It is accomplished.
Today I celebrate the completion and release of A Dead Guy Walks Into a Bar, which is the definitive version of the story of my life during the years 1994-2000.
Many of you know that pieces of this story are scattered throughout this website. Those pieces were written off the cuff, and as such, those versions may differ significantly from what is in the book. The full story contained in the book is the result of years of work in which I reviewed the journals I kept at the time, comparisons made with previous versions when I tried to write it in past years, a review of the pieces I posted here, in depth conversations with many of the people who were in my life during that period, and a good deal of therapy in which I worked to fill in memory holes.
Everything2 played an important role in the telling of the story. When I joined this site in May of 2001, I had no intention of telling my story here. Mostly it was because I sought an outlet for writing, and because I had significant downtime at my job, during which no one really cared what we did as long as we didn't watch porn. I wanted to try to use that time somewhat constructively.
It was the unfortunate passing of Hermetic here in September of 2001 that was the impetus for me to begin telling my story publicly. Up to that point, the story of my suicide, and the sometimes incredibly journey I took after returning, had only been shared with trusted friends and with people I felt comfortable telling it to. The reaction of the members of this site to the suicide of one of our own had a great impact on me. People who had never met him wrote moving tributes and a supportive and loving community blossomed from the shared pain and grief that resonated across this site. I agonized over whether I was willing to make my story public, but in the end decided it was the right thing to do. As a result, I had dozens of people reach out to me privately. They told me of their own struggles and how what I was writing moved them. I began to see that the true value of the story of my journey was its impact on others.
Give everything you can to everyone you know.
I intend to write the full story going forward as a trilogy. In the second book, everything2 plays a significant role. Sharing the story if A Dead Guy Walks Into a Bar openly and publicly is a key element in the plot of the second book, which will be titled, The Excommunication War. Throughout the time period of the second book, trying to understand the meaning of the story was something I was struggling to do. Sharing pieces of it here was part of working that out.
Starting tomorrow, Saturday, October 3, I will be running a free promotion for three days. If you are interested in the final, definitive version of the full story, please take advantage.
Look up "A Dead Guy Walks Into a Bar" on Amazon and you will find it available for Kindle. I am posting this here in part because I want to make sure the everything2 family is able to take advantage of the free promotion. I am intentionally not seeking to profit off the sale of this book. After costs associated with the website I am still working on (thedeadguy.org) and any associated with the book (promoting it and so forth), all monies will be donated to RAINN. The reasons for that will become apparent as you read the book.
Kindle version will list for $2.99 normally.