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land-of-brains-and-chocolate · 4 years

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here’s the entirety of the paywalled businessinsider article interviewing charles beacham about marvel’s racism in staffing and editorial decisions!

In the early 2010s, Marvel's comics business focused on a diverse slate of new characters, but by 2017 comic sales had fallen, which resulted in the exit of editor-in-chief Axel Alonso.

Three former Marvel editors and one current editor told Business Insider that in the years since, Marvel has recommitted to nostalgia and classic, mostly white characters, often at the expense of some of those diverse characters like Miles Morales, a biracial teenage Spider-Man.

That shift was guided by an editorial department that lacked diversity, particularly in leadership roles. Today, there are no Black staffers on Marvel's editorial team of about 18 people, and only two people of color, Marvel confirmed.

"My voice and what I brought to the table wasn't valued equally," said Charles Beacham, one of two Black editorial staffers to work at Marvel in the past five years.

Have a tip? Email the author at [email protected] or DM him on Twitter @TravClark2.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Miles Morales was the character who pulled Charles Beacham into the world of comics.

Beacham was studying journalism at Brigham Young University, in Utah, when he walked into a comics shop in 2011 and picked up a copy of Morales' first appearance. Beacham, who is Black, said he was amazed to see Morales — a teenage Spider-Man who has a Black father and Puerto Rican mother — in its pages.

"When I was growing up, I always wanted to be the red Power Ranger, and the other kids would say I had to be the black Ranger," Beacham said. "The same thing happened with Spider-Man. They'd say, 'You can't be Spider-Man because Peter Parker's not a Black dude.' Seeing Miles Morales made me wish I had that as a kid."

Morales propelled Beacham into comics and into Marvel itself, where he worked as an assistant editor.

"I didn't have job prospects when I moved to New York in 2013, but the goal was to work for Marvel because of Miles Morales," Beacham said. When he landed a job at the company the next year, he loved it.

But Beacham, now 31, was living in New York City with a child on a $38,000 salary. He said that after three years as an assistant editor, from 2014 to 2017, without a promotion, he was ready to leave. It wasn't about the money as much as the lack of a path forward.

"I thought I'd be at Marvel forever," he said. "If they had promoted me I'd probably still be there and surviving on ramen."

Beacham is one of two Black editorial staffers to have worked at Marvel in the past five years, the company confirmed. The second Black staffer, also an assistant editor, left this year after five years without a promotion or raise, a person familiar with the matter said. The editorial team of about 18 people now has two people of color.

"I want to be back there all the time," Beacham said. "But when it comes down to it, my voice and what I brought to the table wasn't valued equally."

Disney-owned Marvel has grown into a cultural force that extends beyond its comic books and into movies, video games, and other media. The comics are the foundation for it all, including the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has become the highest-grossing movie franchise of all time.

The stories that Marvel's small editorial team helps shape are central to popular culture in the US and around the world.

"Who works on these stories can help broaden them," said Regine Sawyer, the founder of Women in Comics Collective International, which helps to spotlight the comics work of marginalized people.

That was clear from 2011 to 2017, when Marvel ushered in a new era for its comic books under then editor-in-chief Axel Alonso, who is Mexican American.

New and diverse characters like Morales took center stage instead of Marvel's decades-old classic characters, who were primarily white. These characters inspired new fans like Beacham, and continue to inspire new fans as they make their way to other media.

But by 2017, Marvel's comic sales had fallen. Marvel's president of sales, David Gabriel, publicly blamed it on diversity. Alonso exited the company and was replaced by a white man in the role of top editor. Marvel reversed course.

Now, in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd and the protests that followed, Marvel is promising to once again introduce more diversity to its ranks and its stories.

Marvel chairman Ike Perlmutter sent a letter to employees on June 18 saying the company would "support more Black voices."

And in a memo to staff sent July 6, Marvel's president, Dan Buckley, outlined three areas of focus for Marvel moving forward:

broaden Marvel's creative landscape, which includes identifying "what has traditionally prevented us in the industry from recruiting and fostering more BIPOC talent."

build a foundation of lasting growth by "examining our internal culture and rebuilding our long-term process for talent recruitment, retention, and outreach to communities of color."

create new initiatives and expansion opportunities by "looking to explore new projects that will enable us to reach and represent an even broader audience."

In addition to Beacham, Business Insider spoke with two former Marvel editors and a current editor. Aside from Beacham, the Marvel insiders spoke on condition of anonymity to protect their stance at the company or job prospects. They said they weren't confident in Marvel's latest initiative.

"The guy who made a commitment to diversity and wanted to try new things was fired," a former Marvel staffer said, referring to Alonso.

'Spider-Man with an asterisk'

Alonso led Marvel through a bold era during his time as editor-in-chief starting in 2011, helping to establish a diverse slate of characters.

Jane Foster was the new Thor. Sam Wilson, aka the Falcon, a Black character, replaced Steve Rogers as Captain America. Riri Williams, a Black girl, was introduced as an Iron Man-like character named Ironheart. Kamala Khan, a Pakistani American Muslim teenager, was the new Ms. Marvel.

It wasn't a new phenomenon in comic books. Characters are regularly passing on their mantles, at least for a while. Dick Grayson, the first Robin, was DC's Batman for a time in the early 2010s, for instance. Sam Wilson wasn't the first person to take over as Captain America. This era at Marvel Comics, however, was notable for how it emphasized diversity.

But by 2017 — Alonso's final year as editor-in-chief — the company's print sales had plummeted (Marvel in 2014 said that Ms. Marvel's solo title was a top seller digitally, but digital comics sales aren't released to the public).

"What we heard is that people didn't want any more diversity," David Gabriel, the vice president of sales at Marvel Entertainment, said that year in an interview with ICv2, a website that covers the comics business.

"I don't know that that's really true, but that's what we saw in sales," Gabriel said. "Any character that was diverse, any character that was new, our female characters, anything that was not a core Marvel character, people were turning their nose up."

What Gabriel meant by "core Marvel character" were the classic, decades-old characters being sidelined for new, younger, and more diverse characters.

Seven months later, in November 2017, Marvel's Alonso stepped down from his role and was replaced by C.B. Cebulski, a white man who faced controversy when he was hired after admitting to writing comics in the early 2000s under a Japanese pseudonym.

"The comics that [Alonso] made me think I could work in comics," Beacham said. "But when a Latinx guy is scapegoated for diversity and replaced by a white dude, and the sentiment was that Marvel was 'getting away from its roots,' what does that mean?"

In a statement after his 2017 comments, Gabriel emphasized that "our new heroes are not going anywhere."

But in the months between that retailer summit and Alonso's exit, Marvel introduced an initiative for editorial staff that had been discussed internally for some time: Phase out the familiar superhero codenames for some newer, diverse characters and give them their own, two former assistant editors including Beacham said.

Marvel confirmed to Business Insider that it had previously considered stripping Morales of his Spider-Man title and giving him a new name, but has no plans to do so right now. Marvel added that it discusses status quo changes for all of its top characters.

Today, some of the classic characters have been thrust back into the spotlight. Steve Rogers has taken back the mantle of Captain America, and Thor is a man again. Miles Morales shares the Spider-Man title with Peter Parker, the original Spider-Man.

Morales has grown in popularity beyond comic books, having starred in Sony's Oscar-winning animated "Into the Spider-Verse" movie in 2018 and in a coming PlayStation video game called "Spider-Man: Miles Morales."

