Seriously, Over 50% There!

Well, I am seriously delighted to say...at over 50% home-free with the Kickstarter Campaign that I created to usher in Book 2 of the trilogy, I believe that I will succeed with raising my target goal!

Cover Art for Book 2 of the Trilogy

With 15 days to go, I am cautiously optimistic that this campaign will be totally successful! This can only happen with YOUR help though, so please take a look to see what all the excitement is about. Kickstarter has provided me with option of generating a live widget for you to visit the site. I think that is a lot more interesting than just a link, don't you? OK, stand by and I will generate it...


There it is...above. When you click on the widget, you will be transported directly to the campaign. How cool is that? Just remember, there are many rewards coming to you when you contribute, as you will see!

Working on Book 2 of Trilogy

When you click on this widget , it will take you directly to the Kickstarter Campaign that I have created to usher in the launch of Book 2 of the trilogy...

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A Better picture of the cover art of "A Work in Progress: The Life my Brother Saved" :

Cover Art of Book 2 of the trilogy.

As you can see by the widget above, I have reached 31% of my funding goal within about the 1st week since launching the campaign. Thank so much to all of the early contributors. My expectation, with the widget, is that it will inform you, in real time, of the advance of the campaign. How cool is that?
 

Kickstarter Campaign to Usher in Book 2

Hello friends and allies...I am excited to announce the creation of the Kickstarter Campaign to usher in the imminent arrival of Book 2 of the trilogy...called "A Work in Progress: The Life my Brother saved".

Here is the cover art:

Cover Art for Book 2 of the trilogy!

Please click through to this link to visit the Kickstarter Campaign. And also, if the spirit moves you...please SHARE the link with your friends. Writing is my PASSION PROJECT...please help support this with your contribution. Thank You!

Also...truth be known, we are JUST getting started with my 1st book "Dancing with Rejection: A Beginner's Guide to Immortality"...with several hundred copies sold worldwide. Here is the cover art for "Dancing...":

Holding "Dancing with Rejection" in front of the official banner.

Please visit www.mrgaudet.com , where you will find all 3 formats (Hard-cover, Paper-back and EBook) available.

This is do or die for me as a Dialysis Warrior of 32 months with no end in sight. Stay well...

And remember...please SHARE this link: 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/993552549/a-work-in-progress-the-life-my-brother-saved

DISQUALIFIED from Sask Book Awards

"The Art of Michael R. Gaudet has generated 54.882 views to date..."

How ironic! The Saskatchewan Book Awards has REJECTED my application for the 2016 "First Book Award". For my part, I innocently decided to pay my hard-earned money for a revision round with my publisher, which sadly resulted in a long, agonizing delay in getting the shiny new version in my hands...thanks to a screw-up from my publisher. This unprofessional mess resulted in my
disqualification. 

So, I must console myself that "Dancing with Rejection: A Beginner's Guide to Immortality" relies on the fact that it is enjoying grassroots support and success with hundreds and hundreds of copies being purchased and read by you. On that note, THANK YOU for all of your continued support. It is EXTREMELY gratifying that you appreciate all of the energy, passion and love that I have poured into this writing project. 

As a Dialysis Warrior...it's going on 32 months with absolutely no end in sight!...it is vitally important to me that I MUST carry on with my writing. God only knows if I will survive long enough to publish book 2 and book 3 of the trilogy. There are NO guarantees whatsoever that I will ever be the recipient of a 2nd "Gift of Life", as you know very well. This is my appeal to go over the heads of the Saskatchewan Book Awards, who in their wisdom have disqualified "Dancing with Rejection" from an award. Please help prove them wrong with your continued support. 

This is a rallying call for all of my friends and supporters to rise above this temporary setback...please visit www.mrgaudet.com where you will find all 3 formats of "Dancing..." available, including of course the EBook version. I would certainly appreciate if you SHARE this with your friends...together we can continue with the groundswell of good will and support for my Passion Project. When you visit my website, you will see some very high power endorsements from several amazing supporters. ((Mind Blown!!)) Can you help out...you will NOT be disappointed. This book is like a "life support system" for me, and my most valiant and authentic effort to earn my "mark" on the world while I still have the energy...albeit flagging as dialysis drags interminably on and on...to carry on.

About the Artist/Author:

Dialysis: A case of "Do Or Die"...for the indefinite future...


Will You Love My Book?

All-Inclusive Spa/Painting Retreat Weekend

Please stay tuned in the coming days for the skinny on an "All-Inclusive Spa/13-Step to a Finished Painting Retreat Weekend". In this day and age of rushing from one activity to the next, it might be very refreshing to set aside an entire weekend to pamper yourself at the world-famous "Manitou Springs Mineral Spa".

