Becoming an author is as much a balance of self as it is a system of effort and sacrifice. Obviously a great deal of the process relies on one’s dedication to the writing process, but there comes the time when a writer must take the step from a private scribe to a potentially public figure. A wise mentor of mine once said that a writer becomes an author when they find that writing is only half of being an author, and while writing is undeniably an inescapable step in the process it’s true that a writer who never submits their work can never advance.
There are a number of options in this second step, but for the purpose of simplicity it’s best to view it as a choice between three distinct paths: self, indie, & traditional.
Self – despite what many say, self publishing is not an ugly word and there is no shame in doing so (while it stands to reason that self publishing is the “easiest” way to get a piece out, if it is of low quality or sub-standard effort then the piece will not go far and, worse yet, the public that is reached can–and often does–do substantial damage with poor reviews and word of mouth). While self publishing can be an unforgiving crash course in what it’s like to be in the public eye when one is not ready (it’s been said that every rejection letter is easier to swallow then another reader pointing out you weren’t ready to see print), many well-written authors see monumental success in this process. Because self-publishing puts near-total (if not total) control of every element of how the piece goes out (including cover art, internal formatting, networking platforms, etc…), then somebody who is well versed–or has connections who are well versed–in the various arenas can see the release of a compelling piece that will earn them 100% of the earnings.
Indie publishers – This process represents a “cool center”. Though self publishing represents a form of indie publishing, there are publishers who operate in this realm. These publishers are less dictated by the confines of commercial publishing and, as a result, more author-friendly (I’ve heard horror stories of traditional authors submitting a completed manuscript to their publisher only to be told that they need to completely rewrite the piece in order to incorporate a “crowd-pleasing” element to cater to the publisher’s demographic; regardless of what those changes mean to for the piece). The submission process varies for indie publishers (they’ll often specify their guidelines), and the services provided will vary as well. However, for the most part the general process of going through an indie publisher allows an author a great deal of ease in the publishing process (TDP and others, for example, will provide editing, cover designs, and other publishing costs at no expense to the author), as well as helping to market and promote the piece upon publication.
Finally, there’s traditional publishing. This is, of course, what most people think of when they consider the process. Many will argue that this is “harder” than other methods, but it stands to reason that, as mentioned earlier, a rejection letter isn’t always a symbol of failure, but one of being not yet prepared (the success rate of traditional publishing mirroring the fact that commercial publishers only accept pieces that they personally feel will return the multi-thousand dollar investment an accepted piece represents). However, time, ease of submission (the shift from mailing manuscripts to one of simply emailing a file has made the proverbial “inbox” for publishers substantially more filled each day) and an over-saturation in the market has motivated many publishers closed to what is referred to “unsolicited manuscripts”. An unsolicited manuscript is a submission by an author who is not represented by a literary agent, and it has been said that acquiring a literary agent is often more difficult a process than getting the actual publisher. The process of querying an agent isn’t altogether uncommon from querying a publisher–it follows the same general premise of “here is my piece and why everyone should love it”–but an agent (at least the honest ones), are more hesitant about accepting due to a number of elements, the most predominant being a preexisting workload with other clients as well as the gamble of representing a piece that might not succeed (a true threat to somebody whose time is directly proportionate to their earnings, especially when their earnings are based on a percentage of the piece’s sales ~ usually in the vicinity of 10-15%). Whether or not an agent is involved, an accepted piece through a traditional publisher is often met with an advance (a pre-determined sum of money that represents, as the name would imply, an advance on estimated earnings from the piece).
Now, despite what many will say, no one option is “the best” for anybody. Just as every person is unique, every author is an individual, and the personal know-how and strengths will determine which option is best for them. I’m often asked “what did you do?” or “what path would you suggest based on your success?” in regards to my own path as an author, but I rarely offer up solid advice for them in this measure as what I’ve done does not hold any merit in what would work best for them (though I’ve never refused an aspiring writer the information they would want/need to make an educated move of their own).
Becoming an author is as much a balance of self as it is a system of effort and sacrifice. Obviously a great deal of the process relies on one's dedication to the writing process, but there comes the time when a writer must take the step from a private scribe to a potentially public figure. A wise mentor of mine once said that a writer becomes an author when they find that writing is only half of being an author, and while writing is undeniably an inescapable step in the process it's true that a writer who never submits their work can never advance.
There are a number of options in this second step, but for the purpose of simplicity it's best to view it as a choice between three distinct paths: self, indie, & traditional.
