Mini-Update November 5, 2009

[Kevin]

Mini-Update November 5, 2009

It has been a pretty good week.

No new disasters, getting a lot done, shipping out a lot of Christmas Surprise Packages, and taking care of business.

Sales and Surprise Packages

Sales this week started out strong, but have peetered out a bit. Depending on overnight sales and mail order, we could have a decent week or even a very good week. Hoping for a strong weekend.

We’re continuing to get a good number of Surprise Package orders. I highly recommend people order Christmas gifts early to spread out the cost. I do this myself, and it works out very nicely. In fact, I’m one of those people who buys items for people throughout the year. That way the cost is spread out over 8-10 months, I do not get a killer credit card bill after Christmas, and as of today, I already have at least 55-60% of my holiday shopping DONE. Cool, eh? I like it.

If you plan it right, one Christmas Surprise Package could provide gifts for 3-4 of your gaming buddies, or one heck of a present for one person (husband, wife, sibling, dad, best friend, G.M., a buddy down and out on his luck, etc.). I’m still shoving, on average, $90+ worth of items in every Grab Bag. Besides, Christmas is closer than you might think at only SEVEN WEEKS away.

Dead Reign™: Dark Places™

Wayne Smith started laying the book out this morning while I finish writing the last section and a half of the book. If we can’t get it finished and to the printer by Friday afternoon, the book will go in on Monday. As soon as I’m done with Dead Reign™: Dark Places™ I dive into Dimensional Outbreak™, quickly followed by Heroes of the Megaverse™

The latest with Dad

My Dad had his last chemo-therapy treatment yesterday. He seemed to be in reasonably good spirits though a bit tense and nervous. Now it’s wait three months before the examination to see if the cancer is gone, has returned or has returned and spread. It must be hard on my Dad. Our visit yesterday ended with my father giving me a batch of his, very personal photographs – mostly pictures of my Mom, brother and me throughout the decades, including a poem my Mom gave him 45 years ago. He gave them to me and said, “I want you to have them when I die.” Sheesh, talk about a poor ending to an otherwise nice day. Arlene and I chided him for not being more positive, but I can understand how death must be on his mind. My Dad turns 79 next month and he’s got cancer. Honestly, I can’t imagine how large and (for my Dad) heavy his mortality must way on him.

Arlene seems to be stable for the moment, though no definitive treatment has been implimented yet.

Both seemed pleased I planned on taking Dad to breakfast and visiting for awhile every Wednesday morning, even though chemotherapy is done. My Dad is a creature of habit, so I thought I’d maintain the routine of seeing him on Wednesdays.

We’re hanging in there for now and feeling more positive this week. Hoping for strong sales to continue over the weekend and throughout the Holiday season. Meanwhile, I'm hellbent on getting 2-3 new books out by year's end.

Sincerely,
Kevin Siembieda
Publisher, Writer, Game Designer, and Surrogate Santa
Palladium Books®, Inc. – 28 years of RPG Publishing

© Copyright November 5, 2009 Palladium Books Inc. All rights reserved.

Rifts®, The Rifter®, RECON®, Splicers®, Palladium Books®, Phase World®, Palladium Books®, The Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game®, Megaverse®, Nightbane®, The Mechanoids®, The Mechanoid Invasion®, Coalition Wars® and After the Bomb® are Registered Trademarks of Palladium Books Inc. Heroes Unlimited™, Beyond the Supernatural, Dead Reign, Warpath, Shemarrian Nation, Dimensional Outbreak, Fleets of the Three Galaxies, Mysteries of Magic, and other published book titles, names, slogans and likenesses are trademarks of Palladium Books Inc., and Kevin Siembieda.

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