Chris Akin's Blog

Since some of you have asked, I am releasing a very limited number of autographed copies of LITTLE VICTORIES. I have only a few copies, along with a copy of the recent edition of Cleveland's SCENE Magazine that featured the interview with me to discuss LITTLE VICTORIES.

If you are interested, go here: http://chrisakinbooks.com/order-littl...

Right side - at the bottom. Go get it if you want it...when they are gone, that's it.

Cleveland / Akron fans

I'll be out TONIGHT (Thursday) doing an appearance / reading / book signing for my book LITTLE VICTORIES from 7-9pm at Visible Voice Books, 1023 Kenilworth, Cleveland, OH 44113 (Tremont).

I'll have a limited supply of LITTLE VICTORIES on hand for sale. If you bought a copy previously and just want it signed, I'm happy to do that as well.

There is no admission fee.

Come out!!

Little Victories: A Tale Of Divorce Debauchery and Finding Happiness

For Immediate Release
February 18, 2014

AUTHOR CHRIS AKIN DONATES PORTION OF 'LITTLE VICTORIES' PROCEEDS TO CRISIS HOTLINE

CLEVELAND - Chris Akin, author of LITTLE VICTORIES: A TALE OF DIVORCE, DEBAUCHERY AND FINDING HAPPINESS, will donate 25 percent of proceeds from the sale of his newly-released memoir to Common Ground, a crisis hotline that provides the majority of its services free of charge.

"LITTLE VICTORIES is not only the tale of my bad year and the struggle I had to go through to get through it," he explained. "In very large part, it also tells the story about how I had such a great circle of core friends, who I call the 'Core 9.' These friends were there for me at every step of the process. When looking for a charity, I chose Common Ground because I simply realize that everyone does not have that luxury of a close circle of people to talk to."

Common Ground provides a lifeline for individuals and families in crisis, victims of crime, persons with mental illness, people trying to cope with critical situations and runaway and homeless youths. Helping people in need for more than 40 years, Common Ground serves more than 50,000 individuals per year. 93 percent of every dollar received goes to direct service.

"I am happy to help in some very small way to give back to an organization that provides the kind of service I so desperately needed when I was in the middle of my breakdown," Akin said. "Common Ground offers a number of services for people going through depression. They offer 24/7 phone support, but also offer online chatting and even text support for people going through emotional struggles and depression."

LITTLE VICTORIES, Akin's first book, is a raw, emotional look at a year that saw not only a shattering divorce, but a rebirth of a person who had spent his whole life raging against everyone. It profiles the victories as well as the defeats, from a near-suicidal depression to a final transformation into a stronger, healthier, and happier person.

For over 20 years, Akin has been a larger and louder than life character in the Cleveland media. He currently hosts the Classic Metal Show, a no-holds-barred internet program that airs every Saturday from 9 p.m.-3 a.m.

LITTLE VICTORIES is available in paperback and digital editions from Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Read Chris Akin's in-depth interview in this week's Cleveland Scene at http://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/a....

www.chrisakinbooks.com
www.commongroundhelps.org
www.mazurpr.com

I hope everyone is off and running today. Going to be cranking it up into overdrive once again today! I have lots of web work to do today, as well as several phone calls to make throughout the day. With that, one of those calls is of the fun variety, as I have to check in with legendary guitarist Michael Schenker of UFO and Michael Schenker Group fame today. Always fun to talk to Michael, as he's never really short of things to say and is always interesting. So the fun rolls on today.

Last night I spent a bit of time talking to a friend who experienced a close friend dying, quite literally, in her arms a couple of days ago. A year ago, I would never have been able to relate to that. Now though, after going through that with my dad, it just really brought back some very vivid memories. There's 2 chapters in LITTLE VICTORIES that deal with my father getting sick and ultimately dying; the two that I absolutely cannot read anymore and that hurt the absolute most to read. Still, it was interesting to give some perspective and be rewarded for it with some heartfelt appreciation for sharing what was, at it's core, one of the hardest things I've ever been a part of. As I wrote in the book, "how do you tell someone it's OK to stop existing?" It's so tough. Your emotions run wild, and in most cases, your selfish need for lack of change is your first instinct that leads to you telling someone, "fight on. You can overcome this." In most cases though, that's just not the case. I had a call with my dad before he died where we discussed him going to hospice, and it killed me to ask him if he was OK with us letting him die. It's just tough. Obviously it's toughest on the person that never comes back, but there's a huge mental stress that comes from surviving it. The best you can do on any given day though is make it through to tomorrow, and know that no matter what the outcome is, your intention was good. That's how I try to justify that time for me.

Alright kiddies...enough happy time writing from me. I really have to get to slaving. Be good, and make sure you end the day in a better place than you are right now!

