We Are Worthy

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I laughed at the comic below and then almost immediately it reminded me of how unbalanced our society is. When is the last time a song, a poem, a film, or a piece of art moved you? It happens to me almost on a weekly basis. The truth is these creative treasures have the power to impact you so deeply they can actually change you. We live in a world rich with life-altering creative treasures, many of them are accessible for free 24/7 from any mobile device. The unfortunate thing is a staggeringly small percentage of the creative geniuses who create these great gifts ever reap the benefits of their valuable service to humanity. Creatives infuse our world with beauty, positive energy, they shake us from our apathy and challenge us to think. How valuable is this? More importantly, how do you put a price on it?

This, is the hard part for us creatives. Our creative fruits...art, literature, poetry are all subjective, what truly impacts one person might seem like crap to another. To add even more complexity, you must make a reasonable name for yourself before most people are willing to spend a dime on your work. The truth is it can't be done overnight but it can be done. I am proof.

First you must give yourself permission to be an artist or writer. You must also give yourself permission to ask people to pay a reasonable price for your work. If you work hard and create a quality product that sparks an emotional connection with others you deserve to be compensated...don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Yes, you will have to give some content away for free at first but you shouldn't do this for long. Keep honing your skills, continue to build your confidence, become a marketing ninja!

By the same token, if you encounter another creative person whose work moves you and you are in the position to do so, buy it. Become a patron. This is the greatest gift you can give someone who is struggling. It's not just about the money but more about the validation of their talent. That item you buy could be the first sale they've had in a week or a month and it will give them the hope they need to keep pursuing their dreams. I know, I've been there, too many of us have. The age of the starving artist must come to an end. In reality we are all just one big creative family and it all begins with us.

Eric Vance Walton is a novelist, poet, aspiring world traveler, and tea junkie. He invites you to follow his unfolding story by "liking" his Facebook author page at https://www.facebook.com/EricVanceWaltonAuthor for updates and promotions on his current and upcoming projects. You can find Eric's new book One Word At A Time: Finding Your Way as an Indie Author, on Amazon in print or as an ebook.

Article © 2014 Eric Vance Walton

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The History of the Chapbook

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In preparation for the launch of my handmade poetry chapbook for Valentine's Day I've been researching the history of them. I'm glad I took the time to do this because there was much I didn't know about them. Hundreds of years ago chapbooks played an integral part in the spreading of literacy. For my first chapbook project I'm partnering with artist Kristi Casey to craft a truly one-of-a-kind book that will harken back to the chapbooks of 16th century Europe.

This will contain 21 original poems, will be a very limited print. Each copy in the series will be numbered and autographed. More details will be posted as the project progresses!

Announcing My New Book!

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Nothing I've ever experienced quite compares to the excitement of a book launch. I've waited for this day for a very, very long time. I'm incredibly excited to present to you my first traditionally published book! This book contains everything I've learned in my nearly two decades of crafting a career as an indie author. I've done my best to write an honest and helpful book for writers going through the same struggles that I did. It's my wish to help save you time in reaching your goals as an author. I can't thank you enough for your comments and your support. Writing, and my communication with you, add immeasurable substance and happiness to my life.

If you are a writer struggling to achieve your ideal writer's life, please give this book at try. If you know an indie writer, please share the link with them.  One Word At A Time is available today in paperback format on Amazon.com and from Barnes and Noble.com. The eBook version can be found in iTunes and across most other eBook platforms.

Click here to view the announcement from the publisher!

One Word At A Time: Finding Your Way as an Indie Author

Reboot

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Spiritual sages have been telling us for millennia that to find true inner peace and contentment that we must be mindful. My definition of, “mindful” is to be grateful for and live in the moment as much as possible. Living in the moment is more difficult now than it ever has been. Modern life is frenetic. We’re bombarded almost each second of every day with things that prevent us from living in the moment. I’ve been meditating for nearly two decades and still find myself constantly having to bring my mind and thoughts back to center, concentrate on my breath, and having to “reboot” my consciousness.

More often than not the need to bring my mind back to the moment is triggered by some external thing or circumstance. My most recent reboot was brought about by the news that Robin Williams had taken his own life. The news truly brought about a flood of emotions very similar to when I heard of Michael Jackson's death. I liked both artists work but never was what you would call a hardcore fan of either of them. Only after they passed did I think about how much their work had truly impacted my life and how much I appreciated them.

After Michael Jackson was gone I found myself wanting to go back and listen to Thriller and some of his deeper tracks that were intertwined with a good portion of my young life. More recently, with the loss of Robin Williams, I thought about the quality and richness of films and the hilarity of his stand up comedy. He created such an amazing body of work but the two films that had the most impact on me were Good Will Hunting and Dead Poets Society.

