Thursday, April 19, 2018

The Gang

Our Author Gang
We are a small group of authors who write various genre books.
What brought us together on this blog:
First and foremost, our shared love for writing.
We like to "hang out" together, helping each another other by promoting each other's books, blogs, events, and doing whatever we can to support one another.
We take turns posting about our books, the rewards as well as the difficulties of publishing and book promotion, and about things we enjoy in everyday life.
We need your support, please visit our blog often, comment on our posts and share our posts.
Thank you!

Mary Anne Yarde is an award winning author of the International Best Selling Series — The Du Lac Chronicles. Set a generation after the fall of King Arthur, The Du Lac Chronicles takes you on a journey through Dark Age Briton and Brittany, where you will meet new friends and terrifying foes. Based on legends and historical fact, the Du Lac Chronicles is a series not to be missed.
Born in Bath, England, Mary Anne Yarde grew up in the southwest of England, surrounded and influenced by centuries of history and mythology. Glastonbury--the fabled Isle of Avalon--was a mere fifteen-minute drive from her home, and tales of King Arthur and his knights were part of her childhood.
Hello out there in cyberspace! I write Heroic Fantasy, Space Opera, Sword & Planet Sci-Fi, Sword and Sorcery Fantasy, Children's Books, and I also dabble a bit in Horror stories.
My fascination with the written and spoken word began as a 6th grader. I was like a sponge. I couldn’t get enough spelling, sentence diagraming, and literature. This passion followed me through junior high and high school and into adulthood.
I’m a Jill of most trades: co-owned a weekly newspaper, administrative office work, kitchen design, custom jewelry creation, wedding planning, floral design, preaching sermons, public relations and marketing, designing social media promotions, copy and manuscript editing, and now add the title author to this mix.

I became an avid reader at a very early age, thanks to my dad who introduced me to many great books. I write alternate history, romantic fantasy, magical realism novels as well as fun, educational, and bilingual books for children ages 4-12 about acceptance, friendship, family, and moral values such as accepting people with disabilities, dealing with bullies, and not judging others before getting to know them. I also like to encourage children to use their imagination and daydream about fantasy worlds.
I originally studied fine and commercial art, way back when dinosaurs walked the earth and eBooks weren't even a gleam in Amazon's eye. I started my career as a graphic artist as the sign maker at the old Nut Tree in Vacaville, California. After a stint at a print shop (ouch), I began working as a book designer for Bill Yenne at American Graphic Systems. While working for Bill, I wrote my first two books, "Ghost Towns" and "100 Medical Milestones That Shaped World History."
Hi there, Toi here. I’m the self-published author of 10 books and counting. I’m also a blogger and vlogger who loves to interview other creatives. A geek girl at heart, I’m also a bit of a techie and foodie, I was born in Texas but consider Virginia to be my home. I enjoy reading, cooking, painting, geek culture, collecting vinyl records, and spending time with my family. 
I also work as a special education teacher’s assistant and find comfort and peace of mind in chocolate, green tea, and naps. My husband and I have been married for twelve years and share our home with a tortoise named Betty and a Redbone Coonhound named Margie, who’s totally taken over the house.
Nicola McDonagh is known for her unique writing style and is the author of the unconventional sci-fi/dystopian Song of Forgetfulness action adventure series. She loves to play around with the written word and the visual image and has been a photographer, actor, director, scriptwriter and other less exciting things, (worst ever job – dishwasher in a trendy bar in Liverpool) before settling in Suffolk with her musician husband, plethora of rescued cats and chickens.
Rebecca is an award-winning author, blogger, and book reviewer. While fantasy tends to be her primary genre she also dabbles in paranormal, romance, and sci-fi. Currently Rebecca has one epic fantasy series titled The Chronicles of the Coranydas. Rebecca likes writing in the the first person as well. Her paranormal fantasy For Their Sins and her Sci-fi action/adventure Neutral Space are both written in this style.
Christina Weigand’s a writer, wife, and mother of three grown children and a teenage daughter. She is also Nana to four granddaughters. She lives with her husband and youngest daughter in Pennsylvania after a short sabbatical in the lovely state of Washington.
She received her BS in Interior Design in 1995, but after a few years of working in the industry God redirected her path with the addition of a fourth child to the family. So she returned to being a stay at home mom, but having been out in the world of school and work she realized she needed a little more, so she took several writing courses and started her second career as an author.
Rich Feitelberg is a poet and novelist, author of the fantasy series, the Aglaril Cycle. He also has four short story collections and a collection of poetry available at fine booksellers everywhere. 
Rich is an avid map collector, and student of popular culture. Growing up on a steady diet of comic books, science fiction, and fairy tales of all kinds, Rich soon began weaving his own tales at a young age. These activities continue to this day, as Rich is working on the next installment of the Aglaril Cycle, and writing more poems and short stories for your enjoyment.

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Inspired by comic books, part 4, the finale by Toi Thomas

"Hellboy" image by Paolo Rivera via Pinterest 
from the My Geekdom board

I’m so thrilled to share with you the fourth, and final, installment of my “Inspired by comic books” series. Today, I’ll be talking a bit about indie comic books. (If you missed part one,  two, and three, please check them out).

