Michael Moreci's Blog, page 4

How you can order BLACK STAR RENEGADES

Okay everyone, don't freak out. Don't freak out. 

Wait. That's me freaking out. 

It's almost here, believe it or not. Almost. January 2 is right around the corner, and with it brings the release of my debut novel, Black Star Renegades. And I'm SO EXCIIIIIITED!

If you don't know what the book is, let me lay it out as simple and easy as possible: If you like space adventures like Star Wars and Guardians of the Galaxy, then Black Star Renegades is the book for you. It's a galaxy-hopping romp that's fun, exciting, and filled with rich characters and colorful worlds. 

And, Grant Morrison (yes, THE Grant Morrison) said it's an "epic space adventure with big, bold characters, exotic new worlds and a rocket ride of a plot that rips along at plus-warp speed, delivering  one dizzying twist and turn after another. If you love Star Wars, Guardians of the Galaxy or classic pulp science fiction, Black Sun Renegades dazzles like an exploding star."

So there's THAT. 

Now, January might seem like a long way away, but it'll be here before we know it. Which means the window to preorder Black Star Renegades isn't as big as it might seem. And, believe me, preorders are SO important to the success of the book. I cannot stress that enough. 

That said, here's a bunch of places you can find the book and ebook, and every single preorder, no matter where it's from or in what format, is crucial and greatly, greatly appreciated. 

Now, let's get to reserving a copy of your new favorite book!

ME + SUPERMAN = I'M LOSING MY MIND

This is not even a joke. I'm writing SUPERMAN. Issue #26--out July 5--is written by me with art by Scott Godlewski and colors from Hi-Fi. This is something I never ever thought would happen. Writing Wonder Woman and now Superman is so crazy and immense that I can't even wrap my head around it. But I'm trying, and I'm so very grateful to have had these opportunities. 

Check out the issue next month--it's all about fatherhood (seriously, the addition of Jon to the Superman family has been brilliant; Super Sons is such a great series). While I'm intimidated by the idea of releasing a Superman comic with my name on it, I'm proud of the work we did, and I hope you all enjoy it. 

Up, up, and away!

BLACK STAR RENEGADES HAS A COVER!!!

Yes yes yes. Yesyesyes. i can finally share the cover for my forthcoming space adventure romp of a novel, BLACK STAR RENEGADES, and it's basically everything I could have hoped for. Artist Wayne Haag absolutely slayed this thing, giving it a vintage sci-fi feel while also incorporating the fun, epic feel of the book. It was exactly what my editor and I were after, and Wayne delivered the goods. I actually sought Wayne out for the cover art--he's worked some of my favorite things, like The Fifth Element, Lord of the Rings, and Farscape, so it was mind-blowing to actually have him agree to work on my little book. 

Speaking of my little book, get ready because it's-a-comin'. January, 2018. I've said it before, but it bears repeating: I like to think of this book as the lovechild of Star Wars and Guardians of the Galaxy, spawned to the soundtrack of The Clash's self-titled album. So, if you're into stuff like that, this is the book for you. It's a big, fun, world-hopping space adventure that I want people to enjoy the hell out of reading.  Want to know what it's actually about? Good news, along with the cover, I can share the overview as well. It goes like: 

"Cade Sura holds the future of the galaxy in his hands: the ultimate weapon that will bring total peace. He didn’t ask for it, he doesn’t want it, and there’s no worse choice to wield it in all of space, but if he doesn’t, everyone’s totally screwed. The evil Praxis kingdom is on the cusp of having every star system under its control, and if that happens, there’ll be no contesting their cruel reign. Especially if its fanatical overlord, Ga Halle, manages to capture Cade and snag the all-powerful weapon for herself.

Cade can’t hide from Praxis, and he can’t run from the destiny that’s been shoved into his hands. So he only has one option:

He has to fight.

Cade’s not going to let destiny send him on a suicide run, though. With some help from his friends—rebels and scoundrels alike—Cade’s going to use this weapon to chart a new destiny for the galaxy, and for himself. He just has to do so before everyone around him discovers that he’s a complete and total fraud."

Expect to hear about BLACK STAR RENEGADES a lot in the coming months. You'll probably come to hate me. Which is fine--just don't hate the book. Love the book. In fact, love it so much that you order it right away so you're ready for its January release! Check it out on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. 

