“I ‘ont ‘o it.”
“You won’t do it?”
“Uh uh.” Hal shook his head and wiped his mouth on his sleeve.
Xarlie held up a neon yellow can, twice as large as the normal portion. On it was printed in a lightening styled font Big Jerk. Twice the energy. Twice the jerk. “But Hal, I think I’ve finally got it.”
“You don’t know what it was like,” Hal said, his eyes wide like he was seeing a ghost.
Xarlie turned to the table behind him. Next to the grappling hook was a pile of 8 by 10 black and white photos of Hal stuffing his face with king size candy bars. “Bruce. It breaks my heart, but I need you to fax these to Hungry Hal’s mother.” Hal spotted them and started sobbing.
“What’s a fax?” Bruce said.
“It’s a machine that is connected to a phone line that you send copies of papers and photos through.”
“I’m not sure we have a fax machine.”
“Fine. Take pictures of these and text them to Hal’s mother.”
“You want me to take a picture of these pictures?”
Hal grasped at Bruce’s arm. “No, please. She’ll kill me. Literally, she said she would kill me if I ate candy again.”
Xarlie held out the can of Big Jerk. “Then bottoms up.”
Hal looked at the can like it might at any moment grow teeth and bite off his nose.
“I’ve got a meeting with the King of Guatemala in 10 minutes.”
Hal took the can. Cracking it open, he flinched as it popped and fizzled. Xarlie leaned forward, breathing in the aroma. The blissful smell of maraschino cherries with a hint of Yellow #2 floated into his nose.
“It’s perfect,” Xarlie said.
Hal took a step toward the elevator.
“Imagine all the fat you’ll burn off with the energy inside that one double size can,” Xarlie said.
Hal took another step toward the elevator.
“Where are you going?” Xarlie said. Standing near the elevator’s engine, Hal lifted the can halfway to his mouth, then stopped.
Looking over his shoulder at Xarlie, Hal said, “I won’t do it.” He lifted the fuel cap on the elevator engine and dumped the whole can of Big Jerk down the tube.
“No!”
The engine began to rattle. Hal reached inside the elevator, pressing the button for the top floor before Bruce and Bodsworth tackled him. Smog poured from the exhaust. Popping, like the sound of firecrackers going off in a tin trash can. The elevator began to rise.
Xarlie grabbed the grappling hook and fired it at the elevator. Still it rose, picking up speed. Xarlie’s feet skidded along the floor as the elevator pulled him into the shaft. Like a rocket, the elevator took off. Past floors P10 through P1. Past floor L. Past floors 1 through 499.
Time seemed to slow as Xarlie shot past his sleekly decorated office. And then, with a crash, he was in the night air. The elevator looped like a roller coaster through the clouds and up into space. And that was the moment Xarlie realized an important lesson.
When you run a profitable enterprise, one that churns out millions of dollars manufacturing chemical food additives, far better to leave the jet fuel processing to the oil companies.
I’m giving away a $250 Amazon Shopping Spree and 50 signed copies of Evan Burl and the Falling.
This week’s winner is Carl Smith!
Along with winning a signed copy of Evan Burl and the Falling, Carl joins the other semi-finalists in the $250 Amazon gift card giveaway. Claim your prize by emailing
Click here to enter now for your chance to win, plus get the free eBook instantly, just for entering!
Watch for my next blog to see if you’ve won. These are some places to read the blog: Facebook, Twitter, in your email, on my website, on Amazon, or on Goodreads.
Here is a list of the semifinalists for the $250 Amazon giveaway!
Jessica Mamac, Kristen Patinka, Lou Scott, Scott Bothel, John Wargowsky, Tammy Dalley, Carl Smith
Check out these posts before they're gone forever
Announcing the world of Isfits and my original illustrated short story > Cinderella Goes To The Potty
The funnel > You know more than you know
A note on the newest version of Evan Burl, part one and two
Evan Burl’s next 6 months and giveaway winner
August 14, 2013
The funnel > You know more than you know
We try to grow by pouring more knowledge in the top of the funnel.
We read books. Go to conferences. Spend time with mentors. Follow blogs. Get a degree from a top university. Read comic books.
But none of these will help us grow. Because we’re just pouring information into the top of a funnel. It isn’t until until we force our knowledge out the bottom of the funnel by applying it that we see change.
It’s a lot easier to learn new things than apply them. There is little accountability for results when we’re learning. It’s a lot more comfortable reading a book on our couch than doing what the book tells us we should do. We give ourselves bonus points for trying to improve our minds. We can even fool our friends into thinking we’re smart by learning the lingo.
But we’re not changing.
