Posted on by ajbrown · 2 Comments

Do You Have A Minute to Help a Guy Out?

Good morning everyone. I know I’ve been irregular in posting content over the last handful of years. Today’s post is twofold. One, it’s to say, “Hey, I’m still here.” And, Two, to ask for your help. No. No. No. There is no money involved. Read on.

I’m not a fan of Amazon. It has been a necessary evil, but still an evil. The issue has become that I make nothing with my books on Amazon. Literally. Nothing. Nada. Zero. Zilch. I have made a total of less than $3.00 on digital books sales in the last three years. I see the downloads and I don’t get it.

I have contemplated pulling my books from Amazon for a while now. I don’t like how they profit far more than the actual writer does and treats them like they are the contents of used disposable diapers. I’ve also had so many reviews removed from Amazon for some BS reason or other. Their pages read algorithm screws writers like myself (and so many others) who do not have a large following.

Now there is the whole AI thing, and yes, I consider AI a form of stealing. I have also discovered some of my books were used in the whole Meta AI training BS.

All of this has had a massive impact on my desire to release books and do events. I have, at least, nine books I have not released to the world simply because I don’t want Amazon and scalpers alike to profit off of them. I know this sounds petty or even butt hurt and it might just be both of those. It is what it is, whatever IT is. 

So, here is what I’m asking from anyone who reads this: Since you’re already here on Type AJ Negative, I want you to click this link. It will take you to the page for A Stitch of Madness. If you haven’t read this book, read the description, see if it’s something you might like. At the end of the description is a clickable link that reads: A Stitch of Madness Website PDF. Click on that. This should open a PDF of the collection. 

What I need to know is does the PDF open for you? If it does, great. That’s what I want. 

Just so you know, it is not a downloadable PDF. Clicking the link will only open the book in your browser. 

Do y’all mind doing that for me? I would greatly appreciate it. 

Two more things: One, if you try this, will you leave a comment below, letting me know if it worked or didn’t work? And, two, feel free to read the three stories in the book. It’s free.

That’s it. That’s all I am asking. I want to make sure this works before changing all of the book pages on the site, then uploading new books no one has read yet.

Thank you, and until we meet again my friends, be kind to one another.

A.J.

Posted on by ajbrown · 2 Comments

Deep Dive: The Scarring

I leave notes at the end of all my books (except for Beautiful Minds, because the notes are at the end of each story). They are generalized notes about each story, just a little something for you, the readers, giving you some insights on them. I’ve been wanting to go more in depth on some of those stories for several years. This is the first of those deep dives, and it’s about a story that was written in one sitting and has recently been republished at the website Exquisite Death.

This deep dive is for the story, The Scarring. It first appeared in my collection, Voices, released by Stitched Smile Publications in 2018. It’s one of the darker pieces, and maybe one of the more violent pieces I have written. It’s also one of the more misunderstood pieces and that is probably my fault. I’ll explain, but you’re going to have to stick with me for a few minutes. 

This is the note for The Scarring I left at the end of Voices:

You met the main character of this story as Nothing, the guy with all the scars and pent up hate and anger. I knew him by a different name when I started writing this piece. But a funny thing happened as I wrote this story: the main character didn’t want to use the name I had given him. He kept whispering to me, ‘My name is Nothing.’ Of course, I didn’t listen to him. Then he decided to stop the car and tell me to get out, just get out if I’m not going to listen to him.  

I was stubborn, as I’m apt to be. Just ask my wife, or really anyone who knows me. I was determined to use the name I had given him. He was determined to not cooperate until I called him Nothing. In the end, I lost the battle of wills. Here’s the funny thing: for the life of me, I can’t remember the name I had originally picked out for him. The use of his name wasn’t meant to be–he was meant to be Nothing. And so, he is.

This is a decidedly different story, one that is more telling than anything else. At least until the end. It also came about because of a scar on the palm of my left hand, put there by a nail over twenty years ago. Nothing like a hammer, a nail, and a rotten piece of wood.  

Before you go any further, if you have not already done so, let me encourage you to read the story at the Exquisite Death website HERE. Don’t, worry, you can click on the link and it will open the page in another window. Also, The Scarring is short, so it won’t take that long to read. 

Okay, did you read it? I hope so. That will make the rest of this make sense.