As a writer I’ve so often wished that people would appreciate the work of creative people more when they’re alive than when they’re dead. Instances like these make me realize I’m guilty of not fully appreciating them myself. Whether you’re a painter, a photographer, actor, dancer, musician, or author, all of us put so much of ourselves into our professions. It’s difficult beyond comprehension of most people who haven’t walked a similar path.

Think for a moment how much music, films, books, paintings in general can truly impact your life. Have you ever read a book or seen a film that changed you in some way? Have you ever had a song the elevated your mood or comforted you during a difficult time? I credit Pharrell’s song, “Happy” for single handedly allowing me to survive the polar vortex laden winter of 2013. Really, how do you place a value on that?

I guess the lesson I’m walking away with from all this is a major reboot of my appreciation for my fellow creative people. I know how hard it is. I’ve felt your pain but I’ve also experienced your great moments of triumph. In a way I feel as though we’re all part of some big family that keeps humanity laughing, crying, and sometimes when we really do our jobs we keep them thinking.

Have a great day all. I hope you appreciate and enjoy each and every moment of it. To quote the Dead Poet's Society, "No matter what anyone tells you words and ideas really can change the world."

~Eric Vance Walton~

Sacrifice

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I've watched you 
through these years 
give yourself away

It happened slowly,
nearly unnoticed
like a slight faucet drip
with every forced smile
you handed away small
pieces of yourself 

I wonder if 
you felt 
it was a worthy 
compromise?

sometimes still 
I search you
for that lost spark 
of what once was

I can't help but
remember 
when your eyes 
held hope and dreams 
instead of the scathing
sadness of regret.

~Eric Vance Walton~

The Cure For The Common Road Rage

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  I consider myself a peaceful and easy going individual most of the time, I’ve meditated and practiced yoga for almost twenty years. There are few things anymore that rile me up but one of them left is the annoyance of bad drivers. When I’m driving something transformative happens that reduces the level of my patience nearly to zero. It seems that drivers, more than ever, have their minds on anything and everything but driving. Rules of the road to them are mere, “suggestions” and this would include lane markers, signs and traffic lights.

Yes, I admit was one of those horn-beeping, finger-flipping barbarians who would not hesitate to call you out for cutting me off, running a red light or drifting into my lane while simultaneously steering with your knees, sipping your latte, and checking your Facebook news feed.

My cure came in a most unassuming way. Just recently I bought a used 2010 Honda Fit. This car is perfect for me in every way and inadvertently has ended my decade long, love/hate relationship with driving. I believe what this car has taught me could possibly cure road rage on a global scale.

I’ll never forget the first day I discovered it. It was just a regular day and I was on the way to work. From the other direction someone turned left in front of me, nearly shearing off the first few inches of the front of my, “new” car. I was furious and instinctively slammed my palm into the center of the steering wheel and that is when it happened… “meeeeeeeeep”. Just as a succession of blistering expletives were about to be launched from my lips I laughed instead.

This was no normal horn, in fact it reminded me of the horn on my old 1983 Tomos moped...if the battery were almost dead. The sound was embarrassingly dreadful and actually the antithesis of what a horn should be. I felt shame, I felt embarrassment, it humbled me.

As my father so graciously taught me through his example, the offensive gestures and fiery expletives can come in any order but the horn beeping must always proceed them both. That’s the way it is, there’s no other way.

Instantly, I became a change man, years of anger were wiped clean. All it took was a wimpy horn.

~Eric Vance Walton~

25% Off All of My Books Through Monday, May 26th!

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25% Off All of My Books Through Monday, May 26th!

Happy (US) Memorial Day everyone! To celebrate this Holiday weekend, and the unofficial start of Summer, please enjoy a 25% discount on all four of my titles (including my debut novel Alarm Clock Dawn) with the discount code MEMORIAL25. As always, thank you for your support!

Read The First Five Chapters of Alarm Clock Dawn for Free!

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Read The First Five Chapters of Alarm Clock Dawn for Free!

This is the first book of trilogy in the Alarm Clock Dawn series. Sometimes, when all hope seems lost, there's only one solution…to AWAKEN.  

What Readers Are Saying...

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was easy to read and full of twists, turns, reflection and enough suspense to keep me reading (I just had to find out what was going to happen next!) It contained a good mix of drama, science fiction, poetry, spirituality and a hint of romance. It was a book which really made me think outside of the box and is one I still continue to think about! Rumor has it this is a part of a trilogy and I am eagerly awaiting the release of the next book. I believe this book will interest a lot of people because it crosses several genres. Congratulations Eric to a job well done! - Sue Kimmes

 

Alarm Clock Dawn is cleverly written and the title should "dawn" on you as you progress in your reading. Once you do get it, you may be surprised at the meaning of it and realize how the story relates to your life.