Beacham said he was glad that Morales continued to be a Spider-Man.

"It would have made him less important," Beacham said of Morales' losing the Spider-Man title. "He becomes Spider-Man with an asterisk. It takes away the power for kids who relate to this character."

'There's not a lack of people who can do the work'

Now, Marvel's comic-book slate is once again largely focused on classic characters, though characters like Morales and Khan remain. And there are some comics starring diverse characters from creators of color, like Ta-Nehisi Coates' "Black Panther." But their stories are in the hands of an editorial department run by an establishment of white male leadership.

"There's not a lack of people who can do the work," said Yumy Odom, the founder of the East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention, which helps to showcase the talents of creators of color. "But it's about how receptive the industry is to them. I can think of 20 creators, mostly African Americans, who would be ready to work at Marvel."

Women faced an uphill battle at Marvel as well, the Marvel editors said. A female former assistant editor told Business Insider that she was never promoted or given a raise from her $30,000 salary in her three years at the company. She said she got promoted within a year at her new company, a different comics publisher.

Marvel declined to discuss employee salaries.

The Marvel insiders said a notable exception was Sana Amanat, who is Pakistani American and a former editor. She is now Marvel's head of content and character development, a leadership role outside the editorial department.

'There's a whole cohort of young readers'

Marvel has significantly bounced back from its 2017 sales decline, which might suggest that the refocus on its classic characters reeled longtime readers back.

Of the top 100 best-selling comics of 2020 so far, 69 belonged to Marvel, as of Wednesday, including four of the top five, and the company has accounted for 41% of comic sales this year, according to industry website Comichron. Three years ago, Marvel was lagging behind DC, its biggest competitor.

An example of the start of this resurgence was the first issue of Marvel's "Amazing Spider-Man" relaunch — starring the original Spider-Man, Peter Parker — which ranked fifth in 2018 out of all comics, according to data from Comichron. In contrast, when Marvel launched a series called "Miles Morales Spider-Man" in that year, the debut issue didn't crack the top 200 best-selling comics.

"People of a certain age have a connection with Peter Parker, not Miles Morales," a former Marvel staffer said. "Years from now, that may be different."

The current and former Marvel staffers Business Insider spoke with said they were hopeful that readership could broaden, particularly now that characters such as Morales and Khan are being introduced to audiences in other media like movies and TV. Khan is to appear in a Disney Plus TV series and the upcoming "Avengers" video game, for instance.

There are signs that the comics industry is going through a larger shift in how people read and who is reading, which could also spur change.

Last year, comic sales through the "book channel" — which includes chain and independent book stores and online retailers like Amazon — surpassed comic-book stores for the first time, driven by the increased popularity in children's graphic novels, according to an analysis by ICv2.

Milton Griepp, the chief executive of ICv2, said at the New York Comic Con conference last year that the shift could usher in a new audience for superhero comic books.

"There's a whole cohort of young readers that are being introduced to this medium and may graduate to other forms of content in the comic format over the course of their lifespans," Griepp said.

Beacham said: "Marvel needs to figure out the next stage of its core demographic because it could change rapidly."

#marvel #businessinsider.com is going to hunt me down like a wild animal

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everyonesonthespectrum · 4 years

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30 days of Autism Acceptance: Day 3!

April 3: Talk about special interests. Do you have any? What are they? How long have you had them? What does it feel like to have special interests? What does having special interests mean to you? Talk about your past special interests

HOO BOY! Ok, I’ll try not to go on too long about my special interests, but I have a lot to say about them! Also, some of my special interests are in this weird grey area of “are they a SpIn or a hyperfixation?”, so I’ll cover those as well, and make it noted when that’s the case for one. Also, this will be VERY LONG, so I’ll put it under a cut.

SpIn #1 - Pokemon

Pokemon has been my main special interest since I was 9, I believe! Black was my first game that I got for my birthday, and I was super happy to get it since all of my friends at the time would talk about it! I’ve gotten (almost?) every major release since then, thought I usually only get one out of the two versions.

The Pokemon games that I have are *inhales*: Black, Black 2, HeartGold (got a few years after it came out), X (I have the limited edition 3DS), Alpha Sapphire, Moon (first completed Pokedex!), Ultra Moon (haven’t beat and probably never will), Let’s Go, Eevee!, Sword (still trying to beat), Conquest, Art Academy, PMD: Gates to Infinity, Picross, Rumble World, Battle Trozei, Pokemon Quest, Pokemon Playhouse (for when I’m regressed), Poke Park 1 & 2, My Pokemon Ranch, and Battle Revolution!

I also used to play the TCG competitively, and in my first competition, I placed 9th in my division! I stopped playing about a year after that though because the cards I used in my strategy when I would practice with my Dad were too old to be viable.

I have a growing stuffie and merch collection as well! I have a lot of Unova stuffies, and a print of the Unova map that I got at a ren faire when I was younger (it currently hangs above my dresser)! My two favorite stuffies at this time are Baby my Eevee Build-A-Bear (named after my Eevee in Let’s Go, Eevee!), and Lily my Wooloo! I have a couple of Pokemon sketch cards that friends of my Dad’s drew, and some prints and figure-y things I’ve gotten in Artist Alleys over the years!

I also own a couple of different Pokemon books (not the manga, though), and 2 of the movies, along with the OSTs for B/W, X/Y, and ORAS! I don’t have much as far as clothing goes though, except for my “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” scarf and a Pikachu hat I got at an old anime store at the mall that has since closed. That’s probably all I can remember right now!

SpIn #2 - Steam Powered Giraffe

SPG has been a special interest for about 4 years now? Anyway, they’re my #1 favorite band and have literally saved my life. Watching Bunny Bennett’s (who plays Rabbit) vlogs about her transition, along with listening to the song Transform that she wrote (waaay before they just made it a single) really helped me accept myself and come out.

They also came at a time where I was struggling emotionally a lot, and I remember being stuck in the ER hooked up to an IV, and my mom played some of their albums for me to keep me calm and grounded. More recently, I saw them perform at Anime Midwest last year, and when they performed Transform (which neither me or my friends expected), we were all hugging each other and crying tears of joy (my friends are trans as well, and have also been touched by Bunny’s vlogs).

Their songs (not including the sad ones) make me really happy as well, and Make Believe makes me stim a lot in particular! I also got to sing Honeybee as part of a voice coaching summer camp I took last year, and it felt really good to do it! I really recommend listening to them, especially if you like steampunk and/or you’re looking for trans artists to support!

SpIn #3 - Little Shop of Horrors

So this is more of a fairly recent one, compared to the first two. This special interest mostly applies to the 1986 movie, but I’ve seen the stage musical as well! The music, the cast, the plot, it’s all *chef’s kiss*. But for real though, my two favorite things about the movie are the practical effects and the endings.

With the CGI fresh hell we got with CATS, you may thing, “wow, special effects were so much better back then”. Except here’s the thing, they were practical effects. Audrey II is (I believe) entirely puppetry, not CGI. The same applies for the musical as well! It really culminated at the end of the film during “Mean Green Mother from Outer Space”, when Audrey II is at it’s biggest and most elaborate. Speaking of that scene, I much prefer the director’s cut over the theatrical cut. I know that the happy ending is much better for Audrey and Seymour, but “Don’t Feed The Plants” is an absolute banger, and I get a good cry out of it too.

I heard they might be making a remake of the movie, which I’m hesitant about, again, seeing how CATS turned out. We can only hope that they listen to the fans, and make the right decisions when it comes to making it.

