I’m feeling a little nostalgic this morning.  Six and a half years ago, Third Axe Media was born in response to my frustrations with the publishing industry.  In my heart, I knew Brotherhood was a good book, but no one would even look at it seriously.  My friend and former colleague, Cameron Judd, agreed with me and supported my choice to self-publish.  For those who don’t know, Cameron writes Westerns and Historical Fiction and has over two million books in print.  His support and encouragement gave me the confidence to walk out on the limb and pursue this dream.  My aunt financed the original print run, and I’ll always be grateful to her for believing in me and the book enough to back me.

My first organized event was at Mountain Empire Comics on Free Comics Day.  John Stone has always supported me as much as anyone, and I owe him a huge debt for inviting an unknown, unproven fledgling author into his shop.  That day, I met a lifelong friend, Tilman Goins, who has been as good of friend as a man could hope for.  My first major convention was at AdventureCon in Knoxville.  Marcus Wollack was gracious enough to offer me a free table and even gave me probably the best location in the show.  There, I met John Rhys-Davies, who provided me with promotional photos that probably sold as many books for me as anything else.  I also had my first experience of having a stranger tell me how much she enjoyed Brotherhood.  I’ll hold that memory forever.

Over the last six years, I’ve met some of the most amazing people and have been given more support than a person deserves.  Kat Hibpshman, Carlin Stuart, Fred Grimm, Todd from Connooga (I can’t remember his last name), and Christopher Gabaldon have welcomed me into Fandom and have made me feel like part of the family.  Stephen Zimmer, David Blalock, Jackie Gamber, Elizabeth Donald, Kimberly Richardson, Andy Deane, Ed Crandell, Jim Gavin, Joel Gates, Joy Ward, Laura Underwood, Lee Martindale, Michael D’Ambrosio, Sean Taylor, Selina Rosen, and Bill Snodgrass are just a few of the authors who’ve treated me as one of their own.  If I’ve left anyone out, please forgive me.

My readers have been the best.  I owe you all more than you can know.  Without your feedback and love, I would’ve given up years ago.  I don’t want to single out any one of you for fear of leaving out too many, but if you’ve offered me a kind word or complimented the books, please accept my heartfelt thanks and eternal gratitude.  Running Third Axe Media has been one of the most rewarding and fulfilling experiences of my life, and as I close this chapter of my life this weekend and move forward with Seventh Star Press, I will always remember those of you who took a chance on an unknown author from rural Tennessee and made me feel like a real writer.

Third Axe Media – Bringing the “story” back into storytelling.  Thank you for your support.