Gary Richardson Author Blog

When I started this blog a few years ago one of the first blog posts I published was about the publishing journey I had taken up to that point to...

Now, the story you are about to read is a real story from my childhood. This is a story that I have not discussed publicly about for many years. What...

Like many of my friends growing up, we would spend the afternoons after school at home alone waiting for our parents to come home from their jobs. When I was...

My wife and I have several kids, well 4 which is several to some and only a few to others. One of our kids is special needs. He was diagnosed with severe, low-functioning, non-verbal Autism at a young age so this is something that we have been aware of and working with for many years now as he is an adult today.

One of the things about having a child with special needs, especially one who can't talk, is that you are the ultimate advocate and mouthpiece for that child. No matter how old they may be, you are always the one that will understand their needs better than just about anybody else, especially them, and if you don't speak up for them then likely nobody will.

From the get go we were both pretty involved parents, even with our marital relationship was not in a good place. My wife handled a lot of the medical appointments and doctors and I handled any issues with schools, clinics, etc., that didn't live up to the standards and policies they promoted and preached.

I know that I've touched on word counts in a previous blog called How Important Are Word Counts, but today I want to discuss my theories on the changing importance...

The other day I was driving back from picking my son up from the airport when A Bullet With Butterfly Wings by Smashing Pumpkins started playing on the radio. That song has an iconic intro that has been forever linked to a TV show that I use to watch. No sooner than I heard the words "The world is a vampire" did my mind start filling with memories of that show, including the hilarious South Park parody of it.

Let's get this out of the way in the beginning. This is not a blog that has anything do with my books, my writing tips/tricks, or my publishing journey. This...

I have blogged in the past about how groups have contacted me regarding a variety of services they want to sell me in connection with my books once they’ve been published. To date, I have yet to agree to terms with any of these groups as their sales pitches always seem fishy to me and they refuse to provide references despite their sometimes steep asking price. I have even gone so far as to establish a permanent page on my website dedicated to these groups, their salespeople, their offers, and my interactions with them with the hopes that others may discover it before signing any agreement with a group that may not be able to deliver on the promises they sell.

Recently (June 2, 2022, to be exact), I was contacted by another author who had found my information and wanted to share their story regarding their involvement with one of these groups. What follows is a breakdown of the events as reported to me by this author involving a group who had also reached out to me with a similar pitch. The author has requested to remain anonymous, which I can understand and respect, and will only be referred to as J. Doe but this is that author’s story which I have been allowed to share.