SpIn #4 - Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure

Ok, so this is one of those aformentioned “is it a SpIn or a hyperfixation” moments. I’ve been hyperfixated on JJBA for the past 6 months and I’m physically unable to shut up about it XD

I’m about to start watching part 4 of the anime, I just need to set aside time to do it. I watched it a tad out of order, my ex told me to skip part 1 and watch a synopsis of it, so I started with part 2 (I’m a huge part 2 stan btw), got to part 3, was confused by everything going on with DIO, so I went back, watched part 1, and then resumed part 3.

As I mentioned, I’m a huge part 2 stan, so I currently have several part 2 character cosplays in the works. This includes (but isn’t limited to) Caesar, Suzi Q, Playboy Bunny Caesar (inspired by a piece of art that @tinypalettes drew), Tequila Joseph (but like,, actually decent drag), and Cleric Suzi Q from the JJBA D&D session me and my friends are having. I also want to do a drag/latex DIO look, along with maid DIO inspired by an old JUMP cover and a fanfic I read the other day.

I get a little nervous about doing/going to JJBA events at conventions because I’m worried about running into my ex, but knowing that I have supportive people with me helps a lot.

SpIn #5 - Homestuck/Hiveswap

So this is another one of those “SpIn or hyperfixation” moments as well. I’ve been into Homestuck since late 2016, but I’ve never been super involved in the fandom. Like, yes, I have a moirail and I’ve been in and hosted panels at conventions, but I’ve encountered some toxic people in it, so I try to distance myself.

I will say, however, that Homestucks are loyal to their fandom, and will buy merch if they like it. When I say that, yes, I mean myself, but it’s mostly about my Etsy customers. If you look at my sales history, the majority of it is quadrant necklaces, almost always the moirail ones. I get some orders for horns and pillows too, but not as often as the necklaces. When it comes to exhibiting at conventions, it depends. I normally don’t put Homestuck stuff out on the table because it’s such a niche, but when I do, people will usually buy a lot at once. For example, at Wizard World Madison in 2018, one guy bought $50-60 worth of Homestuck sprites from me. That weekend was the best I’ve ever done, and I haven’t come close since. My Etsy store started out as just me making Homestuck sprites for me and my friends too, so I’m glad that I was able to expand and give others what I like as well.

I’m also involved in a Hiveswap YouTube musical, and I’ve made a lot of good friends through it! We’re on hiatus right now, but we should be starting up again soon! I also have a lot of Homestuck cosplays! I’ve done Karkat, John, Jade, Nepeta, Trickster Nepeta, Karkat Peixes (a bloodswap), and I have a lot more that I want to do!

SpIn #6 - Danganronpa

So Danganronpa is (probably) one of those last “SpIn or hyperfixation” things. I’ve been into Danganronpa since 2018 (I think?), and DR:AE is my favorite (mostly because I’m a Kotoko and Toko kinnie oof-)!

Right now, my only Danganronpa cosplay is Toko/Syo, but I’m working on a couple of j-fashion (particularly menhera and fairy kei) inspired looks to do with my moirail (who was the one who got me into j-fashion), and just some Amazon/eBay cosplays as well! I’m also working on a Future Foundation Toko cosplay to do with my moirail so we can do Tokomaru together (though most of it is thrifting and clothes I already have)!

I own DR1, SDR2, and DR:AE on my computer, but I don’t play them much. The second trial in DR1 gives me panic attacks because of the whole breaking of trust thing (I’ve heard the audios and I just,,, break down), I haven’t touched SDR2 yet, and I’m sucky at the controls for DR:AE. However, I’ve watched the anime and I’ve seen let’s plays, so I have a feel for what’s going on, though I may not remember it all correctly since I haven’t watched them in a while.

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So that’s most (if not all) of my special interests! I probably forgot some, but it’s getting late and I need to pack for my Mom’s and go to bed. I hope you all have a good night!

#30daysofautismacceptance #2020 #autism #autistic #actually autistic #autistic characters #autistic character of the day

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toastydoodles · 6 years

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(Art Blog) | (Twitter) | (Instagram) | (Storenvy)

((Had to get in one last post before the new year!))

I HAD THE MOST STRESSFUL FUN THIS OCTOBER doing these three conventions three weeks in a row, not to mention doing multi-day conventions for the first time! There were ups and downs but I had so much fun and by the end of my con season my brain was utterly fried!!

Thank you so so much to everyone who stopped by, and to those who followed me here sometime in the past couple months: Hello!! Thank you for supporting my art and I hope you enjoy your stay!!

That said, I’m gonna talk a bit about this con season. GET COMFY, ITS LONG

So con prep started in late August when I learned that I actually got into Kumori after having been on their waitlist for a while. I knew then that I REALLY had to kick my ass into gear lol

At this point, I was still in the middle of my 40 hr (+ 12 hr travel time) a week summer internship, so I didn’t have all day to work on my prints until the weekend, but my weekends were usually taken up spending time with loved ones and friends. Or gaming, since I didn’t have the time during the weekdays >_>

Then college came back around, giving me 4 classes, a student job doing graphic design, and club activities + homework! When I thought I’d have more free time, I actually had less! But with cons approaching, I drew more than I would have if I didn’t have cons AND found myself improving when it came to doing prints again.

The biggest issue popped up a week before BCC. LONG story short, I suddenly did not have a button maker to borrow anymore. I weighed my options: either lose money on potential button sales (which made up most of my sales in previous years) and shelf my button designs, or drop $500 on a button maker set to make them in time for Kumori and Jet City. This is also keeping in mind that I might not be able to do too many cons in the future.

I bought the button maker. But, since I am the luckiest daughter in the world, my parents swooped in to pay for it as an early Christmas present. I will be making so many wearable memes with this gift and I am GRATEFUL.

Another issue I ran into the WHOLE MONTH was not being able to take card. I’m forever rejected from Square (tl;dr, my phone glitched during signup and shredded through all the signup attempts I can possibly have. Customer service basically said “welp, sorry!”) and Paypal Here was entirely unhelpful, so I had to go the season as cash only. I won’t actually know how much this hurt sales, but it definitely hurt turning down some big purchases because I was one of the few vendors that didn’t take card!

I’ll definitely be looking into the alternatives for card readers soon! There’s a lot out there.

This year, I kept track of my sales and stock with excel sheets with formulas! It definitely kept things organized and helped me keep track of stock and see where patterns were, if any. It wasn’t perfect, but it helped immensely. I also kept very VERY close track of what my spending was like.

I’m spoiling it before the end, but I was about $200 from breaking even. Luckily I’m not in a position where this loss impacts significantly, but it still stings! It could have been a result of multiple things, such as the hotel for Kumori being 1/3rd of my expenses ALONE, my choice of products/fandoms, not having ability to take card, and general attendee interest.

Let’s take a brief look at each con!

Bellingham Comicon

Glad to be back!

Bellingham Comicon has once again, been a joy. It’s a small convention but excited attendees pack the place and sales were good. A couple people recognized me from last year and I recognized a couple people too! I didn’t have my button maker yet but perlers seemed to be decently popular. I even made a custom Witch Mercy perler that sold 40 MINUTES INTO THE CONVENTION. It sold so quick that I didn’t even get to take a table picture until after I sold it! (I will say, when I put up that custom Sentai Genji, I upped the price a bit lmao)

I met a lot of amazing artists and got to do a bunch of art trades as well, something I haven’t really done in previous years! I was happy to see a couple familiar faces and meet some new artists too!! BCC is small enough that walking around and chatting to other artists and vendors is on the easier side.

