75 replies to this topic

[Atari Smeghead]

Hi everyone! I have finally achieved my lifelong dream, and I wanted to share it with you. It’s called Driving Crazy.

I’ve been writing fiction since I was a child, mostly short stories. I’ve won a few writing contests over the years and in 2008, I had four stories published in an anthology called Small Towns: A Map in Words. But due to being laid off back in June, I finally had the time to complete my first novel.

Here is the back-cover synopsis for Driving Crazy:

Jay Naylor thought winning the Crazy Climber auction would be the hard part. Man, was he ever wrong!

With his best friend Austin Ridenour by his side, Jay takes to the streets in this wild, hilarious adventure. During their journey from Lansing, Michigan to Weedpatch, California and beyond, they’ll run headlong into adversity, desperation and their fair share of lunatics. They’ll need every ounce of their luck and ingenuity if they hope to get this classic arcade game, and themselves, home in one piece.

Our heroes would rather spend their time seeing the sights, but they can’t. They’re too busy… Driving Crazy.

---------------

This 262-page novel, years in development and months in editing, is finally ready for the world to enjoy. Though primarily a road trip buddy comedy, it also has some drama, exciting chase scenes and is filled with video game goodness, featuring such classics as Galaga, Tempest and of course, Crazy Climber. Even the Atari Jaguar has a cameo.

It is a self-published book, but don’t let that turn you off. I utilized a proofreading staff of seven people, a mixture of men and women, of published writers and avid readers, to ensure an error-free and entertaining book. (Even Jaguar Sector II’s own Jason Smith assisted in the proofreading. Thanks, Jay!!)

Driving Crazy is being sold through my website, www.randypearson.org, for the low price of $12.99 plus $3.00 shipping in the US.

Also on my website, I have included a couple of excerpts and deleted scenes from Driving Crazy, so you can get a feel for both the story and my writing style.

I hope you’ll take a look and consider buying a copy. I’ve been told it’s a fun, enjoyable, entertaining read.

Thanks for your time!
Randy “Atari Smeghead” Pearson

[Cebus Capucinis]

AWESOME!!!

One copy purchased, good sir!!!!! Loved the excerpts, looks to be a very funny read!!!

[Atari Smeghead]

Cebus Capucinis, on Wed Mar 17, 2010 8:55 PM, said:

AWESOME!!!

One copy purchased, good sir!!!!! Loved the excerpts, looks to be a very funny read!!!

Thanks! I really appreciate the support. So far, "funny" has been the general consensus.

I'll get your signed copy in the mail no later than tomorrow, Friday.

Thanks again!
Randy "Smeg"

[Crazy Climber]

Well I am a fan of Crazy Climber

[Atari Smeghead]

Crazy Climber, on Thu Mar 18, 2010 12:48 PM, said:

Well I am a fan of Crazy Climber

Y'know, I kinda suspected that!

This story is all about Crazy Climber. It wouldn't be the same if I had chosen a different video game... Driving Donkey has a whole nuther connotation.

Do ya like my cover artist's rendition of Crazy Climber? I like how he made it a bit rounded, giving it a real cartoony feel. Though I had to make him add the second joystick. "Why should it matter?" he asked me. He's clearly not a player.

Trust me, you'll like this story.

Cheers,
Randy "Smeg"

[Cebus Capucinis]

I will be writing you a nice review when I get it and read it for all the AtariAge people!

[iwan-iwanowitsch-goratschin]

No shippings to GERMANY??

[yuppicide]

Looks interesting. Sounds like this would be a true story? I'll have to pick up a copy when money can afford itself.

Where'd you get the book printed? I've looked at a few places online, but the book I want to write is not a standard book. It will have tear-out postcards inside and I need to find someone who can do that for me at a reasonable price.

[EricDeLee]

I'll grab a copy of this on the first buddy!

[Crazy Climber]

Atari Smeghead, on Thu Mar 18, 2010 4:06 PM, said:

Crazy Climber, on Thu Mar 18, 2010 12:48 PM, said:

Well I am a fan of Crazy Climber

Y'know, I kinda suspected that!

This story is all about Crazy Climber. It wouldn't be the same if I had chosen a different video game... Driving Donkey has a whole nuther connotation.

Do ya like my cover artist's rendition of Crazy Climber? I like how he made it a bit rounded, giving it a real cartoony feel. Though I had to make him add the second joystick. "Why should it matter?" he asked me. He's clearly not a player.

Trust me, you'll like this story.

Cheers,
Randy "Smeg"

Ordered mine! Looking forward to it, thanks

[Atari Smeghead]

Cebus Capucinis, on Thu Mar 18, 2010 4:11 PM, said:

I will be writing you a nice review when I get it and read it for all the AtariAge people!