Seeing how I only really mentioned the name of he main character in my notes, it’s easy to see how some would think this story is solely about revenge. However, it isn’t. This story is really more symbolism than revenge. It’s about how we let the traumas of our past dictate our lives. Those traumas are like scars left behind either physically, mentally, or emotionally. Or all three. We can do one of two things with these events, learn from them or dwell on them. If we learn from them, we can move beyond them. If we dwell on them, as Nothing does in the story, then there is no moving on, we can’t be better, so to speak. 

To further illustrate my point:

I’ve been cheated on twice, both before I got married. The first time, I actually caught my girlfriend in the act. I didn’t explode or get mad like I thought I might if that ever happened. I just said, “Oh, hey, wait. Don’t stop. Y’all keep doing what you’re doing. I know my way out.” Literally, that’s what I said. I got over it pretty quickly. I mean, if she didn’t want me, then I didn’t want her. This was a case of not letting the trauma control me or dictate my actions.

The second time was a little more difficult. My then girlfriend broke up with me in April of that year. She never told me why, just “It’s over.” I had the hardest time dealing with that. Give me something. Did I do something wrong? I wracked my brain for months trying to figure it out. 

Turns out, I was wrong. I did nothing wrong. I found out in July that she had been having an affair and had … wait for it … gotten pregnant. That one … that one made me angry. You see, not only was she cheating, her roommate knew about it and covered for her. At that point, I was like, “F—k it. I can’t trust women.” For about three years after that, I wouldn’t give women the time of day. For those three years, I let the two women who cheated on me and the one who hid the truth from me, dictate my actions. I dwelled on it. I let the scars left behind by those women determine what I did when it came to other women. That was the wrong way to handle it. I bottled it up, didn’t talk about it, and it absolutely ate me up. That is, until my wife became the stars in my eyes, mind, and heart. 

Let’s look at The Scarring, now, and yes there are spoilers here, so it’s your last chance to scroll up, hit that link and read the story before continuing on. 

Nothing is asked if he loves. No. He hates. He does so because of how he was raised, how he was hurt, how he was scarred. The circumstances of his childhood were horrific, and that’s putting it lightly. So, Nothing hates until Lena becomes the stars of his eyes, mind, and eventually, heart. Unfortunately, for Nothing to get beyond hate, he had to address the root of that hate, and that was his father. He does so violently and with Lena’s somewhat unwilling involvement. At the end he asked do you love one final time. He says Yes. Everything that had ever hurt him was no longer a part of his life and he no longer hid his scars. 

Before anyone yells at me saying I’m encouraging violence to solve problems. No. No, I’m not. Again, the story is very much symbolic of moving forward after trauma or letting trauma dictate what you do with your life. In Nothing’s case, the root of his trauma and his hate was his father and his scars—mental, physical, and emotional—had never been dealt with, which is why he was the way he was. It was never about revenge. It was always about letting go. The first instance of letting go is letting Lena see the scars. That was the beginning of dealing with it. Unfortunately, once he began Nothing could only let go in one way, a violent rage. The reason it ended the way it ended was Nothing suppressed every pain he ever had until he had to address it. By then, he saw only one way to do that. In reality, that was the wrong way. 

The moral of the story is simple: don’t let trauma in your life get to the point of where the only thing you can do about it is do something drastic, either to yourself or someone else. Address trauma head on. Seek help. See a therapist. But don’t suppress it to the point of boiling over and exploding. That never ends well.

Thank you for coming along for this deep dive. I hope you enjoyed it. If you don’t mind, please drop a like and leave a comment. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Until we meet again my friends, be kind to one another.

A.J.

Posted on by ajbrown · 2 Comments

A Conversation With Lindsey Goddard

In the many years I have been in this business, I have met a lot of writers. Many of them have passed out of my life through time. It’s the nature of things. Some of them have become like family. Again, the nature of things. Some of them have left horrible impressions and I have helped them exit my life. Yes, it’s them, not me. Then there’s people like Lindsey Goddard. Lindsey and I go way back to the early days of me seeking publication. We connected through social media, became Internet friends. We’ve both worked with publishers and have had our hands in quite a number of projects.

Lindsey has published a few of my stories in various places, like in the anthology, Quixotic: Not Every Day Love Stories. The story was Sunday, a non-traditional vampire love story. Then there was the piece, Release, a story no one would touch because of subject matter. She took it for the publication The Monsters Next Door, which is an appropriate title, given the subject matter of the story. Here, recently, she took my short story, I’m a Hobo, She’s A Vampire for her podcast on The Weird Wide Web. 