I got a couple weird looks dressed as IT Damien from Dream Daddy, but was glad some people recognized me! I made some first impressions on some very cool artists in that cosplay haHA

While BCC is a comic convention, I didn’t feel out of place. There were lots of attendees that I would consider in my target audience and I didn’t feel like it was taking away from business. BCC is very much a comic and pop culture convention, with fans looking for all sorts of things!

Kumoricon

GOD WHAT AN ADVENTURE

Kumori was my first multi-day convention, and the farthest I’ve travelled for a con! Needless to say, I was anticipating this con since August, but didn’t know AT ALL what to expect.

We ended up driving down on Thursday and setting up that night, which definitely took a lot of the stress away. I also managed to compact my table and merch into a single tote, a print box, a bag to hold the wire cubes, + personal bags for miscellaneous stuff. So that was less stressful too.

Friday came and I was cosplaying Taako (which, as I found out, is 150% more fun to wear than IT Damien oops). The day was on the slower side, and some of my friends came by to say hi and ended up helping out at my table, giving me time to check out the artist alley!

Kumori’s artist alley was HUGE. And even more jarring: so many of the artists I follow on twitter/insta/etc were there. Somehow. Good lord, how many of you live in the PNW that I didn’t know about? I recognized an artist who’s art I love in line while waiting for badges and almost had a heart attack. Over the weekend, I met a lot of artists but it was only a fraction of the entire artist alley. I didn’t even get to meet all the artists I recognized!

So. Profit-wise, the con was kind of a disappointment. Oh boy, here’s a stat: I made about as much at BCC as I did at Kumori. In three days.

Again, this could’ve been a number of things. A lot of artists (many more experienced than me!), general interest, things I chose to sell, etc. But even so, many of the returning artists I talked to said it was slower than last year and some said the con is usually pretty dang slow.

But the con was fantastic in other ways. It gave me valuable big-con experience, some new art friends/mutuals, a fun time at the con and in Portland (good food!), and again, my favorite part, meeting a ton of cool, amazing artists and being able to make some art trades or to buy from them!

I definitely needed rest after this one. My brain was absolutely FRIED by the time we finally got back home and ate a late dinner at Shari’s.

Jet City Comic Show

Not even gonna lie, it was EMPTY most of the weekend!

I ended up having to table by myself, which wasn’t a problem with how lax it was. I even had time to doodle as well as finish a pen drawing! And I live pretty close to the show, so I could just head home once the days ended.

My table neighbor was super cool and I met a bunch of cool artists from all over the artist alley as well! This alley was pretty massive too, so I didn’t get to check out all of them. Being a comic convention, most of the artists were comic-based, with maybe a hand full of anime-styled artist from what I could see.

Many artists had their own published comics, and I enjoyed listening to their pitches (and took some comics home too!!).

My row didn’t seem to get a lot of foot traffic, but neither did the majority of the artist alley. And Sunday was even slower! Talking to other vendors, I found out Jet City is usually slow, but this year was slower than the last.

All in all, it was a nice quiet weekend and I was happy to meet more amazing artists at this con, as well as happy to get home and REST!

Overall...

This season was rewarding. Not in the money way, unfortunately. I’m lucky to be a position where it doesn’t affect me in a major way. But I’m always so excited to go to cons, and just being around fellow fans and creative minds is rewarding in it’s own way. I’ve also learned what to do and what not to do for future conventions should I continue to do them!

the real profit was the artists we met along the way

#artist alley #artist alley recap #long post #toasty post #i actually wrote this is november and havent finished it til now lmao #portfolio

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a-story-teller · 7 years

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Lmao sooooo! My 18th birthday was a... I don’t take the Good Lord’s name in vain very often but God it was wild. I never thought I would say “last night was crazy” but last night was crazy. Much more under the cut. NSFW mentionings.

So I was at an anime/video game convention over the weekend, which ran from the 25th-27th. The con ran over my birthday (the 27th) and I quickly figured out since panels run late into the night, if I went to an 18+ panel past midnight on the Saturday schedule, it’d technically be the 27th and I could get in.

So we made a do of it! My brother and sister and I went to a “dating game” panel run by a midwest-centered burlesque group and I got in with no shit from the security man. We went and sat near the front and basically it was ye olde 3-people-on-one-side-of-a-tarp-answer-questions-from-one-person-on-the-other-side setup. The one person on the other side, though clearly a member of the burlesque, was unknown to the contestants, and they were also most often in costume.

We sit down. Things start. The announcer is in half a kigu and there are already sex jokes everywhere. They ask for their first contests, I raise my hand (the room was packed) and then yell “I just turned 18!” and the announcer’s like “then get your ass up here!” and then proceeds to gush over how cute me + my cosplay are. I’m contestant 2 and the questions start. I know myself well and I like to think I’m witty and by the time we’re nearing the end, I’m the crowd favorite. The whole thing is hilarious and I get chosen as the winner for this round! I come around the other side and the person is in a fucking sexy meowth cosplay lol and we hug and I get ushered backstage.

The prize is a free print of any burlesque member (send nudes lmao). But before I can get to the print table my path is blocked by two burlesque guys, one of whom is already shirtless - junkrat cosplay, no duh - and the other, a team Instinct Spark cosplayer, immediately lifts his shirt and goes “You wanna touch?” and like. Bruh. This guy’s abs are amazing. I mean like “he said Kylo Ren was shredded” amazing. And God help me there’s even a bit of a happy trail. But what’s a girl to do when handed beautiful abs on a silver platter? So I just press my hand to it and like absorb the power and maybe get extremely flustered. Then the junkrat’s like “don’t I get some?” and me, being stunned stupid, just poke this kid’s abs instead of properly appreciating them.

I bump around backstage watching the antics, sifting through large binders of nudes like it’s normal, standing next to a no-face cosplayer in high heels. I choose my picture - an artsy shot, only one tiddy out, able to be passed off as art reference should my mother ever find it. These are the things I think about. Everyone has been super duper nice and I head back to my seat with goods in hand, still reeling a bit from finding out what abs feel like, to chill with the sibs and laugh over all of it. We watch a bunch of the other rounds, the highlights of which include an extremely drunk contestant shaking her thong-clad bum at the crowd, telling everyone about how she’s been deprived by only having vanilla sex, and proceeding to invite up and snog, tongue included, a random woman from the audience; that no-face cosplayer slinkily pulling up the bottom of the skirt to reveal stockings and garters; and previously-mentioned Spark pulling down his pants to get “spanked” with the announcer’s flip-flop only to have her pull them off his butt, effectively mooning the audience. Remember, these are only the highlights.

I slip backstage to get my print signed and take the opportunity (what, at this point, did I have to lose) to be like “can I just...” and full-on splay my hand on junkrat’s tiny ripped abs. Because the poke was wasted and I was doing this right. We laughed and had a couple jokes - he was super chill, really in character, the voice and everything - then I got my print back and returned to my seat. A couple more rounds go by, it’s funny as hell, I feel like all this is extremely surreal and I’ve entered into a much more interesting liminal space.

