Transformative Language Arts of Tiffany Vakilian: Balboa Park with Jeff Mudgett

Jeff Mudgett is a down to earth guy, despite having written a genuinely creepy book about his family -- the person of note his great great grandfather.

Imagine waking up one otherwise normal day to be told you are the direct descendant of the Doctor of Death and the Prince of Darkness. That Herman Webster Mudgett, aka H.H. Holmes, America’s first serial killer and most prolific mass murderer, the very embodiment of evil, the devil personified, is your Great-Great Grandfather.

-From Jeff Mudgett's website .http://bloodstainsthebook.com

"It's all about choices", he said. "I'm here talking to you today because of the choices [H. H. Holmes] made." Jeff's nature was so easygoing, I had no problem getting comfortable. He withheld nothing, but his candor was not heavy. "I came from the worst... the outer limits of what the human species is capable of..." Jeff suffered physically, mentally and emotionally as he wrote. Despite all this, he put ink to paper to remember, research, write and rewrite. He chose to share it with the world. Upon completion of this book, he said all his physical suffering ended. As he spoke that morning, he smiled a lot, and gently gestured with his hands in a slow dance of peace and calm, despite the subject matter.

And he wasn't scared, nor was he scary. He just sat there tellin' the truth about himself, his writing, his biggest mistakes, good advice, etc. with his calm air and smiling eyes. According to Jeff, where marketing is concerned:

Facebook is your friend (His book turned movie deal, came about via Facebook)
If people love (or hate) your story, that is a good thing
No matter what, have your book professionally edited (and formatted for that matter).
You're first chapter has to be HUGE

And while he disagreed with the idea of selling e-books for 99 cents to get higher in the lists, one of my favorite bits of advice from Jeff was, "Have confidence in your writing... in your story".

That and, "You can't sign an e-book".