You know that blogpost I’ve been promising concerning Rafe, Askana, Billi, and their respective futures?

Make sure you’re sitting down, because this is it.

I could just make it short and sweet, but you all deserve a lot better than that. Also, I don’t think I can do that. I try for “short and sweet” and then, after I say what I have to say about what I really need to touch base on, it’s 3000 words later.

Besides, would you all expect any less from me? After all, if you’re reading this blog, chances are you’ve bought one of my books. Do I have to remind you how big Morevi is?

As many of you know, the previous year came out of the corner swinging haymakers like a wrecking machine. Rough seas had actually hit in 2009, but it was the beginning of 2010 that changed everything for me and my daughter. While I was counting on change in 2010, I didn’t foresee things changing as dramatically and as quickly as they did. I think Pip put it best when she said to me “Life around you is accelerated.”

I felt those G-forces most assuredly last year.

This blogpost is about the professional choices I had to make in 2010, and what is facing me in this new year. Those of you asking about Rafe, Askana, and Billi may not be thrilled with these decisions (Heck, you may flat out hate what I have to say…), but I am considering the grander scale of what I want to make a career. This means tough choices, choices you all as fans of my work should know about.

And instead of slamming you all with these touch choices in one grandiose blogpost, I’m breaking these tough choices up into a series of blogposts. I’d rather not melt your brains with a few thousand words. No need to serve the entrée and dessert with the starter, right?

So, let’s begin with a favorite of Tee Morris fans. Let’s start with where I opened my mouth and choked on my Reeboks.

Second Editions of Twitter books

In a Bird House Rules alongside Doc Coleman, I announced that I would be working on updates for All a Twitter and Sams Teach Yourself Twitter in 10 Minutes. I was really looking forward to doing this as I was insanely proud of both titles, All a Twitter in particular as my voice, opinions, and approaches to the social network rang true. While the market was flooded with books written by people who were all about making a fast buck on Twitter, my book was a book written by a Tweeter, for the Tweeters. (And no lie, it was really me writing this book.) Teach Yourself Twitter in 10 outsold All a Twitter, but All a Twitter definitely received more accolades and shout-outs on both TeeMonster and ITStudios; and considering my love for the 140-character driven network, I was more than happy to give them an upgrade.

However, when I made that announcement on the podcast, I knew I’d probably regret it.

Something I’ve noticed since shutting down The Survival Guide to Writing Fantasy: I’m making some pretty serious rookie mistakes. One that I know I covered on that podcast was talking about deals before the ink is dry on the contract. Doesn’t matter if it’s a book deal or Hollywood showing interest in one of your properties, you should never talk about any upcoming projects until the ink is dry on the contract or the advance check arrives. With All a Twitter and Twitter in 10, I had neither. I did have a phone call and an agreement; and shortly after said agreement, I sent in all the paperwork I was asked for. Then I waited for the final offer and deadline to reach my desk.

That was August.

I don’t know exactly what happened; but considering how the non-fiction books, while definitely money makers on a modest level and overall successes they were, didn’t open the doors I thought they would, I concluded that it was time to stop doing these kind of projects. Even with the credentials of a successful For Dummies book, two successful Twitter books, and having spoken on Social Media coast-to-coast and around the world, I was always passed over for the fly-by-night hucksters and Social Media Snake Oil Salesmen with self-published works and somewhat questionable credentials. This was made evident when TwitrCon came to Washington D.C., my own stomping grounds, and I was not invited to speak. The organizers did, however, fly in people from all over the country…but not the local author of two books that actively and professionally practiced Social Media.

Maybe it was because I wasn’t doing the “Make Money Now” dance, or perhaps my take on Social Media was too honest; but after filling a 300-seat theatre in New Zealand with my talk on Social Media, and then coming home to “I’m sorry, you’re who again?” I took this odd silence from publisher and agent that my stint as a computer book author was done. I still think All a Twitter and Twitter in 10 were two solid titles to close this chapter of a writing career.

Besides, I was ready to return to my first love: Fiction.

(NEXT WEEK — Concerning Dwarf Detectives
and Swashbuckling Pirates)

And now for something completely different: I’m not alone on this ride, am not in Virginia. Heck, I’m not even on the East Coast.