With all that said, let’s have a sit down with Lindsey Goddard.

Who: Lindsey Goddard

What: Writing, The Weird Wide Web, Podcast, Life

Why: I want to. Why else?

A.J.: Good morning, Lindsey. I hope you are doing well.

LG: Good morning, A.J. I am! I have fresh coffee. 😊

A.J.: Let’s jump right in here. Will you tell the world who Lindsey Goddard is?

LG: An author with roots in horror fiction who likes to sneak into other genres and darken them up as well! Haha. I make gothic arts and crafts, and the home décor in my house reflects as much. I enjoy blogging and connecting with other creatives. I’m currently working on my first True Crime book about murder in my home state of Missouri.

A.J.: You’ve been writing a long time, probably longer than I have. What got you started in writing?

LG: I won a Mother’s Day poetry contest in first grade. They framed my poem and gave me a dozen roses for my mom. It was the proudest moment of my young life. The next time I felt that rush was when I sold a short story to an indie ‘zine at the age of fifteen. It’s a feeling of gratification unlike any other. I’ve put writing aside many times in my life as my circumstances change … But I always find my way back.

A.J.: I think, as writers, and really any artists, we leave, but we’re always drawn back. The obsession is real. You like the darker things in literature. What is it about horror that appeals to you?

LG: Horror is real. It’s all around us, threatening to affect our comfortable daily lives. Watching the news has always given me a helpless, sinking feeling. But when I write horror, I take back my control. I can decide the outcome. Much safer to be the author than the character, I think.

A.J.: I agree with you there. I don’t want to be the victim of someone else’s horror story. Let’s change gears and talk about The Weird Wide Web. What led to you creating this?

LG: I purchased the domain at WeirdWideWeb.org in early 2020, but it took a while for the project to find its true purpose. Seems like everything stopped in 2020, doesn’t it? And the world is just now waking up again. 

The pot of Crazy Stew that is Weird Wide Web simmered on the back burner for a WHILE, and it got better in the process. My original plan was to blog and podcast, but now there are writing contests and much more fun to come.

A.J.: You do interviews and narrate stories on the podcast. First, how do you go about choosing the people you want to interview? Second, you do all the narration on the stories, including sound effects. How much goes into putting together the stories before they air?

LG: Although authors and artists are portrayed as impatient madmen in cinema, the truth is, they have an endearing resilience—this compulsion to connect with other people and get their work into the world. So, I never have to seek out my interviewees. They always find me!

I am discovering as the podcast grows that it’s pretty darn labor intensive, but with only two episodes a month, I’ll survive! I think!

A.J.: Do you have as much fun with the podcast as it sounds like you do?

I’m having so much fun, I’m going to change my middle name to Fun. Lindsey Fun Goddard. That’s me. That’s how freaking fun this podcast is! Find out more at: WeirdWideWeb.org/Podcast

A.J.: For The Weird Wide Web, what types of stories do you look for both for your contests and for the podcast?

LG: It’s funny because, to read the four winning contest entries we ended up with last contest, a person might assume I was looking for horror. I wasn’t. Neither was Mitzy Carter, my fellow submissions reader. We ended up with a Top 15 stories toward the end of judging the 157 entries. A couple were sci-fi, a few were dark fantasy, some satire, or speculative fiction that cannot be boxed into a genre. But in the end, we chose the stories that packed the most punch. Stories that were not only well-written, but made us go, “Wow, that was clever.”

And … As far as the podcast, I tell you … it just fell into harmony with the universe. The right stories have landed in my lap at the right times.  *hippie voice* The podcast is meant to be, man.

A.J.: Being longtime Internet Friends, I’ve watched you chase publishing as much as I have, taper off, then chase it again. Recently, I’ve noticed you enjoy submitting stories to various podcast. Why is this?

LG: Wow. What a great question, because I’ve never thought about the true reason for this until now: Podcasts and audiobooks saved my life. There was a point in my life where I was under so much STRESS that I couldn’t focus on books. I would read the same sentence TEN TIMES before absorbing it. My brain just wasn’t having it. But I did not want to live without fiction. In fact, I cannot live without fiction. So, I turned to podcasts and audiobooks. During this time, I began to really LOVE podcasts! Some made me feel like I was tuning in to an old dramatic radio broadcast in the 1940s and just getting lost in the story.

A.J.: Has this become somewhat of an addiction? 

