You too can fly...raw and real for a minute
Hello to whoever is reading this, whether you're on a phone, tablet, or in front of your computer.
I wanted to take this time to share this with all of you.
Not submitting any links, promotions, or asking you to buy anything from me.
I just want to get raw and real for a minute and speak from the heart.
Since the age of seven, I always wanted to be a writer. I had a second grade teacher who encouraged my creativity to write and two of the best parents in the world who backed me up.
I wrote my first comic book with my younger brother (who by the way is an artist) at the age of ten, and we both wrote our second when I was between seventeen/eighteen years old.
I still remember the day his fifth grade teacher arranged for us to take a tour of the DC office in Manhattan, we both had looks on our faces like “this could be us.”
Sadly that all stopped when I hit my twenties. I didn’t get sick, or fall into the bad crowd; it’s just that some personal things threw my plans and dreams into the sidelines. I’m a big boy, so I’m not going to cry over the decisions I made, but my life took a turn to what was supposed to be heading for my dream to what was practical for me to live.
I got a regular 9 to 5 working in an office, paid my bills, worked on fixing my credit that I wrecked in college, and when I got some money saved went on vacation with my soon to be wife.
And this would be my life for a good two decades. The only writing I ever did was for e-fed wrestling sites as a hobby. I got into 3D graphic art as a hobby too, mostly making wrestling pics of the characters I created and for fellow leaguers.
The dream of becoming a writer was just that to me…just a dream.
Until one day, during one of my routine lunch breaks, I decided to do something different.
I took thirty minutes from my break to stop the Midtown Comic Book Store by Grand Central Station NYC where I purchased my very first comic book in years. It was Geoff Johns’ “Green Lantern Blackest Night”. I found myself going there every week until I collected the entire series. Next I moved onto “Brightest Day”, and then for Marvel it was “Hulk Wars”, “Heart of the Monster”, until I realized I was building a collection again.
Eventually I found myself on a known comic book site called the Comic Vine. I got into battles, debates, and was able to catch up on years and years of comic book lore.
I went to my first Comic Con in 2012 and haven’t missed one yet.
The spark that was missing in my life was back, I even started working out again. I managed to painfully shed almost twenty pounds of office fat, and sculpt my frame where a Superman T-shirt looks pretty damn good.
In between all of that I started doing digital artwork of Marvel and DC characters, and eventually I started creating characters of my own. One particular character who is dear to my heart for personal reasons, I began to build a story around.
As the story evolved, I went looking for an artist to do a traditional comic version of my story. You may be asking why I didn’t go to my brother, let’s just say he too settled into a somewhat normal life and was politely not interested in the project (I’m being nice about it because he’s my little brother). Anyway I just kept running into a wall as no one wanted to work with me.
And then my wife came up with this crazy idea for me to turn my story into a novel. It was crazy, I didn’t think there was a market for sci-fi superhero novels, but I did anyway, because she always gives me good advice, and I wanted to be a writer.
On the 18th of July 2013, I published my first novel titled “The First” on Amazon. It was met was mostly good reviews, but a couple of bad, mainly because I went cheap on an editor who was not worth two squirts and gave me back a novel still riddled with errors which is the kiss of death with critics. By the time I got my money back and paid out for a decent editor some damage was done, not to mention my PR was subpar due to lack of funds, so I didn’t get the traction I was hoping.
So I licked my wounds, learned from the experience, focused on my second novel which I was writing the same time I was writing the first. I took my time, improved my artwork, and saved my money.
When I was sure I was ready, I paid through the nose for the most brutal and professional editor I could find. I went through twenty templates till I got the perfect book cover, and then paid through the nose again to have a skilled artist clean up where I was not strong.
I spent day and night, ran up, paid off, and then ran up my credit card on PR campaigns getting people pumped about the second novel.
I finally went and competed in the new Amazon Kindle Scout Program which probably everyone on here heard about since I posted like an idiot begging for votes. Well, I didn’t win it, but it didn’t deter me.
