R.A. Fischer's Blog, page 3

Today’s Spotlight: Celebrating Tricksters' Day... or in our world, April Fools Day

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Welcome to the new edition of the OTC Blog.

Ready for a little mischief my readers? In our world, we use the term Trickster's day but here in our realm, it is called April Fools’ Day. Celebrated on April 1 each year—has been celebrated for several centuries by different cultures, though its exact origins remain a mystery. April Fools’ Day traditions include playing hoaxes or practical jokes on others, often yelling “April Fools!” at the end to clue in the subject of the April Fools’ Day prank. While its exact history is shrouded in mystery, the embrace of April Fools’ Day jokes by the media and major brands has ensured the unofficial holiday’s long life.

Origins of April Fools' Day

Some historians speculate that April Fools’ Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, as called for by the Council of Trent in 1563. In the Julian Calendar, as in the Hindu calendar, the new year began with the spring equinox around April 1.

People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the butt of jokes and hoaxes and were called “April fools.” These pranks included having paper fish placed on their backs and being referred to as “poisson d’avril” (April fish), said to symbolize a young, easily caught fish and a gullible person.

Hilaria

Historians have also linked April Fools’ Day to festivals such as Hilaria (Latin for joyful), which was celebrated in ancient Rome at the end of March by followers of the cult of Cybele. It involved people dressing up in disguises and mocking fellow citizens and even magistrates and was said to be inspired by the Egyptian legend of Isis, Osiris, and Seth.

Vernal Equinox and April Fools'

There’s also speculation that April Fools’ Day was tied to the vernal equinox, or the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere when Mother Nature fooled people with changing, unpredictable weather.

History of April Fools’ Day

April Fools’ Day spread throughout Britain during the 18th century. In Scotland, the tradition became a two-day event, starting with “hunting the gowk,” in which people were sent on phony errands (gowk is a word for cuckoo bird, a symbol for fool) and followed by Tailie Day, which involved pranks played on people’s derrieres, such as pinning fake tails or “kick me” signs on them.

April Fools’ Day Pranks

In modern times, people have gone to great lengths to create elaborate April Fools’ Day hoaxes. Newspapers, radio and TV stations, and websites have participated in the April 1 tradition of reporting outrageous fictional claims that have fooled their audiences.

Recommended for you

In 1957, the BBC reported that Swiss farmers were experiencing a record spaghetti crop and showed footage of people harvesting noodles from trees. In 1985, Sports Illustrated writer George Plimpton tricked many readers when he ran a made-up article about a rookie pitcher named Sidd Finch who could throw a fastball over 168 miles per hour.

In 1992, National Public Radio ran a spot with former President Richard Nixon saying he was running for president again… only it was an actor, not Nixon, and the segment was all an April Fools’ Day prank that caught the country by surprise.

In 1996, Taco Bell, the fast-food restaurant chain, duped people when it announced it had agreed to purchase Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell and intended to rename it the Taco Liberty Bell. In 1998, after Burger King advertised a “Left-Handed Whopper,” scores of clueless customers requested the fake sandwich. Google notoriously hosts an annual April Fools’ Day prank that has included everything from “telepathic search” to the ability to play Pac Man on Google Maps.

On behalf of Rachel and myself, We thank you for joining our adventure. Until next time, fare thee well, friends.

,https://www.rafischerauthors.com/shop

,https://www.facebook.com/ravennaelo

Today’s Spotlight: What's In A Name: Choosing the perfect name for your characters.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

Iconic names can be found everywhere. Names like Harry Potter and Jon Snow were surely on birth certificates before Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and A Game of Thrones was published. Harry Potter is just a normal boy, far from likely to be any sort of “chosen one.” The simple names are meant to humanize the protagonists to be more relatable to the reader.

How do we find a name that sticks, both for the writer and the reader? Our rule of thumb is that, above all else, the name should sound like it could actually exist. The name "Eugor" was created simply by taking the word rogue and reversing it. When Rachel played her first D&D campaign, she was assigned a rogue and told to name him. When Jarod was asked, at the age of 10, to create a character for the book; he took his name and combined it with the world "wizard" to create Jarz.