LG: You tell me! I had a story on Creepy Podcast recently, and in the coming months I’ll have stories on Chilling Tales for Dark Nights, Nocturnal Transmissions, The Morbid Forest, and Wilhelm’s Frightening Tales, with submissions pending at even more podcasts! Haha.

A.J.: Oh, wow. That’s a lot of places. Congratulations on those. Now, the next question is always one of those tougher questions to answer, but if you could give yourself any advice (and it doesn’t matter what it is about it), what would that be?

LG: I would tell my younger self that I was worth more than the buzz inside the bottle when the world broke me, and I turned to alcohol. It only made it harder to piece myself back together.

A.J.: That’s some seriously good advice there. So many people could use that these days. One last thing, Lindsey. Where can the weird wide world find you?

LG: Well, if you’re into visiting websites that never get updated, I have great news! Here’s mine! http://www.LindseyBethGoddard.com

Also, I just released an expanded version of my 2016 novella, Ashes of Another Life, with never-before-published content, such as bonus material in the middle, an epilogue, and a prologue. The old version had 18 ratings on Amazon, and sadly, the new book hasn’t received any so far. If anyone would be so kind as to hop over there, read, and review, it would mean the world to me. Here’s the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DCXHPZBY

A.J.:Thank you for your time, Lindsey. I wish you well with The Weird Wide Web and your publishing endeavors. Have a great day and chase those dreams. 

LG: Thank you, A.J. I feel lucky to have stayed acquainted with you this long. You have remained on my social media despite me losing my mind a few times. Haha. Much appreciated! I look forward to our NEXT project together!

A.J.: Before I go, I want to say thank you for stopping by. Hit that like button at the end here and leave a comment if you don’t mind. Also, check out Lindsey through social media and her website and give the Weird Wide Web a look. Every set of eyes on a writer’s pages, every like, every comment, are motivators for artists of any type. 

Until we meet again, my friends, be kind to one another.

A.J.

Posted on by ajbrown · 1 Comment

Back In The Saddle

A couple years ago, I quit the business of publishing for a while. I even wrote a letter and posted it here and on social media. I was frustrated with the way the publishing world treated people, the way many authors treated other authors, with the amount of plagiarism I saw in this business, with the amount of … I don’t know … hate I saw in the writing community. 

When I left everything behind, I went through a period of mourning. You see, I loved writing. I loved the act of telling a story. I loved sharing those stories with the world. That period of time was slightly depressing, almost like a lesser version of Runner’s Depression. In case you don’t know what that is, let me try and explain it in as few words as I can. This happens to people who run, who love to run and all of a sudden, they can’t. They were born to run. They lived for that alive feeling they had when they were finished running. It’s an exhilaration that is similar to an adrenaline rush. Not being able to run can sometimes send a runner into a depression that could last a long time or just a little while. It’s as if part of them has died. It’s a mourning period.

After a few weeks, I started writing again without the pressures of wanting to put out a story, without feeling like the story needed to be amazing or I was wasting my time. I wrote a lot of bad stories during that time period. They were pieces that had been inside of me but I refused to write because I knew they would be crap and ain’t nobody got time for that. 

I also wrote some really good pieces, some I think will end up getting published at some point. 

Though I was writing, I can honestly say, I wasn’t really happy or content with what I was doing. I had been part of the writing community for over twenty years and by leaving it, I also left part of me behind. Hence, the mourning.

A few months after leaving publishing, I was convinced by two friends to give it another go. So, I did. I put together a collection of stories, titled A Color of Sorrows and began querying publishers. Not long after submitting to this one particular publisher, they responded saying they loved the collection. Yes. Awesome. I was excited. A contract was worked out. They did an analysis of my writing and deemed my style was similar to this exceptional author of horror whose initials just happen to be S.K., who also just happened to be my favorite author. 

Things were going well. Discussions were had and I did a lot of work on my end. About six months before the book was to be released, I was sent a formatted copy of the book to look over. It looked great, but there was one problem. I still hadn’t been assigned an editor. I had received edits, but those had been done by software, not a person. I had rejected half of them because they made no sense within the context of the stories. A month of so later, I enquired about an editor, more specifically, when was I going to work with one. 

I was told they don’t provide editors unless the writer pays for it. Umm … no. Up until right then, I had been excited. The discussions after that were not as cordial as they had been. I told them I expected an editor and that editing the stories was part of the process and the publisher should be the one paying for the editor. They didn’t see it that way and my excitement went from on fire to ice, ice cold. 