We might want to eat better. So we read blogs about healthy foods. But instead of eating better, which involves putting down the chips and cake and candy and coke, we go back to the blogs and keep searching for more ways to eat healthy.
We might want to live a life with meaning. So we read books on morality. We go to church. We talk over a cappuccino with friends we made in philosophy class about the origins of right and wrong. But when a coworker is out of luck and needs a loan, we tell them we’ll pray for them and to not let the door hit them on the way out.
We might want to become a better painter. So we take classes from renowned artists. We study the greats. We go to art fairs. We spend a lot of time at the museum. But we’re too afraid to pick up a paint brush because someone might not like what we create.
Most of us already know what we need to do. Adding more information in the top of the funnel isn’t going to help. We need to start forcing it out the bottom. We need to apply what we’ve already learned.
That’s what separates the 1% from the 99%.
Because learning is easy. It’s even fun. But it’s the application that’ll make us become the people we want to be.
So are you a member of the 1%, or the 99%?
What is one thing you want to change in yourself, and what do you already know that you’re not applying regarding that change? What are some successes you’ve had applying knowledge? How can you build on those successes? I’d love to know! Please leave a comment.
I’m giving away a $250 Amazon Shopping Spree and 50 signed copies of Evan Burl and the Falling.
This week’s winner is Tammy Dalley!
Along with winning a signed copy of Evan Burl and the Falling, Tammy joins the other semi-finalists in the $250 Amazon gift card giveaway. Claim your prize by emailing
Click here to enter now for your chance to win, plus get the free eBook instantly, just for entering!
Watch for my next blog to see if you’ve won. These are some places to read the blog: Facebook, Twitter, in your email, on my website, on Amazon, or on Goodreads.
Here is a list of the semifinalists for the $250 Amazon giveaway!
Jessica Mamac, Kristen Patinka, Lou Scott, Scott Bothel, John Wargowsky, Tammy Dalley
July 29, 2013
Announcing the world of Isfits and my original illustrated short story > Cinderella Goes To The Potty
Illustration by Benji Todd and Justin Blaney
Co-conspirator, Benji Todd and I, have been dreaming ideas and crafting illustrations for the last 8 months. We’re planning to launch a Kickstarter this fall to finish the rest of the art, print some books, and maybe even make an animated movie!
Isfits is many things.
It’s a world of marvel, sometimes scary, where something unexpected lurks around every toilet tree.
It’s a family, filled with characters you love, but may not know as well as you think.
It’s a series of children’s books. Our first project is an ABC book that introduces 26 characters, like Cinderella Goes To The Potty, featured in the illustration above. Each character will audition to star in their own book, chosen by you, based on the merit of their ambition and quality of their resume. Cinderella, for example, aspires to teach children about the perils and wonders of learning to use the toilet. Other characters will make appearances like Serious George, a partially depressed repeat offender; Kat in the Sack, a retired WWI French pilot who lives in the shell of his crashed fighter plane; and Zzzoldermort, an old farmer who plays with his sock puppet snake when he’s not falling asleep at the wheel of a combine tractor.
Benji and I are illustrating 14, two-page spreads like Cinderella’s. As we release each new spread, I’m going to publish a short story inspired by the art. These short stories are not necessarily going to find their way into the books. I’m writing them for you, the readers of this blog
Today, I’m pleased to present you with the first of these 14 short stories.
I’d love to hear what you think, so please stop by and leave a comment on Facebook, Twitter or at the bottom of this post. And don’t forget to check to see if you’ve won last week’s giveaway. I’ll announce the winner and start a new giveaway after the story.
Now turn down the lights, start a little fire and roast some s’mores while you enjoy the premier of Isfits and our first family member, Cinderella, like you’ve never known her before.
Cinderella Goes To the Potty
Cinderella lay in her bed, eyes wide, staring at the splintered ceiling. The stone wall next to her, lit by silver moonlight, was covered with scratches. Cinderella knew exactly how many scratches were on the wall without counting. She made them herself, scratched a new line every night when the clock rang twelve.
999 lines.
Cinderella had always promised herself she would not stay long enough to see 1000.
It was 11:58, two minutes until the clock struck midnight.
Cinderella tried to ignore the howls coming from the forest beyond the creek. Should she attempt to escape through the window, 100 terrifying feet above ground. Or, should she wait for the old man and the old woman to come. They checked on her every night about this time. She could hide behind the door, then shove them out the window when their backs were turned.
A scratching sound, like feet on stone, from the other side of her rickety wooden door.
Thunk.
Something heavy was being drug up the stairs. Candle light flashed through the gap beneath the door. Voices.
