Quick update to the post from this weekend concerning Uncle Hugo’s Bookstore. The GoFundMe is officially open once more and being run by bookstore folks (confirmed on Uncle Hugo’s Facebook page here). So if you’d like to help donate to Uncle Hugo’s in the wake of this tragedy, you can rest assured that your money is going to the right place.
Here’s the link. Let’s restore the oldest independent Sci-Fi bookstore in America!
So this one hit me a little.
I’ve never been to Minneapolis (and this post will not be about the rioting or the situations associated with it, as I’m not trying to invite a firestorm of angry, opinionated people). I’ve never once set foot in Uncle Hugo’s Science Fiction Bookstore. I’ve never even ordered from them.
But I have heard stories about them. This is the place that picked up a self-pub book to sell before indie was a real thing and started sending it to publishers with notes along the lines of ‘here’s how many copies I bought, why are you not publishing this?’ From the stories I’ve heard at cons and from other authors, they’ve flat-out kickstarted a lot of careers.
The store itself is only halfway regarded as a store by many, given that the owner loved collecting rare Sci-Fi books. Many also referred to it as a “museum of Science Fiction literature.”
And well … last night it was burned to the ground. Complete loss. Here’s a picture of what the place normally looked like:
Given the stories I’ve heard about this place, this one hit even me. I’ve never even been there but I’ve heard the stories.
Worse, it seems that the insurance will not cover civil disturbance. At least, not to the degree that would be needed to recover from such a loss.
A GoFundMe page has been started to raise funds for recovery from this. EDIT: The GoFundMe is now open again and verified! Huzzah!
Today was going to be a very different post. But unfortunately, life delivered me a very dangerous blow this week.
Some of you probably know that I’ve been financially stretched thin over the last few months. If you didn’t, well, I have been. Am. My primary diet for a while has been rice and beans, because 25 lbs of rice and beans is really, really cheap. I’ve been living on a razor’s edge, though … and this week it cut me.
My insurance company is the culprit. They screwed up, and rather than take my usual monthly $96 insurance charge out of my bank account, they took $270. They’ve admitted to the mistake … but in typical fashion, they will not return the money to me, but rather apply it to future bills.
That, combined with the utility payments I’d already sent out, ruined my bank account. It zero’d a few hours ago.
As in $0.00. Zilch. Nada. My credit card took the remainder (which in turn hits me with a fee and slashes my credit rating).
I am officially, completely, busted. This on top of my long-time residence being sold, which means I need to find a new place to live—and cough up advance rent and a deposit for October, or I’ll be living out of my car. It goes without saying that all writing will stop when that happens.
Anyway, I’m going to do what I can to try and salvage this disaster, but the dice have already rolled snake eyes. Odd jobs, more jobs, borrowing money from family … but in the end, this hits me hard, and I’ll probably be feeling the effects for years to come unless some sort of miracle falls into my lap.
I’m not going to beg for money or donations. I’m not going to do that. But I am going to ask something of you, my followers. Not donations. Help.
Some of you have been readers of my work from long before this site. Some of you are new. A lot of you like what I do. You like what I write. You like what I’ve created.
And so I’m asking you now, with all that in mind, please don’t let it end there. Please look over my published books and consider giving one of them a shot. If you haven’t bought and tried one yet, please consider it. If you already have, then please help me out and leave an honest review of it on Amazon. If you really enjoyed it, and want to see more, please tell other people about it so they can find it. Share a link on facebook, on twitter, or on a blog.
These books aren’t bad. They’re sitting at 4.4 and 4.9 stars each after two years and a year, respectively. The lowest reviews? 3 3-star reviews. 3-star is average. The covers aren’t great, but the story inside of each of them is.
Please, take a look at them. If you’ve read them and haven’t left a review, please do, and if you could be inclined to be so helpful, recommend them. Facebook, twitter, e-mail. Whatever tools you have.
But please, if you can, do. I need the help. And I really want to be able to keep writing.
Unusual Things 