A great way to come up with the perfect name is to scour . It’s a fantastic resource. They have pop culture-inspired names, as well as real names, that you can fuss around with and mash-up as you see fit. If you’re going for something that’s vaguely Eastern European, pick a generator and tweak some letters around until you’ve got a name you’re happy with.

In short: fantasy names are hard. It’s even harder to come up with original names. But it’s worth it. The goal is to make your character stand out, and a great name is a great start. What names would you choose for a character?

If you would like to see all the names of our characters, you can visit our website and purchase copies of book 1 & book 2.

,https://www.rafischerauthors.com/shop

,https://www.facebook.com/ravennaelo

On behalf of Rachel and myself, We thank you for joining our adventure. Until next time, fare thee well, friends.

Today’s Spotlight: What's In A Name: Chosen the perfect name for your characters.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

Iconic names can be found everywhere. Names like Harry Potter and Jon Snow were surely on birth certificates before Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and A Game of Thrones was published. Harry Potter is just a normal boy, far from likely to be any sort of “chosen one.” The simple names are meant to humanize the protagonists to be more relatable to the reader.

How do we find a name that sticks, both for the writer and the reader? Our rule of thumb is that, above all else, the name should sound like it could actually exist. The name "Eugor" was created simply by taking the word rogue and reversing it. When Rachel played her first D&D campaign, she was assigned a rogue and told to name him. When Jarod was asked, at the age of 10, to create a character for the book; he took his name and combined it with the world "wizard" to create Jarz.

A great way to come up with the perfect name is to scour . It’s a fantastic resource. They have pop culture-inspired names, as well as real names, that you can fuss around with and mash-up as you see fit. If you’re going for something that’s vaguely Eastern European, pick a generator and tweak some letters around until you’ve got a name you’re happy with.

In short: fantasy names are hard. It’s even harder to come up with original names. But it’s worth it. The goal is to make your character stand out, and a great name is a great start. What names would you choose for a character?

If you would like to see all the names of our characters, you can visit our website and purchase copies of book 1 & book 2.

,https://www.rafischerauthors.com/shop

,https://www.facebook.com/ravennaelo

On behalf of Rachel and myself, We thank you for joining our adventure. Until next time, fare thee well, friends.

Today’s Spotlight: Dungeons & Dragons- The Big Screen Edition

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

Welcome to the new edition of the OTC Blog. Paramount Pictures announced they would be releasing a reboot with an all-star cast. What do Chris Pine, Thora Birch, and Jeremy Irons have in common? As of March of 2023, all will have played characters in a Dungeons and Dragon movie. The original trilogy included Dungeon & Dragon, Wrath of the Dragon God, and The Book of Vile Darkness which were released between 2000-2012. Sadly the movies were not a cinematic hit and disappointed fans. We are hopeful that the new reboot will give us DnD fans the movie we deserve.

The roleplaying game, Dungeons and Dragons has been the inspiration for many films. Whether the heroes are battling beasts from other realms or being sent on a quest for the Gods. The influence of DnD can easily be seen throughout the history of cinema. Here is a shortlist of films that I believe capture the imagination of the roleplaying we all love.

Lord of the Rings-The Fellowship of the Rings Lord of the Ring- The Two Towers Lord of the Rings- The Return of the King The Hobbit- The Unexpected Journey The Hobbit- The Desolation of Smaug The Hobbit - The Battle of the Five Armies The Gamers Trilogy- The Gamers The Gamers Trilogy - Dorkness Rising The Gamer Trilogy- Dead Gentleman Thaco: The Movie Reign of Fire Conan Barbarian Jason and the Argonauts 13th Warrior Willow Legend Dragonslayer The 7th Voyage of Sinbad The Dark Crystal The Magic Sword Pathfinder Excalibur Apocalypto Solomon Kane Lady Hawke The Last Witch Hunter Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas Dark Dungeons The Princess Bride A Knights Tale Monty Python and the Holy Grail Mazes and Monsters Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight Knights of Badassdom Road to Eldorado Red Sonja Of Dice and Men Hawk Slayer Curse of the Dragon Slayer Journey Quest Army of Darkness The Thief of Bagdad Clash of the Titans Hercules Duturana: Benders Game

How many have you seen? Are there any others that didn’t make our list? Grab a bag of popcorn and enjoy these DnD-inspired films. Would our new novel: Raven Naelo and the Fall of the Guardians make a good film to add to the list?