The panel ends and I come up to the Meowth chick because, just letting you know, I’ve been tossing around the idea of doing burlesque myself and I wonder if she has some tips on getting started. She sits me down all mom-like (seriously this crew was so amazing, considerate, warm, and welcoming omg) and tells me how she started, how she thought was the best way to get into it, and how to apply for this group specifically. She aks me how old I am and I’m like “18″ and she’s all “you’re a baby!!! :)” and I’m like “yeah, legit, I Just turned 18.″ Oh boy. The look on her face. She just starts yelling to the others like “It’s her BIRTHDAY! She’s EIGHTEEN!” and another member’s like “Oh gosh, we’re going to give you a present. Tell Spark to get over here.” And y’all I’m saying I can see the end. The light at the end of the tunnel. I turn to my sister like “I think I’m getting a lap dance...” lmao I’m losing it. I’m straight up questioning what parallel universe I’ve fallen into where I’m hailed as Cute by a large crowd and I’m about to be grinded on by a man who is ridiculously cut and I am Not mentally prepared for whatever might happen. But sure enough I’m shown to backstage, given a lone chair, and sit down in it. By the maker if, after all this, I’m getting a lap dance, then I am not letting my embarrassed bitch ass make things weird.

But they tell me that if anything makes me uncomfortable to just say. I’m not going to describe the occurrence beyond three things: 1) upon seeing a short video clip after (no, not available for viewing sdklsadghgh) I realized it had been hella noisy the whole time but I’d been so preoccupied I had barely noticed there was Anyone else around 2) where the Fuck are you supposed to look? Eyes? Abs? At least the butt is safe and 3) How is simply bumping noses with someone Hot ???? asks a total virgin.

It ended and I was equal parts glad it was over and like got dammmmmn what the fuck man. I was pretty pink. Spark was totally peppy and cool as a cucumber, like, “Did you like it? I’ve been practicing!!” and I’m like, “Yeah, yeah, it was great!” and he just sort of goes, “Oh, I’m glad, you were very stoic and I wasn’t sure.” Brev. Why I gotta stress about e v e r y t h i n g. That’s called a poker face and it broke exactly Once, at which point I giggled and covered my mouth. But it was the abs. Again. Of course. If you ever need to know my kryptonite, apparently it’s impeccable abs.

But then I talked with the members a bit more, thanked everyone for the shower of special treatment, and we exited the panel room. I was Shook for the whole night, still am rn, and tbh the three things I left thinking were: 1) when you don’t drink you can Remember all the crazy shit that happens, not to mention stay in control of your behavior, I have no reason to Want to drink 2) people get paid to do stuff like stand and make jokes on a stage wearing a kigu, bra, and flip flops part of the time and spend the other part wearing nice costumes and lingerie and dancing, and I would like to be one of them 3) I Gotta get over this whole being jittery thing, me no likey.

But no it was Nuts in more ways than one and I swear this thing is the whole truth and nothing but the truth, despite how wack it sounds. Trust me, it was wack for me too. But it was a fantastic time, biggest deal I’ve ever had made for my birthday, and now I guess I won’t need a bachelorette party.

#personal #18th birthday #this just in: I may be a thot #'may' lmao #who am I kidding

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ryki · 7 years

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Anime North 2017 Report

My first Anime North and my third convention overall! This convention was a HUGE boost to my ego, let me tell you!

Friday I was Lance. Saturday I was Toboe! Sunday I was Lance with a ‘just’ sign on my back to match my husband’s ‘married’ sign.

Here’s some other photos we took:

Kiba and Toboe

Allura and Keith

Keith

Keith and Lance

‘Married Just’ Signs

Kiba, Toboe and Lance

Allura, Keith and Lance with Haggar, another Keith and two Pidge

Allura and Lance

Lance appreciating Keith’s ass

Lance

I’d show the photos my sister took but her Twitter account is locked!

Going into Anime North, we had a lot of doubts because we heard the horror stories of how it was treating the Artist Alley? So many new rules and regulations and making it difficult for artists to really showcase their works. So we were very “/:” about it. But honestly, despite being one of our less busy conventions to go to, it wasn’t that bad!

@ahniely and I got stopped so many times as Keith and Lance that it really boosted my ego. Even before we got there, someone asked for photos! (They were really cute Sailor Scouts and I’m sad I was too excited for AN to get their photos too. ;;)

We got there before the registration opened and lined up but we probably got stopped a few times before we were even in the line by VLD fan. It was really flattering and really boosted my ego! I still feel a little insecure as Lance because I don’t have his shoes done and his jacket still needs to be finished but that didn’t stop fans’ enthusiasm for pictures!

Friday was a bit of a bad day, weather wise. It was cloudy and even started sprinkling/raining while we were in line. The line management was so fucking stupid, too. After the registration line tappered out, there was another LONG ass line that started up but no one knew what it was for. Honestly, I think a lot of people assumed it was to get into the actual convention but no. It was literally just for entrance into the dealer’s room. But we had to literally go out of our way to ask a staff member what the line was for in order to know that it was for the DR. (Eye roll.) And this was when it started to rain!

I used my jacket to cover my husband and sister from the rain but after checking with staff about the enterance into the Artist Alley, we managed to get out of the rain and got to look around. It was a bit of a bad day because we were excited and I tend to wonder off. So we were a bit terse with each other but we sorted it out!

We also got a lot of pictures taken of us inside the artist alley because people love Klance, haha. So again, it was a huge boost of my ego. We got to meet a lot of cool cats there, too! Kat even got to meet some of his artist friends like Mao! We didn’t really buy anything on Friday that wasn’t available to be paid by a card since we... really didn’t plan to have cash on us? The other two conventions we’ve been to mostly had the option to pay by cash or card but this convention didn’t have many people with Square readers. So we put off buying stuff until Saturday.

Kalyn had a fun time meeting Shilin in person and getting her autograph and her art books. It was so nice seeing my sister get so excited about that and how happy she was after she got the art books. (She got the comics on Saturday and Shilin signed those, too, without my sister even asking! My sister looked so happy to have been remembered, even if it was a day difference.)

Saturday wasn’t as busy as Friday, which was great because it gave us a chance to look around without stopping for photos from time to time, LOL. (Though I do admit, it was kind of sad not to get someone to recognize nor want photos of our Wolfs Rain cosplay, but given how old it is I can’t really say I blame them for not knowing. Not everyone it as obsessed with WR as I still am.)

We got to pick up a lot of prints and stuff we wanted to buy, which was great!

We didn’t stay too long at the convention because we got there at three and left around six. We got there late because we had our wedding ceremony at two and the family wanted to go out for dinner to celebrate around 6-7 so we ended up just staying there long enough to pick up the stuff we wanted to buy and be done with it. We kind of had to rush around because Kalyn wanted to check everything first and we didn’t get to all the places on Friday before going home.

So not much really happened on Saturday since we had other arrangements. But we did manage to pick up everything.

Oh! And Kat commissioned @potatcake for a Killua sketch and honestly? They did so well with the sketch, Kat couldn’t stop smiling after he picked it up! (They weren’t at the table when we picked it up though but Kat is so incredibly thankful for such a beautiful commission!) They have such a pretty style, y’all should really go check them out!

Sunday came and went and it was mostly a day where we just walked around, looking for cosplays and people. We got stopped a lot on this day, too, because we were back in Keith and Lance!

We had ‘Married Just’ signs on our back -- yes, Married Just and not Just Married, c’m’on, folks, you know Keith and Lance would totally fuck up their signs! -- and a lot of people stopped us for pictures of our signs (or pictures of us!) because they thought it was cute.