Uh-oh, better delay your copy. J/K - I look forward to hearing your opinion.

iwan-iwanowitsch-goratschin, on Thu Mar 18, 2010 4:13 PM, said:

No shippings to GERMANY??

Oh, I'll ship anywhere! Germany's shipping cost for the cheapest service, First Class International, is $11.00 USD. The total with shipping is $23.99 USD.
So far, Germany, Great Britain and Australia are all the same shipping cost, so it looks like I can put up a PayPal button for several International shippers after all. I'll do that when I'm done here.

I have added an International button. If you click here, the first button is USA orders, and the second one is for Germany, Great Britain, Australia and France. And maybe some others. So far, only Canada and Mexico have been less.

yuppicide, on Thu Mar 18, 2010 4:27 PM, said:

Looks interesting. Sounds like this would be a true story? I'll have to pick up a copy when money can afford itself.

Where'd you get the book printed? I've looked at a few places online, but the book I want to write is not a standard book. It will have tear-out postcards inside and I need to find someone who can do that for me at a reasonable price.

Thanks! While it certainly could be true, it is purely fictional. I'm a big "what if" kind of guy... it's how my brain works.

I got it printed at Color House Graphics in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They are strictly a printer, meaning they don't do any formatting or distributing. Basically, they want print-ready PDF files of both the book and the cover, so all they need to do is push some buttons and out pops a book. But because of this, they were easily the most reasonably priced company I could find.

Anyone who's interested in the finer points of self-publishing, feel free to ask me about it. I spent the past few months working on this, and I've learned a lot. I would be happy to share what I've learned.

Cheers,
Randy

Edited by Atari Smeghead, Thu Mar 18, 2010 6:49 PM.

[Atari Smeghead]

Crazy Climber, on Thu Mar 18, 2010 5:36 PM, said:

Ordered mine! Looking forward to it, thanks

Thanks, CC! I really appreciate it.

EricDeLee, on Thu Mar 18, 2010 4:40 PM, said:

I'll grab a copy of this on the first buddy!

Cool! I hoped you would.

Cheers,
Randy

[Atari Smeghead]

Hi All,

This is just a bump to let ya know all orders have been shipped as of Monday, 3/22.

It's been an interesting ride thus far. In the past couple of weeks, between local (Lansing Michigan area) stores, a couple of special events and both here and JSII, I've gone through nearly 60 copies. I've sent this book to people here in the US, as well as Australia, Great Britain and France. Not bad for a small timer like me!

I still have copies available, for anyone who is interested. From the feedback I've been receiving thus far, you won't be disappointed with Driving Crazy.

Cheers,
Randy "Smeg"

[Cebus Capucinis]

Bumpski for the bookski! Mine just showed up, first order from AA woot! Arrived in beautiful shape in a well-packaged box. The cover is very fresh and shiny! It is a nice, thick book that is easy to take around with you just about anywhere and the print is just the right size for quick reading! Not too crammed together and tiny, but not so big you feel like you need to hold it at arm's length. Very cool! I will be reading through this for an official 'book' update but from a product standpoint it is 100%! I thumbed through a couple pages and on top of the excerpts I read I expect this will be a very awesome lighthearted fun read that you can't put down!

[Atari Smeghead]

Thank you, Cebus! I'm glad my packaging job worked out well. I quite literally craft my boxes to wrap around the book. I figure that way, it's nice and tight. I'd be curious to know how long it took you to get into the box, since I tape the heck outta the things!

I'm glad you noticed the print. You'd think me nuts if you knew how much time and effort I spent picking out and downloading this font. For any other would-be self publishers out there, I'll save you the trouble. 12pt Century Schoolbook is the BEST font ever! However, compared to the classics like Times New Roman (which is a horrible, tight font for a book) Century Schoolbook made Driving Crazy something like 60 pages longer. But worth it, I'd say.

Thanks again for buying it! Enjoy!
Randy

Cebus Capucinis, on Wed Mar 24, 2010 3:22 PM, said:

Bumpski for the bookski! Mine just showed up, first order from AA woot! Arrived in beautiful shape in a well-packaged box. The cover is very fresh and shiny! It is a nice, thick book that is easy to take around with you just about anywhere and the print is just the right size for quick reading! Not too crammed together and tiny, but not so big you feel like you need to hold it at arm's length. Very cool! I will be reading through this for an official 'book' update but from a product standpoint it is 100%! I thumbed through a couple pages and on top of the excerpts I read I expect this will be a very awesome lighthearted fun read that you can't put down!