If you would like more information about our books and merchandise, please visit our website and follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

,https://www.rafischerauthors.com/shop

,https://www.facebook.com/ravennaelo

On behalf of Rachel and myself, We thank you for joining our adventure. Until next time, fare thee well, friends.

Today’s Spotlight: What's in my bag?

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

Happy New Year, everyone, and welcome to another O.T.C. blog. January 1st is here, and everyone seems to be blogging on topics like New Resolutions or What did you learn last year. So I thought I would do something a little quirky and outside the box today. In the new year, we all look to declutter some aspects of our life. Clean out that hallway closet, toss away all the holiday snacks, donate the toys that our kids don't play with to make room for the haul Santa brought. Today, I'm decluttering my handbag and taking you on the purge with me.

First is my iPhone. This mind-sucking gadget keeps my calendar, helps me plan for my Disney trip, and manages the 100s of people I come across both at book events and for my job as a talent buyer. I can remember so clearly swearing that I would never get a cell phone. That I didn't want people to reach me 24/7. Well, we know how long that lasted! When did we stop having the memory storage in our brains to recall peoples numbers? Oh well.

Next is my new wallet that barely fits, but I refuse to buy another one, a business card holder, and a change purse that holds a million store discount cards. I think its time to purge this item and download the store apps.

A baggie that has a paint chip in it. Let me explain. At the end of the summer, I had a company come in and prep the house for fall. They did my bi-annual spraying for pests. Well, the attendant thought he would help and attached an ant trap on my newly painted wall. When I gently removed the trap, it peeled away from my paint. So one of my many winter projects is to repaint the area of my wall. Don't Judge! Currently, there is a lovely plant covering the space. How many winter projects do you have this year?

Glasses. I'm supposed to wear bifocals. ( Ugh, did I just give away my age.) But I hate them, so I keep them in my purse. I have a pair of reading glasses because I can't see with the bifocals when working on my computer. And a pair of black over-the-top, oversize sunglasses that make me look like a bug.

Pens, change, and lint seems to be cluttering the bottom—a small notepad to jot down ideas for our next book. The zipper hides my multitude of masks and headphones for listening to the occational audio book. Is anyone a Cassandra Clare fan? I'm listening to the Tales of the Shadow Hunter Academy.

My ring of keys and my anti-bacterial hand gel are hanging from the straps. I am obsessed with Bath and Bodies' Vampire Blood scent! I make sure to stock up every fall.

That seems to be everything. What's hiding in your bag? I hope there's one of our business cards. So you always have our information on hand to purchase our books and merchandise. If not, here's what you need to know. You can buy a copy of our novels: Raven Naelo and the Artifact of the Stolen Souls and our new release- Raven Naelo and the Fall of the Guardians, by visiting our website here:

,https://www.rafischerauthors.com/shop

,https://www.facebook.com/r afischerauthors

On behalf of Rachel and myself, we thank you for joining our adventure. We are humbled by the love and support we get from all our fans. Until next time, fare thee well, friends.

Today’s Spotlight: The Gift of Giving: Supporting self-published authors without spending any money.

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

Happy December, everyone, and welcome to another O.T.C. blog. We all become a little more generous during this time of year and try to find unique ways to help others. So Rachel and I wanted to share a few free things you can do to help support self-published authors. One of the biggest hurdles authors have to overcome is getting our books in front of new readers. With your help, we can reach new fans worldwide.

How to Support Self Published Authors

Ask your library to add the book to their collection
 Check their book out at your local library
 Review the book on Goodreads/Amazon
 Add the book to your Goodreads "To Read" list Follow the author on social media & share their posts
 Please take a picture/video of the book and share it on Instagram/TikTok
/YouTube Suggest the book for your book club
 Recommend the author as a speaker or workshop leader
 Tell your friends about the book 
Include the book in a blog post about your favorite books
 Ask your local indie bookstore to stock the book
 Sign up for their newsletter

There you have it! Twelve simple things you can do to support self-published writers across the world. In this season of giving, please consider helping authors to reach their dreams.

If you would like to purchase a copy of our novels: Raven Naelo and the Artifact of the Stolen Souls and/or our new release- Raven Naelo and the Fall of the Guardians, please visit our website here:

,https://www.rafischerauthors.com/shop

,https://www.facebook.com/r afischerauthors

On behalf of Rachel and myself, we thank you for joining our adventure. We are humbled by the love and support that we get from all our fans. Until next time, fare thee well, friends.

