Īlthough I support the importance of proper grammar and punctuation and feel that these aspects, along with originality in content, expression, and style, are essential in quality writing, I do not believe that standardization of font, margins, and other traditional publishing practices should be given such a high priority. Instead of focusing on creativity and literary talent, the speakers at the book event emphasized orthodoxy in page design (justified text, avoidance of stylistic content-driven page and paragraph breaks, etc.). Having attended an Indie Book Fair recently as an author, I learned some valuable information regarding marketing and distribution however, the overall message of the advice left me feeling disheartened regarding the arbitrary standardization of the publishing industry and upset about the commoditization of the arts in general. Soon after, at my request, she sent me the following post about the event: Since I couldn’t afford the trip this time around, I sent Alison a copy of Hope Dawns Eternal in hopes that she can hand it to him directly, along with a letter and a couple of poems I hope he’ll enjoy.īack on October 8, 2016, Alison and I both participated at an Indie Authors Day held at libraries nationwide. This morning she’ll be meeting Michael and his GH buddy Roger Howarth at another event in New Jersey. Alison and I met in person at a GH fan event in New Jersey in 2014.

Roger Howarth, Alison Armstrong and Michael Easton last summer.Īlison Armstrong is a gifted author I met through online fan groups for Michael Easton, the General Hospital actor who inspired my vampire soap opera thriller Hope Dawns Eternal.

Roger howarth general hospital contract