I’ve recently done a video about my “Proud of Myself” Shelf. I want to also note that I’m starting a “Proud of My Friends” shelf, too! They say that we are like the people closest to us – that we become like the company that we keep. If that’s the case, I’m in very good company, indeed.
Fortune and Folly
In November 2023, I had the chance to return to Atlanta for the first time since I moved to New Mexico in 2021. The occasion was my friend Sara’s book launch.
Sara’s book, Fortune and Folly: The Weird and Wonderful Life of the South’s Most Eccentric Millionaire was published by University of Georgia Press. It released on November 15, 2023. This one is really important to me, because I’ve been “along for the ride” throughout its research, writing and conception. From our first visit together to Briarcliff mansion, through to critiquing the drafts before she submitted them to publishers, I’ve followed the trajectory of this book from its first glimmers. I’m proud to say I’m also in the dedication.
Sara has been a critique partner of mine since about 2013, so I find it very encouraging for my own publishing journey to see her succeed. I was so damned chuffed to celebrate her work on launch day.
Martial Culture in the Lifeways of US Servicemembers and Veterans
As you may know, I defended my dissertation and officially earned my Ph.D. earlier in December. This is a huge accomplishment, but of course, I wasn’t the first of my cohort to cross that threshold.
In fact, Dr. Nate Hogan was the first of our little class to achieve the Ph.D. rank, and he’s the first to have his dissertation published as a book! I would very much like to follow in his footsteps in this regard!
Nate’s book is still in pre-press, with Routledge, but the link and pre-order is available here for Martial Culture in the Lifeways of US Servicemembers and Veterans: Military Psychology, Ancient Mythology, and Re-Souling Service
It should be out in February 2024. Again, I’m super proud of my friend! I’m also grateful to Nate for showing me that my dreams are possible. I’m currently working on my proposal to do this same feat with my dissertation.
A New Gnosis
I’m also working on a number of academic chapters that will be included in books of compiled essays. These chapters have been a slog for me, and hard to complete. And the books are very far beyond their deadlines due to covid and editorial upheaval. Amy Slonaker, who is soon to be a Ph.D. as well, has been “racing” me throughout the dissertation process (It was a photo finish, I won by a matter of weeks). However, she’s already got an essay in a collection of work!
Amy’s chapter is included in A New Gnosis: Comic Books, Comparative Mythology, and Depth Psychology edited by David Odorisio, and published by Springer. Her essay is called “Mystico-Erotics of the ‘Next Age Superhero’: Christian Hippie Comics of the 1970s” which is closely tied to her dissertation’s topic. She’s also “won” the good-spirited race between us to do more public speaking, presenting, and paper presentations at conferences throughout the past year.
Like Nate and Sara, Amy’s accomplishments show me what is also possible for me. I’m very proud of her!
Good Girls, and Handsome Heroes
Before all of these, my friend Dr. Amy M. Davis earned her Ph.D. and has published two books. Good Girls and Wicked Witches was the first book written by a friend of mine that I got to hold in my hands. I also have her follow-up book, Handsome Heroes and Vile Villains. Both volumes were published by Indiana University Press.
In a strange twist of fate, Amy’s work in Film history (and particularly Disney’s full length animated feature films) led her to be the outside reader for dissertations in my program of Mythological Studies. When she and I discussed the idea of my going to Pacifica, she was able to connect me with some graduates from the program who I could ask additional questions before signing up.
If Nate, Amy, and Sara could show me what is possible for me in terms of publication, then Amy Davis showed me that grad school itself was possible.
My Goal is In Sight
Parasocial relationships are weird, so while I’m online “pen-pals” with a number of published authors, it’s hard to consider them my friends if we have never met in the real world. I’m honored to be in touch with so many smart and talented people.
I also know a large number of self-published authors, including my mom! I really like her allergy-friendly cookbook. The barriers to entry are different for self-published authors – less of the external validation of the establishment, and more of the blood, sweat, and tears of the formatting, design, and marketing.
As I’ve mentioned before, my “North Star” goal is to see a book with my name on the spine in the wild – seeing it in a bookshop or a stranger’s hands. I was able to see Sara’s book in the wild like that, and it was thrilling!
In order to meet that goal, I will likely not be able to self-publish. Bookstores still heavily rely on traditional publishers to stock their shelves.
However, I do have a number of one-off works that I’m looking at potentially publishing with small publishers, hybrid models, or even self-publishing or print-on-demand. I believe at this point, with the publishing industry in the state of flux that it is in, that every one of my manuscripts may have a different path to publication. Regardless of what path I end up taking, my friends have shared their insights, wisdom, and lessons-learned with me, and have shown me the way forward!