Today’s Spotlight: The Trials of Becoming a Self-published Author

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

Since November is National Novel Writing Month, we wanted to take you through our journey of becoming self-published authors.

In our first blog, we talked about how a night of playing Dungeons and Dragons changed our life. The process from concept to a physical copy of our book was a long emotional journey.

Our original thought was to write one book. All we wanted to do was share our story and have a legacy of being published authors. So, we began writing a book outline and realized this would be a massive book. After having a conversation with a fellow author, she recommended that we do a trilogy.

Now, in theory, this was exciting, but in execution, it was terrifying. We looked over the chapters in the outline and quickly realized we didn't have enough for three books. So Rachel and I went back to the drawing board. I remember this day like it was yesterday.

She and I strategized a plan that would take Raven and the others through a life-changing adventure. We were vacationing at Sandridge, VA. Sitting at the beach house, listening to the waves as we began to map out our story. We outlined would cover the first two books, but we still had one more book to fill.

One morning Rachel tells me she had a dream about a new character that could tie right into book three a few weeks later. Now, if you think I am going to tell you who that character is… forget it. LOL. You will have to wait and find out in book two. (Fun Fact: Our original story introduced nine characters. By the end, we had twenty-one primary characters. Many of them will have pivotal roles through the trilogy. )

While Rachel and I were writing, we also had to research how to publish our book. We began this journey with another friend, who owns a leadership publishing house. Tracy offered to get us on our way and publish our first book. This process was an emotional rollercoaster.

The first task was completing the novel. It took us two years to finish writing book one.

The next hurdle to overcome was learning about editing. When you go to hire an editor, there are several different types:

Developmental editing, also known as substantive or content editing, is usually the first step of editing that a manuscript will go through. Copy editing can include making corrections to spelling and punctuation. However, the editor generally focuses more on grammar, word choice, and enhancing overall writing quality. Line editing is a close cousin of copyediting, but there are some key differences, and hence it is a separate editing step. Line editing gets its name because the editor goes through your writing "line by line." They closely examine word choice, the impact of your writing and provide polish to ensure that your book is clear and eloquent. Line editing also takes on the task of ensuring that spelling, grammar, punctuation, and formatting.

When we submitted our manuscript, we unknowingly jumped all the way to line editing. That was a hard lesson to learn in the middle of publishing. We had to pause with the editor and go back and do the other edits ourselves. We enlisted family members to become our Alpha and Beta readers. Once we reviewed the manuscript a dozen more times, we sent it again to the Mechanical Editor.

Once the editing was complete, we moved on to the pagination process. Pagination is the process of producing good page layouts for the given material. We also submitted our cover art, maps, and Naelo Crest that illustrated the book. Once finished, we reviewed the PDF copy again, ensuring we saw no errors, then submitted it to our publisher.

And that was the end. We just kicked back and waited for the final product to be delivered.

Not even close.

The next stage was finding an on-demand printer. This option allows authors not to purchase 1,000s of copies of their books and sell them alone. Tracy mentioned a company Ingram Sparks, and that is who we went with. Other authors do everything through Amazon, but we decided to go this route instead. The good news was that even though we were using Ingram Sparks, our books would still be available on Amazon.

While the books were printing, we had one primary task ahead of us that neither of us was ready for. How do you market your book? Marketing includes social media posts introducing your book, then a book launch. You may also wish to contact your local news media, in which you should have an electronic press kit ( EPK).

Next is the task of staying connected to your fans. Rachel and I love meeting our fans at events. In-person events are always fun but time-consuming. Once you start selling some books, you need to find ways to stay in touch with your readers. Everyone should have an email list where you send out a monthly newsletter. Another good idea is to start community chat rooms in places like Discord or Facebook.

Rachel and I hit the ground running in 2019, so excited about this adventure. Then we all know what happened, Covid -2020. We tried to pivot and focus on social media selling only. While the world was locked down, we started on book two of the trilogy.

