Author Interview with Grant Spink

How to Publish Your App is a concise guide for new app developers wishing to publish their app in the App Store. While researching this topic, Spink discovered that a how-to guide for publishing apps did not exist, requiring extensive research to figure out how to publish his iApp.

Author Grant Spink shares his lessons, tips and tricks on the process of publishing an iOS app in his first book.

Grant Spink on Writing How to Publish Your App

The Musical Muse: What inspired you to write How to Publish Your App?

Grant Spink: When I was making my app, I just turned 14  but I could code pretty well,  so I was surprised that once I was finished here was nothing really out there that described in simple  detail the publishing process. So after I finished developing the app, and publishing it  myself, I wrote a definitive guide that would help any individual glide through what I had such trouble with.

The Musical Muse: What was the hardest part about publishing your book?

Grant Spink: The formatting and preparing it to be delivered as an actual book on Amazon. There were strict guidelines that had to be followed, and it took the greatest deal of time in the publishing process.

The Musical Muse: What did you learn from writing your book?

Grant Spink: I learned how much I like writing. I feel that I really have an interest in doing more books to help people, or even some creative fiction writing.

Grant Spink on Poli-tic-tac-toe

The Musical Muse: Tell us a little bit about the app you created.

Grant Spink: I created a series of apps spoofing the political elections in a satirical way. The first one was called poli-tic-tac-toe, it pitted Obama and Romney against each other in a game of X's and O's.

Grant Spink on Favourite Books and Authors

The Musical Muse: What genre of books do you like to read?

Grant Spink: I love to read; Right now I'm reading Freakonomics by Steven Levitt, but I enjoy being transported to a distant land, and hearing an interesting story. I like Hemingway, Cormac McCarthy, but lately I've been reading a lot science fiction.

Grant Spink on Becoming a Published Author

The Musical Muse: Did you ever think you'd ever become an author?

Grant Spink: I never really thought I would become an author. Although, my interests focus primarily on creating things, whether it be apps, drawings, models, music or even books now, I guess. I'm currently developing a new way to teach computer science to children and beginners all over the world, which I'm planning to turn into a series of books and online videos.

Grant Spink Encourages Other Young Authors

The Musical Muse: You're what we call a "young author". Do you any advice for youths about writing or developing apps?

Grant Spink: First, you have to believe in yourself, and have confidence in your ability to overcome any roadblock and complete any task you set your mind to.  The most important thing is to finish it, and just chipping away at it will get you there eventually.

One thing that I found impressive is that Grant's father, director Philip Spink, said that Grant was halfway through writing How to Publish Your App before he and his wife were aware of what Grant was up to. Now that's showing initiative!

How to Publish Your App Publication Details

Author: Grant Spink

Title: How to Publish Your App

Paperback: 122 pages

Publisher: Grant Spink

Publication Date: May 28, 2013

ISBN-10: 0991918304

ISBN-13: 978-0991918300

How to Publish Your App by Grant Spink is currently available on Amazon.Check out my book review of How to Publish Your App and Grant Spink’s site, Publish Your App.

Anything Goes at the 2013 Calgary Omatsuri

Fingers crossed that my website issues are sorted out until the next major Wordpress framework upgrade. Now, I can get back to the business of blogging and merry music making! The final performance from the 2013 Calgary Japanese Festival was by the cover band Anything Goes. They're a young band, founded this spring. However, they've been making a splash at events such as the Calgary Expo,  GeekM00t and the  Show and Shine, "On Wheels for Kenya" event. Their next big gig is at the Edmonton Comic & Entertainment Expo.

Here's some clips that I took of their performance at last month's Omatsuri:

Afterwards, I had the opportunity to chat with Vanessa, Gladzy, Joe and Trent as everyone else was packing up:

My apologies for the soft audio.  I tried to bump it up as much as I could.By the end of the day, my camera batteries had died and I didn't have the proper adapter to use my external mic with my phone. But dang! I still love my keitai.

My one wish is that that the next time I hear Anything Goes perform "God Knows" from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, the band will perform it in Japanese. ;-)

Anything Goes on Facebook

About the featured photo: Anything Goes perfoms at the Calgary Japanese Festival. Photo by Christine Kohl. Published by Kathleen Irulanne Boucher.

Minyo Dancers at the Calgary Japanese Festival

Minyo dancing is another type of traditional Japanese dance. It's done more at festivals to commemorate the dead and to celebrate festivals. Here is my interview with Pat-san from the Minyo Dancers of Lethbridge. It had to be cut short as they were just about to go on stage:

Here is one of the dances they performed:

Calgary Japanese Festival

Minyo Dancing

Catching up with the Koto at the 2013 Calgary Omatsuri

The koto is a traditional Japanese instrument. This stringed instrument actually came originally from China. At the 2013 Calgary Japanese Festival,  Mizue Asai-Kaufmann and Kaori Akiyama performed several numbers after the short drizzle:

I had an opportunity to chat with them afterwards about learning to play the koto. How interesting that they both learned the koto at the same age!

Midnight Taiko Drummers at the Calgary Japanese Festival

The Midnight Taiko Drummers are always a treat to listen to. I've heard them perform at Otafest as well as at the Calgary Japanese Festival. I didn't realize until I spoke with Jenny Zhao that taiko drumming is a relatively young art:

And here's their performance clips:

Midnight Taiko website

History of the Taiko

Calgary Japanese Festival