Thunk.
“Hurry,” said the old man in a deep raspy voice. “The Tree is hungry.”
Thunk.
Cinderella crept out of bed and peeked through the keyhole. The old man drug an axe behind him. With each step up the stairs, the bloody axe head clanked on the wooden planks.
“Is the girl fat enough?” said the old woman.
“She’ll have to do. The Tree will eat us if we don’t feed him soon.”
The old woman reached the top of the stairs, fumbling with a rusted ring of keys. Cinderella backed into the shadows. The clock began to chime.
Dong.
The handle turned. Cinderella grasped at the wall behind her, looking for something to strike her captors with, but her hand felt only scratches. She climbed up into the window.
Dong.
The door creaked. Cinderella risked a glance down. Her stomach twisted. Her hand, slick with sweat, slipped and she nearly fell backward
Dong.
“She’s getting away!” The old woman yelled.
Dong.
“Grab her, quick,” cried the old man.
But Cinderella was quicker. She stepped out onto a ledge and slid sideways across the face of the tower. The old man crashed through the half open window, shattering the stained glass. He leaned out, head bleeding from a fresh cut, axe in hand. Swinging, his axe flew at Cinderella’s face. She ducked just in time, feeling a whoosh of wind as it struck stone. Sparks showered down into the darkness.
Dong.
“Let her fall,” The old woman said. “The Tree don’t care if she’s breathing.”
The clock finished ringing out. Cinderella heard the old man and the old woman clambering down the stairs. Cinderella managed to slide around to the side of the tower where she found thick ivy growing. She used the ivy to rappel down, wondering, after a few minutes, why the old man and the old woman weren’t waiting for her at the base of the tower.
She jumped the last few feet, landing softly in a bed of leaves. Crawling around the base of the tower, she peered through an arched glowing window. A huge tree with eyes and a mouth shaped like a toilet grew through the floor boards. Sticking out of the tree’s mouth were two pairs legs. The old man and the old woman.
Cinderella smiled. They meant to feed her to The Tree, but became the meal instead.
She dusted off her faded blue dress and turned to the forest. Goosebumps formed on Cinderella’s arm as the sound of howling grew on the air.
A broken sign, creaking in the wind, pointed down a dark, winding path.
Toilet Forrest. 1 Mile.
Cinderella started down the path, stepping carefully to avoid making noise. But the howling grew closer with every step. Coming to a bridge made from an overturned clawfoot tub, she glanced back at the tower, no more than a faint outline on the horizon. Breathing deep, she turned to the forest and crossed the creek, staring up at the dark trees growing tall around her.
Cinderella was going to the potty and there was no going back
I’m giving away a $250 Amazon Shopping Spree and 50 signed copies of Evan Burl and the Falling.
This week’s winner is Lou Scott!
Along with winning a signed copy of Evan Burl and the Falling, Lou joins the other semi-finalists in the $250 Amazon gift card giveaway. Claim your prize by emailing
Click here to enter now for your chance to win, plus get the free eBook instantly, just for entering!
Watch for my next blog to see if you’ve won. These are some places to read the blog: Facebook, Twitter, in your email, on my website, on Amazon, or on Goodreads.
July 15, 2013
The System Is Dead
a novel by unknown author Robert Galbraith, was actually written by JK Rowling, a little known billionaire who wrote a story about some tosser named Harry Potter. The Cuckoo’s Calling had sold a mere 500 copies over 2 1/2 months, but rocketed to #1 in every category on Amazon, including fresh groceries, within hours of Rowling’s secret coming out. Oddly enough, the Harry Potter series sells exactly 500 copies every time Emma Watson cuts her hair shorter.
Though it seemed obvious to everyone that The Cuckoo’s Calling was a great story, it was selling about as well as a PHD dissertation on bird watching. Great reviews, which the book had in abundance, were not enough for the book to catch on. One editor, who rejected the manuscript, recalled that the writing was quite good, but the novel didn’t stand out. A reviewer on Amazon opined that the book was so well written, she would not be surprised if we discover some day that it was written by a famous author. Rowling’s secret may have been discovered because the book’s prose was so self-assured that some readers couldn’t believe it was written by a freshman author.
So if the book is great, why wasn’t it selling more?
Because without her name, Ms. Rowling was reduced to mere mortal status, subject to the same broken publishing system that plagues authors, bookstores and readers everywhere. And don’t put all the blame on editors and agents. You try to pick a bestseller from a stack of manuscripts as tall as the B.F.G.
The publishing industry’s problems are just the first page of a very bad novel. Take a look around and you’ll find a lot of systems are broke.