We decided to shift our focus to becoming a self-published author. Due to Covid, we had to find ways of doing things on a tighter budget. Our first miracle came in the form of our new editor, Raven. Yes, your read this correctly. We were able to hire a young lady named Raven to edit the last two books of the Raven trilogy. It wasn't just by chance this happened. You see, many years ago, I was the play director for a local school. Raven was one of my student actors. So, one day I saw her mention on Facebook that she would reread Twilight Books and analyze all the editorial mistakes. I quickly looked at her profile and saw she had graduated with a degree in literature. And as they say, the rest is history. She has become a great asset and member of our team.

Our friends and family became Alpha and Beta readers again, while Rachel taught herself how to paginate a novel. I rolled up my sleeves and started to learn how to create newsletters, blogs, and social media posts. This led me to our next good fortune. I reached out to Central Penn College, an alumnus, to see if they could connect me with an intern. They were able to introduce me to Jenelle. We were also blessed by meeting with a few fans at an event over the summer. Nathan, Jayna, and Chris all asked if they could help us in any way. So, they joined our marketing team and worked tirelessly alongside Jenelle to help us improve our social media presence.

After 18 months of writing, pivoting, networking, and educating, we are just weeks away from releasing our second novel in the trilogy: Raven Naelo and the Fall of the Guardians.

If you have a dream of writing, follow it! Start with the most straightforward concept, create fun and exciting characters, and let your imagination go wild!

If you would like to purchase a copy of our first novel or pre-order a copy of

Raven Naelo and the Fall of the Guardians. Please visit our website here:

,https://www.rafischerauthors.com/shop

,https://www.facebook.com/r afischerauthors

On behalf of Rachel and myself, we thank you for joining our adventure. We are humbled by the love and support that we get from all our fans. Until next time, fare thee well, friends.

Today’s Spotlight: Halloween Around the World

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

Welcome to the next edition of the OTC Blog.

Halloween is our favorite holiday. We love dressing up and embracing our inner child. We binge-watch horror movies and devour everything chocolate, pumpkin, and caramel apple flavored! After all, that’s the customs here in the US, right? But have you ever wondered how other countries around the world celebrate?

Look at the list we compiled on how the other countries celebrate the spookiest night of the year:

Ireland and Scotland: Samhain

The ancient Celtic festival of Samhain is the original Halloween. The origins of most of the famous Western Halloween traditions are found here. On Samhain, people began preparing for winter, bringing their herds back from their summer pastures and slaughtering livestock. As summer dissolved into winter, it was believed that the border between the world of the living and the world of the dead dissolved as well.

So, for one night, the souls of the dead, spirits, and fairy folk could easily cross into the physical world. To disguise themselves from evil spirits, people would dress in costumes. Then, they’d go from house-to-house reciting poetry in exchange for food. The souls of dead ancestors were honored with feasts, and bonfires were lit to keep the darkness at bay. Jack-o’-lanterns were carved out of turnips to frighten evil spirits away.

Some of these traditions, like costumes, jack-o’-lanterns, and trick-or-treating, carried over into modern-day Halloween and are celebrated around the world. However, other Samhain traditions, like divination games and eating traditional foods, never attained the same global popularity.

Japan: Kawasaki Halloween Parade

Around the world, Halloween is generally for kids. Not true in Japan, where Halloween celebrations have a decidedly adult overtone. There's no trick-or-treating, but there's plenty of cosplay and plenty of parties.

The most prestigious Halloween event in Japan is the Kawasaki Halloween Parade, featuring around 4,000 costumed revelers. You can't just throw on any old thing and attend, however. They have standards, and participants must apply at least two months in advance to join the festivities.

Italy: Ognissanti

In Italy, people celebrate the modern, imported celebration of “Halloween” alongside the older, traditional “Ognissanti” festivities.

“Ognissant” translates to “All Saint’s Day,” and it falls on November 1-2. However, people often begin the celebrations a day or two in advance.

During Ognissanti, tradition holds that the souls of the deceased come back to visit their living relatives. People decorate cemeteries with fall chrysanthemums. They leave food out for visiting spirits. In some parts of Italy, parents leave gifts out for their children on behalf of their dead relatives, almost like a miniature Christmas.

Mexico: Dia De Los Muetos

In Mexico, Halloween doesn’t hold a candle to El Día de Los Muertos, the Day of the Dead.

