Hey everyone. SkyRig...or rather T.J. Howard here, as you'll soon find out. This is...holy freaking shit, this is amazing.
So, as some of you may know, I went totally radio-silent except to give you updates, like announcing a fanfic was going on hiatus or was being removed or it was still in the works, but I also reminded you guys that I was also writing my very own book.
Well, I am proud to say that, yes, I am now a legit author.
"Chase Ryder and the City of Lost Memories - Part 1: War" is my first entry in the Chase Ryder book series, and my very first book. I am currently self-published on Amazon, which I found to be the easiest way to go (and also the most stressful. Formatting cover art on that place is a goddamn nightmare and I was having so many troubles...just, for the love of god). While I cannot say the book will be to everyone's taste as it is entirely original content, I am hoping I at least score a hundred readers and buyers. Currently, only the kindle version of the book is available (it is currently up for pre-order and will be released on May 20), but a paperback and hardcover versions are also available. When those versions will be released, I do not know. The kindle version is up for pre-order and costs 8.99. The paperback and hardcover versions will rock you 12.99 and 26.99 respectively. In regards to the ridiculous hardcover price...yeeeaaah, minimum was apparently 26.08, when I wanted to go for a more feasible but still slightly expensive 15.99.
Amazon, you suck.
I'd be happy if you bought the hardcover version, but if you feel the price is too much, please stick to paperback. Or hell, just buy the kindle version.
I realize this sounds like shameless advertisement, but I want to make something clear here. I'm not looking to make this into a best-seller or anything. Or hell, anything that would warrant it getting into, say, the New York Times. All I want is to make books and provide a steady source of income for myself and my family, and this, I feel, is the best way for me to do so. Especially since our financial situation as of recently is looking heavily uncertain for reasons I will not disclose. Private matters, you understand.
That's it for now. To assauge some fears some of you might have, no, just because I'm a legit author does not mean I will be abandoning writing fanfiction. I will still do my best to get content out to you guys, maybe post a new story when I've made decent progress and finished a story or two, but I will likely still devote my time to writing other books. I'm already working on Part 2 of Chase Ryder, as well as a trilogy series that, in my opinion, you guys may enjoy more.
Who doesn't love medieval fantasy?
Before I cap this off, I want to give two huge, massive thank yous and shout-outs to TheStrangerThatCameFromNowhere, who commissioned DeviantArtist Alex-kellar to create the cover art illustration you'll see soon enough, and to Alex-kellar himself who created the wonderful piece you'll all will be seeing eventually enough. Speaking of, Alex, if you see this and the cover art, I apologize in advance. I wanted to use the other version of the cover art you sent me, but Amazon kept fucking it up so I had to stick with the version you made for kindle. Which sucks because I really liked the one you came up with.
Of course, the ones who deserve the biggest thanks is YOU GUYS. Yes, you, the guy or girl sitting behind your computer screen or phone who gave me support and feedback and continued to give me the push I needed to pursue this career. For someone like me, who started off writing stories based off manga, anime, TV shows, and video games, people like you guys are the ones who made this possible for me.
Thank you all so much.
Cheers.