I Wrote Wonder Woman!

That's right--I wrote a WONDER WOMAN story! It was such a thrill to do. Wonder Woman's a character I've loved forever, so getting a chance to write for her was a dream come true. And, collaborating with Stephanie Hans (who illustrated the our story), couldn't have been better. She's a ridiculous talent who made my script into something more than I could have ever imagined. 

That said, Stephanie's and my story, "The Curse and the Honor" releases today, 5/31. Find it in WONDER WOMAN ANNUAL #1, in stores, online, wherever. And catch the WW movie this Friday!

My Book is a Book!

Well, there you have it! My book is actually a book. Sorta. This is the uncorrected manuscript, which means we still has some work--particularly proofreading--to do. But still. It's in the physical form of a book, and holding that in my hands is one of the coolest moments of my career. 

And soon, soooooooon, you'll be able to get your hands on it as well. The completed, ultimate, rocket to the stars, high on jet fumes, mosh pitting on the moon version. BLACK STAR RENEGADES. Coming early 2018. 

Say Hello to BLACK STAR RENEGADES!

So, this is the moment I introduce myself, right? If you're here, odds are you at least sorta know who I am. If that's the case, hello to you. I hope you're doing awesome.

If you don't know me, well:

I'm Michael Moreci. I write novels, I write comics. Comics like Roche Limit, Burning Fields, Suicide Squad, and Hoax Hunters. As for novels? Well, I just publicly shared the title of my first ever novel, coming from St. Martin's in early 2018:

BLACK STAR RENEGADES. 

It's sci-fi. It's adventures in space. It's as if Star Wars and Guardians of the Galaxy had a baby while getting it on to The Clash's self-titled debut. That's the best way to describe it--at least for now. Oh, and it's the beginning of a series of novels, so if you like what I just described, you're doing to have have a big ol' universe to settle into.

That's me in a nutshell. Novels. Comics. I love Star Wars more than I probably should. Sometimes I write for StarWars.com, and Tor.com, because I also love sci-fi.

If you want to keep up with my work, I suggest signing up for my mailing list. I'll send a message about once a month or so, including my latest work, info on upcoming releases and events, as well as free stuff. We'll keep our email relationship casual, trust me.  

Talk soon!

--MM

Some NaNoWriMo Motivation

I've been meaning to write a post sharing the books that I go to that help inspire and motivate me as a writer, but the completion of my novel--releasing in a year or so!--has taken waaaaay more time than I anticipated (in a good way; I love every second of it). My plan was to list the books and share some of my thoughts on each; but, with time being short, I have to cut out my commentary. I could wait on writing the post, of course, until I have the time to write it in full, but it's National November Writing Month, and with so many people writing more than ever, I figure it's the best time to share some motivation and inspiration. 

That said, here's a look at the books that I go to for wisdom, insight, or just a swift kick in the ass to keep me going.

1. On Writing, by Stephen King

2. Zen and the Art of Writing, Ray Bradbury

3. Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott

4. Finding a Form, by William Gass

5. On Becoming a Novelist, by John Gardner

6. Reading Like a Writer, by Francine Prose

7. Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting, by Syd Field

8. Story, by Robert McKee

9. Writing the TV Drama Series by Pamela Douglas

So go out there, be inspired, and keep writing!

 

On Getting Rejected

I finished my first novel in 2005, when I was 25 years old. Let's put aside the fact that the book is terrible, because, at the time, I didn't think it was. But, trust me, it is. I was fresh out of the master's program at Northwestern University, where I studied under two MacArthur winners (you know, the genius grant) and a Whiting recipient. To say I learned a lot would be like saying you went to a Trump rally and thought most of what he said was pretty factual. It isn't. And learned a ton about writing, and reading, at Northwestern.

That said, I was the only student in my graduating class who was leaving the program with a novel in hand. Most had short story collections, a few were essayists. The point is that I felt like I was walking out of the program with the most complete, publishable manuscript in my hands. It was a novel, a completed novel that I'd written under the guidance of literal geniuses. I had visions of Michael Chabon, who's first novel was also written when he was a grad student, dancing in my head. It would be a slam dunk to get my book published, right? Welllllll...

Not so much.