A colorful fusion of traditional indigenous customs and European traditions, Día de Los Muertos is a two-day celebration of ancestors and deceased family members.

According to legend, on November 1st and 2nd, the spirits of the dead come back to visit their families. The living celebrates them with flowers, festivals, sweets, and images of intricately decorated skulls and skeletons. They have picnics and light candles in cemeteries. While images of death are everywhere, it's important to understand that this isn't a scary or a sad holiday- it's a celebration of life, both past, and present.

Guaremala: Barriletes Gigantes – ( Giant Kites Festival)

Guatemala also observes the Day of the Dead. Every year, the people of the towns of Santiago Sacatepéquez, and Sumpango celebrate with a unique twist: a giant kite festival.

To honor their dead, they build giant, brightly-colored kites from local natural materials and fly them in cemeteries. This ancient Mayan custom goes back 3,000 years. Of course, these days it’s also become customary to share pictures of your favorite kites on Facebook and Instagram!

How are you celebrating Halloween? Grab a warm pumpkin spices latte, a bowl of your favorite candy, and cuddle up with our book Raven Naelo and the Artifact of the Stolen Souls.

If you would like more information about our books and merchandise, please visit our website and follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

,https://www.rafischerauthors.com/shop

,https://www.facebook.com/ra fischerauthors

On behalf of Rachel and myself, We thank you for joining our adventure. Until next time, fare thee well, friends.

Today's Spotlight: Harrisburg Comic & Pop Con

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

Welcome to another edition of the OTC Blog. Later this month, Rachel and I will be vendors at the Harrisburg Comic & Pop Con. We are so excited to have a booth this year to sell our book, jewelry, maps and share some exciting details about Book Two- Raven Naelo and the Fall of the Guardians. We also plan to be vendors at the Four State Comic-Con in the spring of 2022. As you can imagine, putting on events like this is no small task. It takes a dedicated team to coordinate the vendors, guests, entertainers, and so much more. We thought a good spotlight for this month would be to chat with the owners of both Comic Cons.

RAF: Can you introduce yourselves and your role with the comic con events.

Brian: I'm one of the convention owners. John and Andrew invited me to join them about a year after they took over the convention from the previous owner. I'm a semi-retired IT guy, so I am the guy that keeps the website running and tries to remind the others that we are a business, and it can't all be fun. Since retiring from the IT arena, I've taken over full ownership of a comic book and game store called 'Comic Store West' located in York, PA, since 1986.

John: I am also one of the co-owners of the convention. I've been involved with shows since the mid-1990s. I've worked on staff, attended the larger shows & set up at several also. I took over Comics World in Chambersburg, PA, in 2001. I act as the liaison with the vendors during the show & coordinate with the guest artists.

Andrew: I am one of the co-owners and have been with the convention before John, and I took over ownership in 2018. I am a Paramedic and EMS Chief by day and a professional nerd by night. I am in charge of most of the vendor communications and operational items. I am also a manager with Comics World, which John is the owner of, which I will let him talk more about. I am the one Brian was talking about above in regard to needing to remind that it is a business and not all fun..........I still don’t believe him lol.

RAF: How long have you known each other?

Brian: We first met at a local comic convention in 2017 and discussed all of the bad things about that convention. It didn't take long for us to realize that we had the same goals as running a good convention. We spent a year or two attending various conventions together and kept planning our future convention.

John: Andrew & I first met when he was a customer at Comics World. About 6 years ago, he started helping at the store & he's become an invaluable resource as well as one of my best friends.

RAF: What made you want to host a comic con?

ALL: One of the things that makes it easy working together is that all three of us are very similar. We give everything we do 110%, we are always looking to improve, and we are all a little crazy. We also go to conventions ourselves and often see things that we would like to see differently, so that leads to leading by example and showing others how it should be done. We aim to please not obviously only the attendees but the vendors, artists, and guests.

RAF: Can you give us the history of both comic cons?

ALL: Harrisburg (Harrisburg Comic & Pop Con): We did well at Hagerstown with our conventions and knew it was time to expand. Harrisburg was the logical choice. It's 90 minutes from our Hagerstown show, so close enough for vendors and attendees to follow us, but it's far enough away that we get a new group of vendors and attendees. Harrisburg is close to Lancaster, so we pull a large new group of people from there. Harrisburg 2019 was the first convention that we did in Harrisburg, and it was a huge success. We are super excited to return to Harrisburg in 2021.

