New Comics Wednesday! (On Thursday)
The Mighty Yoobai Pg. 30, Edison Pickleberry, & The Big Pick Episode 2!
Happy Thursday!
In this issue of ESCAPE:
THE MIGHTY YOOBAI Page 30
News about my new novel series, EDISON PICKLEBERRY
THE BIG PICK Episode 2
Thanks for reading!
CLICK HERE to read all previous pages of THE MIGHTY YOOBAI!
EDISON PICKLEBERRY
My first Kindle Vella series—EDISON PICKLEBERRY—premiered on Sunday! This is my first foray into the world of indie publishing, and it’s been a long time coming. I started writing this series way back in January of 2021 and have been sitting on a lot of completed work for a long time. I can’t tell you how excited I am to finally get the story out there on the Kindle Vella platform.
Now, I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that many of you (most of you?) have no idea what Kindle Vella is and know even less about how it works. So here’s a short FAQ on the subject…
What is Kindle Vella?
Kindle Vella is Amazon's platform for publishing and reading serialized stories, like Wattpad and Radish. Authors release their stories in episodes, and readers can access and pay for individual episodes using tokens.
What is EDISON PICKLEBERRY?
EDISON PICKLEBERRY is my new YA sci-fi adventure novel series. If you like my ODDLY NORMAL graphic novel series, this new story is right up your alley. Here is the book blurb (and a sneak peek at the eventual print version):
Why are you releasing EDISON PICKLEBERRY on Kindle Vella and not as an ebook or print version?
The indie publishing world is a big pond and I’m a little fish. I’m using Kindle Vella to wade into that pool and establish myself and my work in this format before moving on to bigger bodies of water. Each “season” (as many Kindle Vella stories are referred to) of EDISON PICKLEBERRY will eventually be published in ebook and print versions. Then, when five books are finished, those books will be published in a collected omnibus.
How much of EDISON PICKLEBERRY do you have written?
Two seasons (or books), with outlines for three more ready to go. The first season of Kindle Vella episodes is already up on the servers, scheduled to be released each Sunday. The last episode of Season 1 will come out on March 31st. Season 2 will begin one week later, on April 7th. On that day, five episodes will come out at once, with the first three episodes available to read for free.
Have you written any other novels?
Yep! Starting in April, I’ll be putting out another Kindle Vella series that will run concurrently with EDISON PICKLEBERRY. It’s a fantasy YA series called THE SONG OF XANTHIA. And, if all goes well I’ll be putting out a stand-alone novel (not serialized) at the end of the year. And I’m looking into getting audiobook versions of these books produced. More on that when I have more to share.
In a future newsletter, I’ll talk more about how I came to write so much material that I now have a backlog ready to publish. I’ll also tell you more about why I’m publishing EDISON PICKLEBERRY in a serialized format.
In the meantime, I hope you read EDISON PICKLEBERRY and give it a “thumbs up” or “crown” to help me move up the Kindle Vella charts!
Thanks so much.
Your pal,
Otis
Episode 2: I Fell Out Of A Car In Florida
Let's rewind to early 2020.
My eyesight was giving me trouble and had been for about 6 months or so. A kind of fog had started forming in my left eye, making everything look a bit blurry and murky. And it was getting worse. Not good for a visual artist. I was still working (I had to, I was in the middle of a work-for-hire gig), but I was forced to start using reading glasses to help me see my iPad screen well enough to draw.
I consulted with my eye doctors at the VA and took all manner of eye tests, but they couldn't find a reason for that strange fog based solely on my eye's physiology. They said I needed to get an MRI so they could peek inside my brain.
"Are you claustrophobic?" they asked.
"Not at all!" I replied, like an idiot.
Turns out, I'm extremely claustrophobic. The first time I attempted to ride the MRI, I had a panic attack once I got inside the machine, and I just couldn't handle it. The med techs told me they’d seen it happen a million times, but I felt like a fool. Being inside the MRI tube felt like being trapped inside a coffin. So I went home and they scheduled me for a second attempt sometime down the road. Unfortunately, the second time was even worse—I completely freaked out before I even got into the metal stress tube of death. I’d experienced panic attacks before, but never like this.
My MRI drama took a backseat soon after that because Kate and I had travel plans. We went to Florida in February 2020 for her cousin's wedding, hitting up Walt Disney World, Galaxy's Edge, EPCOT, and the Kennedy Space Center beforehand. It was a blast seeing the full-sized Millennium Falcon and designing my own lightsaber at Savi’s Workshop! And getting to stand next to the rocket that made Alan Shepard the first American in space was a check off the ol’ bucket list.
But as the week progressed, I started to feel run down and haggard. Why? Because I had gotten sick at some point before or during our trip (someone actually sneezed on me while we were at EPCOT, but I doubt that was how I caught whatever bug I was dealing with).
On our last day at Epcot before driving down to South Florida for the wedding, I stayed in bed at the hotel while Kate enjoyed another day at EPCOT. The next day, we headed off for the wedding. Kate drove our rental car while I sat in the shotgun seat trying to sleep off whatever it was that my body was fighting.
At one point during the drive, I felt nauseated and asked her to pull over quickly. As soon as she did, I opened the door and leaned my head out because I felt like I was going to vomit. Next thing I know, I’m waking up on the side of the road looking up at Kate, who appeared to be in full panic mode. Why? Because I had passed out and fallen out of the car. And I landed on my head. Luckily, Kate had pulled the car over far enough for me to fall into the grass and not onto the concrete shoulder of the road. That probably saved me a trip to the hospital.
I had a bit of a headache after my fall, but no concussion. We traveled on. And I missed the wedding because I was still sick.
After returning home to Minnesota from our trip, my eyesight deteriorated even more—both eyes were now foggy. And my eyesight in my right eye was getting worse a lot faster than it had in my left eye.
I had no choice; it was time to face my fear and get that MRI. And thank goodness I did! As you know, it turned out that I had a benign tumor attached to my optic nerve—and it was hemorrhaging. Did falling out of the car and landing on my head cause this? Maybe. But if so, that fall might've saved my life by forcing me to confront my fear and finally hop into that MRI tube for one stressful ride.
You never know what will happen to change your life for the better or the worse. Life turns on a dime.
Stay tuned for next week's episode: “Lockdowns, Riots, And Brain Games”
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