Ryan W. Bradley Fails the Internet: The Code for Failure Blog Tour

Hold on to your internet, folks! 

Welcome to the first stop on the Code for Failure Blog Tour.

I cannot tell you how incredibly exciting it is to be hosting a blog tour for Ryan W Bradley and his very-soon-to-be-released novel Code for Failure this week! You're probably thinking to yourself, man... this Ryan guy and his Code for Failure sure sounds awfully familiar to us. And you would be right. Because for the past couple of months, I haven't been able to stop talking about him. And it's all for good reason, too.

If you're not already up to speed on Ryan, here's the quick and dirty: He's an author, poet, publisher, editor, and designer. I'm convinced he has super-human powers to be able to do all of this in what little free time his Monday - Friday job allows him. Either that, or he's discovered how to clone himself. In which case, Ryan, you better share the clone code asap cause I'm in dire need of a few more of me...

Code for Failure is Ryan's debut novel about a college drop out who takes a job pumping gas at a local gas station. On the surface, it's a fun, insanely honest read that will leave you feeling slightly dirty. If you're anything like me, you'll be dying to know just how much of this stuff was pulled from Ryan's own experiences during his gas station days. But then again, you'll realize that it's probably better if you don't know...

I am so happy you decided to pop in and check out the tour! And I am extremely grateful to Allison of Allison Writes, author Ben Tanzer, Benoit of Dead End Follies, Erica of Booked In Chico, author Caleb J. Ross, Barry of MonkeyBicycle, and Laura of Hawthorne Scarlett for offering up their blogs as additional stops. I am also immensely grateful to Ryan for his enthusiasm and willingness to work hard behind the scenes to help us prepare for what you are about to see.

We have a great tour planned for you. So kick back, relax, and let us woo you and wow you with all things Ryan W Bradley as we celebrate his newest release and pray that we don't fail the internet for him! 

To kick-start this party, Ryan will be sharing his thoughts on what being indie means to him and how community plays a part ....

Being “indie” or a part of the small press community is about just that, community. I’ve worked a lot of shitty jobs in my life, and the older I get the more I realize I’ll probably be working fairly unexciting blue collar jobs for the rest of it. The trick then to not being completely miserable is learning what aspects of a work environment are important to retaining your sanity. For me, one of the biggest factors is the people I work with. I’m lucky now, working at a university bookstore, that I like the majority of my coworkers. And that there are even a few who I get along with really well. These people make it feel less like work and any time you can achieve that you’re on to something. This is why community becomes such a buzz word, why people want to have communities in the first place, because when likeminded people band together great things can happen.

In the case of the small press/indie lit world those great things are strings of words. Sometimes printed inside books we can hold. And words and books are things I have loved for a long time. I also happen to love designing books, inside and out. And working with writers whose work inspires me. Or even simply having the chance to talk with writers who inspire me.

Writing can be a lonely and depressing venture. Our hopes are constantly dashed on sharp rocks and then we are forced to crawl across beaches littered with broken glass. While a community can’t sit at the computer and write my work for me, having friends who are writers, editors, publishers, and always readers it makes the rest of it bearable. We might not stop writing without the community, just as we might not quit a job because of coworkers we don’t want to hang out with, but having coworkers we enjoy makes going to work in the morning easier.

As a writer who likes to think he might be some small part of the indie lit community, I’ve always looked to Beck as a model for what I’d like to see become of my “career.” When Beck was courted by major recording labels in the early 90’s he chose Geffen, who offered him the least amount of money. He chose them because their offer allowed for the most creative freedom, including the ability to release less commercial albums through independent labels while under contract. While I hope to one day be publishing books with a big publisher I know the small press world will always be part of my writing life. But more important is the hope to retain the sense of community that is constantly being built.

You can follow Ryan  - Twitter, Artistically Declined Press, Aesthetically Declined Design, his blog.

** Be sure to check in with Allison tomorrow. She hosts Ryan in an interview version of Truth and Dare... This could get interesting!!**