Some even said it was to ‘show Klance was canon’ and to ‘show (their) friends who ship Klance’ which was cute. We totally support your ships, y’all, keep sending the love!

There were even a couple of friends who asked us if it was just for cosplay or if we actually got married and we told them, gleefully, that we actually got married and they said, ‘That is the CUTEST thing ever!’ Thank you. :’^) We strive to be that couple who does OTPs while being an OTP.

My highlight for Sunday is @ahniely letting me get a x-x faced squid from tenta.co! <:’^) I love it so much.

Overall we didn’t really do much this convention since we didn’t go to any events or hang out with friends, just walked around and bought stuff. And we didn’t even spend that much since Anime North’s new bs which is ‘Artist Alley people can ONLY have paper stuff; charms and other merch are ONLY for Crafts Corner!!!” (Eye roll.) But I guess it helped us save since paper charms are cheaper than acrylic charms. (And we need the money for YetiCon’s merch, LOL.)

But yeah, this convention was really lowkey for us but we enjoyed it so much! It was really great and I’m glad we went and that we could meet everyone.

Thanks to everyone who took pictures of us! I tried finding them on tumblr, twitter and instagram but I don’t think anyone’s posted anything of us, LOL. You guys really are the highlight of this convention and reminded me why cosplay can be so fun and energizing. Thank you!

Anime North Haul + My adorable x-x Squid

#batbabe babbles #AnimeNorth17

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lady-elowen · 7 years

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Meeting Robbie Daymond at Anime Boston 2017!

GOD THIS IS MORE THAN I THOUGHT

Meeting Robbie Daymond was so gosh darn special to me, I’m here trying to write out all of the highlights of meeting him. Unfortunately I wasn’t aware of the panel he had the day before, and I had some photo things to do that evening, so I missed that. ;v; ANYWHO, pardon the potentially scattered things, I’m tingling thinking about it. Annnd I’ll have some photos to go along with this story in a separate post. With that, here goes!!

---

The minute I was told Robbie was having a signing at Anime Boston, I couldn’t wait for the weeks to go by. I began preparing a piece of art for his autograph(which got finished the Saturday of AB RIP). From the moment the travel to Boston began, my excitement practically amplified by the hour. I feel I annoyed(or at least amused :’D) a few of my room-mates at some point because I couldn’t shut up about it.

Soon enough, Sunday morning came, and was ready in my casual Gentiana for my Sunday cosplay. I got into line around 10 A.M. by myself, but Kaylee(@aqua-stone) and Griffin(@omgsheep) found me later for moral support(thanks for coming with meee guys! <3). I was there, my finished art in hand as well as Griffin’s Persona 5 art book because we weren’t sure he’d be there on time for the signing due to hotel checkout stuff. I was of the very last few who got a ticket guaranteed his autograph, so I was really just relieved I got there in time, regardless of the line and wait, which didn’t feel long at all. Everyone there was so fun, I do regret being as a quiet as I was for most of the wait, but toward the end there were some amusing conversations! I remembered the origami flowers I was handing out to Promptos that weekend and pulled a blue one out of my bag. At some point I tried to place it on my head for shits and giggles. It was dumb, but Kaylee laughed at least. xD

My friends and I then waited in the room next to where Robbie was, and Griffin kept asking me if I was okay as the line out the door got shorter. Of course, being the over-excited pile of nerves I was, answered “I don’t know!” every friggin’ time, purely out of instinct because I couldn’t think of anything else to say(I was just glad people laughed about it wheee).

Finally I got to the waiting room exit and handed my ticket to the staff managing the convention, my friends behind me. Around the corner I went, and there he was! Hilarious and sunny with everyone in front of me, as anticipated! Seeing him there made me happy enough, and it wasn’t even my turn yet! Everyone was laughing and smiling, even when Kaylee and Griffin moved to the wall just to watch. It felt great just being in line with such cool people! Anything I was planning to say went out the window because I forgot what composure was(like I had any to begin with geezhus).

At the moment the person in front of me collected their things and walked off, I finally came face-to-face with him. Heart palpitating rapidly, I gave him a “hello!” as I shifted over, to which he tried to match my hello back to me, then proceeded to laugh and say something close to “wow, that’s the loudest hello I’ve gotten all day so far!” Kaylee and Griffin were dying behind me, and that exchange alone calmed me down a lot as I laughed super hard at his remark, and we continued with the signing. After setting down my art and Griffin’s book, I pulled out a blue origami flower that read “for a sunbeam” on the bottom and handed it to him. He asked me if he got to keep it, to which I gladly answered yes, and he tried to put the flower on his head too(his hair is super rad thoooo)!! I was internally screaming.

On went the signing part of my encounter, and my art was first. Robbie asked if it was a print or copy of something, since there were other who bought prints in the artist’s alley to get signed. I told him it wasn’t, and he was amazed and asked “you made this?” I rambled for a second about how I worked on it over the weekend and he replied “this is beautiful!” Something like that, I was swooning over the compliment. I gave him my name, and as he started to write, the sharpie he had died on him, and he chucked it to the other long end of the table and signed with a fresh one. As he was doing so, I looked behind me to my friends and told them my hands started tingling and wouldn’t stop.

Griffin’s P5 art book was next, and I opened the book to the page he bookmarked with paper, the character Robbie voices, and he began to sign at the bottom-right corner of the page. I tried to spell out Griffin’s name for him, until Griffin came in from behind and said he didn’t need his name in the autograph. BUT there was already “to” and what could’ve been 3/4ths of an “L” on the page! We all laughed and finally settled on writing “to that guy” on the page with no argument whatsoever.

The signing was all set, and I asked for a picture with him before the three of us left. Happily agreeing, Robbie got up from his chair behind the table to stand by me (hue ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ). He put an arm around my shoulder after saying “get in here!” or something similar. THEN. What I remember best because I really was not expecting it and I suck at this kind of thing. He caught me off guard with “wow, you’re really soft!” and “and you smell nice!” I totally forgot Kaylee sprayed me with perfume before I left the room, I was just glad I didn’t smell like butt. My response to him was probably like “whoah really?” but I often forget half the garbage I say in spontaneous moments like that. I did a Gentiana pose with Robbie, and Griffin took the pictures. Pretty sure Kaylee said something about how poised I was, and my excuse was because I gotta be Gentiana, and we all joked a little about her. I thanked him multiple times after handing the kind lady there money for the photo.

So we all said our goodbyes, and as I was walking back down the hall, as well as the rest of Sunday, I had so much energy! It was the perfect end to my first Anime Boston, and I’m so happy to have gone and seen so many people!

This con was perfect, and I’ll never forget all of the wonderful memories made for as long as I live. Thank you for everyone who said hello and took pictures, and another gigantic thank you to Robbie Daymond for bringing so much joy to the community!~

#Do I tag this a diary entry or some shit? :U #Robbie Daymond #Anime Boston 2017

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getlapelpins · 7 years

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We Talk Custom Lapel Pins with Jen Bartel

Hello everybody!

We are super lucky to work with amazing clients at Get Lapel Pins. We thought it would be fun to interview one of those incredible people and share the Q&A on our blog. So, that’s what we did. Today we’re talking with Jen Bartel about enamel pins, comic conventions, and more.

Interested in making your own custom lapel pins? Request a quote today. It's quick and easy!

Jen Bartel was one of Get Lapel Pins first customers and we have had the honor of working on a bunch of her enamel pin projects. Jen has graciously agreed to spend some time answering a few questions about pins.