Consider the system we trust to bring us great movies (which cost $17 a ticket and are rarely worth the price of popcorn, which, ironically, also costs $17).
Then there’s the system we trust to bring us great music (1% of which is bioengineered by Carly Rae Jepsen’s agent to become a #1 single, the other 99% is filler, bioengineered by the ghost of Steve Jobs to waste space on your iPod so you have to upgrade to the 32gb version).
Or how about the system we trust to educate our children. We spend $10,000 per raggy-head-of-hair on public education while 25% of students aren’t graduating high school. You can’t even get a job cleaning gum off the handrails at Six Flags without a master’s degree. And 10,000 bucks? You could buy your little rug rat a desk in the world’s best prep schools for that much money and you’d still have enough to get your family’s name imprinted on a brick in the school gymnasium.
Don’t even get me started on the system we trust to govern us. In the United States, our government debt has reached $250,000 for an average family of five. Europe and Asia aren’t doing any better. I could buy a lot of bricks with my name on it for that much money.
It’s like we’re all playing Parcheesi in a burning building, arguing about whose turn is next.
What should we do about all these broken systems?
Same thing you do in a fire. Curl into a ball and stay still—-no, that’s a bear attack. In a fire, you locate the nearest exit and run.
I’m not talking about colonizing Mars–although that would be pretty cool–I’m talking about creating your own system. One where you’re in charge. If the world’s rules aren’t working for you, starting making up your own.
Do you remember in 3rd grade during recess when that obnoxious redhead kid was losing at foursquare and he tried to change the rules so he could win? That’s what I’m talking about. Except in real life, you don’t have to lose for him to win. Everyone can win. Because you’re not playing against other people, you’re playing against yourself.
The system tells you to wait for that publisher to call you back and offer you a contract–that’s what the system told the author of Harry Potter when she didn’t use her real name. But when you’re making your own rules, you build your own audience and you have a lot more fun doing it because no one is giving you impossible deadlines or designing covers with a blonde when your book is about a brunette.
You can’t trust your employer to keep you on staff when it’s downsizing time. You can’t trust your schools to teach your kids everything they need to know. You can’t trust your grocery story to sell you foods that are healthy. You can’t trust your government to do your retirement planning for you. You can’t even trust your dishwasher to clean the dishes! Or, maybe that’s just my dishwasher.
It’s impossible to win a game that doesn’t have all the pieces.
Create your own game where you make the pieces up as you go. Find friends who love and support you instead of tearing you down. Learn what you need to learn. Get out of bed. Turn off the TV. Put your phone on mute and hide it under your pillow for a day.
You may not be able to become anything you want, but you can become more than you are. You may not be able to do anything you want, but you can do more than you are. It takes work. And patience. And more work. And more patience. And sometimes a bit of luck. And good friends.
You’re the only person in this world who is going to make it happen.
I, for one, find that very reassuring.
So what have you been waiting for? What systems do you trust that continually let you down? What steps are you going to take to stop trusting those systems and start making your own rules? I look forward to hearing from you. Please leave your comments at the bottom of this page!
I’m giving away a $250 Amazon Shopping Spree and 50 signed copies of Evan Burl and the Falling.
This week’s winner is Kristen Patinka!
Along with winning a signed copy of Evan Burl and the Falling, Kristen joins the other semi-finalists in the $250 Amazon gift card giveaway. If you’re Kristen, claim your prize by emailing
Click here to enter now for your chance to win, plus get the free eBook instantly, just for entering!
Watch for my next blog to see if you’ve won. These are some places to read the blog: Facebook, Twitter, in your email, on my website, on Amazon, or on Goodreads.
July 1, 2013
Evan Burl’s next 6 months and giveaway winner
(it’s kind of long, but I added nifty headings so you can scan)
Part 1 and 2 of Evan Burl and the Falling released in January
As noted in a previous post, I’m combining part 1 and 2 of Evan Burl’s series into a single book. We’re going to do a huge launch (hopefully huge, with your help it will be) on January 9, 2014.
For those of you waiting for book two (I love you!), you might be disappointed with the amount of new material in this book. It depends on what version you read last. The easiest way to know is looking at the chapter count. The book being published in January will have about 66 chapters. If your version has less than 66 chapters, there will be some new stuff in that final version for you. If your version already has 66 chapters, there probably won’t be much new until the new Book Two comes out down the road. Even if you have read a 66 chapter version, the new version will be all shiny and edited and worth downloading a new free ebook when it launches.
The reason for this confusion is there are at least 5 different versions of Evan Burl. I’ve been adding new material to book one since December, 2012 to test it with a public audience. In fact, the book available on Amazon right now is actually the combined version of 1 and 2.
