My Favorite Books: Penpal

I’ve mentioned this book across my social media sites at least a dozen times. This is one of my favorite books and it’s not just because of the storyline.

Penpal started as a short story on a little subreddit called /r/nosleep. It’s a haven for paranormal, scary, or just plain weird stories. The motto of the subreddit is “everything is true, even if it isn’t.” Suggesting readers suspend their belief while they read the submissions, if only to participate in the spooky feel of the forum.

I found the post while scrolling through nosleep on my phone and started reading. I finished the first part,Footsteps, and read the comments. There was a resounding outcry for more, that he couldn’t leave us hanging! The author promised there would be additional stories, always keeping in character and alluding to family troubles because of publishing his story. It progressed as he released the whole tale in 6 chapters. 

I loved the whole story so much I blogged about it on my personal site. A lot. I kept posting about the author, 1000Vultures, so much that he actually emailed me! I’m sure I looked absolutely ridiculous as I jumped up and down that he had emailed me personally to let me know that he would be running a kickstarter to get his works published! I was ecstatic. I told him that I’d be participating in it from start to finish and that I’d talk about it everywhere! 

The kickstarter campaign was phenomenal, raising just under $16,000 and demolishing the original $1,500 goal! We got our first glimpse at the author, finally learning his real name was Dathan Auerbach. I was the first backer and got 1 of 10 limited edition pledges. This included a hand numbered, signed, first edition of the book and tons of other goodies. In this amazing lockbox, which is part of the story, I also received an incredibly thoughtful handwritten letter from Dathan, thanking me for all of my support. 

I will always love this book, it’s a wonderfully written story with some fantastic depth, but I will appreciate the whole experience even more! I’m glad I could support an independent author and I’m so happy for him!

Penpal is available on Amazon and there are talks of a possible movie in the future! Sign up on his websiteto make sure you stay in the loop for all the news!

Originally posted on March 28, 2013 on awesomejamie.tumblr.com