Tristan Vick (resident behind the scenes Kumamoto International editor/moderator) here.

I don’t post much due to my busy schedule, but I wanted to present a friendly offer to any and all book aficionados and fellow writers out there (and especially in the Kumamoto area).

I just finished up the third installment of my sci-fi/fantasy space opera series The Chronicles of JEGRA.

My editor is doing a second pass before the book heads off to my proofreader and beta team.

I was wondering if anyone here was interested in meeting up and having me do a first page (first 3 pages actually) critique of any current work in progress you might have.

I’ll give you my professional and honest opinion and give you tips on writing and answer any questions you might have.

If there’s enough interest I’ll name a time and place in Kumamoto.

Why am I offering a free critique?

Because I firmly believe authors helping other authors is vital to find even a modicum of success as a writer.

A rising tide lifts all ships, after all.

Also, I like coffee.

Who am I to think I’m such hot stuff to be giving people advice?

Well, to those that don’t already know me (or of me) yet, I’ve lived in Kumamoto for 10 years and have been in Japan for over 15 years.

I studied at KGU back in 2003 – a requirement to finish my Japanese cultural studies degree from Montana State University. I graduated with that degree and another in English Literature back in 2005 before arriving in Japan in the summer of 2006 on JET Programme, where I lived and taught in Hiroshima for 5 years.

At that time I began writing and working on nonfiction books. I’ve published several books in religious philosophy with the British philosopher Jonathan M.S. Pearce and a work of my own which was edited by Biblical historian and New Testament scholar Robert M. Price.

I later shifted gears to writing fiction, as that was my passion – telling stories.

And my debut series, a zompoc that pitted zombies against superheroes, got bought by Permuted Press in 2014. That jump-started my writing career and convinced me I had what it took to become a full-time author.

After my stint with real-world publishing, I decided to dive into the Indie and self-publishing scene, as there was more freedom and opportunity to be found there than with traditional publishing.

I created my own imprint Regolith Publications to publish all my own work and switched from using Amazon’s CreateSpace (now KDP Print) to Ingram Spark earlier this year.

For the past five years, I’ve made enough off of my writing to help supplement my teaching salary. This has allowed me to teach part-time and stay at home part-time raising my three children.

As many of you know, I really don’t get out that much. But I need to start making more connections in the Kumamoto area and felt I should at least give back.

Kirk Masden and Joe Tomei have cheered me on and have always been extremely supportive of my endeavors. Now, I want to try and support others in some small way too.

So, folks, let me know if anyone would like to meet in the next couple of weeks for coffee and a critique.

If we generate enough buzz, we may make an event out of it.

Cheers!