For now you can see my status updates in collection here on my page or if you follow me on facebook it is also in my notes section. I’m calling the series Mountains, Oceans, and Minds of Madness.

Let me know what you think if you wish, I’m always open for opinions or criticism.  I know some of these can be a bit cheesy at times but they are tons of fun. I’m inspired by old world rhymes and just the craziness in my mind. The topic seems to center around Cthulhu Mythos.

Grim Furry Tales – Still around, still in process, still plan to finish. Things happen, money evaporates, and budgets fall away. I still have GFT on the radar, it is just further out on the horizon than I originally wanted. Choices made and we move on.

Son of the Raven – Still need a colorist, finding one is easy, finding one that fits the style of the project is hard. If you know someone who is looking to contribute on a title, give my contact info. Make sure they put “Raven Colorist” in the title.

Stitchwork – We won cover feature on Mysterious Visions Anthology, thanks to all of you! In the end we won our nay-sayers over and it paid off. Sure we are not moving to feature prime-time round 4, but I am happy where we ended up. This isn’t the end of Stitchwork folks, only the beginning.

Dead Future #5 – COMING MID JULY!  ‘Nuff Said. Though check out the homepage for the comic purchase link and see our webcomic. Currently we are updating every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Quest! - Still writing over here, tomorrow my next Glory of Everquest article goes live. Make sure to stop by and check it out. If you have old storys regards the original Everquest or any other game you have fond memories of for that matter.

Zuda – Competition is over, no more contests. Everything now is straight to the editor slush pile. Our entry seems to have made it to the slush pile and then returned to sender. Yup, she didn’t pass inspection. We aren’t finished with it though and I’m sure we’ll be coming back with a more polished submission at a later date.

New Projects – Yes, I don’t know when to stop. I have several new projects in the pipe line as well as some old ones still trailing along at a nice gate. I’ve brought on an Editor to keep me in check on some of these, Amanda Orneck. More info will be coming on those eventually, but for now… SHUT YOUR MOUTH!

Got some free time and like video games? Check out Bonus Level.

Perhaps comics are more your thing? Check out Fanboy Buzz at Project Fanboy.

In the next few days I will be making an announcement about Dead Future and its future. This is something I am very excited about and owe partly to certain people in my life. The world of small publishing is one done out of love for the material, because the money is for shit. One of the most difficult things is finding and expanding your audience. This new change to Dead Future is all about growing the audience we already have

Before the end of May we plan to launch the Grim Furry Tales webcomic for the public. I’d like to thank all the great fans we have for holding out while we got everything in place. Along with the launch you will find out more about our Kickstarter project for GFT which will let you tag along for the creative process and even have a chance of being immortalized in the GFT universe.

Last week I discovered that Zuda would no longer have competitions and was revising a new submission system. This was a shock to Sil and me as we have an entry in to them for the competition. I was assured by Zuda’s editor Ron Perazza that it would still be reviewed. I also found out that entries currently still in queue will be considered for instant winner possibilities. So there is still a chance our project will see the light of day. This is something Sil and I would like to see happen, as well as Arturis.

For Small Press Idol round 3 starts this week, so look for the entries to start posting. Our entry should appear later in the week, get ready to vote daily for us. Only the top 3 will move on from this round and that is exactly where we would like to land. The only way that happens is with your support. I have made a small promotional video to go with the contest, so check it out.

The Son of the Raven project is still around, Martinho and I have been working on this behind the scenes. I am still looking for a colorist to join up with us; this has proven to be very difficult. The coloring work on this story will make or break it. The shift between appearances in Raven’s world is drastic and requires a skilled hand to pull off. Going from a Silver Age to the clean Modern Age look and then to a gritty realistic look, yeah this person will have their work cut out for them. In the end though when we pull this off it will be worth every minute we all have spent on it. If you know a colorist looking to be a part of something that plans to market outwards please pass on the info.

Last but not least, my freelance job as a game journalist has kicked off. This was not something I ever expected to do honestly, but it kind of just popped up. I’d like to thank Amanda Orneck for the chance to join her group over at MMOSITE. If you are into gaming, especially RPGs, come check us out. My latest article is about the new Star Wars MMO coming out from Bioware and tomorrow my series on reliving my days in Everquest will continue.

For now I am going to return to my stack and get some work done. I will also be messing around with the Elder Scroll tools again, as the job at Bethesda is something I would love to land. Developing quests for some of the best RPGs on the market really does appeal to me. For those that know me, I’ve been digging in game development as long as I have been writing, FOREVER.

The short answer? Undead of the past are notoriously slow walking creatures, so of course there books can be from time to time.

The long answer? Those of us who put in the hours behind Grim Crew are doing this mostly after we get home from work. We are not only working on this title but others as well. On top of this there is other times that are being addressed that go hand and hand with any business, part time or not. (Even though recently I have had a bit more time, I am not the only person driving this car.) Once everyone has the time to finish up issue #5 it will be released then. When that happens issue #6 will not be far behind. That will wrap up this series of Dead Future, leaving us with plans to release a collection at the end of 3rd quarter.

