Tag: Boldly Going Nowhere

A note on “Vividarium”

Hello!

It’s less than a week before Boldly Going Nowhere is deployed. I’m excited, terrified, happy, scared, exhausted and elated.

As a completely self-published writer, I’d like to take this opportunity to explain why you’ll see “published by Vividarium Books” when you turn/swipe the first page. This is my sole trader, self-employed, Doing Business As company name. It’s not being published by some New York publishing house where people keep their toes warm by hurling piles of hundred dollar bills into the fire or anything like that – it’s an entirely self-published endeavour.

I mean, I could have just put “published by Steven McKinnon” – on account of that being my name and all – but I figured, I don’t know where this independent writing adventure will take me and it would make sense to cultivate a publishing identity at the outset.

“If you prepare for success, you may attain it; if you don’t, you never will.”

That right there is a quote. You can tell by the quotation marks. I don’t know who said it. Maybe I just made it up now. I doubt it though, it seems a bit profound for me and it doesn’t even contain a single reference to Batman.

And the meaning behind the name “Vividarium”?

I wanted a name that stoked the imagination, something that felt tangible – something that felt like you could step inside, run around, climb up and explore. Something that felt connected to the imagination, like how a planetarium is connected to planets. Books are the best medium for firing up the imagination and letting us walk through magic corridors and hallways (which is why the logo, by designer extraordinaire Sophie Taylor at Rotten Core Design, looks like a book), and what’s an imagination if not vivid?

Logo1

I’m also delighted, thrilled and frankly perplexed at being featured in an upcoming anthology in memory of my favourite author, in which my piece is called The Vividarium. The name for the publishing company came first, but it fit with the story. (I’ll be making a more formal announcement on this very, very soon…)

So there you have it. An explanation behind The Vividarium, what it means, and what I hope it will come to-

Sigh.

I can’t keep this up. It’s actually a nonsense word that appears in a puzzle in Final Fantasy VIII.

I just liked the sound of it.

New book alert!

Steven has written a new book! Check it out:

Boldly Going Nowhere

The dating game was going well… Until she found out he was a virgin.

Steven McKinnon is in a rut. He’s tired of being a burden to his friends. He feels like life is passing him by. Nothing is going his way.

When a friend convinces him to try speed dating, things start to look up… initially. As soon as Bachelorette Number One discovers that he’s a virgin, she unceremoniously dumps him. What follows is a quest across Europe in search of happiness, companionship, and an answer to the age-old question: Why is sex such a big deal?

But much like other aspects of Steven’s life, things don’t go as planned. Soon, he discovers the dark side of putting himself out there. Brash-talking strippers, treacherous friendships and an unexpected encounter with the police leave him wondering if his old, boring, solo life was really so bad after all.

Told with painful honesty, raw emotion, British humour and wit, Boldly Going Nowhere is the true story of what happens when one man takes a stand against his own insecurities and societal pressures — and somehow manages to find himself in the process.

 

Boldly Going Nowhere is available from Amazon, Google Play, Apple iBooks, Kobo and Barnes & Noble.