Before we get into the Q&A, here’s a short bio from Jen’s website:

“Jen Bartel is an illustrator and comic artist who specializes in drawing strong ladies. Her candy colored work is heavily influenced by media from the 90’s and early 2000’s that she consumed during her childhood, and her biggest creative goal is to breathe life into characters that inspire and empower girls from all backgrounds. She is best known for her ongoing cover work on IDW’s Jem and the Holograms.”

Now on to the Q&A. Enjoy!

Get Lapel Pins: When did you first get into making your own enamel pins?

Jen Bartel: In late 2015, actually! When I found out that I’d be tabling at a convention for the first time (Emerald City Comic Con 2016 was my first show!) I started exploring the idea of making an enamel pin, and I’m glad I did because it really was the gateway into making all kinds of merchandise.

Get Lapel Pins: Why did you decide to start making enamel pins?

Jen Bartel: I wanted to offer something at my convention table that was smaller and more collectible than art prints. Many artists offer stickers, buttons, bookmarks, that kind of thing—but enamel pins felt like a more substantial option that would likely last longer for buyers.

Get Lapel Pins: What was your first enamel pin?

Jen Bartel: It was a little 3 eyed sphynx cat head, made to go along with my ECCC 2016 Monsters and Dames illustration! I later followed up by doing a cosmic wolf head + witch illo. These were the only pins I had done not by GLP!

Get Lapel Pins: How many pins have you made, and if you had to pick, which one's your favorite?

Jen Bartel: Ohhh man. Feels like a hundred at this point, but in reality I’ve only made 12 different designs total. My favorite is probably the Don’t @ Me pin I made earlier in the year on a whim. I just thought it would be funny, I felt like it was pretty niche so I definitely did not expect it to blow up the way it has. Apparently there are people who actually work at Twitter who wear this thing, hah!

Get Lapel Pins: What was your favorite TV show or comic when you were a kid? What’s your favorite now?

Jen Bartel: Well, I grew up in Seoul so I didn’t really start reading western comics until I was older—but when it comes to manga, definitely Sailor Moon. And when I was a kid, the Sailor Moon anime was also my favorite TV show, hahaha. Now that I’m actually working in comics, it’s hard to pick a favorite, but probably SAGA by Fiona Staples and Brian K. Vaughan.

Get Lapel Pins: Where do you sell your pins?

Jen Bartel: My pins are exclusively available on my online shop: www.jenbartel.storenvy.com and from me at conventions. I will be updating my 2018 convention schedule at the beginning of next year on my website, www.jenbartel.com :) My store is actually currently open through the end of 2017, and it’s the last opportunity to get most of the pins I’m currently offering before they’re discontinued.

Get Lapel Pins: What are some of the conventions you’ve been to? Got any fun convention stories?

Jen Bartel: I’ve done most of the major comic shows now—ECCC, C2E2, SDCC, NYCC, but probably my favorite convention moment was at RCCC (Rose City Comic Con, Portland) when things were kind of winding down on the last day and the show floor was starting to slow down—I looked up from my table and suddenly Dante Basco (the guy who played Rufio in Hook) was standing there flipping through my prints. I don’t really get starstruck very often but come on, it was RUFIO. Comic conventions are wild.

Get Lapel Pins: Most of your pins are Hard Enamel, what is it about Hard Enamel pins that draw you to them?

Jen Bartel: I like the high shine you can get from hard enamel, and it also allows for a bit more edge detail, which is important to me because most of my pins are hand drawn and illustrative designs.

Get Lapel Pins: Do you collect enamel pins made by other people? What is your favorite pin made by someone else?

Jen Bartel: Honestly, I sort of end up unintentionally collecting pins from other people because I see them at shows, but my favorite enamel pin is by my friend Truck (aka 100% Soft): It’s his “KAWAII” pin and it just looks great on everything.

Get Lapel Pins: Are there any artists not making pins that you would love to see get into the pin game?

Jen Bartel: Hmm, at this point it feels like pretty much everyone is making them, so no one in specific comes to mind… but I would love it if there were more cool Ghibli pins out there!

Get Lapel Pins: Other than pins, where can people see more of your work?

Jen Bartel: www.jenbartel.com http://twitter.com/heyjenbartel http://instagram.com/heyjenbartel http://jenbartel.tumblr.com

Get Lapel Pins: Are there any upcoming projects you’d like to promote (pin related or not)?

Jen Bartel: There are some really cool things on the horizon but I can’t really talk about any of them until 2018…!!! Keep an eye on my social media for announcements. ;)

Get Lapel Pins: Thanks Jen! You're the best.

Be sure to checkout Jen's website, and follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr.

And if you're interested in making your own custom lapel pins? Request a quote today. It's quick and easy!

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tanmath3-blog · 7 years

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For those of you that don’t know Paul Flewitt you are missing out on a great friend and an awesome writer. He has a wonderful sense of humor and is always ready to help out his fellow writer friends. He is very passionate about his writing and is always glad to spend some time with a fan talking about his books. If you are looking for a good story I highly recommend anything he writes. Please help me welcome Paul Flewitt back to Roadie Notes…….

1. It’s been awhile since we talked what new books do you have out now? Latest release?

I have nothing new in print at the moment. I’ve spent the last couple of years concentrating on shorter work for anthologies, honing my craft and really trying to tighten up on my style and structure. I’m finding my own voice and my own way of doing things now, though little has changed on the page it HAS made a difference to the process I work to. It’s different for different authors, so I’ve experimented with notes, pantsing and writing at different time of the day. Now, I think I have a routine which should mean I get far more productive. Also, having completed work on the new house it means I’m not trying to get things done amid the chaos of builders and trades-folk around the house. I said I had nothing new in print, but I DO have something that was released that I couldn’t speak much about last time we spoke. It’s quite exciting that some of my work found it’s way to TV at the beginning of the year, thanks to a TV project called Fragments of Fear. It aired and went live on YouTube, so now I can tell you more about it and actually show it to you. The Silent Invader is a 15 minute story in which I explore the dark relationships that some people have with their TV sets. I often hear that people like Marilyn Manson, Eminem and Judas Priest are blamed for events like Columbine and other tragic atrocities, because of the themes of their art. I also often see that movies and TV shows have also been blamed for inciting people to violent acts, so this is something which inspired me to write a monologue involving a television. It’s a lovely piece of darkness, with a neat little twist at the end. If you’re not faint of heart or easily offended by dark themes and descriptions of violence, then please check it out here; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10xJ9z1ip8k

2. If you could pick any author alive or dead to have lunch with who would it be? Why?

It would be Clive Barker. Looking at reviews and talking to people who read my work, his name is one that often pops up. I’ve read him since my teenage years, and his stuff has always spoken my language. His method of opening doors to possibilities beyond human knowledge has enthralled and enraptured me and I can truly get lost in his art; whether that be his books, artwork or films. In interviews, he never fails to engage with his audiences and leaks little snippets of information regarding his own methods. I could listen to him speak all day long, because you learn something about horror and dark fantasy every time he speaks. Who wouldn’t want to have a one on one conversation with someone who has a mind like his and has the ability to convey his ideas so eloquently.

3. What is the strangest thing a fan has ever done?

You know, my fans are all pretty normal. It’s quite disappointing really. I do get the occasional anorak type reader, who pulls up inconsistencies or facts that might be slightly wrong, but I haven’t had anyone send me dirty underwear or the innards of sacrificed animals. I really don’t know whether I should be upset or relieved about that.