If you have already finished any version of Evan Burl, I recommend waiting until the final launch in January. I’m doing a ton of work editing it down and adding details that I think will make the book even more enjoyable.
If you haven’t read any version of Evan Burl yet, I’d love to have you pick up a free copy at evanburl.com/download and give me some feedback to incorporate into the final release. I’m actively seeking feedback on this advanced reader version and your input will make a huge difference in the quality of the final book.
Thanks for your patience with the number of revisions and confusion. I’m planning to explain more about why I’ve released so many versions in a future post that discusses a new take on the philosophy of today’s publishing world.
Amazon shopping spree and book giveaway
To celebrate the launch of Evan Burl in January, I’m giving away 10 signed books and an Amazon shopping spree (at least $250, maybe more). I planning tons of ways to get more entries in the giveaway like downloading the free ebook, joining this mailing list, writing a review and sharing the giveaway on Facebook. If you’ve already done any of those things, don’t worry, you’ll automatically be entered. This contest is for you so if you have any ideas for how to run it better, please leave a comment!
And if you want to share our contest with your friends now, all they have to do to enter is download the book. Here are some links: Twitter, Facebook and email. Thanks!
Blog tour
I hope to get Evan Burl reviewed and have our giveaway featured by 100 blogs. If you’re a blogger or know one, please let me know! I’m also planning to do some Facebook parties, but have no idea what I’m doing. If you want to help out, email me or leave a comment. I don’t know much about blog tours and release parties, but I know they’re important to getting the word out and would love your help if you have some experience.
Kickstarter campaign
Along with the release of Evan Burl in January, I’m planning a kickstarter campaign to print several thousand hardbacks. I have several goals for this campaign that I think are really exciting.
1. With your help, I want to donate 1000 copies of the book to libraries around the world to encourage reading, especially with young men, and increase awareness for issues related to fatherlessness.
2. I love small, independent book stores and want to support them by printing a high enough volume to keep our prices low. In today’s publishing world (even Barnes and Nobel is bleeding money) small, independent bookstores need our support more than ever. Together, we can ensure that we always have inviting, comfortable places to browse and discover great new books! Plus, book stores smell great. The world just wouldn’t be the same without them.
3. In addition to donating copies to libraries, I hope to see Evan Burl used by reading groups to stimulate conversations around the social and personal issues brought up in this novel. As part of the kickstarter, I plan to release support materials and make highly discounted books available to make participation affordable. (the ebook will be free, but not everyone can afford an ereader).
4. Wonder what Evan Burl’s world looks like? (Sometimes, I do too) I’m planning to work with a great artist based here in Seattle to develop a series of original digital canvases which could be included in the hardback version.
5. 10% of the proceeds from the kickstarter will be donated to support at risk youth and orphans.
6. Promoting and participating in the kickstarter will also earn entries to the Amazon shopping spree giveaway.
Book trailer
You may not know that I own a video production studio, which pays for my writing habit. I’m planning to get our whole production team involved in something special for Evan’s book trailer and can’t wait to share it with you. Look for the trailer to be released around the first part of September.
Book two progress reports
Starting in 2014, I plan to release regular progress reports on how work is going with the next book in Evan Burl’s tale. This was originally going to be book three in the series, but because I combined books one and two into the new Evan Burl and the Falling, this will be the currently-unnamed, book two. No release date is planned yet, but you’ll be the first to hear as soon as I know.
About this blog
Over the next six months, I’ll continue to update you on launch activities. I also have a few other writing projects I think you might find interesting, including an illustrated children’s book called Isfits, and plan to share more about those projects in the future. That said, I don’t want this to be some kind of continuous commercial for all my junk. If you ever have any ideas for something interesting you’d like to read about here, let me know. I’ll also be on the hunt for content to write about that I think you’ll find interesting. Thanks for being along for the ride as we figure this blogging/writing/publishing thing out together!
That’s it for now. I’ll be in touch.
Your friend,
Justin
PS, if you want to let any of your friends know how to get a free copy of Evan Burl, I’ve made it easy with these links: Twitter, Facebook and email.
I’m giving away 50 signed copies of Evan Burl and the Falling
It’s time for this post’s lucky winner!
Jessica Mamac, come on down!
You’ve won! to claim your free book.
For everyone else, stay tuned next time. I’m giving away another signed copy of Evan Burl and the Falling every time I publish a blog post! All you have to do to win is follow me on Facebook or subscribe to my blog. Do both and double your chances of winning.
Go to justinblaney.com/giveaway for more information
Good luck!
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