I was near a Barnes and Noble that I don’t normally pass by (may have news about a signing in the next day or two) and took the opportunity to drop in and sign their copies of GDC.  Or I should say I signed three of their four copies.  The fourth copy, you see, was bound both upside down and backward in the cover.  I believe the official term for such a copy is “defective”.

I would use a different term, something in the realm of “completely awesome”.  I don’t know why, but seeing that odd, contorted version of my book gave me a million different happy feelings.  I immediately told the CRM—Community Relations Manager—that I would very much like to trade one of my boring, correctly bound versions of the book for their “defective” copy.  They kindly agreed.  So I’ll head back there tonight to switch books. 

I can’t wait!  Merry Christmas Mr. Me!

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Today I received a very cool package in the mail: a fantastic drawing of a dragon by a talented student at Bell View Elementary, where I gave me first assembly.  And I do mean fantastic.  You guys are going to love it.  As soon as I can figure out how to scan it and upload the image, I’ll share it.  With the image I’ll give the student’s name and grade, and I’m sure any and all compliments would be appreciated—and certainly deserved.  Just wait until you see this dragon….

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Finally, a good cause for a good friend: Stacy Whitman, my original editor at Mirrorstone, is starting up her own small press right here in Utah.  That alone is enough for me to support her and make this post worth your interest, but it isn’t all there is: the press is dedicated to cultural and ethnic diversity, particularly in children’s and YA fantasy.  In my own writing I tend to use a variety of cultures and ethnicities instinctively (likely because of my many positive and inspiring experience with minority students), but that isn’t exactly common across the genre.  There’s a place in the market for such books, and Stacy is determined to fill that through Tu Publishing.  Here’s a message she sent for those who want more information:

If you guys are on Facebook, you might have already seen me posting about the small press that I’m starting, Tu Publishing. If you’re not, I’m working on starting a small publishing company that will fill a gap in the market, to publish multicultural fantasy and science fiction for children and young adults. Our website is http://www.tupublishing.com, if you want to know more about our mission.

To get started, publishing books takes a lot of money, even on a “shoestring” budget. That’s why I’m doing a Kickstartercampaign—to raise enough money to get started and give a reward to everyone who donates. If enough people donate $5, or $15, or $20, we’ll be able to reach our goal. For every donation through Kickstarter, the donator gets a reward: bookmarks, early copies of books we publish, books donated to libraries, etc. For a really big, pie-in-the-sky donation, I’ve even promised an author visit. So they get something for their money, and with enough people banding together, the project can become a reality.

The project has had almost 3 months to run. So far, we’re up to $4031 of $10,000, with just under a week left. So we’ve got some ground to cover—no money exchanges hands if we don’t reach $10,000.

Here’s the link to the Kickstarter page: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1586632165/tu-publishing-a-small-independent-multiculturalhttp://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1586632165/tu-publishing-a-small-independent-multicultural

It’s completely secure—payments are handled through Amazon payments.

With my job experience and expertise, I know I can make this company a success if we can reach this goal. With $10,000, we’ll be able to start acquiring books, and then after we’ve gotten a book or two out, I’ll be able to approach a bank for a Small Business Administration-guaranteed loan. (That $10,000 will be supplemented by my own income and perhaps a few small investments from other people—the $10,000 is seed money, basically.)

Anyway, I just wanted to make you aware of this, in case you hadn’t seen it on Facebook. I know money is tight everywhere right now, so if you can’t fit it in your budget, I understand. But if you do have a few bucks to spare and think this is a good cause—making sure that there are more fantasy and science fiction books out there that feature characters from all backgrounds—you’ll get something back for it.

Another way you can help is to blog or Twitter or tell your Facebookfriends about it, giving them the links above. The more people who know about it, the more people who might have an extra $5 or $20 to spare.

Thanks, everyone! Happy holidays!