Altered Perceptions

I have often said one of the best parts of my writing career has been the people I've met through my writing. One of the people I've met is Robison Wells. I knew him before he began publishing nationally, before he moved to my neck of the woods, and before he was diagnosed with his first mental illness (Panic Disorder), which led to--or revealed--some others (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Self Harm and some others.) In the years since his diagnosis his life has changed dramatically. Unable to use his education (MBA) because he is unable to function in the workplace, he has turned his efforts to full-time writing. It's gone well for him, he's been able to create schedules and networks that have made it work within the limitations of his circumstances, but writing  doesn't give the same kind of security as a day-job that comes with. We are subcontractors, not employees, so we can't get health insurance or 401Ks or have our taxes paid through our publishers. The pay is sporadic and dependent on making the right connections with publishers and readers. Our contracts are for limited projects or timelines and the success of our books are dependent on a lot of people other than ourselves. Adding mental illness to the balance of things and it becomes tricky to the extreme.

In hopes of helping Rob support his family and pay off rising medical debts related to the struggles he's had, several of his writer friends have come together on an anthology project kind of like the "Bonus Features" you find on DVDs. Here are some examples of the contributions: Ally Condie is writing the forward, Dan Wells wrote the Introduction. Brandon Sanderson is different 5 "altered" chapters from Way of Kings and Jessica Day George is offering a deleted scene from Princess of Glass. There are well over a dozen other contributions, each of them unique and never been seen before.

For my part, I submitted the original opening chapters of Tres Leches Cupcake (Book 8 in my culinary mystery series). I wrote the chapters a few years ago and loved the intensity until i realized that nothing else in the book matched it; it was like writing the climax for the opening, which is never a good idea. But now those chapters, which have been patiently waiting on my hard drive, get life and, in the process, get to help someone else's real life.

This project is called "Altered Perception" and it was launched on Kickstarter today (April 21) There are ebook and hardback versions of the anthology available for pre-order as well as "Perks" donated by the authors for additional fundraising. There is some impressive stuff being made available and it's for a great cause; helping Rob and helping raise awareness for people struggling like he is.

You can read more about the project here as well as buy copies and perks. I hope you'll take a minute to check it out, share it on your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and whatever other networks you belong to. We've all seen people come together and make a small contribution to a huge undertaking. This is the chance to do exactly that. I hope you will.