A little more than five years ago, now, I started writing a story about a pirate. An Irish pirate from the year 1678, who accidentally traveled through time, arriving in the year 2011 off the coast of Florida. I kept it up for more than a year, reaching 60 chapters and publishing usually one a week. It was difficult but incredibly fun, as writing usually is for me. But then the madness of my life caught up with me, around the time we decided to move out of Oregon, and I let the story lapse.
A year ago, I tried to get it published in book form by a local small press that features maritime adventures, and was trying to get into fantasy; since that describes this story, I submitted it to them. But like every other agent and publisher I have ever sent my work to, they passed. I don’t quite understand why: I know I don’t write the kind of feverish, non-stop action they all seem to want; I know that I can be wordy; I know, most of all, that I am essentially an unknown, without a proven track record of publishing credits to my name. But I believe that I write well. I believe that I have made a good story here, one that has a genuinely interesting character, and a fun concept, and some interesting things to say about life and the world and about honor and loyalty and morality and all of those things — and dammit, it does have action, all kinds of action.
So I am saying to hell with the publishing industry: I’ll do it myself.
Therefore I hereby present (And no, despite the date, this is not a Fool’s joke), for your reading pleasure, The Adventures of Damnation Kane. Please check it out, and if you like it, please let other people know. (Also check out the Facebook page)
Just Dusty 