Tuesday, July 12, 2022

Fast Forward Five Years - The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia

Social media has reminded me that five years ago today, I officially announced that I was working on a significant personal project involving a world of monsters, books, original art, loads of writing, and much more. Less than three years later, I had a fully completed book, a successfully funded Kickstarter, and work prepped for the next two installments in the series. The past two years have not gone as planned, but the first book and its two companion books were released, and this year I have finally been able to bring the book to conventions and share it with so many people. Not to mention that significant work has already been completed for book two, and there is work completed for book three.

Five years doesn't feel like that much time, and it feels like an eternity. Five years ago, I knew I was going to make a book. I didn't know how I would do it, but I was. I had a lot of art completed and a plan, and I knew if I kept at it, eventually, it would happen. Blind optimism and idealistic self-confidence have their benefits. Now I know I can make books, which is what I plan to do for the foreseeable future. Even though every time I look at a copy of the Grand Bazaar, it is a marvel to me, and I am surprised that it exists. Even though they are all around me, they sometimes don't feel real. 

Booth at Infinity Con 2022, the final test run of the booth before Gen Con!

I am now on the cusp of returning to Gen Con for the first time since 2019. Not my doing, of course, just the side effects of the world we find ourselves in. In three weeks, I will be arriving at Gen Con as I had planned to do in 2020. It severely pained me to not be there in 2020 with the book. I know now that it should be a much better experience in 2022. I have had time to reflect on the book and my work, learn how to talk to people about the book (thanks to having a couple conventions under my belt), and have had two years of extra time to prepare and plan. So yes, the last 2 and half years have really sucked, but I am hopefully in a much better place with the Grand Bazaar than I would have been. I will know in three weeks either way. But no matter what, the work continues, and I will create more art, write more words, and make more books.

That is all for another exciting Tuesday on the blog. See you back here tomorrow. Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact me regarding my availability, head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

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