He IS still alive!

Hi everyone,

It has been quite some time since I posted any news.  The main reason is...well...there isn't a whole lot that is new.

1) Sales have slowed down some.  I'm not surprised since the holidays are over, but that leads me to...

2) Marketing.  That is one of the big weaknesses of self publishing is that you are kind of on your own to figure out ways to get the word out.  So that is really my BIG challenge right now.  I am trying to arrange gigs at a couple of more local schools and I am working on getting the book in a chain store that has branches all over the northeast (no, not Barnes and Noble.  I wish...)  The book would only be in my local branch, but if you have one of these places in your area, you could ask to have it there.  More on that as info becomes more firm.

3) Book 2.  Yes, I am working on it.  I have 4 chapters written so far and am plugging along.  I am not sure if I will be posting chapters as I finish them like I did the first book, but I will be sure to have stuff to whet your appetites every now and then.  Maybe a picture of a new dragon soon.

Anyway, stay tuned, and get the word out.  Anything YOU can do to help spread the word is GREATLY appreciated!

2013 in review

Well, the chaos of the holidays is finally over and the long winter doldrums have finally set in.  And here, in upstate New York, they may not end until late April (sigh).

BUT...2013 was an amazing year as well!  The book was finished, a successful Kickstarter campaign funded the self publishing, a cover was created, the book was professionally edited, and now it is in people's hands!  I can hardly believe it; it is pretty surreal.  I've been interviewed, covered in the paper, and had a couple of book signing events.  Three schools have welcomed me to read to over 100 students.  And I estimate probably around 100 books are out there in people's hands.  I am filled with a deep sense of gratitude, but humility at the same time.  It is very early in the process, and it is hard to find a healthy balance of hope and realism.  I have gotten some really great feedback, but at the same time I know it is probably just a fraction of one percent of authors that really "make it".

That being said, this book is the first of a series, and I am committed to that.  So even though I still need to wade through the confusing waters of promoting one's self, I am faced with one big reality in this beginning of 2014...

Time to start a NEW book :-)

Book Signing - Part 2

I have a second book signing schedules on January 4th at River Row Books in Owego, NY from 1 to 3 PM.  Follow the link below to the Facebook event page and get the details.  The invite is open to the public, so you anyone can accept it!  Hope to see you there!

https://www.facebook.com/events/564873746929197/?context=create&ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming

Busy busy busy!

What a great week last week!  I was privileged to read to the Harpursville, NY sixth grade class where I got to answer some really great questions, including "Do you like cheese?"  (I answered 'yes' for everyone that was curious)  Then, the next day, I read to not one, but two classes at Jenny F. Snapp middle school in Endicott.  I was met with a gasp from the students as I walked through the classroom door.  Apparently, they were excited to see me.  Usually if I get a gasp when I walk through a door, I have either done something wrong or I forgot to button or zip something, so this was a pleasant change.  I ended up on the school's web site, so if you want to read the article, you can go here... http://www.uek12.org/protected/ArticleView.aspx?iid=4Y022&dasi=2GI  It was so much fun and I had the pleasure of donating a copy of the book to the school library.

Then, my first book signing happened at River Read Books in Binghamton, NY.  First I need to mention how great of a store River Read is and if you are ever in the greater Binghamton area, stop by and visit them.  Unfortunately, the 6 to 8 inches of snow that day kept a lot of people away.  Still, I was able to sell quite a few books, and the people who did stop by were welcomed with smiles and open arms.

The holidays are quickly approaching, so perhaps Jason and the Draconauts would be a great gift for that reader in your life!  

And who knows, maybe we will get another book signing scheduled soon, like...I don't know...the first week of January?  (That was a spoiler...stay tuned)

Oh, and Chris Pousser...the guy who drew quite a few of the dragons from the story...yeah, I just contacted him for, well, that would be telling now, wouldn't it?

My first interview

Please check out this interview from a personal friend and art enthusiast Tamara Murphy!

http://livingpalm.blogspot.com/2013/12/buy-more-art-this-christmas-paul-d.html

Kirkus Independent Review is in!

Part of my package through Createspace was an independent review from Kirkus Reviews.  It arrived late last night.  But there are spoilers in the review so SPOILER WARNING!

Here it is...

'Dragons compete with humans and try to integrate into 21st-century life in Smith’s clever, witty YA debut.

Jason Hewes is an ordinary American kid living on a farmstead in Montana with his dad, an archaeologist at the Montana Archaeological Society. One night after a terrible storm, Jason discovers a dragon in the barn, and his ordinary, if slightly troubled life—his mother and older brother were killed in a car crash, and he’s preyed upon by school bullies—suddenly takes a surreal twist as he tries to understand how this great mythological being suddenly entered his life. The dragon, Petros, can understand human speech, and after Jason’s initial reservations, the boy strikes up a friendship and agrees to help the beast learn more about modern human society, which will hopefully result in peaceful coexistence. More dragons join, along with a group of select teenagers—later known as the Draconauts—and an agreement is made to seek out a mage who can help disguise the creatures so they won’t be so conspicuous in city life. The entry of Norm the mage signals a turning point in the book: An experiment to disguise the creatures goes awry, resulting in dragons only being able to exist in human form and children in dragon form. Once this highly unusual premise is accepted, seeing the human world through dragons’ eyes, and vice versa, becomes quite compelling. It’s hard not to laugh when the rather formal-speaking dragons occupy the teenagers’ bodies; in a particularly funny scene, Petros (transformed into Jason) tries to conduct a children’s party at the local museum. But Norm’s magic has drawn the attention of an age-old enemy and a sinister sect intent on ridding the world of dragons, which puts the children in terrible danger and gives the book an edge to keep the tension rising as the kids try to outwit a menacing foe.

An unusual book for dragon lovers, with plenty of action and a good balance of humor and suspense.'

I have my first book signing set up!  It will be at River Read Books in downtown Binghamton, NY.  The date is Saturday, December 14th from 1 to 3 PM.  The event on Facebook is open to the public, so anyone can view it and click "Going".  The link is below...

https://www.facebook.com/events/560392880709620/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming