"You are about to enter a different place, and yet, one that isn't so different. It is a dimension of sight, of sound, and of mind. It is a land of shadows, substance, and a lot of weirdness. You've just crossed over into. . . The EmJay Zone."
The EmJay Zone was my e-mail newsletter, available once a week or whenever I felt like it from [email protected]. I started it August 8th, 2000, right after Jungle Jump-Off and before the Sr. High Retreat. Mostly, I talked about my life and provided book reviews. I rambled about Star Wars, told a few jokes, and counted down to what was coming up. That was essentially it. It was black and white, plain, and very boring. It started with four subscribers, very humble, but soon began to bloom. Colorful text on a black background was added, along with Bible, poetry, and website sections. A birthday club and more in-depth countdowns followed, as well as quotes and a symbol guide. More subscribers joined, more clever essays were written. I talked about my life, about Star Wars, and anything else that crossed my mind. Publication was erratic for a long time. Pictures eventually cropped up, and in March of 2001, the very first "EmJay Zone Reader's Edition" took place, encouraging readers to submit their own material, and the picture section became permanent. Sections grew, changed, evolved, were eliminated, and were brought back. An H.R.A. section became a section about Santa Monica, and that became a section about anything I was writing. The Star Wars section incorporated Black Reflection. By the time the MJZ had hit its 5th year, however, participation was at an all-time low. There were no subscribers, no fan mail, no response of any kind from anyone letting me know that they were getting what I was sending. So, because I'd started a Xanga anyway, the MJZ dropped to every-other-week publication and the number of sections was significantly reduced. Finally, in June of 2005, the EmJay Zone was closed until further notice. Someday, when reader participation is back up, maybe when I'm rich and famous, I'll bring the MJZ back. In the meantime, if you'd like to read back issues, you can! |