4. What is the one thing you dread to do when writing?

Editing and writing synopses, without a shadow of a doubt. There’s something inherently difficult about trying to write a synopsis and simmering down your story into a couple of paragraphs. Am I giving too much or too little? Is it engaging or is it yawn-til-your-jaw-breaks boring. I think it’s something that most writers struggle with. Editing is the same; picking apart something that you’ve spent months writing and omitting lines and paragraphs that you might’ve loved at one time. Thankfully, my editor, Patti is awesome. She’s worked with me since Poor Jeffrey and our relationship is more friendly than professional now. She understands my style and instinctively knows exactly what I’m trying to achieve with every story. Editors are invaluable and often very giving of their time and selves. I couldn’t publish a word without her assistance nowadays.

5. Did you have imaginary friends growing up? Tell me about them

I didn’t have imaginary friends, but I did always have an active imagination. This would be displayed in many ways; in playing with real friends and messing with toys, creating worlds that I could inhabit for weeks on end. That developed into writing poetry and short stories for friends or just for myself. I dunno about imaginary friends… I never seemed to need one.

6. Do you go to conventions? If not why?

I’ve been to a couple. My publisher is Matt Shaw, so you can imagine the fun and frolics that happen during a weekend with him. Last one I went to was with a few guys that Matt has either published or been friends with for a while and it was a real hoot. For myself, I don’t really have the following to justify the financial outlay of attending as a writer. I’ll get there, I’m sure, but now isn’t really the time. That said, if my friends are getting a table and want me to attend then I’m always happy to join them. Conventions are fun and at the right ones you can meet potential readers and existing ones, at the same time as getting together with good friends. Yeah, cons are cool.

7. How many times did you have to submit your first story before it was accepted?

Once, and I was truly amazed. It was for a Clive Barker tribute anthology based on the Cabal book and Nightbreed movie, coinciding with the screenings of the Cabal Cut. It was only a 500 word flash piece, but it was snapped up. Right after that, my first short story and Poor Jeffrey were also picked up by two different pressed, so I had a really lucky start to my writing career. I still don’t quite know how that happened, but I’m thankful that it did.

8. Ever consider not writing? If so what made you continue?

Yep. Sometimes I find writing a real struggle. The words don’t come and when they do, they’re just not as great as I hoped it would be. I do get over these periods pretty quickly, I just need a quick kick in the pants, but it’s never great when it happens. It usually comes at times when the writing has been flowing really well, and then I hit a wall. In fairness, the past year or so haven’t been the best for me. Between some family issues and the renovations, it’s seemed like I’d never get anything published again. I know I’ve let a couple of people down with not being able to hit a couple of deadlines, but that’s life and they’ve been very understanding about my situation for which I’m grateful. Hopefully, there’s light at the end of the tunnel though, and I can get back to the productivity that I had a couple of years ago. Fingers crossed!

9. Ever thought about writing in a different category?

You know, I never felt the need… yet. Horror and dark fiction has such a wide remit that there’s a lot of ground to cover, so I can satisfy my appetites without stepping out of the genre. Whether it’s full on horror or dark fantasy, I can spread my wings as much as I need to and tell the truths I want to explore within that framework, so why muddy the waters by stepping into another area? The great thing about the genre is that I can do horror, dark fantasy, crime fiction and a plethora of other styles and it will still fit the remit of horror, in the broad sense. No, I’m pretty much at home here… I paid the rent in advance.

10. Any new additions to the family?

Hell no. I have two children that occupy my time and my wife has allergies which have stopped us from having pets since our son was born. Weirdly, she never had allergies before, but since being pregnant with our son she’s allergic to every damn thing. It’s heartbreaking, because we’re all animal people and have had pets in the past which we’ve loved unconditionally. My siblings are all younger than me and are showing no interest in starting their own families, so it’s not even like I have nephews and nieces that I can corrupt. That time will come though, they have been warned.

11. What is coming up next for you?

Well, I have three manuscripts in various stages if completion so it depends which one I finish first. One is a thing that Matt Shaw challenged me to write a couple of years ago, but I’ve never been able to get it right. It’s for the black cover strand, so there’s a responsibility to deliver something truly horrible for him, especially given the subject matter that he challenged me with. One is something that I’ve been working on since school and it really embraces my love for fantasy, while retaining the darkness. The third is a continuation of a story that I wrote for Dean M Drinkel’s Demonology anthology. The character deserved to have more of his story told, so I began writing it but never got it finished. Hopefully, one or two of these projects will see daylight before the end of the year, but I make no promises. I won’t release anything until it’s absolutely right.

12. Do you do release parties? Do you think they work?

Not so much. I prefer to take over blogs and other people’s pages and corrupt their fans. Of course, these things work as a way to reach out to new readers and to allow seasoned fans to chat to you personally. I always feel that talking to readers is the best way to promote your work. Ask me anything, I’m an open book… and they usually do.

13. Do you have crazy stalker fans? Have you ever had one you wish would go away?

Again, my readers tend to be fairly normal people, so no. I do get people who want to have an in-depth conversation about character motivation and why I made certain choices, but no one that I’ve felt has been a pain in the ass. They are the guys and girls who pay my wages and put spending money in the pockets of my kids, so I at least owe them a bit of my time to chat.

14. Do you still have a “day job” ? If so what do you do?

The whole reason that I got into publishing was because the job market where I live slowed right down and I was finding it difficult to find work. My wife was working and earning more than me anyway, so she suggested that I take a year out with the kids and concentrate on doing something with my writing. She gave me a year to get something published, and I’m here talking to you so something must’ve worked.

15. What is your process for writing? Do you have a voice in your head?

No voices, that’d be worrying. Seriously though, I just sit and write. I don’t write notes and I don’t really plan anything before I sit down. All my stories begin with a great first line or a title and I run with it from there. Wherever it ends up is where it ends up, and I’m as surprised by the twists and turns as the reader. I guess this is why it takes me so damned long to write anything. I write all first drafts longhand, and each draft can run into hundreds of handwritten pages. It takes time, but it means that typing it up becomes the first edit run and I can weed out errors and polish it up as I type. This saves time. After that, it’s a case of working with Patti (editor, Patti Geesey) to eradicate typos and other errors, weeding out the unnecessary stuff and honing it. I might go back over it three or four times to make sure that it’s as perfect as it can be. It’s time consuming, and I’m a bit of a perfectionist, but the outcomes are usually worth the hassle.

16. Is there a book you want to make a sequel to you haven’t yet?

Yes! People have often asked about a sequel to Poor Jeffrey. Often, they want to know what happened to Jade and the circle of ghosts… which is cool, I wanna know too! I’ve started work on things that could exist in that world, but never finished them because they just weren’t good enough. One day I’m sure that I will revisit that story, but it was a very spontaneous one that came out of left field and I think it’s difficult to catch lightning in a bottle. Jade will call one day, and I’m sure she’ll have lots of stories to tell regarding herself and her friends. I can’t wait for that moment. You can connect with Paul Flewitt here:

https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Flewitt/e/B00FG34L7O/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1493531654&sr=8-1

@PaulFlewittJEA

https://www.facebook.com/Paul-Flewitt-Author-of-Dark-Fiction-352745188170046/

Some of Paul Flewitt’s books:

Getting even more personal with Paul Flewitt For those of you that don't know Paul Flewitt you are missing out on a great friend and an awesome writer.

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