Vinegar tasting – Ah, the complex, tangy richness of an aged vinegar. There are some patterns and guidelines, but ultimately, it’s all about bladed weapons and looking awesome in the slow-motion replay. Then I’m going to throw water bottles at you. You stand over there with one of my best machetes. Best of all, no one has been seriously injured playing it yet! The premise is childishly simple. Here are some experiences that come immediately to mind… Cheapskeet! – This is a charming little game of my own invention. As we all know, eccentric is best defined as, “crazy, but not the kind we lock up.” While I enjoy a good restaurant and a movie as much as the next person, if my best friend is in town, I want them to leave with a few good stories. If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?įor context, it is worth noting that I am a little eccentric. It has been fascinating and rewarding to teach these bright children about writing and to hear their questions and ideas. My primary means of promotion has been speaking at schools. However, I have deeply enjoyed the journey. I’d still describe myself as a regional author, with most of my fans being concentrated in about six or seven states. I can’t claim to be anywhere close to where I’d like to be professionally. Now they are used in classrooms as far away as Australia. The videos were probably my biggest surprise, as I only started doing those to get out of writing a blog. I have now published six YA fantasy novels and created over two hundred Word of the Day videos. But every time someone tells me they enjoyed one of my books, I am renewed. For some of those awards ceremonies, I remember the food more than I remember a feeling of accomplishment. It moves the conversation along nicely, but it’s a lie. When people ask about my greatest accomplishments as an author, I will often take the easy way out and tell them about some award or professional honor. ![]() ![]() The thrill I feel at that hasn’t dimmed one bit from the very beginning. By even the most basic math, I’ve had that experience upwards of three hundred times. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way.Ībout once a week, for the last six years, somebody finds me, either online or on the street, and tells me that they read one of my books and it meant something to them. How did you get to where you are today professionally. So before I even started, I made plans, not for sales or budgets, but to manage my own discouragement and motivation. And I knew that I would have moments of weakness. I knew that there was a whole lot that I didn’t know. While this may not be the classic answer to a “thought process” question, it still reveals what I felt was most important in that process. ![]() Later, when selling at conventions, I outsold other authors four or five to one. Those months on the doors sharpened my sales pitch and my drive to a razor edge. Lacking street cred with libraries or bookstores, I started out selling books door-to-door! It was absolutely miserable and I highly recommend it. When I started, nobody knew my name and nobody cared. And believe me, there were times when it seemed hopeless. I knew that if I didn’t have that kind of backed-into-a-corner manic energy, I would quit when it seemed hopeless. ![]() Like the Moors invading Spain, I was burning my ships. Even by my own twisted judgement, this was reckless. This new job had everything: good pay, good benefits, company car, flexible hours, the works! And I said no. A job had just ended and I was offered a new job. Hi Lance, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?īefore I begin this story, I have to say, I don’t necessarily recommend this particular method to anyone else. We had the good fortune of connecting with Lance Conrad and we’ve shared our conversation below.
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