The sure thing I had envisioned in my mind—getting a publisher, getting an agent, establishing a career as an author—turned out to be complete misjudgment of so many things, I can't even begin to list them all. Least of which was how good the book actually was (not very) and how true I was staying to myself as a writer (I wasn't). It all added up to an oversized pile of disappointment and, quite frankly, heartbreak.

First I was rejected by publishers, the ones that were gracious enough to read submissions without representation. Clear across the board, I was denied. And we're talking form rejections here—not a single personal note of encouragement from an editor in the bunch. Then, I went to try and find an agent. I spent months and months cold-emailing people I found on Publisher's Marketplace and Media Bistro (and other internet searching) and found no interest this route either. Not a single agent gave me the time of day, and they shouldn't have. I wasn't close to having my shit together, and any real professional could smell how raw I was from a mile away.

All the while, I went back to writing short stories in the hopes of accumulating a few publishing credits. And guess what? Those were all rejected, too. Everywhere from n + 1 to, I don't know, the University of Carolina Tech Journal of the Arts sent the exact same message:

Nope.

By the ripe old age of 27, I felt like Lieutenant Murtaugh, in that I was “getting too old for this shit.”

I looked at Jonathan Safran Foer and Dave Eggers, who had both published their first books at like 14 and 17, respectively, and it crippled me. But that, right there, is the start of the toxic thinking that we all internalize: We all make the mistake of setting our barometers to outliers and wunderkinds, not the norm. For every Eggers, there's hundreds of writers who spend years and years chipping away at earning a bona fide career. A writing teacher of mine once said it perfectly, when someone asked him how he achieved his success. He said, simply, that he “outlasted everyone else.”

Ten years. That's seems to be the going standard for the time it takes to go from starting on the path that takes you from amateur writer to writing being your career. And the starting date isn't the school newspaper you wrote for in junior high. Or the first story you wrote when you were nine. No no no. We're talking your first professional publication as an adult with a legitimate outfit. It's ten years from that point. I actually quit my day job this past February, which put me just over the ten-year mark.

And I'm still rejected to this day. Some projects work, some projects don't. Some are a fit for publishers, some aren't. We all get rejected, all the time (well, ideally less so as you go), but the trick is to keep going. Like my teacher said, making it as a writer is a marathon, not a sprint. And some writers never “make it” in the way they, or others, expect. For every known, “big-name” writer, there's dozens of other professional writers who you'd never know are out there getting regular work and making a good living. Success, first and foremost, is about being able to survive, and you can survive without being a celebrity. Trust me, you can.

 

The problem is that we don't see these writers. We tend to only see the mega-successful, which makes every rejection all the more painful because, in our heads, they put us further and further away from reaching that coveted level. Not only is that standard unnecessary (it would be great, but, again, there are other ways), it also twists thinking into confusing how success is defined.

In addition to making the mistake of setting the bar for success an unrealistic levels, we all have a tendency to put success over vision. I did it, and it really messed me up, for a lot of years. We all love writing and storytelling, we want to be able to do it all the time—the problem, though, is the things we lose sight of to get there. For me, and others I know, I ended up going astray from who I was as a writer. I was told, as an undergraduate, that sci-fi didn't sell, and it was a waste to pursue. This teacher, in fact, forbid me to turn in any genre fiction in her class—and that was the second time that happened to me. I was surrounded by students who were all writing the same domestic malaise short stories, which were the “in” thing at the time. The more you sounded like Cheever, the better off you were.

Except I didn't want to be Cheever. Or Ford. Or whoever. I never did. But that's where I could fit in, with my class and the publishing industry, so I shifted away from what I was really passionate about writing because I placed achieving success over what was really important—finding my voice and developing compelling themes and ideas that would make for strong, original fiction. That, ultimately, is what counts. It may take longer to find success this way, but I can almost guarantee that writing something that your heart isn't into will never get you where you want to be. People can detect fraudulent writing, just as easy as they can detect writing that's driven by a great, passionate voice. I was detected, big time, and it nearly derailed my career. I was on the cusp of giving up on writing, having been buried by rejections and having lost my sense of direction. If it wasn't for my wife urging me to get back to my basics and write what I love, I'd probably be, I don't know, working at Krispy Kreme or something right now. Which I guess wouldn't be too bad....

