I began writing the Monkey Queen books after I realized that you could self-publish e-books through Amazon. As I wrote, I started looking for information and advice – not on the actual writing, but the formatting, the cover design, the publishing process, all that. And I got lucky – thanks to a blog post by the amazing Kate Danley, I found a forum that had all that and more, KBoards.
I lurked for months before finally taking the plunge. Quickly, through KBoards, I found people who could handle the formatting for me, and who could design a cover over art I provided, when I realized I had no skill at doing either. I got tips on how and where to market the book, and advice on writing, and encouragement at times when I needed the support. Giveaways, interviews, reviewers, promo sites, KBoards helped me find them all, and some you may have discovered my books because of that.
More importantly…suggestions made by two other members led me to DeviantArt, where I found Willow. And when a blue-haired new member took a liking to me, I became awesome pals with Shei Darksbane. Two of my favorite people in the world…and I might never have met them if it weren’t for KBoards.
The founder of KBoards, Harvey Chute, passed away today after a lengthy battle with cancer. I joined too late to really interact with him, but by every indication, he was a gentleman and a loving husband and father. I’m sorry I didn’t get to know him better.
And I will always, always be grateful for what KBoards has brought me, and to Harvey for starting it.
Thank you, Harvey.