Sonic Boom and I are back on US soil after two weeks in New Zealand. Our ride into town, though, wasn’t able to drive us all the way into San Francisco, so we are taking the rail into the city for a playdate with Starla & Scott Hutchton and crew. While I find myself slipping back into a USA state-of-mind, SB sees today as just another grand adventure.

Sometimes I wonder if I lost that perspective on things, and then I think about the past two weeks in Aotearoa. What a great time we had.

Today is a little bittersweet. An important element is missing from our formula of fun. I feel it. So does she.

We miss you, Pip.

Hi, everyone!

It’s been a week and what a week it has been. Sonic Boom, fresh off her first-ever plane ride, walked the now-working set of Hobbiton, settled in Rotorua for the night, got up close and personal with Ella the Lion Cub at the Paradise Valley Reserve, and then worked the Poi Dancing as the youngest in attendance at Te Puia. Safe to say, we’re having a blast! There will be YouTube videos coming.

This week, we’re looking ahead to WorldCon 68, also known as AussieCon 4. Pip Ballantine, Sonic Boom, and I arrive in Melbourne, Australia (Yes, her second country in two weeks. Pretty impressive for a six year old!) and alongside familiar friends John Cmar, Laura Burns, Mur Laffery, and Gail Carriger, we’ll be taking part in good geekery from the Southern Hemisphere. This is my first WorldCon, and the Australians have handed me a rather robust schedule:

The Balancing Act of Speculative Fiction Comedy
Thursday 1400 Room 219

Reading: The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences (with Pip Ballantine)
Saturday 1100 Rm 215

The James Bond Enigma
Saturday 1200 Room 210

Kaffeeklatsche
Saturday 1300 Rm 201

Anachronist Fiction: Successors to Steampunk
Sunday 1100 Room 219

3D cinema: Revolution or novelty?
Sunday 1200 Room 212

Writing in the Shadow of Adams and Pratchett
Sunday 1400 Room 219

Along with places we’ve visited (and you can get a look at some photos via Whrrl.com), a lot of other things have been happening concerning the writing and works-in-progress. As you may have heard me say on Twitter, “I need to get a blogpost together…” and I promise there is one on the way. Heck, at the rate I’m going, it’ll be a series of a blogposts; but finally I do have some time to blog and bring even myself up to date with everyone.

This trip has been a real adventure for both of us, and Melbourne is already proving to be a weekend of possibilities. I hope if you are in attendance at WorldCon you stop by one of my panels and say “Hi.” or even throw out the tough questions concerning Billibub Baddings, Morevi, or The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences.

What, you don’t know what The Ministry is all about? Hang tight — a blogpost is in the works…

Today, I got a job.

Today, I got a full time job in Social Media.

While this sounds like something simple, the point I want to make, if I teach the world anything, is not to give up. Don’t give up.

Remember that song? There’s a darkness in that song, sure. I mean, hey, it’s Peter Gabriel. But there’s that optimism (voiced by Kate Bush), that assurance, you can make it through the storm.

I frakkin’ love that song.

People on Twitter and at KrakenQuest’s Great Reveal all knew I was having a tough time at this job hunt, but let me give you the run down that only a few have heard…

October 2007

First, there was actually dusting off the resume. I realized straight away there was a problem: I hadn’t done this in nearly ten years. I had no real experience, apart from my skills in the classroom. It amazed me how many people thought that would make me a valuable asset because I had the mad skills. InDesign, Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, Soundtrack Pro, and so on and so on. This was going to be a piece of cake.

I knew better. Even with two books in podcasting under my belt, I knew I had a lot of knowledge, but not the experience that people would want. Still, I gave the resume an overhaul with the help and encouragement of Paul Fischer & Martha Halloway, and began the job hunt.

In this proud land we grew up strong
We were wanted all along
I was taught to fight, taught to win
I never thought I could fail

February 2008

I was thrilled to connect with a headhunter that found me a client wanting someone knowledgable in Social Media. I went in for the first interview and made such a good first impression that one of the interviewers chased me to the elevator to say “Goodbye.” The headhunter prepped me, said I was close. One more interview. It was supposed to be with the president of the association. Well, okay then. The president and an associate? No problem. We set the time for a late afternoon, after a class; and I cut my class off early so I could make the 4:30 p.m. interview. I walk into the office and meet the president and two associates. Two? Well, okay then. Two. I proceed with the interview, the two associates just watching me and the president wanting me to regale her with tales of my theatre days. (Another blog post about that to come….) After being there for over an hour, the president of the association cuts me off and says “This isn’t going well.”

