Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Another Post of Thanks

If I'm going to be honest, I suppose I have to admit to not being a very "thankful" person. Which is not to say that I'm not thankful for things, but I'm not quite behind the expectation of thanks that we currently have culturally. Actually, I sort of think that's been, to some extent, driven by the greeting card market and the "necessity" of sending out thank you cards. It has created an expectation of thanks for things we shouldn't expect thanks for. In fact, doing things in expectation of thanks is, well, kind of wrong. At least in my mind.

And, I have to say, if you do something for me or give me something or whatever, and I tell you "thanks," there's very little chance I'm going to also send you a card telling you what I already said. Especially when what you're going to do with the card (that probably cost $4 (which would have bought a whole paperback book when I was a teenager)) is say "oh, isn't that nice" as you're dropping it into the trashcan. And, then, of course, you have to remember to tell me "thanks for the card" next time you see me. Or, I've heard, send me a card thanking me for the card. What the heck is up with that trend? Sorry, I'm just breaking that cycle and saving my $4. If the "thank you" that came out of my mouth wasn't good enough... well, I don't know what to say if it wasn't, but please don't send me a thank you card for anything I might do for you, because I don't want it, and I will drop it in the recycling bag. Just keep your $4.

Anyway...

This is not a ranty post, or, it's not supposed to be, anyway. This is a post to say thank you to some people that have, in the last year or so, gone above and beyond without asking or even expecting thanks when they've done those things, things that I'm thankful for, so I want to call attention to some people mostly in no special order. However, I have to start with

Briane Pagel: I don't even know where to begin when it comes to Briane. Briane is, bar none, the most supportive person of independent authors that I know of. First, he will read your book(s), but, not just that, he will also review them. And he'll do that without being asked to do it, which, you know, is just awesome, because it just gets tiring to always be begging people for reviews (especially when they take the time to email you to say "hey, I really liked this" but don't seem to have time to do that on Amazon). But not only that! He will also spontaneously put links to your stuff into his posts, his completely unrelated posts. Just as an afterthought, he will throw in, "Oh, and you should read 'Shadow Spinner: Collection 2: The Man with No Eyes (Parts 6 - 12)' because it was really good!" And you should totally read that, because Briane has a story in it, "Augurs of Distant Shadow," that is really quite excellent and something else I need to give him more thanks for. That he wrote it for me, that is. And, just by the way, Briane is so supportive of indie authors, he's willing to pay you to let him post your short stories on his site. That's a total win/win for you! So, Briane, thank you for everything over the past year.

Okay, so I lied, because this next one, also, gets special considerations above everyone else:
Rusty Webb: Theoretically, Rusty and I have a symbiotic relationship. He does covers for me, and I do editing for him. However, I always feel like I'm getting way more out of the relationship than he is. And, really, all you have to do is look at the work he's done for me to see why I feel that way.
And, aside from the artwork, he also leaves reviews for things without being asked, which is just gold. All of that, and there will be a story by Rusty in "Shadow Spinner: Collection 3: The Garden (Parts 13 - 21);" you should make sure to check that one out, too, once it's available.

And, since we're on the theme of reviews and bonus stories, there's also
Bryan Pedas: Bryan (and Brandon) have been very supportive for a while, but it's Bryan who gets out there and leaves most of the reviews, and Bryan who has a story in "Shadow Spinner: Collection 1: Tiberius (Parts 1 - 5)." There just aren't enough ways to say thank you to people who both leave reviews! and write stories for you. So, just to give Bryan a plug, his book, Demetri and the Banana Flavored Rocketship, was the best book I read in 2012.

Okay, and now for some others which will pretty much just be going down the list:

Konstanz Silverbow: Thank you to Konstanz at No Thought 2 Small for the interview and supporting Shadow Spinner!

Crystal Collier for having me on her "Truth or Lie" thing, plugging Shadow Spinner, and talking to me about cheese. Although I think it might be more exceptional if she talked about something that's not cheese.

Shannon Lawrence for spontaneously posting links to things (book releases, promotions, blogfests) without being asked. There is a certain amount of joy that happens when I visit her blog and she's promoting something I'm doing when I've never mentioned it, and that's a cool thing. Not the joy, that she does that.

The women over at The Indelibles for Indie Life.

And Alex Cavanaugh for posting more links than anyone has a right to and for all of his work on the IWSG.

I think that will do me for this year. I'm sure there are probably more people I ought to thank, but, as I mentioned in my last post, my Brain refuses to remember whether I've locked the front door when I'm leaving the house, so trying to remember everyone from the last year is a bit beyond my capacity. The one other thank you I do need to give is to everyone who has read any of my stuff over the last year and doubly thank anyone else who has left a review and/or a rating anywhere. I do realize that there are a few more of you out there that have left reviews, and I really do appreciate that. This year, if I'm smart, I will make a list as things happen and I won't leave anyone out next year.

Tomorrow, I will be eating way too much, so, if you never hear from me again, there is a good chance I ate myself to death; however, that has never happened in the past, so I'm hoping it won't happen this year.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Oh! And in case you missed it, yesterday, drop by Out of Print and read my new short story, "The Tea Kettle."