On June 19, 2015, I published my second novel “The First EVO Uprising”.
And this is the result after almost a week:
·#5 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure > Women's Adventure
·#7 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure > Women's Adventure
·#8 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Superheroes
I’ve already thanked my beautiful wife in more ways than one. I thank my Lord God above for giving me life and the ability of words that I used to write these novels. For without Him first and foremost none of this would be possible. I'm thankful for three things that lit a fire under my ass. One was becoming a part of the Comic Vine community; everyone who I either encountered directly or indirectly on that site, whether through discussion, debating, or a flat out argument; everyone who I interacted with on that site fanned the spark back within in me.
The second thing I am thankful for is that fateful day that I stepped into a comic book store and picked up that Green Lantern issue reawaken something in me that was dead for a long time.
And finally which I forgot to mention a couple of times since posting this blog, I have to thank Kevin Smith. The night I watched Kevin Smith: Too Fat for 40 and Kevin Smith: Burn in Hell, Mr. Smith indirectly imparted both graphic and solid words of wisdom that helped me find my passion again for the one thing I loved and always wanted to do, and on that night, made me recommit to myself to go for it no matter the cost or obstacles set before me, because that fight is the reward, and the victory is just the icing on the cake. So now like he did for me, I am paying it forward.
I can finally say that I am whole again.
I am doing what I always wanted to do, and everything I do feels better, everything I eat taste better, and the air I breathe is just sweeter.
I end this by telling anyone who is out there. If you read this, and feel the same way I felt.
I say to you it’s not too late, at 39 years old soon to be 40, I took that leap. I got scratched up and cut, but eventually I flew.
You can fly too.
It’s not going to be easy; there will be spills along the way. But even if you fall, at least you’re heading in the right direction.
So if you’re an artist, a writer, a comedian, actor or actress, singer, whatever is your passion.
Fight for it.
Because when your time comes, and you leave this world. The last thing you want to do is leave it with regrets.
I regret nothing now.
Sincerely,
Kipjo K Ewers
Author of “The First Series” and Creator of the "EVO Universe"
I wanted to take this time to share this with all of you.
Not submitting any links, promotions, or asking you to buy anything from me.
I just want to get raw and real for a minute and speak from the heart.
Since the age of seven, I always wanted to be a writer. I had a second grade teacher who encouraged my creativity to write and two of the best parents in the world who backed me up.
I wrote my first comic book with my younger brother (who by the way is an artist) at the age of ten, and we both wrote our second when I was between seventeen/eighteen years old.
I still remember the day his fifth grade teacher arranged for us to take a tour of the DC office in Manhattan, we both had looks on our faces like “this could be us.”
Sadly that all stopped when I hit my twenties. I didn’t get sick, or fall into the bad crowd; it’s just that some personal things threw my plans and dreams into the sidelines. I’m a big boy, so I’m not going to cry over the decisions I made, but my life took a turn to what was supposed to be heading for my dream to what was practical for me to live.
I got a regular 9 to 5 working in an office, paid my bills, worked on fixing my credit that I wrecked in college, and when I got some money saved went on vacation with my soon to be wife.
And this would be my life for a good two decades. The only writing I ever did was for e-fed wrestling sites as a hobby. I got into 3D graphic art as a hobby too, mostly making wrestling pics of the characters I created and for fellow leaguers.
The dream of becoming a writer was just that to me…just a dream.
Until one day, during one of my routine lunch breaks, I decided to do something different.
I took thirty minutes from my break to stop the Midtown Comic Book Store by Grand Central Station NYC where I purchased my very first comic book in years. It was Geoff Johns’ “Green Lantern Blackest Night”. I found myself going there every week until I collected the entire series. Next I moved onto “Brightest Day”, and then for Marvel it was “Hulk Wars”, “Heart of the Monster”, until I realized I was building a collection again.
Eventually I found myself on a known comic book site called the Comic Vine. I got into battles, debates, and was able to catch up on years and years of comic book lore.