My enthusiasm for getting back into the publishing world tanked. You see, this was one of the things that made me want to get out of the business, poor treatment by publishers. 

Still, I was under contract and I didn’t want an unedited book to be released to the world. I asked my editor to go over it, even though she had done so before I submitted the collection. I wanted one more pass. She found two things that needed correcting, one of which was a change I had made because of the software suggestions. 

They released the book in May of 2023. I promoted it … Just. Once.

You see, the very first publisher I worked with after getting up and dusting myself off, didn’t do things the right way. 

And just like that, the experience was soured for me. To say I was frustrated and aggravated was an understatement. 

I’ve released two books since then, but I have to be honest, my heart wasn’t into promoting them and I did a bad job of letting people know about them. I’ll talk about those later. There are other things to get to for now. 

Not only did I lose enthusiasm for publishing, I neglected my website. I mean, seriously neglected it. Don’t believe me? Go look at the last post. It was in February, it’s June now. I also shut down my Patreon page. I mean, really, I just kinda said screw it.

Now for some hard truths I had to tell myself. I wrote a book called Motivational Shit You Didn’t Ask For. Great title, right? I think the title will sell the book all by itself. The book isn’t huge and most of the chapters are under two thousand words. Yeah, it’s short. Something I mention in the book multiple times is making excuses. We humans make excuses to not do things. We might say we want to do them, but if we don’t then do we really want to? Nah, I didn’t think so. 

I sat back recently and thought about why I didn’t promote my work. Sure, maybe I had some valid points with the publisher issue, since it felt like I did all the work except formatting (which I could have done) and cover layout (which I could have done, also). However, it was MY book, those were MY stories. Okay, let’s just say I had valid reasons instead of excuses for not promoting The Color of Sorrows. What about Six Strands To Lost Sanity? What about Human Touch? What about two books I believe are really good? I mean, seriously, what is the reason behind not promoting them? I have no valid reason. Only excuses. 

I have neglected a lot since first walking away, then coming back, then making excuses. That passion and drive I had when I first started out have been gone for almost three full years now. I’m trying really hard to find it again. So what have I done about it? I started mentoring again, which is going well. I’ve written a bunch of stories. I’ve joined the staff over at Memento Mori Ink, where you can read the first article at the end of August. More on that later. I’ve started submitting stories to publications again. 

And … I’m posting here. I recently realized I don’t have to post long pieces like this one. I can simply post something like: It’s coming, and post the cover of a book. And I can post as many times as I want. Once a day, once a week, 18 times a day. It doesn’t matter. You’re either going to stick around or not. If you do, thank you. Also, thank you for sticking around while I’ve been gone.

Until we meet again, my friends, be kind to one another.

A.J.

Posted on by ajbrown

Just What’s Going On Here? 1/03/2023

One thing I want to do this year is promote my work more. I’ve done a poor job of it over the last few years. Sure, I post stories here, and occasionally, I post information about a book but those have been sporadic at best. That means information about new books, old books, reviews and goings on. That also means more posts, some of them that will simply read like this one with a title similar to this one. 

With that said, here is the first installment of Just What’s Going On Here.

1/03/2024-1: There are books coming. They are, in no particular order, 22, Human Touch, Unbroken Crayons, Motivational Sh*t You Didn’t Ask For, Her Cure, The One Left Behind, Susie Bantum’s Death and Simply Put. There’s also the 10th anniversary release of Cory’s Way. 

1/03/2024-2: I recently had a discussion with Lisa Vasquez about doing a collaboration similar to the one I did with another writer, M.F. Wahl, a few years ago, titled All We See is the End. You can find that little book here:

Lisa came up with a really cool storyline and I am currently researching for it. I’m excited. You should be, too. It’s going to be killer.

1/03/2024-3: I received a new review for The Forgetful Man’s Disease today. It’s pretty cool and I am proud of it. Here is the review:

This story is about an old man named Homer Grigsby who suffers from dementia and has flashbacks of his son’s death. He also sees ghosts of his old friends and refuses to leave his home in the Mill. The writing was exquisite, seamlessly weaving nostalgia, sadness, and a touch of horror. Homer Grigsby felt incredibly real, and portrayal of his struggles with dementia was both moving and authentic.

Wonderful Story!!

