Ten years ago, almost to the day, I received a phone call from Thomas Nelson Publishing's acquisitions editor, Dee Ann Grand. I was in the kitchen, walking towards the dinner table. My wife Mary Lu was carrying a basked of laundry and heading down the basement stairs.
"Congratulations," Dee Ann, said. "Thomas Nelson has agreed to publish The Door Within Trilogy."
In that moment, everything changed. God had given me the desires of my heart. A dream had come true. And I was about to become a very busy beaver indeed.
The funny thing is, when I started seriously writing, I asked God to use my stories to bring just one person closer to Jesus. As usual, God had much bigger, better plans.
Fast forward to present day 2014. Including works with other great authors like Christopher Hopper and Marianne Herring, I've published 15 novels and sold more than half a million books.
Back in 2004, no one had ever heard of an eBook. The publishing model operated pretty much as it had for a hundred years: manuscript, agent, editor, contract, book. But things have changed. eBooks and Amazon have literally revolutionized the publishing industry.
And again, I believe God wants to change things. I believe I am called to kick it up to the next level. By God's grace and YOUR HELP, I intend to do just that.
See, I've written 15 books, but that's just the tip of the imaginary iceberg. I have a file filled with story ideas. Some are completely outlined, some are a few chapters into the manuscript, and some are kernel concepts that were too cool not to write down. In fact, I have more than THIRTY new book ideas just waiting…
Waiting for Patreon.
What is Patreon? Quick history lesson: back in the days of the Renaissance, artists were supported by patrons. Patrons were people with a love for the arts who wanted to see more of the kind of art they liked come into existence. Generous patrons would actually provide a living for the artists they loved, allowing the artists to do what God made them to do: to create.
Patreon is like Kickstarter for individual artists. It allows those who love their creative endeavor to support them and get much more creative content out there to be enjoyed. I'm asking you, my readers, and parents of my readers, to consider supporting my work. Become my Patron of the Arts by pledging any amount a month you wish.
If you're interested, if you want to help, all you have to do is visit my Patreon site.
You sign up for Patreon very quickly and easily, and you can pledge any amount per month. If so, you will help me reach two goals:
I. Release two novels a year for the next five years AND
II. Become full time author within five years.
In return for your support, you'll receive all kinds of fantastic freebies, sneak previews, and one-of-a-kind perks. But I'll let the video and my Patreon page tell you all about that.
WHY SUPPORT?
We've all heard the cliche "starving artist," but it's often too true. And it's not because artists are lazy and won't work. From the music industry to art to publishing, the established powers that be have exploited artists terribly. Often, the creators get a pittance of the profit for anything they create. Imagine, working your heart out on a novel, only to receive 10-12% of the return! Because of that dynamic, many artists have to have 2nd and 3rd jobs or, like me duel careers. Note "duel" is purposefully misspelled. When you have two full time careers, they fight.
For many years, every moment I've taken to write, I've felt like I ought to be working on lesson plans for my students instead. If I was working on lesson plans, I felt guilty because I wasn't working on my novel. And that's on top of having a lovely wife and fantastic family who absolutely deserve more of my time.
There was a dark time, right around when I finished editing Isle of Swords that I almost quit writing. The dueling careers were taking their toll on everything: my physical health, my family, our collective sanity too. But I don't think God wanted me to quit. I think He wanted to show me what He could do when I had no choice but to cling to the hem of his robe.
Today marks a threshold. Again, I feel called to take it up a notch. I don't know how much longer God will allow me to live on this giant spinning mudball, but I want to make sure I honor him by getting more stories to my readers. I am particularly charged to complete the SEVEN books of the Dark Sea Annals. It's a story that has been on my heart since 2004. I want you to be able to read them.
Here's a sneak peek at Dark Sea Book 3: Mirror of Souls:
Please consider being my Patron on Patreon.com. And not only that, please SPREAD THE WORD. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Blog, Kick—anything you can do to help others have a chance to support my work is huge! Here again, is the link:
