 It's me, yet again returning to the Nothing Peak blog after many months of total silence! One day I'll get better at blogging. One day. But I wanted to dive back in to say hi and celebrate one year of Tempest! I can't believe it's been a year since I published this book. Since March of 2021, so much has happened, and I've received so much positive feedback from readers all over. I'm humbled every day that this book resonated with so many people. Of course, I'll give a shout-out to those who weren't fans of Tempest, and those who left less-than-satisfactory reviews. You can't win 'em all, and I never expect to. Nothing is ever perfect, so the fact that not every review is a full 5 stars just shows me that there's always room for growth. I appreciate you all! Let's run through the last year of exciting news, special events, and other goings-on to commemorate this first anniversary. Wherever Books Are Sold Barnes & Noble; Westport, CT Tempest was my first time self-publishing through IngramSpark, a program that offers so many things to indie writers. Without them, my books (both of them, since I added Haunt to IS as well) might not have been as widely available across numerous channels. My books can be found online almost everywhere books are sold, and also in print at many select markets, both chain and independent. Reminder! If you want to support local, but your favorite bookstore doesn't have physical copies of my books (or any book you are looking for, really), you can ask them to order them for you. Some great resources for shopping local are IndieBound and Bookshop.org. I list these and more options at my Books page. Extra reminder! Don't forget to leave a review of either book online wherever you bought it. It helps my visibility, and it is helpful to those websites in terms of starred reviews, site features, and more. In the Media Tempest's American Book Fest award win A huge part of my 2021 was seeing Tempest (and in turn, Haunt, too) all over, in the news and in some huge media outlets. The me from a year and a half ago, knee-deep in the publishing world, would have been floored. And honestly, I still am! For Tempest, it started off with a surprise feature in a "Best LGBTQ+ Books to Add to Your Reading List in 2021" list from Cosmopolitan. Due to my own personal experience and the recurring themes of identity and self-discovery throughout Tempest, I felt it necessary and important to consider the LGBT category when setting up my book and sending out pitches for review. But hopefully, everyone can relate to the musings my book has to offer, to some degree. Most recently, Tempest scored a great review from Foreword's Clarion Reviews, which offered thoughtful insights into the varied imagery and metaphors I steeped in this poetic venture. You can find that and more, including features in Forbes, Publisher's Weekly, and Pop-Culturalist, here. I've got some more fun stuff coming up down the pipeline, so keep an eye out! Community Involvement Promo for my first event Lastly, and probably the most challenging part, given the pandemic, I have been able to get as involved as possible when it comes to supporting local Connecticut organizations and hosting events. Throughout 2021, I placed ads in the Triangle Community Center's event guides to support them and to spread the word about my work. I've attended their Pride in the Park event in the past, and they sure know how to throw a party! The most recent development has been my involvement with the Trumbull Library just a few towns over, where I've been hosting monthly poetry meet-ups. It's been so great to be able to sit with fellow creatives and those with an interest in writing to talk all things reading, writing, and publishing. And each month I try to challenge everyone to write a bit, too, using creative prompts. More is on the way, so keep an eye on this space here for event updates! I'd like to end this with a huge thank you to everyone who has supported me and my work over the past year. Of course, an additional thanks to those who have been supporting me since the release of Haunt in 2018. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to accomplish all that I have, nor had the confidence to achieve what I've set out to do regarding promoting these books and my craft. I look forward to what is to come in 2022 and beyond! Here's to many more years of sharing art together!
- Ryan
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