[Crazy Climber]

Got mine! I will not have a chance to read until the weekend after the MGC, I'll post what I think of it when I finish it

[Cebus Capucinis]

Atari Smeghead, on Wed Mar 24, 2010 4:49 PM, said:

I'd be curious to know how long it took you to get into the box, since I tape the heck outta the things!

About 10 minutes actually! I had to bust out the box cutter, which means short of a nuclear bomb this book will show up in brand-new shape no matter where it goes!

[NathanOfLight]

Nice to see a fellow writer. I hope to follow in your footsteps and get my own book published one day too .

[Atari Smeghead]

Crazy Climber, on Wed Mar 24, 2010 7:04 PM, said:

Got mine! I will not have a chance to read until the weekend after the MGC, I'll post what I think of it when I finish it

Great! I look forward to hearing your opinion. I know you'll love the subject matter!

Cebus Capucinis, on Wed Mar 24, 2010 7:06 PM, said:

Atari Smeghead, on Wed Mar 24, 2010 4:49 PM, said:

I'd be curious to know how long it took you to get into the box, since I tape the heck outta the things!

About 10 minutes actually! I had to bust out the box cutter, which means short of a nuclear bomb this book will show up in brand-new shape no matter where it goes!

Good to hear! As long as no one slices the book with their blade of choice, it's all good!

NathanOfLight, on Wed Mar 24, 2010 9:33 PM, said:

Nice to see a fellow writer. I hope to follow in your footsteps and get my own book published one day too .

Thanks! The self-publishing thing was interesting. A real eye-opener. I found myself sweating over every little detail. Took a few days to choose and implement the best font, for instance. I learned a lot. Next time will be that much easier.

Cheers,
Randy

[EricDeLee]

Atari Smeghead, on Sat Mar 27, 2010 8:12 AM, said:

Thanks! The self-publishing thing was interesting. A real eye-opener. I found myself sweating over every little detail. Took a few days to choose and implement the best font, for instance. I learned a lot. Next time will be that much easier.

Cheers,
Randy

I always wondered about the Self-publishing route.
I have a story that was published within a horror short story collection. It was an interesting process being that our editor stole our profits and ran off into the unknown. But, I have a story in print out there, so I always thought that was pretty cool. I need to get back into my writing habits again, as I miss writing. I have quite a few short stories out there all over the web (Search under Eric DeLee... and you'll find something). I should consider trying out the self-publishing thing to see how well I can do.

Randy... don't be surprised if I hit you up for a few questions along that avenue.
I am very curious as to how it is going for you right now. Initial costs, profit ranges, upkeep, sales, etc.

[Atari Smeghead]

EricDeLee, on Sat Mar 27, 2010 10:56 AM, said:

I always wondered about the Self-publishing route.
I have a story that was published within a horror short story collection. It was an interesting process being that our editor stole our profits and ran off into the unknown. But, I have a story in print out there, so I always thought that was pretty cool. I need to get back into my writing habits again, as I miss writing. I have quite a few short stories out there all over the web (Search under Eric DeLee... and you'll find something). I should consider trying out the self-publishing thing to see how well I can do.

Randy... don't be surprised if I hit you up for a few questions along that avenue.
I am very curious as to how it is going for you right now. Initial costs, profit ranges, upkeep, sales, etc.

Hi Eric,

I remember we talked about your horror story, and I think I read something of yours online.

I'd be more than happy to share my insights with you (or anyone) over the thrillride that is self-publishing. When I'm not so busy (just started a new job and a new woman) I'll be publishing (most liekly blogging) a multi-part article titled, "Self Publishing on the Cheap." I found lots of ways to save money and a couple places where it's not a good idea to skimp.

The most crucial bit of advice I can give is to read ALL the fine print, so to speak. There's a ton of difference in pricing vs services offered between the self-publishing companies out there.

I'll go into some specifice in a PM with ya.

Cheers,
Randy

[Cebus Capucinis]

Another bumpski for the book! I picked it up last night and started reading and stayed up until 2:30 AM to finish it. Once you start it you can't put it down! Very good book!

This book is absolutely perfect for anyone who is a video game enthusiast, and is especially poignant for those of us in AA. The main character, Jay, is not necessarily the "Everyman" in the sense that there is a conscious effort to make him appeal to every single reader of the book, but when you start reading through the adventure, you will almost immediately associate with him on so many levels. Having just gone on a somewhat wacky 2-day straight adventure about a month ago to get my arcade games, I couldn't help but laugh when thinking about the scheme he and Austin, his best friend, come up with -- and I guarantee you that everyone that reads this book that has any interest in arcade gaming or even video gaming will instantly think of a time when either you did something just as crazy or thought about doing something just as crazy.

