Amanda Hocking

I am in love with Dexter Morgan. He’s basically Batman, but better because Dexter kills people, which seems like the smart thing since Arkham Asylum has a revolving door.

Isn’t that what everyone is looking for? A sociopath with a heart of a gold? Or maybe it’s just me?

Anyway – I’m watching The Big Chill and it’s distracting me from whatever important meaningful thing I was going to say about Dexter, so just pretend I did say something while I feel nostaligic for an era that was an embryo through.

And as for the box set thing – I’d still enjoy it if you contributed your thoughts. So contribute them.

I love Kevin Kline. And Jeff Goldbloom. And Dexter Morgan.

Oh! You know what would be awesome? A movie like The Big Chill, but set now. Is that what Grownups was supposed to be? Because that doesn’t seem nearly as awesome as The Big Chill. Or Gross Pointe Blank. Or…

I don’t know. I’m rambling. The point is – I like TV.

I’ve had a couple people ask about boxsets for the My Blood Approves series, and with the holidays approaching, I was wondering if there would really be an interest in such a thing. I’d have to get them set up myself, so they’d be limited in number.

This is all very preliminary, mind you, but I’m feeling out to see if it would be worth the time and effort. I’m not sure exactly how much such a thing would cost. I think it would probably have to be $25 -30 for four paperbacks, plus shipping and handling. And I would probably add a few things, like bookmarks.

I’m not sure what I would do for a box yet, but I’m sure I would think of something fun. Like maybe a collage. So each box would be one of a kind. That’d be fun, right? Maybe. But then I’d definitely have to limit the numbers. So I don’t know.

Also, I don’t know if any of you would care. So I’m not sure if I will do anything. It all depends on your level of interest. If I think people will be into it, I’ll do it. And then I also need to guage about how many people I think will be into it.

So let me know what you think.

Yesterday, I just checked some numbers. I just released a book, and for the first few days after it comes out, I track to see how well it was doing. While I was at it, I added up all the copies I had sold. Just through Kindle, without including my paperback or B&N or any other sales, I’ve sold over 30,000 books. In 214 days.

I literally have no idea what to make of this number.

Most of the time when things happen, I’ve stopped reacting. I don’t think I can really fathom what’s happening anymore. I keep expecting to wake up and have this all be fake.

When you envision something your whole life, and then it actually starts to happen, it’s somewhat confusing. When dreams become a reality, it’s hard decipher what’s real.

I think what it makes the most confusing is that I still don’t feel like an author. I’ve started referring to myself as one, but every time I say it, it feels like when I refer to myself as graceful right after I’ve tripped or smart after I’ve misspelled a word. It all feels sarcastic.

I feel so much like the Wizard of Oz. That I’ve somehow got people fooled, but you’re all going to pull back the curtain and see a cowardly old man sitting there. “Why, she’s no author at all! She’s an old fool, and she’s only been pretending!”

I guess I’d always just assumed that when I became an author, like a real author, it would be an Event. Like getting engaged or married. It would be a big deal where I could announce to the world that I’d arrived. And then I would feel different. I would be different. There would be some kind of transformation that changed from Regular me to Author me – this special person with special abilities and an impenetrable shell.

But that’s what so bizarre about this. There was no Event. Author me is Regular me. I write as often as I ever did. I sleep as often as I ever did. And I put off doing the dishes as often as I ever did.

So there it is. I’m really just a man behind a curtain.

I’m taking a break from plugging my wares to talk about something actually matters. I just read this article (click: here) about two cougars that were rescued as part of the Big Cat Rescue. It’s asking for donations, which I encourage you to do, but that’s not the moral.

Exotic animals are not pets. Lions, tigers, bears, monkeys, crocodiles… these are not pets. These are wild animals that do not live well in cages with people.

The article I posted explains how that a lion that lived with the cougars ended up biting his owner in the leg, causing him to bleed out and die, and then the lion himself was killed.

That’s how these stories always end. It ends very badly for these animals. Look at Travis the monkey, who was raised as a child and went on to rip off that poor woman’s face in Connecticut before the police killed him.

I’ve always wanted a big cat. I thought it would be fabulous to own a tiger, until I really started researching it and realized what it means for these animals. They are not domestic. They don’t belong in cages. They don’t know how to live with people.

When researching about lions for Hollowland, I read tons and tons of articles about lion ownership gone wrong. Big cats being mistreated, abused, and neglected. Owners, their families, and their neighbors being seriously injured or killed by animals that shouldn’t be there in the first place.

This says nothing for the animal trafficking industry and the abuses that animals suffer through at the hands of smugglers.

This isn’t a condemnation of zoos or animal rescue organizations who have trained professionals that care for animals that have been rendered unable to survive in the world or work on breeding efforts for endangered species.

But please, please, please do not get an exotic animal. It will not end well for you or the animal.