Self - despite what many say, self publishing is not an ugly word and there is no shame in doing so (while it stands to reason that self publishing is the "easiest" way to get a piece out, if it is of low quality or sub-standard effort then the piece will not go far and, worse yet, the public that is reached can--and often does--do substantial damage with poor reviews and word of mouth). While self publishing can be an unforgiving crash course in what it's like to be in the public eye when one is not ready (it's been said that every rejection letter is easier to swallow then another reader pointing out you weren't ready to see print), many well-written authors see monumental success in this process. Because self-publishing puts near-total (if not total) control of every element of how the piece goes out (including cover art, internal formatting, networking platforms, etc...), then somebody who is well versed--or has connections who are well versed--in the various arenas can see the release of a compelling piece that will earn them 100% of the earnings.
Indie publishers - This process represents a "cool center". Though self publishing represents a form of indie publishing, there are publishers who operate in this realm. These publishers are less dictated by the confines of commercial publishing and, as a result, more author-friendly (I've heard horror stories of traditional authors submitting a completed manuscript to their publisher only to be told that they need to completely rewrite the piece in order to incorporate a "crowd-pleasing" element to cater to the publisher's demographic; regardless of what those changes mean to for the piece). The submission process varies for indie publishers (they'll often specify their guidelines; for example, my company, Tiger Dynasty Publishing, has a guidelines page that mirrors the standard formatting guidelines of traditional publishers that can be found HERE), and the services provided will vary as well. However, for the most part the general process of going through an indie publisher allows an author a great deal of ease in the publishing process (TDP and others, for example, will provide editing, cover designs, and other publishing costs at no expense to the author), as well as helping to market and promote the piece upon publication.
Finally, there's traditional publishing. This is, of course, what most people think of when they consider the process. Many will argue that this is "harder" than other methods, but it stands to reason that, as mentioned earlier, a rejection letter isn't always a symbol of failure, but one of being not yet prepared (the success rate of traditional publishing mirroring the fact that commercial publishers only accept pieces that they personally feel will return the multi-thousand dollar investment an accepted piece represents). However, time, ease of submission (the shift from mailing manuscripts to one of simply emailing a file has made the proverbial "inbox" for publishers substantially more filled each day) and an over-saturation in the market has motivated many publishers closed to what is referred to "unsolicited manuscripts". An unsolicited manuscript is a submission by an author who is not represented by a literary agent, and it has been said that acquiring a literary agent is often more difficult a process than getting the actual publisher. The process of querying an agent isn't altogether uncommon from querying a publisher--it follows the same general premise of "here is my piece and why everyone should love it"--but an agent (at least the honest ones), are more hesitant about accepting due to a number of elements, the most predominant being a preexisting workload with other clients as well as the gamble of representing a piece that might not succeed (a true threat to somebody whose time is directly proportionate to their earnings, especially when their earnings are based on a percentage of the piece's sales ~ usually in the vicinity of 10-15%). Whether or not an agent is involved, an accepted piece through a traditional publisher is often met with an advance (a pre-determined sum of money that represents, as the name would imply, an advance on estimated earnings from the piece).
Now, despite what many will say, no one option is "the best" for anybody. Just as every person is unique, every author is an individual, and the personal know-how and strengths will determine which option is best for them. I'm often asked "what did you do?" or "what path would you suggest based on your success?" in regards to my own path as an author, but I rarely offer up solid advice for them in this measure as what I've done does not hold any merit in what would work best for them (though I've never refused an aspiring writer the information they would want/need to make an educated move of their own).
With the release of "Crimson Shadow: Noir", book
#1 in my vamp-goth psycho-thriller series, and several short stories that tie
into the series ("Wicked Paints, "Magic Murderer", and the
soon-to-debut "Just Another Night" [June 15th]), I thought
I'd take the time to better acquaint everybody with the series as well as give
a "behind-the-scenes" look at what's gone into creating the Crimson
Shadow world.
But
first, for those who aren't already familiar with the premise of the book:
"Xander
Stryker wants to die.
Ever since
witnessing his mother's murder at the hands of his abusive stepfather when he
was a boy, he has spent every day trying to reach that goal. But every night he's
denied the death he craves.
Book #1, "Noir"
(cover by Para Graphic)
When his
eighteenth birthday approaches, an unforeseen chance for change is offered when
his life is plunged into chaos and he's dragged into a supernatural world of
vampires and other creatures of darkness. Caught in the depths of this new
reality, mysteries of his supernatural lineage begin to unravel and Xander is
given the ultimate choice:
Continue on with
his wretched life or begin a new one as the vampire he was always meant to be.
