Grandeur Things

Launching My KickStarter      I have successfully funded my first KickStarter project! Maybe you want to too? Or you're just interested in how the process works? If either of these questions are burning a hole in your mind then look no further because here are the answers and simple truths about KickStarter. I began my KickStarter campaign June 19th 2017 with one simple goal in mind: To raise money so that I could publish my first book.  Now I'm no expert in marketing, I had a non-existent budget in mind, and I had never even backed a KickStarter before. So why was I successful?  Because I was very hard working, had a reasonable goal in mind, and most importantly I had a good supportive group of friends/family. I don't want to discourage you from following your dreams, but if you don't already have a fairly substantial group of individuals who WILL put their money where their mouth is, then you may not succeed.  I started the planning process of my

American Girl (Song) By C. J. Strong Growing up on a farm... Growin' up on a farm, she was raised Under God she always praised Has a heart of gold that matches her hair, pretty looks that just ain't fair Yeah she comes from the land of the proud Always one to stick out from a crowd She's... An American Girl! She's oh so fine, and she blows my mind American Girl Yeah American Girl She's the one Always calin' me 'hun' She's the one Always ready to have fun American Girl She's oh so fine, and always up for a good time American Girl She sure does love America She's an American Girl She's always got me in a bind, never getting there on time but she's an American Girl (3x) Yeah, She's tride-and-true always sportin' the Red White n' Blue American Girl She stands up for what's right, and makes you fall for her at first sight She's the love of my life and my future

The Journey Thus Far (Month 1)           This blog is many things to me; a way to communicate with an audience, a way to share my writings, and a way to help build a fan base, but most importantly I want to use it to document my journey. Because I am unable to post to my blog every day, I want to emphasize quality over quantity. I had no idea when I first started that author's had to do so many other things besides just writing. Here is an up-to-date list of what has gone on so far:           I started writing a fictional novel one month ago (approx. 5/15/17). I planned it out for a few days and did some research, jotted down some ideas, and then started writing a story. Since then, I have learned so much about how dialogue works, narration, Point of View, and several other things. I am now nearing completion of my first draft just a month after starting. Tales of Grandeur: Heroes Rise and Fall  will be about 200 pages and 50,000 words.           I created a FaceBook a

The Uncrowned King By C. J. Strong             Sometimes toughness is synonymous with stupidity, and this was just the case with Gerald G. Griswold or Jerry as some would call him. Jerry was a basic man with basic qualities. In fact, the only thing that wasn’t basic about Jerry was his temperament. He once killed a man solely because he was wearing a nicer hat than he was.             Gerald was born to a small family with little to no money to their name. Which is what made Gerald’s story so impressive. He came from nothing, yet by the time he was sixteen he had already a hundred soldiers under him. This was because he joined the Royal Army at the ripe age of fourteen, which wasn’t unheard of back then. Once he joined, his bloodlust for battle quickly got him a bad reputation. He slayed his way to the top, being as cut throat as possible. Once he had enough soldiers under his command, he split from the Royal Army to create a new organization. Of course, this meant he and his

Travesty at its Finest By C. J. Strong His name was Travis, and he was an alcoholic He loved to bowl, and drinking gave him an edge His passion for the sport was unparalleled, and he was very good He could have gone to the Olympics, but drinking was his best sport His frame of drinking and bowling slowly came to an end He had wasted most of his life as a could-have-been He watched on as friends and teammates became famous He decided that enough was enough, and he quit cold turkey His life finally started to turn around, and he started to compete again His bowling prowess and untapped potential was unlike anyone else His technique helped him win several perfect games He decided to make one last go of it, and so he did His shot back to the top, and he was off to the Olympics He was finally fulfilling his dreams, that is until an old friend came back into his life His alcoholism was back, and back to the gutter he went He only took one shot of

The Ultimate Thrill By C. J. Strong           Carvin North was a teen with little to no self-worth. He had lost half of his right leg the year before due to frostbite, and had to have it replaced with a prosthetic. Still, he didn’t see himself as a victim though, after all it was his stupid choice to stay out for too long.           It was in the middle of winter, and he decided to do it. As a member of the North family, he felt obligated to do so. After all, it was a trek that every male in his family had taken for generations; a passage into manhood if you will. The goal was to leave without any supplies at all, and climb to the top of the Grilda Summit. Now, for any normal healthy adult, this wouldn’t be so bad. For Carvin, it was quite the task.           He left his house with only a jacket and cane. He failed to mention to his parents that today was going to be the day, though they had a good idea that he would eventually go. Once that front door closed behind him, he