Author
01/31/2017
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Much has been lost in the conflict with the Fae king and his allies, a conflict we hadn’t known we were in until one of our own fell at his hand. And while a great Seal between realms may have been rebuilt, dark things slipped through in the chaos, creatures who would overrun this world. Our allies are many. Our enemies are terrible. And someone ate my last chimichanga despite the fact I had marked it with a note that clearly said it was mine.
This is something I don’t talk about much, but when the amazing organizers behind #HoldOnToTheLight approached me, I couldn’t say no.
In 2010 I spent an afternoon speeding off in the back of an ambulance, strapped to a stretcher. Thirty days later, my doctor would finally tell me it had been a benign arrhythmia, complicated by my first ever panic attack, that had sent me to the floor. How bad had it been? I’d called the love of my life to say goodbye.
The ER nurse that first day told me, “You’re probably fine, but yeah, you could drop dead at any moment too.” They sent me on my way six hours later with a holter monitor I was supposed to wear for the month. This was followed by my primary care physician telling me about all his patients that had died recently and without warning under similar circumstances. The thirty days in between the event and finally getting to remove that goddamned holter monitor were an absolute hell.
I spent weeks buried in panic attacks. I was essentially curled up on the couch with a blanket, and did nothing. I dragged myself to work because mortgages are bloody expensive, and I wasn’t leaving that all on Amy. Weeks of panic attacks bad enough that I had to pull off the road until I stopped shaking, until I could focus on getting back to that couch, seeing Amy at least one more time. It wasn’t until the last week of the month that I finally met my cardiologist, the first doctor who actually bothered to sit down and tell me what was really happening.
That wake up call, that thirty days of knowing I might die at any moment, changed a lot for me. It took about a year to start feeling like myself again. Climbing out of that experience motivated me to publish, and I joined a critique group soon after. I met my editor. I researched the hell out of publishing paths. It could take years to find an agent? Years for them to sell a manuscript? Ha. Life’s short, I wanted my stories in the hands of readers. I marched into indie publishing and haven’t looked back.
Amy got me through the worst of my depression. In that month I learned very quickly that some people don’t want to hear what’s really going on with your health issues. Even some of your family will step back, wanting the “old you.” Not this damaged, dark thing you’ve become. But there are also those amazing people, who you may not realize how amazing they are, that will do anything to help.
What I learned was invaluable. What I learned was that there is light. There is an end. It will get better. If you need help, please ask for it. You aren’t alone. There are so many lights in your life waiting to help. Just hold on.
If you want to get even more hands-on, please consider donating to or volunteering for organizations dedicated to treatment and prevention such as: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Home for the Warriors (PTSD), National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Canadian Mental Health Association, MIND (UK), SANE (UK), BeyondBlue (Australia), To Write Love On Her Arms and the National Suicide Prevention Hotline.
I might fanboy to death. I’m scheduled to be on a panel with Patricia Briggs. #dead
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Title: Alternate History YA Author Roundtable
Description: Alternate History authors gather for a roundtable discussion on the challenges around writing Alternate History YA with regard to knowing your audience, world building, and the delicate balance of historic treatments of age, race, and gender, alongside good storytelling.
Time: Fri 11:30 am Location: 204 J – Mart2 (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Eric R. Asher, A. J. Hartley, Leanna Renee Hieber)
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Title: Tales of the Black Badge: A Wynonna Earp Fan Panel
Description: A moderated fan-panel discussion over the new hit show’s first season
Time: Fri 01:00 pm Location: Chastain DE – Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Eric R. Asher, Kevin Bachelder)
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Title: Devilishly Delightful: A Lucifer Fan Panel
Description: A moderated fan-panel discussion of the new hit show’s first season
Time: Fri 07:00 pm Location: Chastain DE – Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Eric R. Asher, Catherine M. Scully)
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Title: Writing for the Young Adult Market
Description: Since Harry Potter exploded on the young adult book scene, the market itself is on fire. How do writers take advantage of this challenging and lucrative market?
Time: Sat 07:00 pm Location: Embassy CD – Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Leanna Renee Hieber, Mari Mancusi, Catherine M. Scully, Lou Anders, Eric R. Asher, Lindsay Cummings)
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Title: Living with the Dead: Ghosts, Spirits & Necromancers in UF
Description: Our panel explores ghosts, spirits and those who communicate with them.
Time: Sat 10:00 pm Location: Chastain DE – Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Eric R. Asher, Leanna Renee Hieber, Myke Cole, Jonathan L Howard, David B. Coe, E.J. Stevens)
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Title: Diverse Forms, Various Missions: Demons in UF
Description: Demons in Urban Fantasy appear in forms ranging from beautiful humans to nightmarish monsters, all with varied purposes. Our panel discusses which types they use in their stories, and which others they admire.
Time: Sun 02:30 pm Location: Chastain DE – Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Eric R. Asher, Julie Kenner, Thomas E. Sniegoski, John G. Hartness, James R. Tuck, Linda Robertson)
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Title: Steampunk/Alternate History Is Here to Stay
Description: Is the Steampunk market soft? Writers discuss keeping the genre alive and kicking. How to infuse your Steampunk/Alt. History novels and stories with new life.
Time: Sun 08:30 pm Location: Embassy CD – Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Jennifer St. Giles, Anthony Francis, Eric R. Asher, Michael J. Martinez, Eric Flint)
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Title: Daredevil – The Vigilante returns
Description: In its second year Daredevil brought in some classic mythos pieces with the Punisher, Elektra and Hand, as well and now hints of Netflix’s new endeavors. Fitting into a subset of the greater MCU, we’ll review this year’s offering.
Time: Mon 10:00 am Location: M301-M303 – Marriott (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Bethany Kesler, Eric R. Asher)
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Title: Dangerous Beauty: The Fae
Description: Our panel of authors discuss the various depictions of the Fae, exploring how often the attractiveness displayed by the beings and their world mask an underlying layer of menace and peril.
Time: Mon 01:00 pm Location: Peachtree Ballroom – Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Patricia Briggs, Jim Butcher, Ted Naifeh, Tiffany Trent, Eric R. Asher, John G. Hartness)
I’m just an author, standing in front of a reader, asking them to leave a review. Is that how that line goes? 😉
As some of you so astutely noticed, yes! There is now an ebook box set of the first three Vesik books. Know what I’m going to ask now? I know it’s far-fetched, but do you like chimichangas? Err, I mean, could you please leave a review on the box set?
If you’ve read Days Gone Bad, Wolves and the River of Stone, and Winter’s Demon, please consider leaving a review. I only need about fifteen reviews on Amazon to start booking some fantastic promotions. Your reviews help sell books, which in turn helps pay for covers and audiobooks and all that fun stuff!