Eric Vance Walton is a brilliant author and poet and proves it though out by providing his readers with layers of spirituality, suspense, poems, and symbolism. All you have to do is be willing and able to be receptive to Eric's message. I believe that it is a powerful one and very well worth your time. I guarantee once you pick the book up, it will be hard to put it down.

The book should help you, as it did me, to remember some things that you may have forgotten, things that are extremely important to a person's soul and mental well-being. It may also help you to remember what you are passionate about. - Jean White

This is an excellent first novel from an author more known for his poetry. Set in a dystopian society, that frankly looks like somewhere we could easily be headed, the author crafts a cautionary tale about the excesses of a society that strives for more and more "things". Driven by huge multinational corporations with excellent advertising (Marlboro, Budweiser, Lunestra anyone?), the story evolves to provide a yin to the yang that sets it up. I am NOTORIOUS for getting halfway through a book and jumping to the last chapter, just because I hate waiting. This book was the first one that I didn't do that to in a Looooong time, and I was handsomely rewarded. There was a nice twist and denouement that I just didn't see coming. Well worth the read! - Shawn Mullen

This book was a fun and thought provoking read!! The characters are so relatable,I found myself challenging my own routines and reasons behind them!! A must read for anyone who is ready to enjoy a story that will force you to look beyond yourself! - Kami Burgess

Surrender

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It only took half
a lifetime to
learn that
I'm wise enough
to realize
I'm not nearly
wise enough

So I lay down
my defenses
for these were
proverbial fences,
and fear was the lock
on the garden's gate

I am
present now
with nothing
left to lose,
nothing to prove,
my soul stripped bare
by humility

future flow now
and let me
ride your waves
for I've found
my bliss
and the garden is
like some warm
sweet kiss
that floods
my empty
places
and leaves
me longing for
you, only you
or nothing at all.

~Eric Vance Walton~

Read or Download the First Five Chapters of my novel Alarm Clock Dawn for Free!

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Read or Download the First Five Chapters of my novel Alarm Clock Dawn for Free!

ALARM CLOCK DAWN, author Eric Vance Walton's debut novel, is the chilling story of a world only decades ahead of our own. Adam Harkin is an employee of XenTek, the most powerful corporation the world has ever known. Adam begins to question the purpose of his existence in a world where people are no longer citizens; they are merely consumers. Every aspect of a person’s role in society is to be determined by one number—their credit score. 

The planet is protesting corporate greed and insatiable consumerism through crippling super storms that erupt without warning. 

In a race against time, thousands of people are waking up from this nightmare, burning their Consumer Identification Cards and doing the only thing they can to strike back—dropping out of this toxic society. One by one they join the camps outside the cities. The fate of humanity itself is at stake and the clock is ticking. One question haunts their fragile optimism: Is it already too late?

Making Progress

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I'm working on the (as yet unnamed) book on writing for beginning writers today. Another solid chapter is just about complete. Researching for this project is going to really help my writing career. I'm learning lots. I can't believe the success authors are finding and so quickly (i.e.,Veronica Roth)!

This book is really taking form now. It's a funny thing in this business how every opportunity leads to another, it really does. Having the strength and discipline to begin is the most important thing…this is my random thought for the day. That is all. 

Desiderata

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By Max Erhmann(Latin meaning; desired things)

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there is in silence. As far as possible, without surrender be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud or aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself to others, you main become vain and bitter, for there will always be someone greater or lessor than yourself.

Enjoy achievements as well as your plans, keep interested in your career; however; however humble, it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is, many people strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.

Especially do not feign affection. Neither be critical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the council of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you from sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive him to be, and whatever your labors or aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all it’s sham and drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.

Simplicity

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Joy comes in silent ways,

happiness is more illusive

as we chase our many dreams,
wide-eyed with wonder

let us not forget
to live the breadth of each breath
and be thankful for simplicity

this life was handcrafted
specifically for us
to learn our lessons
in their perfect season

close your eyes,
quiet your mind,
tune your consciousness
to the harmony
of the Universe

realize, time takes
from us each second
but can also offers
us infinity in return.

~Eric Vance Walton~

Fingerprint

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Fingerprint

Our walls tremble 
with every wind
and each of the world's 
whispers remind 
of our impermanence 
yet my optimism,
it never fades

each of us, every one
are traveling this upwards trajectory

that has the very same destination

I don't love you 
in spite of your imperfections 
but because of them

each of them, every one
is like a diamond's facet
a certain uniqueness

that leaves

its fingerprint 
on the Universe.

~Eric Vance Walton~