At multiple times throughout the book I found myself laughing out loud -- something that very few books manage to make me do. The very beginning is hilarious, and not to give too many details away, but quite a few of their pit-stops turn into some very rowdy and laugh-worthy adventures. The whole journey rides that perfect border line between "that's just too crazy to believe" and "wow, this totally could have happened to someone". You will be staring at the text wide-eyed in disbelief but at the same time wondering if the book is biographical in any sense. Of course after wondering for a couple seconds you'll clearly want to keep going to see what happens next!

My favorite parts were the fruit department manager in the grocery store and the "Pork gout". This book is lighthearted, fun, and a very great read! There's something for everyone in it. If you're not just interested in laughs, the book does get a little deeper (but not so deep as to get lost in the themes) into the themes of our own lives: taking time to enjoy the world we're in and not getting bogged down with our everyday lives. The book touches on what friendship truly means and what it really is to be Driving Crazy.

Pick up a copy! You seriously will not regret any of this book and you probably won't be able to put it down, having to read it in one go like I did!

[Atari Smeghead]

Cebus Capucinis, on Tue Mar 30, 2010 9:52 AM, said:

Another bumpski for the book! I picked it up last night and started reading and stayed up until 2:30 AM to finish it. Once you start it you can't put it down! Very good book!

This book is absolutely perfect for anyone who is a video game enthusiast, and is especially poignant for those of us in AA. The main character, Jay, is not necessarily the "Everyman" in the sense that there is a conscious effort to make him appeal to every single reader of the book, but when you start reading through the adventure, you will almost immediately associate with him on so many levels. Having just gone on a somewhat wacky 2-day straight adventure about a month ago to get my arcade games, I couldn't help but laugh when thinking about the scheme he and Austin, his best friend, come up with -- and I guarantee you that everyone that reads this book that has any interest in arcade gaming or even video gaming will instantly think of a time when either you did something just as crazy or thought about doing something just as crazy.

At multiple times throughout the book I found myself laughing out loud -- something that very few books manage to make me do. The very beginning is hilarious, and not to give too many details away, but quite a few of their pit-stops turn into some very rowdy and laugh-worthy adventures. The whole journey rides that perfect border line between "that's just too crazy to believe" and "wow, this totally could have happened to someone". You will be staring at the text wide-eyed in disbelief but at the same time wondering if the book is biographical in any sense. Of course after wondering for a couple seconds you'll clearly want to keep going to see what happens next!

My favorite parts were the fruit department manager in the grocery store and the "Pork gout". This book is lighthearted, fun, and a very great read! There's something for everyone in it. If you're not just interested in laughs, the book does get a little deeper (but not so deep as to get lost in the themes) into the themes of our own lives: taking time to enjoy the world we're in and not getting bogged down with our everyday lives. The book touches on what friendship truly means and what it really is to be Driving Crazy.

Pick up a copy! You seriously will not regret any of this book and you probably won't be able to put it down, having to read it in one go like I did!

Cebus,

Thank you. Thank you very much for that thorough review. Truthfully, I'm kinda speechless here... a rarity for me.

I set out to write an entertaining, silly, fast-paced story (or at least a quick read) and wow, I guess I managed it. You're at least the third person who has told me they read it from cover to cover in one sitting. That's what every author strives for, a story the reader doesn't want to put down. (But still, the chapters are fairly short, from 5-20 pages, so there is usually a good stopping point just around the next bend.)

For those interested, the "fruit department manager" part he mentioned is available as a free excerpt through my website, www.RandyPearson.org. If you're still on the fence, hop over there and give it a read.

Very cool of you to take the time to write that, Cebus. Again, thank you!!

Sincerely,
Randy

[accousticguitar]

What would the rating of this book be? G, PG, PG-13, etc? Also, how many words is it?

[Atari Smeghead]

accousticguitar, on Sun Apr 4, 2010 5:39 PM, said:

What would the rating of this book be? G, PG, PG-13, etc? Also, how many words is it?

Hi, AG! Thanks for the interest!

The story itself is just shy of 63000 words. (If I count every single word in it, its 63435 words.) But it's important to note they're not 63000 different words. I use a few words more than once.

As for a rating, the general consensus (from proof readers, etc) is that it would fall into the PG-13 category. The worst swear words are hell and damn, the violence is cartoony in nature and the sex scenes are rather subdued. There is an underage drinking scene and a fair amount of booze in general, but nothing any 13 year old hasn't seen or heard before. In this day and age, it might skew even younger, but I wrote it for adults, really. But my 13 year old niece read it and (surprisingly) seemed to enjoy it. (I say surprisingly because I really didn't expect this story to appeal to women in general, and especially a teen girl, but I've been proven wrong a few times already.)

So, yeah, PG-13 seems right to me. For those who have read it, would you agree?

Cheers,
Randy