As soon as I get a solid date then I will make sure anyone interested will have it. I can’t relay how disappointed I am we could not keep up the on time run we started with. In the end though this is our part time/night gig and until it is able to be anything else these things may happen. I appreciate all those who have understood and I think all those who put their hard work into these books. I would like to specially thank Paul Petyo for all the time he has put into the series to date. It was nothing anyone expected of him and he blew us all away. He is the one who helps keep the quality control high and the books looking squeaky clean. Not to mention the kick ass covers he has provided to date.

So hang tight folks, the dead are coming, they just shamble a bit.

Sil has been hard at work getting the pages just right and providing more artwork for us to use. Not only that, she has been working on our other series Grim Furry Tales. Things are busy here I will tell you that much. The visuals she is able to achieve and how different the feel of each story is amazes me. Her strength is in the creepier aspects but she is still able to capture the innocence required in GFT. We have been passing our thoughts, stories, and other elements between friends trying to get a feel for how people react. With the help of good friends and my Wife everything is shaping up great. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the time they take to help us make these projects better.

For now, if you haven’t, go register at Small Press Idol 2010. Then when May 17th hits and our project is posted go vote. Pass the word along, join our Facebook page and share it with your friends. This round is going to only allow the top 3 to move on, so we need your help.

Thank you all for your support.

We made it to round 2 as I said before. Round 2 has started.

We are in, 2 yes with 1 no. Now it is up to the public to get us into round 3. Come show your support for Stitchwork and vote.

How to vote for Stitchwork in Small Press Idol 2010:

How do we vote?

1. Sign up http://www.smallpressidol.com/join.htm

2. Go to http://www.smallpressidol.com/2010/start.htm#Round2

3. Find the project(s) you would like to vote for and click “VOTE FOR PROJECT”

4. Vote by posting “Yes” in that/those Round 2 Forum(s)

5. Vote once per day per project until April 30th.

(grabbed instructions from Erik’s post last year)

So I’ve talked about this project before. Long time ago, before I lost my old blog I posted pictures circa ‘91. One set of illustrations were by myself and a buddy of mine named Paul Petyo. (You may recognize his name as the cover artist for Dead Future #1 & #4, plus internal artist on Real Monsters.) These pictures were of a character named Raven.

Early picture I did of the character back in high school.

Doodles I did of the new concept that I sent over to Martinho

Flash forward to May/June 2009 I begin talks with a guy I know who draws a comic called Disconnected. We talk about me doing a super hero mini in one of the issues. Having been on a fairy tale and horror kick I decide what the hell and take him up on the offer. Would be a refreshing change of pace.

Early cover sketch by Martinho Abrue

Bring into the loop, Martinho Abreu. I first met Martinho through Roberto Alves while working on GFT: Seeds. Martinho actually was a life savior, going beyond call of duty and illustrating several stories for the book. His true passion was comic book heroes and after getting the go ahead from Jason I asked him to join up on this story. He brought a level of excitement to the project that every writer craves. Here was a guy who was getting behind my fragmented ideas and pushing them onto the page. His gusto helped to drive me to complete the initial 8 page treatment.

Unfortunately things took a turn, our debut in Disconnected #3 never happen. While all the work was ready, it just wasn’t time yet. After a few months of tossing ideas of what to do I spoke to some editors for smaller publishing houses. They liked the concept of Raven’s story and wanted to see a bit more. I talked with Martinho once more and we added an additional 4 pages to the story. Just to give a bit more to the dynamic.

The 12 pages are done, several concept shots of the characters as well. He has also done a few cover sketches and an actual inked cover. Lastly he put together some pin-ups for me to share as I see fit. Martinho is a real champion of the medium. In the time I have known him his artwork has improved greatly and continues to do so with every new piece he shares.

I am hoping soon to have a home for Son of the Raven. So stay tuned and perhaps I’ll have some good news soon.

Round 1 of Small Press Idol started this week. On day two we saw our own entry posted, Stitchwork. It was the first Project to get 3 yes votes from the three judges. Seeing the varied view points from all sides, it almost makes you feel like you are on that bad reality TV show. Though I feel we don’t have a Simon “who-ever” to dish out the harsher world views. Perhaps one of them will prove me wrong.

Over all I am happy with the experience so far. Wish us luck in Round Two.

http://www.smallpressidol.com/2010/Stitchwork.htm

Here is the rough sketch cover and pitch we presented:

Joshua has learned in life paranoia is not a psychosis it’s a survival skill as he tries to uncover the mysteries of his murders and how he is able to run away from death each time. Left only with convoluted memories and vague images of the spider limbed sisters who resurrected him, Joshua must act quickly to put the pieces together before his murderer strikes again.