This was a real pick me up and will be appearing on the site with the other reviews. Also, if you want to pick up a copy of The Forgetful Man’s Disease, you can get the digital version here: 

If you would like a print copy, drop me a line at ajbrownstoryteller@gmail.com

1/03/2023-4: I finished my first story of 2024, a five thousand word piece called No Sin Goes Unpunished. The devil does his deed without making a deal with someone for their soul. It was a fun write.

Thanks for stopping by. That’s all for now. Feel free to drop me a comment below or reach out to me at the email above. I’d like to hear from y’all. 

Until we meet again my friends, be kind to one another.

A.J.

Posted on by ajbrown · 3 Comments

Reviews, Reviews, Reviews

If you’ve been following this page for the last 10 years (yes, it has been almost 10 years!), then you know I’m a story teller. I’ve posted a LOT of stories on here over the years. Before I continue, if you have been following this page, even for a day, thank you. I honestly wasn’t sure this page would go that long, and I’m happy it has. 

If you’re a lurker, thank you. If you’re someone who comments, thank you. Just the fact that you are here, is awesome. Now, let’s get down to business.

I’m seeking reviews for my books. Yes, I know, I’m always seeking reviews. What writer isn’t? Over the next few months, I’m going to give away 10 free ebooks of each of my books to 10 people. No, I’m not giving them away all at once. It will be one book at a time, every 2 to 4 weeks. The catch? You have to review the book, and no, not a year from now, but preferably within 6 weeks of receiving the ebook. 

Yes, I am trying to garner some reviews for some of my books that don’t have many. And, yes, I am trying to garner some reviews for my books that also have over 20.

You get a book for free. I get a review. 

If you want to review more than one book, great. Read one. Review it. Request another one. 

Also, the review can go on a personal blog or Goodreads or Amazon, or even here on this site as a comment on the page the book is on (or all of the above). 

I’m thinking of starting with The Forgetful Man’s Disease, one of my favorite stories that a lot of folks haven’t read (but more details on that in the next couple of days).

If you are interested, please comment below and leave me your email address. Again, thank you for being here and your interest in my works.

Until we meet again, my friends, be kind to one another.

A.J. 

Posted on by ajbrown · 4 Comments

August Blues

Happy September to everyone out there in TAJN land. For those who are wondering, yes, I took a month off from the website. Yes, it was intentional. I will briefly explain. 

Going into the year, we had a plan to release five books to the masses. We had it scheduled out and spaced so a new book would come out every eight weeks starting at the beginning of March. Each year my wife and I set up events (festivals, conventions, book clubs) where I can promote my books in person. I find I do better face to face or in a group setting than I do through online connections. Personally, I hate promoting through the various social medias. It feels like I am screaming into the void and no one hears me because everyone else is screaming, too. But face to face, I get to meet you, see your personality, hear your voice and you get to see me, learn my personality (which is humorous and sometimes intelligent) and hear my voice. Face to face is, in my opinion, a better way to connect to you, the readers. 

Back in March, we did a book club, signed books, had a fun time with about a dozen women who enjoyed Cory’s Way, my first novel. The day before the book signing, we released My Summer Vacation by Jimmy Lambert, my fourth novel. I was excited to see how people received it. The next week the world began shutting down, people started getting sick. By the beginning of April, stores and businesses began shutting down. One by one, the events for April were cancelled. I was still hopeful we would get in the two we had schedule for May. Nope. By mid-April, they had been cancelled. 

During that month of April I kept myself busy with several writing projects and I made sure to post stories daily on TAJN for the duration of the month. I updated the blog and turned it into the website you are currently visiting. (Have a look around. There are many stories you can read, book links, reviews and other stuff.)

As the months rolled by with no end in sight to this pandemic more and more events were cancelled. We pushed back the book releases, dropping them from five this year to four to three to two … to just the one. I know I could have released the books anyway and stayed on schedule, but without events to go to and only social media to promote, it didn’t strike me as cost effective. In order to purchase books to sell to y’all, I had to be able to sell the ones I already had. I don’t make money in online purchases—Amazon gets almost all of that cash. I make money face to face. The revenue wasn’t there, so the books didn’t get published. 

At the end of July, I received a phone call from one of my favorite events. It was scheduled for October. They were cancelling the event and were letting their vendors know by phone call instead of email or social media.