Peace,

Chris Akin

Little Victories: A Tale Of Divorce Debauchery and Finding Happiness

Hey everyone,

It's Chris, just checking in. I've been really sick for the last few days with the flu. When I say "really sick", I mean it's been several days of laying in bed with nothing but me, my roku, and an endless supply of Law & Order reruns. I know that doesn't sound like a lot of fun, and trust me...it's not. That said though, it's always interesting to watch shows like Law & Order. By habit more than anything else, I am a "dialog" guy and a "crime" guy when it comes to what I like in video. That said, Law & Order is always a winner - especially the SVU series. I'm always amazed at the quality of writing on this show - specifically how they build in character development in every episode while only having a minute or two around the individual story of the current case. It's really solid stuff...at least in my eyes.

Taking that to my own writing, I do try to do the same thing. I have had several readers of LITTLE VICTORIES that have reached out on the website and stated that the book made them feel like they knew my friends. That's a major compliment to me. It's also one of those sticking points I had with the publisher before I decided to put it out myself. They wanted a more direct explanation of all my people, with pages and pages explaining the relationships. I just didn't want to do that. I like writing things a bit more subtly, with a hope that I'll do it well enough for people to understand who those folks are. The early feedback has been good. It's been just that.

For now, I'll keep on writing and continue to hone my craft. I've started a new book, and I'm hopeful it'll be better than the current one that you guys now have to read.

Peace everyone!

Chris
Chris Akin

Little Victories: A Tale Of Divorce Debauchery and Finding Happiness

Hi all,

It's an exciting time here in the world of Chris Akin Books! The book was released on December 23rd, and I can't believe the response so far. It's overwhelming to say the least. Definitely I'm thankful to all that have had any interest at all in LITTLE VICTORIES.

The ironic part is that none of the promotion has even started yet. I'm lining up some promotional opportunities for January now, but ultimately it's an "off" time for me. The Classic Metal Show is off for the holidays, as are many of the programs that will be helping me get the word out. It will be very interesting to see what comes off things when some actual promotion kicks up. Regardless, this thing has been far more successful than I could have ever imagined. I'm just a guy, and regardless of the fact that people know me from radio or writing or whatever, it's just surprising that people would have interest in reading my story of a very bad year. Still, I'll take it! :P

Moving into 2014, I'm just excited at all the opportunities that are being afforded to me. Be it the book, business or radio, there's a lot going on and I'm thankful for all of it. As the book says, I've divorced the old Chris Akin. Well...this new guy has a lot more opportunities.

I hope everyone has a great New Year's holiday. If you are bored and staying home, why not do so snuggled up on the couch reading LITTLE VICTORIES as the ball drops? :P

Peace everyone. Do something today to remind you that you are better than yesterday!

Rock,

Chris

“When you're down on your knees, the whole world is counting / And you know it would please your enemies to count you out. / Reach down inside and find somehow / When you ask, is there someone out there who loves. / Somewhere out there who can. / Don't lose hope…/ If you have the spirit of love to carry the day, / The spirit of your love will show you the way. - The Firm - “Spirit Of Love”

Merry Christmas Everyone,

I hope everyone is off to a great start, and Santa brought everyone what they were hoping for. I woke up this morning (and yes, my gift was SLEEP), and the very first thing in my head was my father not being here for the first time this year. I looked on the book of faces, and I saw that my mom was already up, so I’m betting she’s there too. I started to call, but figured I would give it some space before calling. In that time, I continued to think about my dad, but started to think in the silly way that I tend to. We’ve all heard people say that so and so “is looking down watching and would be happy”. How does that work, exactly? Are they sitting on a chair leaning forward and looking down? Maybe they are laying on a floor that’s clear to where they can just see straight down? Is there a monitor of some sort mounted, where they can put their feet up on a couch or a chair and just watch it like an episode of the REAL HOUSESWIVES OF MY NEIGHBORHOOD? Do they need some sort of telescope or binoculars to see that far? It really is an interesting concept; this phrase is sort of silly but it’s intent is far less ridiculous when you think about it.

While I think this thought comes from people’s desire to not truly let go of a loved one, I think it hits a lot closer to home for me and my beliefs...especially in this first year since my dad passed away. In large part, the hope that someone “is looking down” is probably based on the reality that their spirit lives on. For so many, they need that spirit living on to be in the form of the living, breathing person which they knew. Not sure I’m all the way in with that, personally. As I’m sure my mom is doing, that spirit of my dad lives on with the memories of many Christmases and his ways of interacting. When I was a kid, Jason and I would open presents at 5am or whatever time we could get my dad and mom out of bed. From there, my mom would make a big breakfast that always had eggs that she made in a skillet that had to be 30 years old, as it was small, dented all out of shape and just looked like it had seen better days. Following would be their time to open presents - one on one, and ultimately where Jason and I would be busy with our own thing. At the time, it meant nothing, but looking back now, it was their way to have an intimate celebration of each other that was truly their own...even with the chaos of Jason and I yelling at each other while playing Odyssey2 games, ramming into each other in the small hallways of our house on our new big wheels, or whatever else we were doing. Maybe it’s my naivete, but that is the spirit I grew up with for Christmas. Looking now, as my dad is not here any longer for that kind of a moment, that does not snuff out the moment. The reason? The spirit of it - HIS spirit - lives on today. I’m not buying into the thought that my dad is positioned in some way to have a front row seat from some magical place to see what’s up here. I am believing that his spirit knows that his family is safe, happy, and filled with the same spirit of love that he simply did not take with him when he died.