You could have heard a pin drop.

Before I could ask what was wrong, she said to me, “When I hold an interview, I should be asking questions. Not listening to a speech about numbers. You can leave.” Well, huh — guess I’m done. So I start to pack up to leave, and as it was the Podcasting II class I’d taught, I had a bit of gear in tow. I’m trying to get out there fast, and then I hear this over my shoulder…

“Maybe next time,” she said to me. Twice. The second time, she was smiling at me.

I had to get out of there. Fast. Otherwise, I was going to pop. Yeah, the “F.U.” was on the tip of my tongue. I’d been there for an hour, and she tells me after that long it isn’t going well? That evening, I got an apology phone call from the associates that I’d first interviewed with. I found out from the headhunter that the president felt I talked too much.

No fight left or so it seems
I am a man whose dreams have all deserted
I’ve changed my face, I’ve changed my name
But no one wants you when you lose

March, 2008

On a longshot I applied for a six-figure job that happened to be looking for a podcaster. Imagine my surprise when I got the call. The bad news was the job was moving to Atlanta. Nope, I wasn’t going to make that jump. Then the interviewer, the woman who owned this small but awefully profitable company, was fascinated with my podcasting experience. She said “We were going to be hiring an editor from CBS News Radio to edit our podcasts. Would this be something you are up for?” I accepted the challenge and she said “Fine, send us a demo reel and we will be in touch.” So I burned a CD of my podcasting best, sent it off, and waited. A week later, I received an email from her saying “We went with someone else for the podcasting job, but he knows nothing about podcasting. We’d like for you to come in and train him. He’ll be in touch shortly.” That same day, the associate called. I said “So you have no experience in podcasting?” He replied, “None.” I came back with “Okay, here are my rates for training and I’ll need about three days.”

Silence.

“Ummm….I’ll get back with you,” was his reply. About an hour later, the woman who interviewed me called me back, and she was pissed. She wasn’t expecting me to have rates for training, and to ask for three days was outrageous. I asked “What were you expecting?” She replied, “We figured you’d come in here. Half-an-hour, two hours tops. Show us what you know, and that would be it.” When I tried to explain there was a bit more to podcasting than that, she huffed and said “Well, I was talking with my IT guys, and they told me we don’t need you coming in here. We could just download for free what we needed and do it ourselves.” I replied with “You could. In fact, I have a podcast that teaches you how. Your podcast will sound like it’s coming out of the basement of the Science building, but you can do that. You want your podcasts to sound like mine? It’s going to cost you.”

Silence.

“We’ll be in touch,” were her last words to me.

I’m still waiting to hear back from them…

Don’t give up
‘Cus you have friends
Don’t give up
You’re not beaten yet
Don’t give up
I know you can make it good

October 2008

I was fresh off a plane from a convention in St. Louis, and I was off to an interview with an environmental group, anxious to find someone who really understood Social Media. This time, I went for a different tactic and decided to drop them a copy of Podcasting for Dummies. This was, after all, my crowning accomplishment: a #1 book on the subject of podcasting. Come out of the corner swinging, right? The interview went great, and they even asked me to autograph the book. One of the women who interviewed me wound up following me on Twitter, and I started to feel positive about this experience. (Something else I loved about this place — the office. WOW! The group had apparently hired an interior designer to really pull out the stops creatively. It was also a Mac office. Bonus!) I did feel good about it…and then I was told via email that the position was being filled by someone else. Why?  I knew nothing about the environment.

Previous experience about environmental issues. Something that wasn’t in the job listing.

Though I saw it all around
Never thought I could be affected
Thought that wed be the last to go
It is so strange the way things turn

November 2008

I decide to start tracking my resumes. The applications were starting to become more and more frequent, and there was also the matter of applying to jobs repeatedly. This was a reoccurring problem as many of the jobs out there were all done through website interfaces that didn’t even send out confirmations. It was really frustrating because I wasn’t hearing anything in reply. Not. A. Thing. It also didn’t help that the economy was bottoming out. After months of being told by the President “The economy was strong…” the financial crap slapped hard into the fan’s spinning blades. I managed, though, to get two interviews in one week. One was with Ford’s Theatre, and I got a send off from my friends Thomas Gideon and Kevin Crosby. While talking about the job hunt, Thomas shook his head, saying “It’s ludicrous that you are struggling to find a job in Social Media.” I was humbled, and deeply touched, by his seniment. It was something I took with me to the interview where, once again, the interviewer was asking me — on hearing I was an actor — to perform for her.

