This morning, the sunrise was a bright magenta. I love driving to work as the sun takes its place in the sky, drifting upwards in a silent arc, ever moving. The clouds were a dark purple as the pink spread gently over the sky, washing over my face as I peeked it’s reflection in my rear view mirror. Today is the start of so many new things for me, and everybody.

I am in a wonderful place. Kickstarter.com has accepted the proposal for my first full length book, Cigarettiquette, and I have been working long and hard on getting everything together for its launch. I’m so thrilled to be able to jump from project to project as my photography showcase comes to a close I can now focus my attentions on my great love, writing!

For those of you unfamiliar with Kickstarter.com, it is a platform for the funding of creative projects! Projects are listed on the site with a funding goal and each project has a set timeframe in which to collect pledges. If, by the end of the timeframe, the funding goal is met, the project is funded! If, by the end of the timeframe, the funding goal is not met, the pledges are never really taken from the backers. I have been crunching lots of numbers to make sure my goal is realistic and necessary. Self publishing a book, marketing it, distributing it, etc, can be a lot of money, and of course, all I am really looking for is a “kickstart”. New year, new project. As always, creating.

I’ve been working on this book for the better part of seven years and I would love nothing more than to see it in print, exactly how I envisioned it. I have been comparing publishers and packages, working endlessly on editing and proofreading, as well as taking pictures for the book (since I want to provide all of my own art.) My focus from a photography standpoint is going to switch over to shots of cigarettes. People smoking them, extinquished ones, butts in odd places, cigarettes on top of things, cigarettes in boxes, cigarettes in ashtrays, etc. It’s always a subject I have loved to death, to shoot, to smoke, and to write about.

I’m planning on launching early January 2012, so that it can complete around my birthday. It would be the most fantastic birthday present in the world to be able to begin making my dream a reality. Creators can’t back their own projects on Kickstarter, so I’ll be depending on the kindness and generosity of friends and strangers to help me realize this vision. Now more than ever, I believe in the power of people, and I have faith that it will happen.

Those who have read my manuscript (or had it read to them) have loved it. Even those nonsmokers who have been privy have stated it makes them want to smoke a cigarette! I hope to provide a voice for a very segregated part of the population, and at the very least introduce a great read to the world, for whoever wants to receive it. It’s my baby, my first real attempt at a full length work, and my passion. Let’s see what happens!