I'm Coming to Patreon - Will You Join Me?

The big news for 2019 is I'm going to create a Patreon page. It's going to launch Feb 1. I was down on this for a long time, but that's before I realized what Patreon was there for. I thought a Patreon was for me, but I was totally wrong. Patreon is there for you. It's so that you can interact with some of your favorite creators, get personal with them, and receive great rewards for your Patreonage.

This is a preview of my Patreon About You page. Please take a look at it and note that my first ten Patreons will receive a SEAL Team 666 Team Black patch and a special note from me. Also note the rewards I'm going to be providing to my Patreons.

Hi! I'm Weston Ochse (pronounced oaks). Welcome to my Patreon page.

But wait, Who is this Weston Ochse?

Good question.

As of this writing, I’ve had 30 professionally published books. My work has appeared in DC and IDW comics. I’ve had nonfiction in Soldier of Fortune magazine. My work has received movie interest, once from Wesley Snipes, and currently from Dwayne Johnson. With over 120 professionally published works of short fiction, I’ve written my own original works, as well as worked in the universes of Predator, Hellboy, X-Files, Aliens, and Clive Barker’s Midian. I was one of the original writers of V-Wars which inspired the TV show soon to come from Netflix. I also write poetry and have been published in both peered and non-peered literary journals.

I'm also a tastemaker. I turn you onto things you never knew you wanted turned on to. I find things that are new and cool and unusual and share them so you can try new and cool and unusual things.

I'm a born story teller. My ancestors traveled the now British Isles, telling stories, singing songs, delivering poetry, and performing for those who would provide patronage. Fast forward to the 21st Century, we still have bards, but the venue has completely changed. No longer are we performing in dusty castles with questionable food and wine. We perform at small venues or from the comfort of our own homes. I am a modern bard (you don’t want me to sing) and have been patronless for too long. I seek patrons to inspire me, to make me want to work for them, to be a part of my creative process. I’m seeking you.

Why call this Living Dangerously? Many of you also know I have a military background, including two recent tours to Afghanistan. I’ve been to 57 countries, travel extensively for my writing, and often find myself in unusual places. When I’m not writing, I like hiking, fly fishing, cooking, and reading. I prefer single malt Speyside Scotch whiskeys, California Chardonnay, and seafood. I used to be good at martial arts before I got old, but I’m still one of the first to run into any fight to protect my people. I live the life of a Chaotic Good Paladin. It’s just who I am. I’d rather live dangerously than live safely--live boringly. Wouldn’t you? Do you want to live dangerously with me?

But enough about me. Let’s talk about you. I want you to be my Patreon. I want to write and perform for you. Here are some of the things I will be working on, and according to which Tier you choose, you will have exclusive access to these things:
 

• Short Stories I want to write for you. Each month, I will give you some topics and take your input and write a short story based on what you’ve asked for. I mean, who does that?
• I will also write the occasional exclusive essay and post pictures of what I am doing from day-to-day. You can share as well. In fact, we will live dangerously together.
• A book of poetry about my time in Afghanistan. I thought that I might want to write a story or an essay, but neither those would capture the essence of what I want to relate. I think only through the lens of verse can I best explain how it feels to be in such a place. This will be exclusive to you until it’s formally published.
• Novellas about the continuing adventures of Special Unit 77. They’ve already had two adventures, and I will provide those to you over a period of time. Then I will begin working on the next one, then the next, then the next. Fans of SEAL Team 666 will love Special Unit 77. Set in late 1960s San Francisco, Special Unit 77 protects the West Coast of America from supernatural attack by foreign powers. This will be exclusive to you until it’s formally published.
• A serialized novel called The Lost City of Hateful Things. I started it and set it aside, but I want to finish it. Only by having patrons can this happen. This will make you a true patron because I will be finishing it for you. What’s it about? A group of five injured soldiers in the Walter Reed Army Hospital Wounded Warrior Clinic are bored out of their minds. At the urging of one of their group, they decide to take a busman’s holiday to find the lost city of Uqbar, mentioned in fiction and non-fiction for hundreds of years. The city is also the centerpiece of Argentinian author Jorge Louis Borges’ short story Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius.They will find the city and it will be terrible, because they will discover why it is also known as the City of Hateful Things. This will be exclusive to you until it’s formally published.
• And more. I will frequently give you surprises. Random acts of creativity for your patronage.

What is exclusivity? It’s just as it sounds. I write these for you. Some of these will be published once everything is finished. For the poetry, novel and the novella, I will make some poems and the first few chapters of each available to the general public only so they know what they are missing. But for the rest of it, it’s all exclusive. This is what you are paying for and this is what you get.

I’ll also get personal and you can get personal back. I’ve been a patron of Fucking Amanda Palmer for a while and she gets personal. Will I get that personal? Will I show you my tits? I could but it would be disappointing. So I might not get as personal as she does, but I will spill my guts on occasion and ask your for advice.

Here’s something I read recently from someone wondering about how we think about our patrons and it stuck with me.
 

“It was frightening to be so personal with strangers, and others warned me against it. But these were the people who had urged us to be entirely true to ourselves. And I think perhaps some part of me wanted to test the limits of this newfound support for authenticity. Was it limited to the book project? Or did it extend to us as individuals? Each time I’d write something intimate, I’d cringe as I hit the “post update” button. Each time I’d expect someone to accuse me of “oversharing” or being “unprofessional.” But the result of my openness was not the rejection or criticism, I expected. The result was kindness, warmth, trust, and empathy. And something beautiful was happening for backers who chose emotional investment. They, like me, began to sense connection and meaning that transcended the book. Long before we delivered anything, several backers who had supported hundreds of campaigns said that ours was their favorite."  -Wendy Ice, Courtesy of Amanda Palmer

This is what I am looking for.

I want a connection.

I want to connect with you.

So, thank you for being my patron.

I’m excited to create with you.

I’m excited to create for you.