Hagerstown (Four State Comic-Con): This was the convention that was purchased by John and myself in 2018, at which time we brought Brian in to have the perfect storm of 3 people who have incredible strengths in different areas. This convention was started by the previous owner at a roller-skating rink, and as it got bigger, he needed help so John and I assisted in making them bigger and taking the convention to an actual convention hall. This is our flagship show and has been growing rapidly and becoming a fan favorite.

RAF: Scariest moments in producing these events?

ALL: COVID.

We were devastated in March of 2020 when we were forced to cancel our Hagerstown show, which was going to be at a new larger venue. At the time, we were ready to go. Everything was done, and the event was a week out. It was looking to be our most successful convention to date when we got the call that the state closed down all public gatherings.

RAF: Favorite Comic Book? Your favorite movie adapted from a comic? Tell us why.

Brian: While I love superheroes, I've been reading more and more non-superhero comics recently, especially science fiction. I'm a big Star Wars fan, so I read all of the Star Wars comics, but Marvel Comics is putting out some really good Aliens comics right now (based on the 20th Century Fox movie franchise).

John: Wolverine. Plenty of people say that, but he was the first character that really intrigued me when I was introduced to him in X-Men #142 & that was my start to actually collecting & following storylines in comics. I love everything that Marvel has been doing with the MCU. Hard to pick a favorite. I just enjoy good storytelling & cinema.

Andrew: Amazing Spider-Man- Spider-Man (1st Movie)- Why?................because it's Spider-Man

RAF: If you could have any celebrity come to these events, who would it be and why?

Brian: That's a tough question. If money were not an issue, I think my #1 get would be Harrison Ford. I am a huge Star Wars fan and would love to meet Han Solo and speak with him.

John: I'd have to say Joe Manganiello because my wife is such a big fan of his.

Andrew: Please see the above answer, lol

RAF: What would you like people to know about the events, comic stores, yourselves that we didn’t discuss?

Brian: All three of us love to hear feedback from attendees. This is the best way for us to improve our next convention.

John: Ditto what Brian and Andrew said.

Andrew: We do this because of the people. Our prices are some of the lowest around anywhere for the size of our shows. Thank you to everyone who has ever supported us!

Here's some additional information about the events and owners that make both Comic Con's happen:

Brian’s store info:

Comic Store West

2111 Industrial Highway

York, PA 17402

www.comicstorewest.com

https://www.facebook.com/comicstorewest

717-845-9198

John’s store info:

Comics World

1670 Lincoln Way E

Chambersburg, PA 17202

www.comicsworldonline.com

https://www.facebook.com/comicsworldonline

717-264-9918

Convention Info:

Harrisburg Comic & Pop Con 2021 Event Page:

https://www.facebook.com/events/224762252196813/

Four State Comic Con 2022 Event Page:

https://www.facebook.com/events/244136140517859

Brian Waltersdorff

Owner - Comic Store West LLC

http://www.comicstorewest.com

Owner - Four State Comic Con LLC

http://www.fourstatecon.com

Well, my friends, that's a wrap for this month! Make sure to come out and visit the vendors this year at the Harrisburg Comic and Pop Con on September 18th and 19th, 2021, at the Harrisburg East Mall. If you would like more information about our books or merchandise, please visit our website and follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

https://www.rafischerauthors.com/shop

https://www.facebook.com/rafischerauthors

On behalf of Rachel and myself, we thank you for joining our adventure. Until next time, fare thee well, friends.

Today’s Spotlight: The Alchemist Cove: Games & Comics Store

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

Welcome to another edition of the OTC Blog. Did you know that since the 1930s, there has been a universal battle happening, which has sparked the question of Marvel or DC? Even Rachel and I are split on this topic. I’m a huge Marvel fan, where Rachel has been a DC fan since she was a kid.

For so many decades, fans have anxiously waited for the newest issues of a favorite comic to arrive at their favorite stores. Nowadays, we can find copies of comics in big box stores, online or specialized comic bookstores.

