Odyssey

Confession time: I wasn't sure I would tell this story in 2012. For most of my life, I've been the type of person who rarely would speak, especially when expressing things I was thinking. I was an artist and struggled like most with feeling completion in my work. There would always be something that would constantly haunt me about a piece despite the reception given. So when it came time to express to others that there was a story I needed to tell and that this would be the most anyone had ever heard me speak in a single instance, I was terrified.

When I completed the manuscript, I reached out to people I had access to who were knowledgeable and experienced in the writing space. I asked them the best process for getting others to read the story, and I was told various opinions, including query letters and finding someone with access to publishers and agents to speak on my behalf. Since I didn't have published writing samples or a big enough social media, following those avenues would be almost impossible. Eventually, I was led to a writer's meeting at the local library. There were published authors speaking of their writing processes, techniques, and what they did to get published. They talked about the pros and cons of self-publishing vs. traditional methods. At the end of the event, I spoke with a gentleman who had been in the industry for several decades, and he offered his service to edit my work and helped me settle on the path of self-publishing my story.

Because it was my first long-form writing attempt, and honestly didn't have much expectation of how I would hope the story was received, self-publishing was the best choice for me. I paid for the editing service, and once that was complete researched self-publishing agencies. I landed on a company called AuthorHouse which penguin has since acquired. This company offered many benefits and a professional atmosphere, and communication style. If you decide to go the route of self-publishing, please make sure you find a company that benefits you the most. There are plenty of options and many more scam companies, so you must research. As I am relaying my experience, the best thing you can do is find what fits you best. My experience doesn't have to be yours and if you have an opportunity to further your work, please at least consider it.

Now that I had an edited manuscript, I thought I was ready to publish. While proofreading the edit, I noticed a lot that was changed. This gentleman who edited took liberties with my work without understanding the terminology used in the story. Because I had a feeble understanding of grammar because of the curriculum taught where I grew up and had never attempted to write in this way, I fixed what I could and went ahead with publishing. Despite my fears, I worked up enough courage to let people read the story.
Once I had my finished copy and the story was accessible to others, I felt excited and surprised when I started to hear how the story was being received. I was happy because I was brave enough to take a chance at a new medium, and it seemed to pay off. But my excitement was short-lived. I was still facing tremendous adversity, having been told that the life I knew was over and the person I was would no longer be possible. So I put my head down and retreated to my shell instead of marketing the first story and ended up writing the following second and third novels. I had reached a flow state, and telling the story I experienced had come naturally. And once again, instead of working to broadcast my writing to the world, I had an opportunity to be the person I was told dead once again. Since my identity was tied to that life, the stories went on the back burner while I tried to find myself.

Years later, the journey that I was on led me to continue what I had started almost a decade earlier. Two additional novels came out, and new storytelling devices were created that would assist me in telling the story how it was meant to be relayed. This Odyssey has brought us here today. The Legacy Podcast season 1 episodes are based on this republished version of book one that will be coming to you soon. If we are going to journey together, we will do it correctly, which is why I've reworked things from the published edit that I was unhappy with and fleshed-out character arches that allude to books 4 and 5. I wasn't even aware I was going to tell in 2012.

What's the moral of this story, you might be wondering. In the face of adversity, perseverance will help you achieve anything you put your mind to. That bravery doesn't have to be just for a specific type of person. Bravery is for everyone who decides to work up the courage and express anything they might be too afraid to let others in on.

I hope you have fun and enjoy what you are about to experience. If I couldn't tell it right, I wouldn't be comfortable revealing this story.

Yours truly,

J Leonard Costner