It is no secret that I’m not a Christmas guy...at all, really. I’ve hated it since I’ve been an adult, and to be perfectly honest, I still do now. My reasoning has shifted though to where it’s more of an irritant than an absolute hatred. It irritates me that so much emphasis is put on this one day vs. EVERY day. Given that I’ve never been happy until this year, I guess that’s a shift. Still, I try to have that “Christmas spirit” every day these days, and not just on this one day. I try really hard to let the people I love know it now - often and honestly. I probably do it too much, to where lately I’ve been accused of being “mushy” (right, Stephanie? - :P). Still, I get the best feeling from the smallest things these days - a text from Emily, a late night phone call from Alex, an idea for a project from Jason, a random call from my mom because I’ve gone 3 days without communicating with her, an email from Jon where the profanity has a * in it so that it will somehow be acceptable from his work email, a random hug from Kyleigh, a real conversation with Mike or Zakk. It goes on and on. I live my life now feeling that spirit of love, so I don’t need to narrow it down to a single day to over-celebrate it I guess.

My dad is here today, and more importantly, he’s here every day. I feel it in the way my family has grown stronger since last year at this time when he got really sick. I feel it daily when I get any of the reminders I listed above, as well as a million other examples. I see that spirit. I feel it. I relish it.

Merry Christmas, everybody. I hope upon hope y’all feel the inner strength and warmth I’m feeling today, yesterday, tomorrow and beyond.

Peace,

Chris

Little Victories: A Tale Of Divorce Debauchery and Finding Happiness

Hi All,

Just a quick note to let everyone know that I'll be beginning some radio promotion starting in January to promote the release of LITTLE VICTORIES: A TALE OF DIVORCEE, DEBAUCHERY AND FINDING HAPPINESS.

My first scheduled appearance is on the METAL ON METAL Radio Program on WJCU in Cleveland Heights, Ohio on Friday, January 10th at 8:30pm EST. Anyone can listen online at www.wjcu.org.

I'll post more as they come up. It's definitely an exciting time!!

Chris

Little Victories: A Tale Of Divorce Debauchery and Finding Happiness

Hi Everyone,

Chris Akin here, just checking in. I'm entering the home stretch to the release of LITTLE VICTORIES. On Saturday, we did our last live episode of THE CLASSIC METAL SHOW for the year, so that frees up the time I need through the holidays to finalize everything that has to go on for the book release. It's definitely an exciting time, but there's so much to do.

I have given the book to a few friends to read, and the response has been better than I envisioned. Those that I gave it to are the kind of people that I would expect would tell me straight up if it sucked or lacked something, and it's been encouraging that the overwhelming response has been "couldn't put it down". Having not published a book before, I'm apprehensive because I simply don't know how it goes. Also, I'm not a big reader, so knowing the "flow" of how things should read is not one of my strongest points either. I wrote from the heart though, and so many people tell me that I tell stories pretty well, so I'm hopeful that's enough to make LITTLE VICTORIES enjoyable...at least as enjoyable as a story about divorce and the death of a father can be.

For today, it's off to finalizing the Kindle version of the book. From there, we roll onward to the physical release. It's really been great seeing the response to LITTLE VICTORIES so far. I hope many of you get the chance to get it, and will give me honest feedback once you've read it.

Rock on, everyone!

Chris

GET YOUR PRE-ORDER IN NOW

Chris Akin

Hey all,

Just checking in. There's snow all over the ground here in Ohio, and the weather report on my iPhone is nothing but snowflakes through the next week. So, it's not going to be the most pleasant of weather around here.

That said though, things are starting to heat up in the world of LITTLE VICTORIES. Spent a good amount of time talking with the publicist yesterday, and we're getting everything started on what promises to be, hopefully, a successful promotional run for the book. There's just so much to do. Bios and press releases have to be written, some promotional stuff has to be created...just a lot of things going on. Like everything else I do, I'm going to try to make things a lot more fun than the standard sterile way in which things are promoted. If you have looked at the website, you will see I have a group of people close to me called the "Core 9". I've reached out to them to help me do some fun stuff to promote LITTLE VICTORIES, so that should be interesting to see how that comes out.

To be honest, it's a bit crazy and somewhat overwhelming right now. I always knew that the day would come to promote this book while I was writing it. I also always knew that I wouldn't just do the minimum, but would go over the top to promote it, as I do with pretty much anything I do. All that said though, it's like learning a new world here discovering all that goes on in the reading world. Much like the music industry, there's a way to do business. I'm learning that as we go, and bringing some of my over the top, non-serious all the time attitude to it. I'm pumped to see it happening. It's just a lot of fun.

So for today, everyone have a great day and do your best to be better than you were yesterday. If you do only that, you will lay your head on the pillow tonight knowing you are in a better place than when you started!

Little Victories, folks!!

Chris
Visit Me Online @ ChrisAkinBooks.com
Little Victories: A Tale Of Divorce Debauchery and Finding Happiness