Unfortunately,
the supernatural world can be just as unforgiving and brutal as any other and
Xander's choice is met with disastrous consequences. Now, with the chaos of the
new world pressing down on him, his past reemerges and once again threatens to
crush him. Will Xander be able to use his new strength to conquer his fears, or
will he succumb to his own bloody darkness...
In the beginning (nearly 10 years ago),
Crimson Shadow started as a means for me to vent; a personal outlet to let some
inner demons wreak the havoc they so desperately wanted to while, at the same
time, keeping the public and its many innocents safe. At that time, an
obsession with death and darkness motivated me to research all of the many
creatures of mythology and lore that thrive off of both--especially vampires.
Since the beginning of human society, vampires have, in one way or another,
existed in the minds of the masses and haunted their nightmares with the threat
of robbing them of their life to sustain their own. Throughout history,
creatures like this have plagued the minds of humanity and, for me especially,
represented an escape from reality; allowing for the fantasy of transcending
the mundane and limited life of a human to become something powerful and
eternal. And this escape--this means of vanquishing weakness and overcoming
abuse in a way that not only brought one above their tormenters, but into a
whole new plane of existence--was what I craved at that time.
It was then that Xander
Stryker--a boy who, like me, was self-destructive and tortured, but found a way
above it all and into something so much greater than he could've ever
imagined--was created.
At that time, there was no plan
for the project outside of "traveling" with Xander and his journey
into a world of vampires and finding the strength to fight not only those that
would try to do him harm, but his own desires to harm himself. For me, there was
no plan--no future--outside of telling Xander's story, and I was certain that
the moment I finished the piece that I would leave it as my last effort before
ending my life.
Learn more about To Write Love On Her Arms
(the suicide & self-harm prevention movement
that sees a donation for every copy of "Noir" sold)
But then Xander did something I'd
never expected him to do…
He saved my life.
Somehow,
in writing a story of a character who was supposed to encompass everything I
could never be, I discovered strength and purpose. To add to my surprise,
others--who had begun to notice a dramatic change in my mood and behavior and
demanded to see what was bringing about that change--found Xander's tale (the
tale that would later become the first book in the Crimson Shadow series,
"Noir") worked just as well to give them strength and hope; encouraging
others who had been suicidal to find their own means of overcoming their
personal breeds of darkness. Seeing that this character's growth had such potential,
I focused less on what the stories could do for me and more about what they
could do for others. Over the years (five in total to polish the first book) I
decided that I had found my calling and set my dreams on becoming an author so
that I could entertain and enlighten the world (effectively deciding to shift
from a nobody who wanted to die to somebody who wanted to provide the world
with an enthusiastic storyteller).
As Xander grew more-and-more
aware of the world of vampires--a world that I wanted to be laced throughout
modern-day human society so tightly that readers would genuinely believe that
they, too, could experience it if they turned down the right (or wrong) dark
alley. My obsessive research, as it turned out, allowed for me to build and
modify on a myriad of legends to create something that mirrored the classic lore
while, at the same time, shining the light on the many myths in a way that
readers had never before seen them.
The process of creating/modifying
legendary "monsters" to create fresh and compelling creatures for my
writing proved to be one of the most challenging and time-consuming tasks I
could take on. So that others have an understanding of just how broad and
complex the paranormal world stretches: I have studied global and cultural
mythology for two years before starting to write Xander's story and, since
then, have continued my studies (that's 12 years' worth of research--nearly
half my entire life).
So
far, for the universe that all of my writing has taken place in, there are more
than four species of vampires (one of which has three different types) and a
breed of shape-shifter that encompasses werewolves, werebears, werecats (any
anthropomorphic "were"-creature you can imagine) called
"theriomorphs" ("therio-"
being a Latin root for "beast") or "therions", for short.
Other creatures (like the elf/fairy-like "anaprieks", the bat-like
"Gerlins", and many more) were included, as well, so that the world
of non-humans--known as "mythos"--would be just as diverse and broad
as the one we already know and see every day.