It was no longer so flattering.

I wound up losing the job to someone else who was experienced in Social Media…and Drupal…and MySQL….and PHP….and had written his Master’s Thesis on Lincoln…and had read every book written about Lincoln.

But that sting was short lived as I was approached by another group — an Advertising/PR firm — looking for someone experienced in InDesign (check), Photoshop (check), Keynote (check), podcasting (check), blogging (check), and Final Cut (check). I was really optimistic about this one. So much, in fact, that I went on and gave a copy of Podcasting for Dummies to them, as I did with the environmental group. I followed up with them after several weeks and they told me “You have the skills, but no experience. We need both.”

This particular job posted three more times. On the third posting, I called and left voice mail. Nothing in reply.

Drove the night toward my home
The place that I was born, on the lakeside
As daylight broke, I saw the earth
The trees had burned down to the ground

December 2008

I then found a job that was an early Christmas present: a coalition of anti-drug initiatives, was in search of a Web Content Manager that also had a background in Social Media. What got me really revved up for this interview is that this coalition knew me. They had hired me to talk at their Regional and National conventions. On what, you ask? Social Media. This was a slam dunk. There was even a coalition rep there who told my interviewers about me, and raved about my knowledge and background. I spruced up the resume, created Social Media demo reels, and then…

The interview was scheduled for 9:00 a.m. I left my house in Manassas at 6:15 a.m. thinking two and a half hours would be plenty of time to get through the D.C. traffic to Alexandria.

What I didn’t count on was the rain.

I reached the interview at 9:45 a.m.

The good news? The interview went well over two hours.

I thought I had this one. The follow-up’s were replied to, and I was even given updates on when my resume was up for review and the progress of the decision process.

Then, nothing. Emails stopped. No updates. Never knew why. Never found out why. That was weird. Just plain weird.

Don’t give up
You still have us
Don’t give up
We don’t need much of anything
Don’t give up
‘Cause somewhere there’s a place
Where we belong

Rest your head
You worry too much
It’s going to be alright
When times get rough
You can fall back on us
Don’t give up
Please don’t give up

February 2009

The search has continued up to this point and in my tracking spreadsheet I’m on my 55th resume (but considering how long I have been hunting, it was probably closer to my 100th…#125, maybe?). I get a phone call from this place that is looking for a Director of Digital Strategy. As exciting as the job sounds, I am preoccupied on several fronts:

• I am writing All a Twitter
• I am watching Darth Bon Bon, working as a relief nanny for Paul & Martha
• I have a talk coming that week: ANTI-Social Media

When they don’t call me back, I focus on my seminar, a seminar that goes over like gang-busters. It’s a packed house, and I capture fantastic video, prime footage for promoting my abilities as a speaker. During the congratulations and accolades, I’m approached by a representative of the group that was supposed to call me about the Digital Director position. “We thought, since we read on your blog you were doing this, we’d come and see you.”

They’re reading my blogs? Woah.

So I call her the next day, leave a voice mail, and within an hour I’m back on the phone. She cannot stop raving about the talk. “I want you to come in here and see if you’re a good fit for the group,” she tells me. “I’ll have HR call you on Tuesday and we can set a time when you can come in.”

Friday becomes Tuesday, and I get the call from HR. “We decided to go with someone else,” they tell me straight away. I asked why. “They had more experience,” was the answer. I was resigned with that until they continued with “That being said, we were really impressed with your background. Would you care to come in and train our people in Social Media?”

That was when I snapped. It amazed me how even my voice was when I asked “So let me understand you — I don’t have enough experience to work for you, but you want me to come in and train your people who know nothing about Social Media. Do I understand you correctly?”

Silence, and then “So, are you interested?”

“You have my number,” I said flatly.

They haven’t used it.