~Sigh~

This is where I got disheartened. I like being behind a vendor table or in front of a group of people discussing books or answering questions. With nowhere to really go and nowhere to really meet new readers and socialize with them, I sunk into a kind of mini depression. I couldn’t write. The very thought of writing frustrated me. I got angry and I couldn’t sleep. I talked to my wife and my editor, both of whom usually can help me get out of my funk. Nothing helped.

So, I decided to take a break to try and recharge the batteries. I don’t think I needed a break, but inspiration. One of the things Cate and I did a lot of before the pandemic set in were day trips, even ones that were only half an hour or an hour away just so we could get out of the house. I didn’t realize how important those little trips were for us, and especially my writing, 

In late August, we took a drive to North Carolina to try and find a waterfall that wasn’t all that popular among touristy types. We eventually found it after hiking through the woods, going down the wrong trail and almost giving up. It was fun and hot and we were tired when we finished, but it was good to be out and about and in my element—seriously, I love wooded areas and mountains. 

On the way home I sat with my notepad on my lap as Cate drove and I began penning a story in purple ink (don’t judge—that pen is smooth). For the first time in several months I knew where a story could go. I only wrote five pages before stopping—the bumpetty bump of the car on South Carolina roads makes it difficult to write. I will share with you the first couple of paragraphs:

Kane Linthrop died on a Wednesday in late summer in the south. He was beaten to death by Eddie Strohm for a piece of meat from a rabbit Kane had killed. Food was scarce and fresh meat was a luxury many couldn’t attain.

Eddie came across Kane, not entirely by accident, but he would play it as if he had. He first noticed the smoke from as far away as the riverside where a concrete path had been laid, presumably in place of a natural one that had been worn in by feet—both by men and animal. Eddie had chased a rat into the tall brush and cursed the day for being long when the rodent escaped. His stomach grumbled and he placed a hand to it, hoping to silence it and hold the hunger pangs at bay. It didn’t work. 

 It’s kind of rough, but it’s a start. When we got home that night I started writing on another piece—typing this one. A couple of days later, the story was done. Finally, I had written my first new story since April. It was a relief more than anything. I’ve started several other stories and have worked quite a bit on the handwritten one—yes, still writing it in purple ink. I’m not entirely sure I am over the hump, but I think I am on my way. That’s a good thing.

I’ve started developing a plan for 2021, both for pandemic and non pandemic situations. I hope to release five books next year, maybe even six, since the plan was to do five this year and four next year. I don’t know yet, but I know it feels good to have written something and to be able to update all of you. I didn’t need a break. I needed inspiration. 

Thank you for following along and not leaving me during this break. As always, until we meet again my friends, be kind to one another.

A.J. 

Posted on by ajbrown · 2 Comments

How About A Birthday Contest or Two?

July is my birthday month. Normally, I’m not big on birthdays. To me, they are just another number. This one is different. I turn 50 on July 8th. That is a big deal birthday. I want to celebrate this one. And I will. All. Month. Long.

I want you, my readers, to come celebrate as well. To do that, we are having two contests during the month of July. They are big contests.

The first one is called 50 Years & 50 Books. Here is how it works:

If we sell 50 print books in the month of July, then we will give away a complete set of my print books to one person. That is 15 books, including a bonus book that has not been released yet, that is slated to come out in August. That is a $157.00 value. The books will be signed, but not personalized. The reason for this is if you purchase a print book, even if you only have that one, you will get another one in the complete set. If you want to give that book away, then I want you to be able to do so without having your name inscribed in it.

Now, here is the important stuff: 1) The books have to be purchased directly through myself or Cate, either on our social media pages or through my website. AMAZON PURCHASES DO NOT COUNT. Please understand that last sentence. If you purchase a print book through Amazon, thank you, but it will not count toward this contest. 2) I hate doing this, but I can’t ship a big box of books internationally. It sucks. I wish I could afford to. That means I can only ship within the United States. I apologize to my international friends and fans. I just can’t afford to do that. 3) 49 books is not 50. 28 books is not 50. The goal is 50, in honor of the age I will turn this month. If we don’t reach 50 or higher, then there is no drawing for the complete set of print books. That sounds pretty crappy, but it really isn’t. The contest is 50 Years and 50 Books. 4) All book orders will be sent out in mid-August, AFTER the contest is over. This will allow us time to package and mail out the books.

I hope this sounds good to y’all and I hope we sell enough books to be able to send out a full set to one person.

The second contest doesn’t cost any money (unless you want to spend some, then by all means, spend away). It is called. 50 Years & 50 Reviews.