Being a fan of action/adventure
films, comics, and Japanese anime/manga, I'd always seen the superhuman
abilities of vampires, werewolves, and other such beings as a means of creating
truly epic and (often literally) ground-breaking encounters and, of course,
battles. If a being is strong enough to leap 30 feet into the air, punch
through walls, move faster than bullets, or move anything and everything with
their minds, then it stood to reason that a fight between such beings would be
a true visual marvel. Now, because I've always had a cinematic mind (I'd
dreamed of being a filmmaker at one time in my life), I've always written in a
manner that I hoped would instill an image in the reader's mind that was not
unlike the fluid visuals of watching a movie (and, with such elaborate visuals
to work with, I had my work cut out for me).
"Magic Murderer" CS short
(cover by EmJayArt.com)
Despite all the challenges
associated with it, however, I found that building a whole new world to house
my creations proved to be more fun than I'd ever expected. Because of the
"rules" that I'd set in Xander's world, I had to research outside of
what I was used to (psychology, philosophy, religion, biology, etc…) in order
to make the creatures and their abilities believable. For the blood-drinking
vampires, for example, I had the pleasure of interviewing a dentist to learn
more about how the classic fangs that we all know and love would work in the
real world and any biological traits that would come along with them. Magical
practices and paralleling beliefs from different views were taken into
consideration in order to fabricate a breed of spellcasting that ultimately
defined every creature I'd created. More than anything else, though, was the
realm of physics and how these glorious creatures would be capable of achieving
their extraordinary abilities.
Though a lot of that effort may
not be blatantly obvious in the writings, all of that time and research was not
spent in vain. For a writer to be confident in their work, and, as a result,
have their readers believe and accept what's being "fed" to them,
there has to be a sense of continuity and believability (so that they can fully
immerse themselves in their entertainment, audiences rely on a concrete
understanding of what is "fact" when approaching a book, movie,
comic, etc…). Research and development is, in many ways, one of the most
important things for a writer to do when creating a new world (second only to
following through with a project and seeing it to the end).
In preparing this blog post, I
decided to open the floor (so to speak) to a few readers who had questions that
I felt were worth publically answering. If you have any questions that aren't
answered here, feel free to post them and I'll do my best to answer without
spoiling any future elements in the series:
1)Xander
Stryker has a lot of challenges in his life, while you were writing his story
did you have a hard time writing certain parts?
~One
of the reasons book #1 took five years to complete (at least three years longer
than ANY other piece I've written since) was because a great deal of scenes and
emotions that I depicted were dangerously close to personal events that I was
forced to step away from the project time-and-time-again to avoid slipping into
depression (on several occasions, however, stepping back didn't help and, more
than once, I suffered from minor breakdowns).
2)Being
this story from a personal perspective, were there certain characters who you
found had a lot of traits from special/important people in your life?
3)We
are briefly introduced to the character Estella; will she play a more important
role in future books perhaps?
~Yes.
At risk of going into too much detail and spoiling future books I can assure
you that Estella's character will become VERY relevant/integral to the series.
Look for the next CS Kindle short,
"Just Another Night" on June 15th
(art by EmJayArt.com)
4)From
his suicidal tendencies and depression and rage issues, do you think Xander
will fully be able to control his emotions and become the legend he was
destined for?
~One
of Xander's greatest strengths (as well as one of his greatest weaknesses) IS
his self-destructive tendencies and his anger. It's said that the worst kind of
opponent is one who doesn't fear death, and it's the truth; if somebody doesn't
care about protecting themselves and is focused SOLELY on destroying their enemy,
then being shot or stabbed isn't a concern so long as they can eradicate them
before bleeding to death
However,
while Xander's emotions--like anybody else's--have a tendency to become their
own hurdles, he's never beyond a point of seeing that his perception/approach
needs to change for both his and his loved ones' benefit. For this reason,
while he'll probably never be a Buddhist master of all things Zen, Xander will
inevitably rise to meet the challenges he's faced with.
5)Xander
is both a sang AND an auric from what we’ve gathered; does he prefer blood
drinking or psychic energy for feeding? If sang, does he have limits to which
he feeds from with blood and if auric, do certain “emotions” taste better than
others?
~Xander,
as a human, grew up with a lot of darkness and suffering in his mind and, as a
result, is somewhat reluctant to enter the minds of others (after all, why
invite somebody else's emotional baggage into your life if you've already got
too much of your own?) and typically prefers to drink blood if given the
option. However, this reluctance doesn't keep him from doing what has to be done,
and if he needs to unveil a hidden thought to solve a mystery or psychically
drain somebody to get the strength he needs, he will do so in the blink of an
eye.
