Drawing the second shortest straw for a blog posting schedule was totally on my bingo card this year. I shall now forge ahead and try to NOT hum the tune that goes with my blog title more than 10 times.

A wise(ass) man once said, “The best thing about friends is the rhythmic thumping they make when you push them off a cliff.”

I believe that the best thing about friends is when they’re willing to head off the cliff with you, carrying heavy satchels full of paperback novels and wearing matching logo-tees emblazoned with turquoise letters that read, ‘Welcome to Mint in Box Press!’

[ hummed the tune from my blog title twice already while reworking that first bit. ]

The classic advice given to authors is to write every day and to write what you know. This suggests that you should go live more, go do things, go experience the boundless infinity of opportunity, ever ready with a trusty notepad, a reliable gel pen, and ample free time that surely awaits your genius. I’ve come to learn that Real Life is ridiculously complex. Passing years generally lead to more work, more bills, more chores, and if children are part of your paradigm, more chauffeuring, cooking, and cleaning.

Novel writing is not easy. Even if words flow, it takes hundreds or thousands of hours to get them down in order. Then typically double as much to rework and polish them. At the end of that monumental challenge wait the formidable, sheer granite walls of formatting, artwork, covers, elevator pitches, social media, marketing, and, for a brave few, agents and publishers.

Shaking off the rust and forcing fresh syllables into the universe was indeed my goal for this year. I’m thankful for the opportunity and energy of the kindred souls that have joined in this creative journey called Mint in Box Press.

[ hummed the chorus tune three more times. My cat is lurking nearby, wondering why Three Dog Night is involved. ]

A WRITER’S JOURNEY

My first book was a fifth grade Choose-Your-Own-Adventure style effort with a plot lost to the mists of time. Dreams of being a game designer flourished through high school, leading to many scripts but no programming skills. In college, the best alternative for a hyperactive mind was to tumble my worlds into words on paper. Creation of overwhelming spreadsheets to analyze the content was a nice side bonus.

After another decade writing half-complete novels, I joined the frenzy of National Novel Writing Month (more on that to follow in November!) and in 2012, finally published my first novel Valley of the Damned. 2015 saw the follow up sequel, Fool’s Gold. Then, sadly, lots of that life stuff happened. Years have come and gone with another half-dozen mostly complete scripts waiting patiently for final attention.

Why Mint in Box Press? Because writing is a lonely adventure. There’s no back beat to stir the soul. No chorus to sing along to. No neon or pastel to tempt the eyes. It’s hard to finish anything and harder to convince strangers they should part with time and treasure to ride along once you’ve built the roller coaster.

Friends help to clear the path ahead and light the gloomy hallways we’ve been stuck in for too long. Having creatives share the journey makes the quest easier and, best of all, MORE FUN. We’ve all been noodling or grinding for too long in solo mode. It’s time to go bigger and get things into the universe.

[ Two more bits of humming have occurred.  One of my children just entered and offered an inquisitive, or likely derisive, inquiry into what the annoying sound is. ]

Fun is what it’s all about. We hope you’ll visit often to share that energy. We’ll be posting timely updates if you’re here for entertainment and creative tips in case you’d like to try your hand at this writing/publishing thing.

Whether you read ,write, draw, paint, or practice voice over work at 2am in your apartment stairwell – welcome, fellow adventurers. Thanks for coming along and hope to see you on the trail!

[ Only hummed the title song 7 times! Winner! ]