plugging another author
Funny thing, I never used to read … well, not entirely true, I used to read magazines, the odd short story, subtitles on foreign films, and, my all-time favorite: the ingredients on 7/11 snacks:
Bun, cheese, meet (perhaps beef): $4.99.
Back to the funny thing --- I became an author, by accident, okay, maybe not by accident, instead, destiny took over and I penned, co-penned a book. First take, 365 pages, one sentence. With a little editing I managed to put in three commas and two periods to break up the read, and, POW, the book was released to the public.
And, that was that.
“What the hell is this funny thing you speak of?”
Coming soon! Be patient.
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Salzburg Austria, circa 2003: “mysterious man wearing hat.”
I nodded off for a second… the funny thing? I started to read… everything. Columnists at first (somehow I landed a semi-regular gig writing for a local paper), thus, reading columnists made sense. Thing is, I hated most of the writing, probably a bad thing to say, I may have just blacklisted myself. Anyway, most writers seem to be following the same formula and passion has been replaced by the pursuit of a paycheck. Can’t blame them? Yes I can. That sucks. Part of the formula seems to be feeding the public whatever quick fix drivel that will keep them sufficiently numbed and sheep-like.
Don’t believe me --- how many songs do you have on your I-pod?
I’ve heard the next version will be invisible and will allow the user to download every song ever made. Even the ones which have yet to be written or recorded.
“I believe in miracles. You sexy thing.”
In my youth I thought they were singing: “I believe in Mellco.” What the hell is Mellco? You sexy thing.
Back to the articles, what happened to having your own thoughts and opinions? Are some writers afraid to put themselves out there? To share perspective on how they envision positive change taking place?
Let me extrapolate, almost every columnist that I’ve read (not all), quote others to support their views, which tells me, the views weren’t original to begin with, and perhaps, all that they are doing is earning a passionless paycheck.
Shame on you. You have a responsibility --- you’ve taken the hypocritical* writers oath and you’re supposed to be part of the save the world process. At the very least, providing either: thought provoking fresh linguistic styling or laugh-your-ass-off perspectives. I know, the journalism school in my head probably overlooked some of the basics --- who wants to be basic?
Then I discovered, books. Books are different. More honest. More needed, and often more original. Except of course for the authors and publishers who are seeking out the big payday. Sheep seem to like…
I was lucky, even the books I didn’t particularly enjoy, taught me something. Style, punctuation, grammar and the correct usage of profanity. Book authors for the most part seemed motivated by making a difference, good or bad.
the plug
Consumed, by Benjamin Barber/W.W. Norton.
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He genuinely seems to want to alter the course of our evolution by shedding light on what he theorizes to be the destructive elements in our way of living, that without radical change, threaten the lifestyles we’ve become so accustomed to. He sheds light on the manipulation by marketing gurus and corporations to create “imaginary needs” which turns consumers into obedient sheep (the sheep reference is my interpretation of today‘s world and appears in the second sentence of my first book).
Barber wants to save capitalism and protect our way of living. In fact, a shift in direction may be a necessity --- sitting still may result in our desires being taken away without our consent.
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Benjamin Barber: You’ve been plugged!
Do you know where I can get me some Mellco?
*I’ll let you fill in the reason for the asterisks.
coming soon
Hopefully sooner* than later.
Book two in the Seed book roster has been completed, see potential covers below. The book is the riveting, bizarre, wacky, abstract tale of Seed’s (Lindsay Wincherauk), journey through life. It is filled with suspense, drama, deception, orange whips, porn, chips and a cast of wacky and interesting characters and almost unfathomable situations. It chronicles…an amazing life. At times you’ll want to scream at Seed and at others, you’ll want to grab him, hold onto him, give him a great big hug, and tell him, everything is going to be alright.
You’ll be invited into his life and you’ll become an intricate part of the story.
Because he lays himself bare and shares both tragedy and success, everyone will be able to relate. Whether it be: first love, learning to drive, getting fired or just simply: trying to be happy.
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You’re invited along for a remarkable ride, you’ll meet the Dalai Lama, play basketball with Fox Mulder, crash motorcycles in Jamaica, find, and lose love, have a run in with Manuel Noriega, and most important: gain wisdom from an old man on a bus bench.
You’ll be taken to the highest of highs and dropped to the lowest of lows, only to help seed climb from the pits of life’s rubble.
Seriously, coming soon to a book store or theater in your neighbourhood. Hop aboard and come along on a wickedly entertaining ride. Unless of course you’re out buying the Britney Spears autobiography, if that’s the case, good luck with life!
Below are a collection of Book Cover mock ups. If you have a favorite, send your vote to theseedvan@hotmail.com include in the subject line: book cover.
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Thanks!
*Rejection is a big part of the publishing and success process. It sucks. Especially when you’re confident that the product (manuscript) is original and strong. Seed has been rejected often, that is okay, each rejection brings him and Seed Enterprises one step closer to, “YES,” and whichever publisher/agent is wise enough to come onboard --- will share in what is to come.
Query letters and proposals have been sent out, some results have come in, some are still pending. Rejections have been met. They’ve consisted of a gamut of comments: beautifully presented, well written, intriguing story line, incredible energy in the storytelling, unique, interesting, brilliant story, and my favorite, too abstract.
Despite the kind words (big positives when a publisher takes the time to personalize) the end result, thus far, has been, not for us.
The challenge of the queries?
The most important part of the story is absent, "Seed". For the publisher/agent who picks up this amazing story, they also get Seed (Lindsay). They get the passion in his eyes. They get his intoxicating storytelling. They get his energy. No query can possibly capture the value of these qualities.
As a recent audience of a short reading said:
“Wow. Amazing. I can relate to everything you’ve shared. Not only hilarious, but thought provoking. What makes this so fantastic is how everyone interprets your words differently. I can sympathize with the pain and emotion. As for my friend, he sees something wonderful in the way you look at the world. Lindsay, you‘re a star that is about to burst. Keep going.”
-the words of Katherine --- a woman in a lounge.
“The world must be moving in slow motion to you. You see things differently than most. If I go to the washroom --- its just that, going to the washroom. But when you go, you’ll return with a brilliant story. Your ship is on the horizon and it’s about to come in.”
-her friend Abraham.
Embellishment factor: zero, pretty much, verbatim.
The words of four randomly selected readers, not close friends, people who don’t know my life story, after reading the manuscript.
“Beautifully written. Powerful. Bizarre. Hilarious. Tragic. Absolutely loved it. Your style is fresh and original. It left me wanting more. I’d go as far as, brilliant!”
I kid you not. The mixture of readers, three girls, one guy, varying ages.
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Why the postamble rant?
Why the postamble rant?
If you are, happen to know, would like to be, an agent/publisher/movie producer and would like to be part of a brilliant, real, multi-layered project, and future projects, I might add, that contain some positive insight and messages, talk to us.
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Send and email to theseedvan@hotmail.com . In the subject line put: agent/publisher.
Thanks!
P.S. The beauty of this project. The books done, it’s great, it’s a fantastic story and we have the patience to wait for the right home.
Do you have the keys to the house?
Well, do you?