As
for limitations on whose neck he tears into: like any law-abiding mythos in the
series, he makes a conscious effort not to feed on humans to avoid the
complications that missing persons and piled corpses tend to arise. For the
most part, sang vampires can sustain themselves on any sort of blood, and it's
usually easier and safer to get this from animals and sources that store animal
blood from slaughterhouses. However, the bagged stuff is to a vampire what
freeze-dried rations are to a human; while it serves the intended purpose, it's
rarely satisfying and never enjoyable. Like anything else, though, if he gets
hungry enough, then ANYTHING with blood in it is an appetizing morsel.
In
the end, any sort of feeding (blood or psychic) is a means of keeping up his
strength and/or healing from any injuries he's sustained. For this reason, he
doesn't "prefer" any blood-type or emotion over another, as long as
it does what it's supposed to do.
6)Xander
meets a lot of characters in book 1; out of all the characters you’ve
introduced (Marcus, Stan, Estella, and The Gamer) which was your favorite to
write about and which was your least?
~All
of the characters I made are enjoyable in their own right, but, in the end, it
was how those characters interacted with Xander--the way dialogue flows between
them or how they behave around one-another--that defined my enjoyment of
depicting them. With dialogue, I'm a big fan of the abrasive back-and-forths
(they have a more natural feel and also allow for both tension and humor
depending on the situation). With Marcus, I wanted a character who would become
something like a big brother to Xander--knowledgeable and accommodating, but
sarcastic and condescending at the same time--and, because of Xander's tendency
to react quickly to his emotions, I loved having Marcus tease and poke at
Xander. Because Stan was always somebody Xander got along with and respected
there was always a sense of admiration and a drive to impress for Xander, and I
liked how naturally he and Stan "meshed" on that level (to compare
how Xander interacts with Stan-versus-Marcus would be comparing two cars
driving headlong into one another-versus-driving side-by-side on a clear
street). Amongst all the characters, however, Estella is the only one that
genuinely calms and relaxes Xander and the only one you noticeably see him
working to impress/make happy (in many ways I wanted to make Xander an abrasive
jerk to just about anybody he encountered EXCEPT Estella). As for The Gamer…
well, he's The Gamer; he's a fat, obnoxious, disgusting slob that everyone
(including Xander) hates to admit is charming in his own rights (in large part
because, despite knowing so much about magic and the world of mythos, he's
NEVER bored with it, and it's very hard to genuinely hate somebody who's so
damn excited about everything).
If
I have to choose a favorite, I'd have to say that Estella's charms on Xander
have always been the most peaceful and heart-warming for me to write while he
and Marcus have actually succeeded in making me laugh WHILE writing them (so
Estella wins, but Marcus is a very close second). For my LEAST favorite… well,
I never enjoyed writing scenes with Kyle (but, then again, I was never supposed
to).
7)Marcus
is hilarious! Xander and him seem to click easily. Will we get to see more of
Xander and him in action?
~Absolutely!
Readers
who like Marcus will be glad to see him in several of the short stories that
are being released over the next couple of months; the two doing what they do
best: killing things. In many ways Xander is still in training, and Marcus is
never above using a job as a means of instilling a vampiric lesson (think
Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker from Star Wars).
8)You
introduce The Gamer and he shows Xander a replica pair of pistols that are
similar to the bad-ass Yin & Yang revolvers…Xander doesn’t seem too happy
about it. Do you think he’ll ever be able to cope and possibly use that set in
the future?
~If
Xander has taught us nothing else, it's that EVERYTHING exists for some reason
;-)
9)So,
we know you have a book 2 coming out soon…what can we look for in that release?
~Book
#2 will answer some open-ended questions from book #1 and provide some
unsettling closure therein. Readers can also look forward to a FAR more
confident Xander who's more excited about killing others than himself and a
great deal more (*ahem*) growth between him and Estella. Book #2 will also
bring readers deeper into the Crimson Shadow universe and introduce a great
many more creatures as well as spotlighting the therions, which were never
touched-down upon in very much detail in "Noir". There will be
gnarliness--supernatural & acrobatic fight-sequences that will make fans of
action flicks, video games, and Japanese anime squirm with excitement--and
plot-twists and romance and heartbreak and blood.
Oh
yes, there WILL be blood!
10) Finally, how many books do you plan for the
Crimson Shadow series? Do you have them all planned out?