I went to my first Comic Con in 2012 and haven’t missed one yet.
The spark that was missing in my life was back, I even started working out again. I managed to painfully shed almost twenty pounds of office fat, and sculpt my frame where a Superman T-shirt looks pretty damn good.
In between all of that I started doing digital artwork of Marvel and DC characters, and eventually I started creating characters of my own. One particular character who is dear to my heart for personal reasons, I began to build a story around.
As the story evolved, I went looking for an artist to do a traditional comic version of my story. You may be asking why I didn’t go to my brother, let’s just say he too settled into a somewhat normal life and was politely not interested in the project (I’m being nice about it because he’s my little brother). Anyway I just kept running into a wall as no one wanted to work with me.
And then my wife came up with this crazy idea for me to turn my story into a novel. It was crazy, I didn’t think there was a market for sci-fi superhero novels, but I did anyway, because she always gives me good advice, and I wanted to be a writer.
On the 18th of July 2013, I published my first novel titled “The First” on Amazon. It was met was mostly good reviews, but a couple of bad, mainly because I went cheap on an editor who was not worth two squirts and gave me back a novel still riddled with errors which is the kiss of death with critics. By the time I got my money back and paid out for a decent editor some damage was done, not to mention my PR was subpar due to lack of funds, so I didn’t get the traction I was hoping.
So I licked my wounds, learned from the experience, focused on my second novel which I was writing the same time I was writing the first. I took my time, improved my artwork, and saved my money.
When I was sure I was ready, I paid through the nose for the most brutal and professional editor I could find. I went through twenty templates till I got the perfect book cover, and then paid through the nose again to have a skilled artist clean up where I was not strong.
I spent day and night, ran up, paid off, and then ran up my credit card on PR campaigns getting people pumped about the second novel.
I finally went and competed in the new Amazon Kindle Scout Program which probably everyone on here heard about since I posted like an idiot begging for votes. Well, I didn’t win it, but it didn’t deter me.
On June 19, 2015, I published my second novel “The First EVO Uprising”.
And this is the result after almost a week:
·#5 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure > Women's Adventure
·#7 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure > Women's Adventure
·#8 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Superheroes
I’ve already thanked my beautiful wife in more ways than one. I thank my Lord God above for giving me life and the ability of words that I used to write these novels. For without Him first and foremost none of this would be possible. I'm thankful for three things that lit a fire under my ass. One was becoming a part of the Comic Vine community; everyone who I either encountered directly or indirectly on that site, whether through discussion, debating, or a flat out argument; everyone who I interacted with on that site fanned the spark back within in me.
The second thing I am thankful for is that fateful day that I stepped into a comic book store and picked up that Green Lantern issue reawaken something in me that was dead for a long time.
And finally which I forgot to mention a couple of times since posting this blog, I have to thank Kevin Smith. The night I watched Kevin Smith: Too Fat for 40 and Kevin Smith: Burn in Hell, Mr. Smith indirectly imparted both graphic and solid words of wisdom that helped me find my passion again for the one thing I loved and always wanted to do, and on that night, made me recommit to myself to go for it no matter the cost or obstacles set before me, because that fight is the reward, and the victory is just the icing on the cake. So now like he did for me, I am paying it forward.
I can finally say that I am whole again.
I am doing what I always wanted to do, and everything I do feels better, everything I eat taste better, and the air I breathe is just sweeter.
I end this by telling anyone who is out there. If you read this, and feel the same way I felt.
I say to you it’s not too late, at 39 years old soon to be 40, I took that leap. I got scratched up and cut, but eventually I flew.
You can fly too.
It’s not going to be easy; there will be spills along the way. But even if you fall, at least you’re heading in the right direction.
So if you’re an artist, a writer, a comedian, actor or actress, singer, whatever is your passion.
Fight for it.
Because when your time comes, and you leave this world. The last thing you want to do is leave it with regrets.
I regret nothing now.
Sincerely,
Kipjo K Ewers
Author of “The First Series” and Creator of the "EVO Universe"
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