Is that too cheesy? Maybe, but being cheesy doesn’t make it any less true, and as Chester Cheetah taught us: It’s not easy being cheesy.
It’s my birthday! Which, in the business and writing world, usually means you get the gifts! Instead, I am going to turn that paradigm on its head and a little off of where it was before. So, if you are looking for a freebie on MY birthday… you can check out any of my 3 websites (if you want really free, check out and subscribe to my YouTube channel -- no ads!):
So, if the regular paradigm is you get me gifts and the business model is that I get you gifts, what if you got gifts that were for you, or someone else, and me! So here is a list of possibilities:
Lilac City Comicon 2018: A gift for you or someone else, and I’ll be there, too! That means we could spend some time together celebrating the release of “Disneyland Is Creativity: 25 Tips for Becoming More Creative.” Lou Ferrigno and a bunch of cool people are going to be there. Be sure to tell them you are coming because I’ll be there! Check out my preview.
Books! Books! Books! On Amazon, you can get any of my books in eBook form or on KU and 3 of them are available in paperback. Like adventures and comedy? “The Pirate Union” is my favorite! Like exotic locations and foreign languages? Try “The Treasure of Nikolai Nikolaevich.” Want to know more about living in the projects as a kid? “My Life in the Projects: A kid’s-eye view of Hud housing in the 1980s” is mostly autobiographical. Can’t make it to Lilac City Comicon and love Disneyland and creativity? Preorder “Disneyland Is Creativity: 25 Tips for Becoming More Creative.”
Patreon: As a member of our penguinate patreon, you get to keep up on all the action. From penguins to previews of books and book covers, your support comes with some cool rewards and helps me continue to write and my wife to make penguins and photos! Someone said that in order for an author or artist to make a living, he or she needs just 1,000 fans. Come be a fan.
Get a penguin! Have you seen the stuffed penguins my wife makes? They are amazing. Order one for yourself in a costume of your choosing. Or choose a pirate, wench, green arrow, or raincoat penguin.
Of course, if you want to go the more traditional route and get me a gift but are short on funds, here are some ideas:
Leave a review: If you’ve read any of my books, leave a review. The more good reviews I have the more likely someone else will buy the book.
Follow me on Twitter, Amazon, GoodReads and BookBub: More fans mean more opportunity to get in front of a publishing house that could make my writing life a little easier. Or who knows, a movie exec might decide that the Pirate Union is the next big thing!
Share, like, and comment on everything! Facebook wants people to be engaged with content. The more of these things you do, the more people will see my content. Feel free to tag me, too. If you use another social media, helping me get y stuff out there will help me build fans.
And these ideas are good for anyone else who is trying to make a living as a creative in your life. Not that I am speaking for them, but if you want to help people who are amazing in their creativity, I suggest Benjamin Kreger and his Black Suit of Death, Darren Lamb and his buddhist geekism, Natalie Whipple and her crisp novels with gamer cred, and Drue M Scott with his adult love stories from the other side.