November and September 2023
Blast from the Past and Back to the Future!
Due to a bizarre twist of fate, none of you received September’s newsletter. Feel free to check it out after November’s post. Also, check out the ironic ending. Ha ha. #prayforpeace
Happy Thanksgiving, folks! Hope everyone’s doing well. This has been an eventful fall to be sure. Release dates are moving around AGAIN as I solidify my writing plans for the next 3 years or so. My current project is a fantasy novel/novella called Elfborn about two people who learn they are half-siblings in the worst way possible. (No, not like that.) There’s magic and terror and delight for all ages, though the book is intended for adult readers.
What about the Gamebook you ask? Well, the rough draft is published online for all to see. I’m putting it on the backburner for now, though. Turns out it’s easier to get folks interested in your game AFTER they’re invested in the lore. Short stories set in the Nexus Ranger Multiverse will be available…soon? I don’t know. I haven’t planned that far ahead. Probably closer to 2030.
And you can also still purchase my comic “masterpiece” Bubblegum-Man Adventures over on Indyplanet. It’s a well-written, poorly-drawn misadventure featuring superheroes facing incredible challenges that threaten the City of Atlanta and indeed the very planet. Bubblegum-Man is the story of a man transformed by science into living candy whose only remaining option is to team up with an immortal Spaniard to fight crime. Along the way, he encounters Space Dracula, befriends a tween in power armor, and thwarts an alien invasion. Spoilers.
It’s no surprise that my art is sub-par. This is not me being self-deprecating, just factual. The bar, in case you were wondering, is HERE. Like it or not, if you want to publish comics, your art at least has to be consistent if not professional-looking, and mine is neither. Nothing wrong with that. It’ll just take me more time to develop as a comic creator. On the upside, if I can get a Kickstarter off the ground, I may be able to hire an artist for my future projects. Huzzah!
I’ll be collaborating with a friend of mine for a future Bubblegum-Man project taking place in his universe. Should be pretty fun, though we haven’t made much progress recently. That’s my fault. Haven’t been in touch lately, and I’ve placed comics firmly in Phase Two anyway. I’m going to have to tell him about that at some point. (hi!)
September Post follows:
I now have somewhere between two and three mentors, which is quite a leap from the zero I’d had previously. I know Shawn Borsky through a family friend, and I’m thinking about scheduling a free mentor session with John Adamus as well. And don’t forget Chris Staros, comic editor extraordinaire. I have a lot of great connections and met more over at DragonCon this year. (Check out Sam Maggs’s stuff if you’re into queer Star Wars fiction.)
This year’s con was as sensational as always, with multiple sailor scouts sighted, some great panels, and the chance for yours truly to dress in a Jedi costume. Fun times!
Truly outrageous.
Meanwhile, as a result of some of my mentorship stuff, I’ve decided to switch some release dates around. Going to put the Gamebook on the backburner for now, so I can focus on my short fiction for Phase 1. I also have comics in the pipeline for Phase 2 and long-form fiction for Phase 3 (novels, etc). You can expect to start reading some published work some time next year, assuming no more historical events happen in the next few months.
In the meantime, stay hungry, friends.