Got to walk out of here
I can’t take anymore
Going to stand on that bridge
Keep my eyes down below
Whatever may come
And whatever may go
That river’s flowing
That river’s flowing

March 2009

This particular shock to my system came when I hear from someone on Twitter, a job recruiter, say that she is in desperate need of a Social Media expert. Much as I hate the word “expert” I immediately follow the Twitter and start DMing her my details. Within minutes I get an email with the description you see. (You might recognize it from a previous Stranger on a Train entry.) This job post read as a checklist for who I was and what my skillset was geared towards. This position called for someone that was:

• a blogger
• a podcaster
• a video editor
• a public speaker
• a trainer
• a writer
• a curriculum designer

I immediately got home from the job and sent in my resume.

Once again, I didn’t have enough experience.

This time, I took a step back. A change was needed.

Moved on to another town
Tried hard to settle down
For every job, so many men
So many men no-one needs

May 2009

The resume was given a hard reboot in the previous month. New job titles. New accomplishments. Items once downplayed were brought to the front. It was a far more aggressive showcasing of what I had accomplished as a podcaster and as a writer, and almost immediately I noticed a reaction from job hunters. One looked promising, but as it was a contractor (and his first impression on me was less than…hospitable) I knew it was just more of what I was getting as a contractor with EEI. It came as no shock to me when he did not win the contract for the job.

Along with the reboot of my resume came a reboot and redesign of my LinkedIn account as well, thank to Craig Fisher and Annette Holland. LinkedIn I was never wholly convinced was helping me in my job hunt, but I knew having a presence and connections there could not hurt. In fact, job hunting did help me appreciate what LinkedIn was all about.

However, I really appreciated the online resume site when a PR group reached out to me, wanting to have a meeting.

The position was for Vice President of Social Media Strategy and Training. Six figures. And they found me.

We met at a very fashionable restaurant in downtown Washington D.C. and the four of us had a terrific lunch. Not only did they ask me questions, but I asked them the tough questions as well. Questions like “Will you want me to come up with a Social Media initiative for you?” and “What are your expectations levels for me?” Perhaps I was feeling confident on account of the trip to New Zealand I would be setting off for in a few weeks, but I knew I was hitting the sweet spot with them as one interviewer immediately connected with me on LinkedIn and the president discussed with me the possibility of doing a webinar while I was overseas. What I knew about this particular job was this:

• They needed someone who knew Social Media
• They needed someone who had experience running workshops and seminars
• The VP currently holding the position was not on Facebook, Twitter, or any other Social Media initiative
• The VP was also running his own business on the side…an arrangement that wasn’t working out as originally planned by the PR firm

This job was mine. Seriously. The reassurances I received in the week were that I would hear from them soon.

I emailed them from NZ, asking if they still wanted a seminar. No answer. I emailed them after I got stateside. No answer. When I called the week after I got home, I was told “She’s got your email’s and will be in touch soon.”

Still waiting…

Don’t give up
‘Cause you have friends
Don’t give up
You’re not the only one
Don’t give up
No reason to be ashamed
Don’t give up
You still have us

August 2009

Yes, this blogpost is silly in size, but all this — all this — led to today, to my meeting with the woman who is to by my new boss at Intersections, Inc. in Sterling, Virginia. This was Resume #94, possibly closer to #200. And while there were those moments, I never stopped.

Social Media and job hunting have a lot in common with one another. It’s not about the shortcuts, but about the focus and the determination. There are going to be a lot of days when you don’t feel it, but you have friends that will be there for you. And with all the different things you succeed and fail in, there are lessons learned and faith restored.

There were moments I didn’t really have the heart to send in yet one more resume. I know I sent out well over 200 resumes over the past 22 months. Encouragement along the lines of “It’s such a crappy economy…” and “You just don’t have the experience…” might have kicked the wind out of me, but I never stopped. Some might call it stubborn. I call it relentless.

Today, I got a job.

Today, I got a full time job in Social Media.

No, it wasn’t easy, but it happened. It finally happened.

Persevere. If you take anything from my post here, please, let it be that. Persevere.

Don’t give up now
We’re proud of who you are
Don’t give up
You know it’s never been easy
Don’t give up
‘Cause I believe there’s  a place
There’s a place where we belong

Opening image courtesy of Kreg Steppe. “Don’t Give Up” written by Peter Gabriel

The closer I get to New Zealand, the weirder my life becomes.