19 comments:

  1. Thank you for the thank you! You should expect my thank you for the thank you card in the mail next week, at which point I expect a thank you for me thanking your thank you.

    Whew, that was exhausting. A great list of people you have there, and of course it's cool to see Indie authors teaming up. We're in this together, after all, and pushing each other down to get to the top of the mountain isn't going to make that ascent any faster.

    I've had a lot of fun in the past year branching out and doing new things (like helping with Shadow Spinner). If you ever want to work on anything together again, let me know. I think it'd be fun.

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  2. Don't eat yourself to death! Or at least don't explode. That would be messy.
    Named some fine people there. Shannon probably posts as many links as I do. Rusty and Bryan are what they call here 'good people.'
    Won't waste my four dollars. But thanks!

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  3. Nice post. The sad truth is, people don't say genuine thank yous often enough.

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  4. I didn't even expect this; I'm just killing time before I go off to my morning meeting and work through the day. This was awesome.

    In actuality, I feel like I don't get out there and review enough, because I've got so much going on. But when I find people worth mentioning, I want to mention them, because they deserve it. And you are among the top of that list.

    Have a good Thanksgiving!

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  5. I'm with you on the greeting card company scam--or promotion or whatever. I tend to be remiss in saying "thank-you" or overtly expressing my thanks to people, but I am in a mindful state of thanks frequently. I feel very thankful for all that I have and the support I am given.

    Enjoy your dinner of thankfulness. Alas, there will be no oyster dressing served where I'll be this year. Like you, no one except me is a fan.

    Lee
    Wrote By Rote

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  6. ABftS: Actually, I have an idea! I'll email you about it as soon as I have a chance to breathe.

    Alex: Well, I'm hoping not to, but... pecan pie...

    TAS: That is the other part of that, lots of "thank you"s but few that are not obligatory.

    Briane: Well, you weren't supposed to expect it.
    heh
    I don't review enough, either, actually, and I'm way behind on my reading, right now.
    >sigh<

    Lee: Oh... well, now, I'm sad for you. How long will you have to wait before you get to have it again?

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  7. No pecan pie to tempt me. But don't eat too much, you know you will only it isn't much good for you, especially if you explode. Have a great Thanksgiving though.

    I get more teed off by doing a whole bunch of stuff for people who don't thank you. These days lots of people don't bother with thanks too much.

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  8. LOL! You totally thanked me. How awesome is that? (I'll ignore that little bit about the cheese--just because of all the other nice words.) ;)

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  9. Hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving. :)

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  11. Ugh, I never send out cards. That's what social media is for.

    Thanks for not thanking me! (Is that a card yet?)

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  12. Did you really just preface your beautiful thank you post with grumbling about how you are not a thankful person?! LOLOL...I so enjoy your blog!

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  13. I think giving thanks is a conspiracy by card companies to make everyone send everyone else cards ad infinitum.

    Happy eating-too-much holiday.

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  14. Jo: Well, I'm pretty good about what I eat most of the year, almost no sugar, but pecan pie... well, it's like my bane. But a good one.

    Crystal: Pretty awesome!
    And I don't have a problem with the cheese; I'm just saying that with you it's probably more notable if you're talking about something that's not cheese.

    L.G.: You, too!

    ABftS: Okay, I'll do that. Assuming I remember. Or unless my brain is just withholding the info.

    GP: You know, that ought to be a card. Or an anti-card. There could be a whole line of those. "Thanks for not inviting me." "Thanks for not sending me a gift." "Thanks for not visiting me." We could call them "guilt cards."

    RG: I did do that, yes. heh heh

    Jeanne: You, too! Are you going to eat too much?

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  15. Hi Andrew, thank you! I'm happy to do it. I'm just sorry I don't get around as frequently as I used to, so I miss things sometimes.

    Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and enjoy that pecan pie!

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  16. I hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving lunch. Yes Thank You cards are definitely a thing of a slower yesterday but it's a thrill to receive the occasional one!

    Denise

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  17. Shannon: I hope you had a great Thanksgiving, too!

    Denise: Yeah, it's always great to get something in the mail, especially if you're not expecting it.

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  18. I remember once someone doing something very nice for me, and me thinking them repeatedly for about 30 minutes (not just thankyouthankyouthankyou, but talking about how I'll take the couch they gave me and put it here, and how it'll make it so much better than what I had been using, and how awesome they are for donating it to me, etc) and then I invited this person over to my new home at the time for dinner, made them dinner, just as a 'thank you' for the couch.

    Then got a third party who came up to me a few days later and told me how much I hurt the first person's feelings because I didn't get them a card.

    So, there's that, I guess.

    Anyhow, I'm so far behind in Nano that I'm afraid I'm not going to make it. I didn't now my nephews were coming in from Atlanta to spend the weekend with us. I may end up failing at the very end... eep.

    Oh, but I intend on hopping over to read your story asap... I just have to run to the store to pick up medicine for the youngest nephew. Kid's sick.

    And thanks for the thank you.

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  19. Rusty: Yeah, the expectation for that card can be powerful, but, really, why? Why care so much about something that' going to be thrown away? Unless the person compulsively collects thank you cards? That would be an odd thing.

    How far away are you? Never mind; don't answer that. Just go write. You can tell me on Sunday.

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