Sourced from Wikipedia.com
First, I’d like to mention some of the more popular or well-known indie comic book companies; what I often refer to as the Big Indie 3 of Comics: Dark Horse, Valiant, and Image. All of these presses have been around for a while and have had plenty of success, yet have not become as mainstream as D.C. and Marvel, and I’m kind of glad. I think one of the reasons these indie, or lesser known, though highly profitable and successful, presses have done so well, is because they each appeal to a very specific or niche audience or create products that appeal to niche audiences. Because these presses aren’t trying to appeal to the masses, they achieve the one thing all in the publishing industry strive for, hardcore fans.

Dark Horse, for me, was the one indie comic press that seemed a little dangerous as I was growing up. Those were the comics I didn’t want my parents to know I was into, but as an adult, I’ll tell the world, “I like it.” They are probably most known for such series or character titles as Hellboy, Sin City, Tank Girl, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Valiant Comics logo.
Designed by Rian Hughes.
Sourced from 
Wikipedia.com

Valiant Comics, to me, still kind of seems like that underground press that has produced an amazing amount of content and created a layered and complex universe that leaves you wondering, “Why aren’t more people reading this?” I even put myself in that category having recently discovered their Unity series, which combines many of their staple characters into a team-up comic in the vein of Justice League and Avengers. They are probably most known for their Harbinger series and all its spin-offs plus X-O-Manowar, who’s part of the Unity team-up.

Then there’s Image Comics, who’s totally kill’n it in new, edgy, and creative content as of late. Where Dark Horse was dangerous, Image always seems a little naughty. Growing up I never actually read any of their comics, but I wanted to. I especially remember wanting to read a Spawn comic but being too afraid to bumb one from a friend (I wasn’t going to buy one). Today, they are probably most known for The Walking Dead and Saga, though two of my favorites are Paper Girls and Montress (this comic is so beautiful, you almost forget that the story is very violent and a bit twisted).
 Sourced from Wikipedia.com

Lastly, I’d like to mention a few indie comic presses and or comic titles that I like, to which you are welcome to look up: Ichabod Jones: Monster Hunter from WannaBe Press, AlterLife from Village Comics, and Vessels from Card Shark Comics. If you want to discover indie comic book content, try searching on Facebook or Kickstarter. It’s not ideal, but that’s where I’ve found most of my indie comic book content outside of attending live Cons and vendor events.

Before I conclude this geek-a-thon of comic book praise, I want to point out a few things about indie comic books and how they influence me. As an indie author, I find that I have a lot to learn from indie comic writers and artists. Looking to them for inspiration and insight has helped me be a better salesperson and has helped me learn how to appeal to a specific audience. Indie comic writers and artists have helped me to think outside the “traditional publishing” box to find a way that suits me best. And lastly, indie comics have taught me how to stretch the limits of an idea without being afraid of going too far. Indie comics are a way to tell stories that just aren’t meant to suit everyone; however, they will be amazing for someone in particular. That’s what I’m striving for in my own writing.

Find out more about me, my work, and my inspiration at the following links:

Amazon | Goodreads The ToiBox of Words | YouTube | See a list of my other posts here.
COMMENTS

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Nikki McDonagh

9 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
So many books I haven't heard of, but would like to read. Thanks for a really interesting series, Toi.
 
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Ruth de Jauregui via Google+

9 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Toi shares the finale of her four part series on comic books and inspiration. Great stuff!!
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Ruth de Jauregui

9 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
I always liked Dark Horse and the small comic book companies. Not so much the biggies. Great post, thank you!
 
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Joe Bonadonna via Google+

9 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Today on A Small Gang of Authors, Toinette Thomas winds up her series on how her writing has been inspired by comic books.
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Joe Bonadonna

9 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
This has been a great series, Toi. Sorry to see it come to an conclusion. I was (am) a big fan of Dark Horse, having read Hellboy, Alien, and a few others. I look forward to what you treat us with next time.
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Erika M Szabo

9 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Aw... it's over? I really enjoyed this series and learned a lot. Thanks Toi!
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Thank you so much. I could write about this forever, but that's all for now. Perhaps I'll return from another angle down the road.

Grace Au

9 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 

sad to see this series end...thanks for your insight into the world of comic books from inception to current day.
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Glad to know you enjoyed it.

Mary Anne Yarde

9 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Such an interesting post!
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Thank you.

Chris Weigand

9 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
You continue to supply me with new info. I am going to have to check these out.
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Yeah, there's a whole comic world out there people don't know about. I especially love the educational comic content out there.

Chris Weigand via Google+

9 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
..Indie Comics? Who knew? Learn more about them with Toi
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Rich Feitelberg via Google+

9 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
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Rich Feitelberg

9 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Very nice. Over the years there have been many independent publishers. I liked First Comics and Amalgam once upon a time. Great job on this series.
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Yasss!. I too enjoyed Amalgam. Good stuff there.

Toi Thomas via Google+

9 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Today, I talk about indie comics; the naughty, dangerous, and edgy comics that may not be mainstream but demand respect from hardcore fans.
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