In 2019 when Rachel and I release our first book, Raven Naelo and the Artifact of the Stolen Souls, we knew that we had to find ways to reach our target audience. While researching venues, I was so excited to see that near my small hometown of St. Clair, PA, a new comic bookstore called Alchemist Cove had open. We reached out to the owner, Aaron Driesbach, to discuss doing a book event there. He said he had an even better idea and asked us to come to his store and be a part of Schuylkill Haven’s Borough Day. We gratefully accepted and had a fantastic event.

Since meeting Aaron and his crew, we have formed a great relationship and are looking forward to doing events again this year with him. To help us, he purchased several copies of our book to sell at his store. So when working on ideas for our blog, I knew I wanted to showcase Aaron and his store to thank him for the support he has shown us. So I spoke with him recently to learn a bit more about his journey in opening Alchemist’s Cove.

Can you tell everyone what made you decide to open up a comic book and game shop?

AD - I’ve been in the gaming hobby since I was a little kid, so I’ve always had a passion for games. Comics grew on me more as I started reading more and listening to my brother talks about heroes and ongoing stories that he would read. To be truthful, though, my decision to open a store came from me being tired of working for corporate America and working in jobs that wouldn’t allow me to excel to my potential. I had what I thought was a dream to become a teacher, but life showed me that wasn’t meant to be as I got turned down by countless districts after interviewing. I worked for big Pharma for a while to save up, and one day I just decided I didn’t want to do that anymore, and I needed a change. A change that I wanted to do where I could succeed or fail on my own accord. I thought being my own boss is what would be best for me. So, naturally, what better business to run than something you feel passionate about?

When did your store open?

AD - I opened my store to the public for the first time on January 9th, 2017. I’ll never forget the date.

When did you first become interested in comic books, board games, and role-playing games?

AD- As I mentioned before, I’ve been a fan since I was a kid, so I’d say the early 90’s. I loved fantasy and fiction—Make-believe worlds and stories where your only limitation is your imagination.

What merchandise does your shop specialize in?

AD- The shop specializes in a number of things. We’re very diverse, which is what makes it such a great place to go to. Our biggest is Magic: The Gathering and comic books/graphic novels. We have a pretty large table-top community, though, and we carry a lot of table-top miniatures for wargaming, and Dungeons and Dragons are very popular.

What types of events do you hold?

AD- We host a number of events and tournaments every month for all kinds of games like Magic, Bolt Action, Kings of War, Warhammer 40K, and more. We also host in-house open play and demos for many game systems. In addition, we participate in Free Comic Book Day every year and many town gatherings and events. We’re always open to hosting nearly anything as long as the interest is there.

Does your store do any types of community outreach?

AD- Absolutely. We make many donations to various nonprofit organizations and local school districts. We’ve also helped sponsor a number of youth athletic teams and other activities.

DC or Marvel? Why? Favorite Villain and Hero?

AD- I always get flak for this one. To be very clear, I love comics and superheroes in general from all publishers. I’m an avid movie-goer and have seen every comic movie out there regardless of association. That being said, I’m a DC fan at heart. Why? For one, my brother is too. Secondly, I grew up in the ’90s during the premier time for cartoon animation, and the pinnacle of that animation for any comic character was Batman, the animated series. I watched that show religiously. There were so many different heroes and villains in that show alone. DC, in general, has a lot of darker backstories to it, and I like that. I like the appearance of a lot of the heroes and oh so many villains. To pick a favorite of any of them is difficult. I don’t want to sound cliché, but my favorite villain would probably be the Joker. A hero is more difficult. I like Batman, but I also like the Green Lantern (Hal Jordan and John Stewart) and The Flash (Barry Allen).

Anything else you would like our readers to know?

AD- Keep reading! Whether you’ve read Raven Naelo and the Artifact of the Stolen Souls or not, there’s a book out there for everyone. Don’t allow the age of digitalization to overtake our books!

We will be at the Alchemist Cove on August 14th, 3 pm-6 pm, for Free Comic Book Day, giving out a copy of our comic strip inspired by our Raven Naelo book series. And on Saturday, September 25th, we will participate again in Schuylkill Haven’s Borough Day.

If you would like more information about our books or merchandise, please visit our website and follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

,https://www.rafischerauthors.com/shop

,https://www.facebook.com/ra fischerauthors

On behalf of Rachel and myself, We thank you for joining our adventure. Until next time, fare thee well, friends.