~So
far, as I have it planned, there will be seven books in total for the Crimson
Shadow series (all of them planned out in some form or another) that center on
Xander Stryker and his legacy (there's no exact number on how many short
stories will coincide with the series, but there will certainly be more than a
dozen). Past that, however, there is ANOTHER series that will spin-off from the
CS series and feature a character with close ties to Xander (that series is
estimated at about five books).
There you have it! Book #1
of the Crimson Shadow series and the chaos and insanity behind it's literary
conception in a nutshell. I hope that this has helped to provide some illumination (partial as it may be) to
the series and the character of Xander Stryker as well as enticing you to learn
more. The journey in creating and following in Xander Stryker's growing vampire
legacy is far from finished for me, and for all you wonderful readers it has
only just begun.
I hope that you'll join both
myself, The Literary Dark Prince, and the ever-growing group of fellow readers
known as The Legion in exploring the depths of the world of Crimson Shadow and
all the other stories that have come into being from it. You can find
"Crimson Shadow: Noir" (available in both paperback and Kindle
formats) and all of the available CS-themed Kindle shorts on Amazon HERE!
I first started ACTIVELY writing—that is to say, with the intention of actually doing something with it other than putting it on the fridge beside my report card—when I was about 16 (so about nine years, now). In that time I’ve done an excellent job of whipping out manuscript-after-manuscript, story-after-story, and concept-after-concept with every intention of using all of them as some sort of portfolio in a career as an author. And in those nine years I have queried less than a dozen agents and moved one—that’s somewhere in the vicinity of 1/6th (that’s less than 17% of nine years worth of work; equating to ABOUT 1.5-out-of-nine years PROPERLY spent on my literary endeavor and probably a few too many invested in mathematics that I’ll never make full use of).
Fortunately for me, I’ve got my Meggers and the combined efforts of her family and my own. Now, writers, as a general rule, are a lazy, whiny bunch, and I’m of the belief that not a thing—not one goddam thing—that any literary mind produced would’ve made it to the shelves if it weren’t for a loved one with a sharp implement behind them forcing them to follow through with the aftermath of the writing process. And my stubborn ass has *counts on fingers and nods to each digit* yea, SIX loved ones lighting their own individual fires under my too-wide backside. So nearly a full decade later and I get something from a scribbled-up manuscript and into print in LESS-THAN two weeks (adding that to the three weeks it took to write & the two weeks of editing and we’re looking at a little less than two months to go from NOTHING to an in-print novel; by that standard I should have AT LEAST 45 FULL publications [and that’s allowing myself a month-or-so between projects to rest]). (Just for the record, my using basic math to illustrate my INSANE levels of laziness is making me just a little sick…) Anyway, with a fiancee, her parents, my mother, and my grandparents all persistently poking & prodding for me to do something, I’ve kicked my ass into overdrive. So, for the past three-to-four months before Crimson Shadow’s become public, I’ve been increasing my efforts to turn an obsessive hobby into a career. In that time, I’ve planned & “sketched” a sequel for Death Metal, edited & submitted a short story to an online publication, pitched several comic book scripts, and published a prequel to Crimson Shadow called "Wicked Paints". In an effort to do my own marketing (what has got to be the hardest part of this whole writing thing) I’ve gone from two-or-three social networking sites to more than 10 and worked inadvertently with some of the coolest & most-brilliant literary minds I’ve had the fortune to encounter. This increase in networking has also, in turn, introduced me to countless other like-minded enthusiasts of literature & mythology. To sum it up, these past few months of being active towards my dream have been some of the happiest in my life! I know in a lot of ways this sounds like a simple “yay me” sort of post, and I guess in some regards that’s the case (hell, I’m more surprised to see me pulling it off than anybody else) but a lot of it comes down to something I noticed upon a period of recent self-reflection: All of us—that’s you, too—have hopes and dreams and aspirations that we spend countless and embarrassing hours staring off into nothingness imagining; painting such vivid pictures of “the happiness that could be” but always being too damn chicken-shit to make step #1 to achieving (for fuck’s sake: NINE YEARS!!). The point is, scary as that first step is, you gotta just do it; I promise you that it’s the hardest one to make and, after you do, your own instincts will carry you there. If it’s something you’re passionate about, then chances are it’s something your also decent at! So don’t be a chicken-shit—sitting on piles-upon-piles-upon-piles of your time and effort that you refuse to show to the world—‘cuz I want you to know that it’s worth it to take that step!