I checked in with the manager of the Spa and she very graciously sat with me to create a price list for both single and double occupancy, that includes meals and soaks (in the zero-gravity mineral waters that attract hundreds of thousands of people every year!) that will beautifully compliment my offering of the "13 Steps to a Finished Painting" Workshop.

After 3 very successful workshops this summer and fall, I felt it was time to up the ante with an all-inclusive weekend. I really believe that the combination of benefits with the super-relaxing soak/float along with nice meals and the workshop will make for excellent results ( re: the painting) and the participants will be thrilled with the finished piece that they may subsequently hang in their homes with pride and self-satisfaction.

Participants in a recent "13 Steps to a Finished Painting" Workshop with their completed paintings.

It gives me a lot of satisfaction and pleasure to witness the delight of the participants when they see how rewarding the 13-steps technique really is! I have heard time and time again from my "peeps" how delighted and surprised even, they are when they complete a vivid, gorgeous painting in the allotted time. I carefully guide them through all the technical steps...nothing flim-flammy in my process! Actually, I create an atmosphere of total trust. With hands-on step-by-step demonstrations, I thoughtfully carry the group through all of the specific 13 steps so that each and every one of you comes out the other end of the (total of) 8 hours over two days. All that I ask is that everyone follow along with every step, so that you are guaranteed to arrive at a strikingly beautiful, original work of art! 

Lest you need a bit more convincing, Manitou Springs Mineral Spa has been the recipient of multiple awards over the past few years. This workshop will be a REALLY good time!

Now, before I sign off, go ahead and check my website to get a feel for my qualifications as one of Canada's leading "painter of monumental murals". Over the years, I have perfected and streamlined my painting technique...thus I can offer this expedited, accelerated "13-Step" workshop with 100% confidence.

As stated earlier, I will follow this post up with a "W-5" (Who, What, Where, Why, When) poster. Spoiler Alert: The workshop will take place on the weekend of November 12-13, 2016.

Stay tuned...over and out for now.

Beyond Mural-Painting...the Art of Writing

 Even as a painter (of some repute in Canada) of monumental murals... the writing and publication of my first book was a daunting task...perhaps the most challenging project ever!

After a (wildly successful) kidney transplant that sustained me for over 34 years, I arrived full-circle back on dialysis in mid-May of 2014.

One of the 1st things I did after returning to dialysis was to purchase a laptop. I wanted to put my time to good use and this is what I have done. After a long simmering process of writing and thinking, I decided that there was much more urgency to finish and publish my book. After all, if I didn't do it, it would NEVER get done and that was simply not an option!

Within about one year my ambition was honored by the universe and I was treated to the thrill of holding the first "copy proofs" of (what we'll call) Book 1 in my hands. There are a lot of moving parts to a project of this magnitude so I am sure you can imagine what a huge rush it was to finally materialize such an ethereal pursuit! "Dancing with Rejection: A Beginner's Guide to Immortality" was squeezed out of the ether and into the material world.

Now, the 1st book of the trilogy is out and receiving VERY positive reviews from some highly respected sources. Check my website to see for yourself. Point your search engine here for that.

I wish I had boundless energy to convince you to pick up my book...to join the hundreds of readers who are part and parcel of a growing, vibrant world-wide community. Last week, for instance, readers from California, England, Nova Scotia, Ohio and Ottawa acquired a copy! 

Daniel Bushman of the Watrous Manitou Newspaper photographs the artist, standing with the official banner trumpeting www.mrgaudet.com.

Not to put too fine a point on it...however it must be said that certain acts of creativity can be achieved through the "art of writing" that are pretty impossible in any other medium. Even as an accomplished visual artist (of some repute) I can say with all honesty that the nuances, color, contrast and vividness of "magical realism" in writing has the power to evoke subtle changes in the emotional make-up of the reader. I'd even go so far as to suggest, when done extremely well, the impact can be PROFOUND!

Here, I am going to share a link with you...the 1st 90 pages of "Dancing..." This will carry you right into the thick of the story, so hang on for the ride!

Homage to the Humble Bumble-Bee

With all the buzz in our global media about the near and present dangers facing the ubiquitous bumblebee, I thought it was a fitting tribute to portray one of these magnificent creatures in a work of art. Fittingly, my Facebook feed popped up a painting this morning from 2012 called "Homage to the Humble Bumble-Bee".  Take a look:

"Homage to the Humble Bumble-Bee" painted in 2012.

This painting was posted on my Facebook feed just after I finished it and it created quite a buzz! In fact, the very same day, it was snapped up by a dear old friend in Nova Scotia. I quite like the vivid colors of the flower that are nicely offset by the soft focus, imaginary background. But the star of the image is the humble bumble-bee, one of my favorite of Mother Nature's creations.

About the Artist/Author:

Posing with Daniel Bushman of the Watrous/Manitou Newspaper with my book and banner "Dancing with Rejection"

Will You Love My Book?