In the past two days I’ve received two interviews next week. Am I excited? Not sure. I don’t want to afford myself that luxury only to face another disappointment. What’s making one of the interviews partucularly intriguing is the woman in need of a Social Media Mr. Miagi actually found me in a LinkedIn search.

I’ll say that again: She came to me.

All this with less than two weeks to go fo rmy trip to New Zealand. I really wanted the days before Balticon to be stress-free. I really did.

My friend and fellow Fantasy-Comedic author, Christiana Ellis, is premiering “Nina Kimberly the Merciless” today, and it turns out her Uk Horde broke Amazon. You go, Nina!

My EalC — nearly done. At the rate I was going, I was going to crack the 10K mark, but I went back, made a few hard decisions, and now I’m aiming for 8500. I’ll have to see if there’s anything else to cut. Short stories are hard, Lt. Dan. The story has been a real blessing. It’s gearing me up for some other touch calls I’ll be making soon.

And tomorrow I get a new MacBook Pro, replacing my seven year old PowerBook workhorse. Seven years. “We have heard the chimes at midnight…the days we have seen…”

Considering the books I’ve written, the articles I’ve submitted, and the amazing things I’ve done on this machine, could it be possible I’ve gotten a little sentimental towards it?

Maybe.

Photo by Kreg Steppe

Hey, everyone! I’m closing in on a pretty busy chunk of time, and it all starts next week. As you can see in the photo, I attempted to jump to New Zealand, get a head start on the travel. The only problem is this picture is taken at CREATE South 2009 in Myrtle Beach, so that puts me by the Atlantic.

Oh yeah, and while I got some serious hang time in the photo…my distance was FAIL!

Before I get into the schedule, I got good news on All a Twitter: the manuscript is now at the publisher and currently being prepped for printing. You can pre-order the book but keep an eye on Imagine That! Studios for latest developments on my latest book concerning Social Media, and get ready — I got something else coming this summer.

Oh yeah, and I’m nearly done writing my smut for Chef Pip. I really am a naughty boy.

Now, here’s my upcoming schedule. This is where I will be:

May 22-25
Balticon 43 in Hunt Valley, MD

May 29-June 1
Conscription in Auckland, New Zealand

June 2
ANTI-Social Media, presented for LIANZA, 12pm-2pm
Room 420 Kate Edgar Information Commons Building #315
2 Alfred Street, University of Auckland
Auckland, New Zealand

All a Twitter, presented for LIANZA, 3pm-5pm
Room 420 Kate Edgar Information Commons Building #315
2 Alfred Street, University of Auckland
Auckland, New Zealand

June 3
Social Media Mainline Workshop for LIANZA, 9am-5pm
Computer Lab Room 433, Kate Edgar Information Commons Building #315
2 Alfred Street, University of Auckland
Auckland, New Zealand

June 6 (JUST ADDED!!!)
Podiobooks: The Best Audiobooks FOR FREE Online for Tararua District Library, 1pm-2pm
Dannevirke, New Zealand

June 15
ANTI-Social Media, presented for LIANZA, 12pm-2pm
Seminar Room, Reserve Bank of NZ
2 The Terrace
Report at ground floor reception no later than 11.45am
Wellington, New Zealand

All a Twitter, presented for LIANZA, 5pm-7pm
Conference Room, Department of Conservation
18-32 Manners Street
Report at ground floor reception no later than 4.45pm
Wellington, New Zealand

June 16
Social Media Mainline Workshop for LIANZA, 9am-5pm
SOLD OUT (Waiting List available)
Computer lab 510, Level 5, WelTec Wellington Campus
11-17 Church Street (off Boulcott Street)
Wellington, New Zealand

June 17

Speak Geek to Me, for Te Papa Tongarewa: The Museum of New Zealand, 10am-12pm
Location: TBA
Wellington, NZ

If you are in New Zealand and looking for a primer on Social Media, you can still sign-up for the Auckland workshop. I could not be more excited about this upcoming trip the Land of the Great White Cloud…

18.5 hours on a plane…AFTER I fly from DC to San Fran. Whoofah!

Next time we talk, I’ll be in the Southern Hemisphere. See you on the other side of the world!