PS - Check me out at the following (don’t be surprised to see a link to this site on here, this is going up on multiple pages):
(there are several other, lesser-known sites that I roam about in. If you frequent any other social networking sites and wonder if I do too, simply inquire—I either do and will gladly share or I don’t and will most likely join.)
First and foremost, this is me in all my not-so-photogenic glory (the picture itself was taken by my fiancee, Megan, and then tinted red and animated by a stranger--I apologize if the person responsible for editing the piece happens upon this blog--on Vampirefreaks). My name (as the gif implies) is Nathan, and I am an up-and-coming fantasy/horror author with over three full manuscripts for a vampire series, a slew of short stories (both related & unrelated to the aforementioned series), three original comic books with at least three issues scripted each, and one current publication, Death Metal, available to the public in both paperback and digital copy for the Kindle.
Synopsis for Death Metal:
"Life was good and the future was bright for up-and-coming heavy metal band, Bloodtones. With a steadily-growing fan-base, the five members looked forward to a promising career in the music industry. And then things went to hell. Soon after a strange sighting, the Bloodtones' lead singer, Bekka, finds herself capable of the impossible and in mortal danger from otherworldly forces that catch even the non-human members of the band off guard. With their rock-solid future rapidly crumbling before their eyes, the Bloodtones find themselves struggling for not only their music... but their very lives."
5-star review from a reader:
"Scooped this up and it is a VERY good read from a solid up and coming new author. I found him through the book Immortal Night Vampire Series: The Anthology Of Vampire Books Volume 1 and after reading the first part I wanted to get more. He keeps the story moving and the characters are extremely real and readable. I'm impressed. You don't typically get this level of quality from a "new kid" but you can tell he spent the time, effort and money to have this come out flawless. Very good stuff. I'll be looking for more from him."
Below are some "sketches" of the characters from the novel (note - these were created as visuals for Death Metal's sequel--in progress--on Tektek, an avatar generator associated with an online group. While I'm not a member of the group, I use this program to help me visualize characters that I intend to use in the writing process):
(Clockwise from top):
Will - Drums - Vampire ; Derek - Bass - Magician ; Bekka - Vocals & keyboards - Possessed ;
David - Lead guitar - "Therion" (werewolf) ; Brian - Rhythm guitar - Human (and angry)
Outside of writing, I spend my time reading (novels & comics/manga), immersing myself in movies, listening to music, and enjoying a select few television series. While I don't necessarily indulge in these things evenly, they make up my major interests:
Reading (literature): I'm pretty hard to please when it comes to literature (probably one of the leading reasons I've decided to be a writer) but when I DO find a book/series that I enjoy I immerse myself fully and completely in it. My top 2 in terms of books/series (to date) are:
Rob(yn) Thurman's (the author prefers to publish under the name "Rob Thurman" but has admitted that the name is an abbreviation) "Nightlife" series.
Reading (comics/manga): While I'm not entirely proud to admit it, I'm more likely to fly through a comic book/graphic novel or manga than I am to read a book cover-to-cover (something in the merging of the written word, intriguing plot devices, and art just has a way of grabbing you by the ol' eyeballs and not letting go). While I'd be hard pressed to mention all my favorites, let's (for the time being, at least) settle for the top 5:
Deadpool - My ALL TIME FAVORITE comic book character (from ANY of the publishers/universes). Deadpool/Wade Wilson/"the merc with a mouth"--one of Marvel's #1 favorite characters (second only to Spider-Man from time-to-time)--is a rare example of a character that makes insanity work FOR them (the use of multiple-colored thought boxes often serve as a means of having the character carry on three-way conversations with himself). The character has made such an impact on me that I have a partially-finished tattoo of him (my only tattoo of a character not associated directly with my personal work) on my left leg.
30 Days of Night - Written by Steve Niles and illustrated by Ben Templesmith, this is possibly one of the best horror comic series ever written. Niles' story-telling coupled with Templesmith's extraordinary ability to create gritty & complex images work in ways that are comparible only to a culinary masterpiece (yes, I'm that much of a fatass).
Sin City - A balls-to-the-wall series straight from the imagination of comic book legend, Frank Miller, Sin City is an example of a comic series in which any--and I do mean ANY--panel from any book can be used as a unique piece of wall art. The amount of detail (both seen and unseen) is breathtaking and (for me, at least) makes it hard to drag my vision off of one panel to take in the next.
