Don’t they teach you in Being A Writer 101, don’t quit your day job?

Oops…well, I guess I missed that class, because I just put in my two week notice *pauses to let inner cheering fade*. This is so I can write full time in preparation to publish TWO books April 2016!! And then two more in September, and more every year for the rest of my life.

Yes, it’s a risk. Yes, it’s crazy, bordering on stupid (not quite, I am still working, just some part time stuff on the side). Yes, it could backfire. I could end up wasting all the time and money I’ve invested. But you know what?

A) It would be worth it – I’m taking a chance, I’m following my dreams, and I’m learning how not to fail from every failure I make.

B) I believe in what I’m doing. I want to change the world, one story, one person, at a time. Whether I’m financially successful or not is secondary. Important for eating and paying bills, but secondary.

I could have stuck with my full-time job. But I felt it was an unwise use of my time, because I have a purpose: I write stories to help us better understand ourselves and the world around us, so that we can become better people, and can act to make the world a better place.

This is not idealism. It’s a scientifically proven formula. People are shaped by the narrative around them and the stories they consume. If I can help change that narrative, make it more positive, more educational, more moral, more hopeful, more alive, I’ll positively influence the people around me. And that, my friend, is where great things start: with people. With you.

It will begin through a modern fantasy story: Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus – the Lily Singer Adventures. Lily is as normal as you and me (albeit a wizard). She has strengths and weaknesses, dreams and nightmares, friends around her and skeletons haunting her past. She’s smart, but awkward with relationships, estranged from her family, and searching to find out who she really is in a world that says she shouldn’t exist.

Here’s a blurb: “Helped along by a witch and a talking cat, wizard archivist Lily Singer saves the world from magical mayhem while searching for clues about her past. Will uncovering her past help reveal her future…or end it?”

Her story will not end world poverty, will not bring about world peace, and probably won’t even be a bestseller (I still have my fingers crossed). But it WILL reinforce the ideas of loyalty, friendship, truth, justice, compassion, and the responsibility that comes with power (and it will cultivate a sadly lacking appreciation for tea and snarky humor). My hope is that it will do what all great stories do: inspire you to be a better person, and make the world a better place.

That is my goal, my why. Yes, it’s quite lofty, and believe me, I’m scared of trying to live up to it. I know I’ll fail sometimes. But I will never give up. I’ll never do any less than my best. That’s my promise to you. It’s important because, even if the average person doesn’t realize it:

People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe.

I’m offering adventure, snarky humor, and free stuff (keep reading) in a package you can believe in, knowing that by supporting what I do, you’re supporting positive change.

So, where’s the free stuff? I’m glad you asked! You might have noticed a popup asking you to sign up for adventure (my newsletter), and that’s where the free stuff comes from. If the pop up hasn’t “popped” for you, click on the subscribe tab at the top of the page and sign up for my newsletter that way. It will be bi-monthly and chock full of giveaways, sneak peaks of my work, and ways you can participate to make the story even better! (Naming characters and places, choosing the color of important magical items, and generally getting up to your elbows in world-building).

I’m asking you, YES YOU (in case you weren’t sure), go sign up now. You can always unsubscribe if you develop a sudden and inexplicable dislike of me (don’t worry, I won’t hold it against you). P.S. anyone who has already signed up for my blog posts in the past is already included on my newsletter list.

Aaaannnddd FREE STUFF: the 100th person who subscribes to my newsletter gets a free, signed PRE-RELEASE copy of Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus: Beginnings (The Lily Singer Adventures Book 1). It comes out in April 2016, you’ll get it in March. For those who have already read my story online, I am making changes AND writing whole new chapters from Sebastian’s perspective, so there will be new stuff. Bigger. Better. Snarkier.

(If you’re already on my list, never fear. If the 100th person to sign up was referred to my list by you, then BOTH OF YOU get a signed copy. So share share share!)

Homework: sign up for the newsletter, then share this with every living person you know. Change doesn’t happen with one person. It happens when one person believes in something, shares it with 10 people, and those 10 people each share it with 10 more people, and then…I’m bad at math but you get the picture. Sign up, Share, Believe. Be a part of my tribe, my changers. I love all you guys so much. You are awesome and we are going to make big things happen.

*drops mic and walks away*