I have had good teachers.

Kristine Katherine Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith (both of http://www.wmgpublishing.com) are big time writers who have made it their work to train up new writers in the craft of good writing and business of being a successful businessman. What I know comes from what they have taught, largely filtered and refined through my own sweetie.

I am just back from the “Anthology Workshop” for Fiction River (http://www.fictionriver.com). I didn’t participate (this is by invitation to really seriously high-caliber writers), but I got to hang out because Leah was in it (and she sold two stories). I also got to do a lot of baking, goofing off, and writing/world-building. But I also got to listen to Kris, Dean, Kevin J. Anderson, Rebecca Moesta, Kerry L. Hughes, John Helfers, and Mark Leslie (yes, go google those names for things they have written and edited, and then pick your jaw up off the floor).

One of the things Dean lectures about is the need to have as many different ways to communicate with readers and potential readers as possible. That means making sure you have a personal web-site (www.blazeward.com & www.knottedroadpress.com) that you keep up to date, plus author pages in as many places as you can: Amazon, Kobo, GoodReads, etc. It means making your work available on as many different platforms and as many different places as you can, because not everyone reads the same thing, the same way, or the same place.

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When The Science Officer became a minor hit, I went out and got lucky to find a fantastic voice guy (Matt Weight) to read the story (available on Amazon, iTunes, and Audible). People who have listened to the audio book have given the story pretty high marks, and him five stars for absolutely awesome radio voice. I am extremely lucky.

After that, I got him to do The Mind Field next.

I am happy (serious happy-dance-time) to be able to say that The Mind Field is also now available for you to purchase on on Audible and Amazon, to go with The Science Officer.

And better yet, I expect The Librarian to be available in the next few days, for those of you who need more Suvi.

Hopefully, I will be able to convince Matt to do more things for me in the future. He has a fantastic voice.

As I wrote this, the thought that has been with me is how important it is to be out there where people could find me, read me, enjoy me. I would be writing without the outlet of publication (I was writing before I met Leah, after all), but it is extra rewarding to be part of a larger writer community, to be able to sit at their knees and listen, to learn as they adapt in real time, and even make my own contributions.

For those of you into audio books, please let your friends know about Javier and Suvi. I think they’re kinda awesome, and hope to share them with more people who feel the same way.

And if you have questions, let me know via FB, on blazeward.com, or goodreads. It’s fun to talk to readers and see what they like, what they want to know, and where they want the stories to go. I have lots of Javier plotted out, I just don’t have time to fit it into my crazy schedule right now.

But the readers are still the reason I do this. I’m just the storyteller, here.