If we receive 50 book reviews in the month of July, then we will give away one complete set of my digital books. That’s 15 books, including one yet to be released. 

Now, here is the important information: 1) Book reviews need to be sent to me or Cate, either on our social media pages or through PM’s or through my website, Type AJ Negative. We would also like you to post the review on your social media page (or blog if you have one). AMAZON REVIEWS DO NOT COUNT. If you place a review on Amazon, thank you, but it doesn’t go toward the contest. 2) Book reviews must be new. They cannot be reviews already left somewhere else. 3) Book reviews can be of any of my books. 4) Like with the 50 Years & 50 Books contest, the goal is 50 reviews here. Not 49. If we don’t reach the goal of 50 reviews, there is no drawing. 

You can leave reviews at the following places (as well as your personal social media pages, websites and blogs):

My author page:

https://www.facebook.com/typeajnegative/

The 50 Years Contests Page:

https://typeajnegative.com/50-years-contests/

Or by sending me or Cate a PM through our various social media pages.

I realize I did not post Cate’s information here. Those who know my wife also know her social media pages and they are set to private, so I will not be adding it here. Those who know Cate, please feel free to contact her directly.

There you have it: two great contests in honor of my birthday. I don’t do these things too often, so I hope you will participate. 

As always, until we meet again my friends, be kind to one another.

A.J.

Posted on by ajbrown · 1 Comment

Who Is Your Favorite Character?

Today, we tackle Question Number 2 in the Ask An Author series. Christina Eleanor asks, Of all of your books, who is your favorite character and why?

Before I go into this, Jack Ketcham once answered the question ‘What is your favorite book that you have written?’ with the response of, like our children, writers should not have a favorite book. I can honestly say I do have a favorite book, but my favorite character is not from that book.

This is a great question. I have received similar questions to this in the past, and have had an instant answer. That answer constantly flip flopped between two characters. However, I think I’ve always, secretly loved another character more. Check out the video for my response.

Did I surprise you with my answer? If so, let me know. 

Thank you, Christina, for this question, and if you have any questions you would like answered, drop a comment below and we will answer them, either in a blog like this one or a video, or both (probably both).

As always, thank you for stopping by, and until we meet again my friends, be kind to one another.

A.J.

Posted on by ajbrown · 8 Comments

Questions, Questions, Questions. I Need Questions.

A couple of years ago Cate and I did a series of question and answers on Youtube. We made a dozen or so videos answering questions submitted by readers. Most of these videos were short. All of them were completely unscripted. We want to do this again, but with a little twist. 

Twist, you say? 

Why yes, and I’m not talking about the dance made popular in the 1960’s.

To kick off these videos, we are giving away a new T-shirt with my saying on it: Everything is life. Everything is a story. We were going to have these for events this year, but 2020 has kind of gone sideways on everyone. 

This guy wants to answer your questions and give you something for free.

Here’s how you, the readers out there who subscribe to Type AJ Negative, can be entered in the drawing: ask questions. We need questions to answer in our videos. We need at least ten participants, but more would be great. Be creative with the questions. They can be about anything book or writing related, and please, no boxers or briefs questions. 

Each person who submits a question will be entered into a drawing for the T-shirt. The winner will be selected on June 1st, so get your questions in as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, I can only ship these shirts within the United States. However, we have decided to offer a free digital copy of My Summer Vacation by Jimmy Lambert, slated to be released on June 1st, as part of the drawing for International participants.

Don’t you want an awesome shirt like this?

Time for the pitch:

Ever want to ask an author a question? Now is your chance! We are taking writing and book related questions that I will answer for you in a short video. Your questions are a great way to help promote my work, so in return, you will be entered into a random drawing for a free shirt (in the U.S. only) or a free digital copy of My Summer Vacation by Jimmy Lambert (International participants only). We need 10 participants to post questions to get the drawing started. We would like all questions submitted by May 31st. Our drawing will take place on June 1st and I will answer your questions through out the month of June. Get creative! We are looking for unique, interesting questions. 

This is a fun way to interact with readers and practice speaking on video during this time when book events are still canceled. I love talking with readers and especially with fans of my work, so give me something to talk about. Please join the fun and invite your friends.

Are you interested? I hope so. Please, share this post and comment with your questions. I look forward to seeing what y’all come up with.

As always, thank you, and until we meet again my friends, be kind to one another.

A.J.

#everythingislifeeverythingisastory