I met with Danica Lorer well before our interview to give her lots of time to read my books.
I would like to express my gratitude to Danica and the network for carrying through with this. Every little step forward in pushing ahead with promotion of my books is appreciated, and I will certainly make the most of it.
On set at Shaw Cable TV's "Lit Happens" with host Danica Lorer.
Was I nervous doing this? Well, not really. You might say I have done enough of this kind of thing in the past, that I am used to this particular type of stress. I think of it this way: you must recognize the butterflies swirling around in your stomach prior to something like this and COMMAND them to simply fly in formation!
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 linkto 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...
"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...
Sasktel Max TV mandates a steady stream of locally-produced short films that feature various characters from all walks of life including, of course, artists and authors. Last month the film crew from Bamboo Shoots created a ten-minute short film that features yours truly.
It was a really interesting experience to work with the professional producer and videographer from Saskatoon-based firm Bamboo Shoots. They were very open to my suggestions about locations and even themes throughout the process. Once I had a chance to think about, I suggested three ideas: 1) we shoot some footage at my studio, while flipping through a broad selection of some of my favorite easel paintings, 2) we conduct an interview and book reading from my dialysis unit in Saskatoon, and 3) we spend some quality time at Sacred Heart Chaldean Catholic Church (again in Saskatoon...how convenient!) to feature my most ambitious mural EVER.
I am very grateful to the folks at Bamboo Shoots who were so diligent in their unflagging pursuit of the truth, no matter how challenging and difficult it must have been to unwrap. It could not have been easy for them to witness the trial of dialysis. I've heard it described by the uninitiated as "gory", but let me assure you as a person whose life depends on this thrice-weekly blood-cleaning therapy, that it is my reality.
Gory or not, is for you to decide, dear reader. Let me remind you that millions of people worldwide are sustained by some form of dialysis on a daily basis as they await the "Gift of Life", aka a living or deceased kidney donor. That is, the vast majority of dialysis patients are anxiously awaiting their chance of a better, healthier life with a kidney transplant. In some cases though, this modern technological marvel fails to manifest in a timely fashion for whatever reason and the potential recipient, being sustained (sometimes precariously) on dialysis succumbs to the ravages of kidney failure.
There are certainly no solid guarantees for any of us on the quest for the "Gift of Life". All we can all hope and pray for is a kidney transplant, executed expeditiously, or else we must languish on the dialysis unit. While this is often a viable option and a way to hopefully buy time, it must be said that a dialysis-dependent life is no fucking picnic.
It was with all of this in mind that I set out to create this Sasktel MaxTV short film. You might say I have a certain sense of dire urgency with this project and life in general. When I read the grim statistics about how many dialysis warriors perish (for whatever reason) while awaiting the intervention of a kidney transplant.
You may recall that I received a kidney transplant on October 17th, 1979, thanks to the courageous and loving sacrifice of my brother Steven, who donated one of his kidneys to save my life as a 20-year old. His gift allowed me to thrive and prosper for over 34 years. In mid-May of 2014 I was obliged to return once again to the life of a dialysis patient.
So now, everything comes around full-circle, as I stare down the reality of kidney failure. I have to shore up my courage and determination to carry on with a smile and a twinkle in my eye as I once again embark on that quest for the "Gift of Life". A huge part of this "cup half-full" attitude derives from the fact that Book 1 of the "Dancing..." trilogy is about to be launched in the next short while. This writing project has sustained me over the past several years, I think because I am gambling that it will ultimately ensure some small measure of "immortality". After my early brush with death, the idea of immortality coupled in a slow dance with obscurity has haunted my thoughts.
