Alex "Cosbolt" Cavanaugh: Knight of the Cosmic Table!

Friends and aliens, I bring to you a champion today, which many of you have come to know in this neck of the galaxy for some time.

Some know him as the Ninja Captain. Some know him as an Amazon Best-Selling Cosbolt pilot. Others know him as a guitar-strumming cardboard figure, but I know him as a willing and helpful friend. His infectious personality has reached nearly every inch of the writer-blogger community with pay-it-forward skills that are unmatched. For these and other innumerable, stalwart qualities, I hereby dub thee, Sir Alex J. "Cosbolt" Cavanaugh, Knight of the Cosmic Table!

AJC: I am honored to be included at the Cosmic Table and do not take this knighthood lightly. I shall uphold all that it means to be a chivalrous knight. I will defend the Kingdom, I will rescue the fair maiden, I will battle those who steal the Hot Tamales treasure …

DPK: Hot Tamales treasure? I'm not sure we have those ...

AJC: Wait, no Hot Tamales treasure?

DPK: *shakes head* I can order some.

AJC: Oh. Bummer. Do I still get to rescue the maiden?

DPK: Certainly! And since you mentioned it, I'm sure a trove of hot tamales is worth its weight in gold (now I'm hungry - note to self: order some hot tamales!). Thanks for letting me check out your dojo today. I look forward to learning the ways of the writing ninja!

AJC: There is much to learn, little grasshopper!

First there is teleporting. You do have a teleporter, don’t you? That is how a Ninja moves around so fast. Next, you need clones -

DPK: Would you mind looking at my teleporter? A fly got into it with one of my red shirts and ... Let's just say the medic's hands are full.

AJC: Sorry, hate to tell you, but the red shirt is dead.

DPK: *checks datapad* You knew my crewhand died before I did?! You really are a ninja! Well ... I guess the good news is there's a new job opening back on the ship ... Now, what was that about clones?

AJC: You need lots of them. You’ll exhaust yourself teleporting all over like that. I have a clone machine if you’d like to use it (don’t let Al’s dwarfs near it – they went a little crazy and almost broke it).

DPK: Clones ... I knew it! I suspected as much.

I'm curious to know how it all began. What led you to start what has become one of the most recognized author blogs in the universe?

AJC: One of the most recognized? Thanks, but I’m still just a small fish in a very big pond.

DPK: Your humility shines, metaphorical fish. Please continue!

AJC: What led me to begin my blog? My publisher told me to get my butt online. It wasn’t an option. I opted for a blog because I could combine my website with social networking and do it all at once. And I struggled to connect with other bloggers for months. It wasn’t until the very first A to Z Challenge that I finally found my groove.

DPK: Truth. Getting involved in the blogosphere certainly makes a difference when you're first starting out. I'm seriously considering taking the challenge myself for the first time this year. Any advice that would help a newbie survive this month-long alphabet soup?

AJC: Bring crackers.

Seriously, go with a theme. I winged it the first year and came up with brilliant posts – the lame movie “Q,” Q*Bert, and some band named Q-Tip for Q. You don’t want to go there. Select a theme.

Mine has always centered on featuring my blogger buddies and every year it’s a bigger challenge and so involved. This year I have something really cool planned…

DPK: Well blast my asteroids! That sounds easy. I'll be sure to have a theme ready before April springs (see what I did there?). Speaking of springs, how high can you jump while strumming a guitar?

AJC: Well, if you’re expecting one of those Eddie Van Halen jumps, you’ll be disappointed. I’d probably hurt myself.

DPK: You'd have to be a superhero to do one of those, so I don't blame you. I already lost one red shirt today. I'm sure the community will flog me if you get so much as a splinter during this interview ...

They say it's best to have a picture of yourself on your blog so people can get to know you better, but you managed your success without one! Will we ever get to see the man behind the mask?

AJC: Maybe someday! Until then, the photo of me in silhouette with my guitar will just have to suffice. Remember, Ninjas are supposed to be secretive ...

DPK: So if your publisher told you to start blogging, does this mean your first novel CassaStar was done beforehand? Tell us more about what inspired you to write this novel and the other Amazon Best-Sellers that followed.

AJC: It was done and part of the contract agreement was that I’d create an online platform.

CassaStar was a story I’d written as a teen about thirty years earlier. Found it in a drawer and decided to rewrite it. My wife prodded me to look for a publisher and the rest is history. That I wrote two more books and they all did so well still stuns me. I never even wanted to be an author (rock star, maybe!).

DPK: You're stories rock the stars, for sure! Did you know my first book is also about deep space and starfighters, and I wrote it as a teen? I should pull it out of the drawer and see what I can do.

AJC: You need to dig up that old manuscript!

DPK: Will do, but first you're going to have to tell us about your Insecure Writers Support Group (#hashtag: IWSG). How did this incredible group come about and where is it headed?

AJC: It all started with an email exchange with Rusty – I told him he needed an insecure writer’s support group. And it hit me – why not start one? So I proposed the idea and on September 1, 2011, we did our very first post. As it grew, I was amazed by the posts and comments, and how many people were so grateful for the group.

When it neared the two year mark, I reached out to six awesome authors and we launched the IWSG website. It’s the database of databases on all things pertaining to writing, and we recently started having guest posts from major players in the writing world. We also have a Facebook Group that’s over five hundred members strong.

DPK: That's incredible, Alex. Congrats to your success!

AJC: Despite the success I’ve enjoyed with my books, the IWSG is my greatest achievement online and means the world to me.

DPK: The dedication shows. It's one thing to write great stories and have them available for others to read and enjoy, but it's another to form a group of this magnitude that aims to help fellow writers. That in itself is worthy of knighthood, which is why I present to you this custom badge to prove your humble valor however you wish.

Welcome to the table, Sir Alex! 

AJC: Thank you, Sir David! Honored to join the ranks of the Cosmic Knights.

DPK: Any chance we can ride your Cosbolt before we leave the dojo?

AJC: There’s room in a Cosbolt for two. You can navigate. Just don’t touch the telporter. Takes a certain skill. You never know where you’ll end up. Good thing Al’s Dwarves never found it or we’d have them popping in and out all over the universe …

*     *     *

It's so good to see another seat at the table, and this tradition will continue to happen every last Wednesday of the month. Keep your swords sharp and your blasters charged. I'm always on the lookout for the next Cosmic Knight! Who's next? Find out next time!

I'm David, and in case you missed it, here's a CassaTrailer!