The idea of the starving artist may be a stereotype at this point, but it’s far from an unfounded one.
I’m lucky in that I’m not technically starving, but there are times I come way too close for comfort. Many of my fellow authors would argue that I’m lucky to be doing THAT well, and I won’t argue with them on that point. I am fortunate to be in the position I’m in and I feel like I’m near the cusp of a real breakthrough in my chosen career, my passion.
Caelum Sky Illustrated #1 by Andrea L. Radeck (Amazon, Goodreads, Shop ALRadeck)
Today, my foodies, I have a brand-new treat from the pantry, something a bit different from anything else I’ve pulled out before. Today’s work is an illustrated book, something more akin to a graphic novel or story in magazine format than a traditional work. So stand back as I put on my artist’s beret and straighten my chef’s jacket as we wade in to this fusion not of genre, but of format!
Before we get hip-deep, let us recall the great laws of the Starving Reviewers of old:
Happy Friday, my friends! You know that means it’s time to get back to the Starving Review kitchen, but before we serve up the main course, I had the delight of having a sit-down with the chef behind today’s meal, Caelum Sky Illustrated, Andrea L. Radeck!
I’m an author, which means that I am also an artist. Artists are often considered to be iconoclasts, people who don’t follow the rules and don’t draw inside the lines. Rules are made to be broken, right? I could go on and keep spouting all sorts of tired sayings about the subject, but I won’t.
What I will say is that this stereotype isn’t always the truth. An author, any artist really, must often step outside of the boundaries, yes, in an effort to strike creative gold. Even more so, an indie author has to go above and beyond the norm, unsupported by the usual publishing establishment. However, there are times and places where even the most indie of the indie has to step back and follow some guidelines and rules.
You see, there is an establishment of sorts out there to help indie authors. There are people and resources that can help you, no matter how ‘indie’ you may consider yourself, and those things might have rules to their use. Also, there are rules to writing, rules to grammar, that you might be able to skirt around, to ignore from time to time but can’t ignore every time.
What this means is that sometimes you had better follow the rules or else you won’t get anywhere. Especially if people are trying to help you, provide you with services, you behoove yourself to make their lives easier by following their rules and guidelines.
What this means means is that if you are going to send in a review request, PLEASE FOLLOW THE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES!
Until next time, good reading, good writing, and good luck!
First, my deep and sincere apologies to those of you awaiting more Starving Reviews and other writing articles. I’ve literally been burning my candle at both ends, writing books, editing books, reading books, writing articles, while still taking care of other personal and business responsibilities. With the finish of my last book to write (The Twelfth Labor)and my last major revision left to do (Indomitable), I have suffered from a complete and overwhelming attack of exhaustion. Maybe even a touch of exhaustion-based sickness. I’m resting up so that, hopefully, things can return to normal levels of insanity around here by the end of the week.
Secondly, I was approached by a fan of Three Seconds to Legend for permission to do some fan art, to which I said, “HELL YES YOU CAN!”. So you can check out one of the very first pieces of fan art I’ve seen for my books here at deviantArt. This same artist also is doing work on a sci-fi mixed with pro wrestling comic book series, which I would be remiss to not shout out to, which you can see the blog for here.
Six chapters to go but the cover art is ready to go! Once again, my esteemed colleague and friend Felipe de Barros delivers with this stylized piece for the finale to Three Seconds to Legend, The Twelfth Labor. He really pulled out the stops here, in my opinion, combining the mythic elements in the series with the wrestling theme and the overall drama of the climax of the plot.
The Twelfth Labor should be out by the end of April.
I almost filed this under Book News for reasons that will become clear in the near future (MYSTERY! SUSPENSE! DRAMA!) but my good friend and the man responsible for all my wonderful book cover art, Felipe de Barros has started up a Facebook page that you can access from THIS LINK for showcasing both his latest art and news of his ongoing independent work. If you’re a Facebook sort of person, you should definitely check it out.
Even if you aren’t, however, you might want to glance at it every once in a while over the coming days. Felipe is going to be making a big announcement as to an ongoing comic book project in the coming week or so and it’s a project that I am deeply involved in. If you’re a fan of his art or my writing, you might want to watch for it!
Good luck and good writing!
Here it is, delivered as always by the skilled hand of my good friend Felipe de Barros! With the manuscript entering its second full revision, it is looking like we might really make a January or February release date. Even though this is the end of this trilogy, I think this is far from the end of my writing stories in the world of The Push Chronicles but I think with a world that’s spawning a lot of interesting characters, it may be time to broaden out to a more anthology-based format. We’ll see!
Until then, enjoy the art!
First off, it’s been a bit since the general writing update.
When last we left our intrepid starving author, he was madly scribbling on the manuscript for Incorruptible, the third book in The Push Chronicles. Well, I’m almost done. Two chapters to go, which I should get done with tomorrow. Naturally, there will be months of editing and revision, but I think we can safely look at a January 2015 release, which is dead on schedule. By next week, I should be at work on The Twelfth Labor.
Second, OMG POSTER!
If you were part of the Kickstarter for the books, you know that one of the special rewards for making above goal was special posters with new art from my main man artist, Felipe de Barros, and the first of those two with art from The Push Chronicles has become reality:
Naturally, I’m keeping one for me. Expect in the near future that these will be available for sale through some outlet. Still working on that part!
More news as things progress! Good luck and good writing!
Some quick updates for the weekend!
J. B. Garner - Musings of a Starving Author 