Hellboy - Like Sin City, Hellboy is a legendary product that couples stunning visuals with spectacular stories. However, where Sin City is gorgeous in its use of black-and-white imagery coupled with heavily shadowed panels, Hellboy creator Mike Mignola's art is incredibly rich with vibrant colors that look as though a series of colored Sharpie markers had been used to bring life to each geometric panel.
Priest - While you might not be aware of the Korean manga (known as "manhwa") by talented artist and writer, Hyung Min-woo, you MAY be aware of the US film "adaptation" by the same title. While Min-woo WAS involved in the writing of the film, the 2011 movie was in no way related to his comic. While the film is set in a post-apocalyptic future in which superhuman priests fight hordes of strangely quadrupedal vampires, the beautifully-illustrated comic series featured a demonically possessed priest who traveled the American Wild West in search of a demonic entity that had killed his lover.
"Priest" manhwa (left) & "Priest" movie (right)
I'm feeling like something got lost in translation here...
Because my writing is very visually-driven, I'm usually picturing a scene as it would appear on a theater screen as I write it. This being said, movies are an important element to both my art and my life. My top 3 favorite movies/sagas are:
The Matrix trilogy & The Animatrix - When you take gnarly, post-hostile-robot-takeover, couple it with insane sequences of Kung Fu awesomeness and "guns. Lots of guns", you get one of the greatest movie concepts the world has ever experienced. Saturate all that badass-ness with heaping doses of groundbreaking special effects and enough theories of philosophy to help you ace a college-level course... well, what's left to do besides drool all over yourself?
The Underworld saga - What happens when a microbiologist decides to write a "Romeo & Juliet"-style script about leather-clad, gun-toting vampires and werewolves of such intense ferocity that it redefines a nation's view of the legend? Underworld, baby! For the record, the microbiologist in question just-so-happened to star in his own project as Raze, one of the movies' werewolf characters (and, yes, that IS his real voice).
The Blade trilogy - A badass vampire-cum-vampire hunter with tattoos and a slew of weapons that would make The Matrix's Neo and The Underworld's Selene both weak in the knees. The second movie in particular, directed by my FAVORITE filmmaker, Guillermo del Toro, is still my favorite.
While I haven't been one for television lately, I recently came across three shows that I've been loyal in planting myself--week-after-week--on the couch with great, euphoric glee to watch:
House - The greatest handicapped, pill-popping, sarcasm-dropping, ill-tempered doctor to ever grace a television screen.
American Horror Story - It's on FX Wednesday nights at 10PM (EST). Watch it... a lot.
Family Guy & American Dad - Two great shows for the price of one (or so I think). Seth MacFarlane is pretty much a comedy genius and these two programs are his masterpieces.
Who doesn't love music of some form or another? For me, silence is an enemy (ask anybody who hasn't been able to make me shut up) and, as a result, when I'm not listening to the television, I'm usually seen pinched between my headphones as they pour out some of my favorite tunes (top 5):
Marilyn Manson - In the immortal words of the great Stan Lee: "'Nuff said".
Aiden & William Control - Okay, so this IS technically TWO groups, but since the vocalist for Aiden IS William Control (Wil Francis), it's fair enough to put them into one group (my blog, my decision, my right, so there!). While I can't write to their stuff, they both make excellent driving music!
Alesana - Every time I think I've gotten over this hard rock/metal/"screamo" group, they come out with a new album that better incorporates their exotic and harmonious combination of melodic vocals and guttural growls.
Kamelot - Sort of sad to bring up one of my favorite symphonic/operatic heavy metal groups. Within the past year, the band's vocalist, Khan, left the band. While it was thought to be due to anxiety and depression, it was recently confirmed that the decision was religious in nature.
Dir En Grey - I'm a funny sort of person. When I write, I'm so immersed in the words bouncing about in my head that, if I'm listening to anything with English words being spoken (music included), I lose concentration (unless I'm scripting a comic book, in which case I seem to function just fine with a playlist in any language). Since I can not very well write to NOTHING, I have taken to putting on foreign music, especially hard rock & heavy metal from Japan. Of all my favorite Japanese bands, however, Dir en Grey is, by far, my FAVORITE. Check out my collection of their awesomeness here.
So there you have it: an in depth and overly-intimate introduction to yours truly (see what I meant earlier when I said it's hard to shut me up). The above is pretty much me in a nutshell: a vampire-loving madman of literature driven by the twisted, the artistic, and all things in between. Hopefully you've had a fun time reading my first post (or, at the very least, enjoying all my purdy pictures.