The thing about rejection is this: Most times, when you're rejected, it has nothing to do with you or your talent. You've heard it a million times: it's timing, it's creating opportunities for yourself, it's positioning yourself to be at the right place at the right time. “Showing up is eighty percent of life,” Woody Allen once said, and he's right. To make it as a writer, you have to show up again, and again, and again, and again. Do things the right way, and eventually, you'll find yourself doing this crazy thing for a living.  

Roche Limit: Monadic--Free Scripts, Free First Issue

Guess what came today? Yessiree, the final trade paperback collection of my (ahem, acclaimed) sci-fi comic series, Roche Limit. The trilogy is now complete. 

Now, I've gotten plenty of sentimental on social media and in the final issue of the series. So, I'm going to spare us all anymore feels. What I am going to do, instead, is give away some stuff!

I'm going to start what I think is the coolest thing, especially for Roche Limit diehards--and that thing is the script for what was once the first issue of the final volume of Roche Limit, back when it was called AFTERlife (rather than Monadic). I actually wrote the first two issues of this aborted volume, and scrapped it all when I wasn't satisfied with where things were going. (And, quick aside, this isn't the first time I've done this--I scrapped the entire script for the very first issue way back when this whole enterprise was just getting started.)

So, if you want to see what could have been, you're in luck. That issue can be downloaded and read right here:

https://app.box.com/s/xz6ukd2p4rbm12p...

I'm also giving away the first issue script, the one that actually went to print, just for fun and, hopefully, for insight. I get asked for scripts pretty often, and when I was first starting out, I read scripts all the time, too. So, hopefully, this will offer some insight into the comics writing process. 

You snag that script for Monadic #1 right here:

https://app.box.com/s/to1fq5j6xn5baih...

And, in case you haven't read Monadic #1, and because I'm the bestest, here's the PDF to the issue, free of charge. 

https://app.box.com/s/b7t0fnpytjpolmz...

The Monadic trade comes out next month, so be sure to snag it in stores or through Amazon, TFAW, B and N, etc. 

Enjoy!

The Sordid History of ReincarNATE

The cover to ReincarNATE #1!

Let me tell you something: ReincarNATE is the little comic that could. I know, that's corny as hell, but it's true. Way back when Hoax Hunters was getting off the ground at Image, ReincarNATE was the book I wanted, more than anything else, to release next. I thought it had a great concept (a down on his luck PI, Nate, gets shot in the head and can now interact with the people he reincarnated from, helping him stop criminals) and even better art--Keith Burns, who illustrated my first published comic, weaves some magic in ReincarNATE, believe me. But here's thing: no one else agreed with my opinion. 

No one. 

The book was rejected by every publisher you can name. I submitted it everywhere, and not a single publisher wanted to publish it. The book was universally rejected.

Normally, I'd just throw in the towel. Because that's what you do in publishing--if a pitch doesn't attract attention, you cut your losses and move on to the next one. But I couldn't do that. I didn't want to do that. 

Instead, Keith and I persisted. In 2012, we ran a successful Kickstarter to fund the printing of the four-issue ReincarNATE. Keith finished the book, and I mailed off about 300 copies or so, if memory serves. The book was a real thing in the world; we got to see our vision through to the end, and I was thrilled that we did. 

Only, the thing is, that wasn't the end. ReincarNATE--again, the book NO comic publisher wanted to touch--caught the eye of James Cooper, an aspiring writer and director. James optioned the series in the hopes of making something of it. 

Two years passed without much movement. Then, long story short, the development of the ReincarNATE TV show got a big shot in the arm when Buck Productions and Patrice Theroux, formerly of the mega production company Entertainment One, joined James to bring ReincarNATE to life. You can see the news for yourself here:

http://deadline.com/2015/06/reincarna...

Somehow, this book has managed to stay alive. Kind of like Nate himself, ReincarNATE has defied all odds time and time again. Keith and I always joke that we're either the luckiest people around, or just too dumb to quit. 

And now, we're in the middle of the coolest period of ReincarNATE's existence yet. About two weeks back, we announced that David Hayter (who wrote the first two X-Men movies in addition to voicing Snake in Metal Gear Solid) has signed as the showrunner for the ReincarNATE TV show. Which, suffice to say, is amazing. To go from the book no one wanted to being a step away from a pilot being shot (and I've read the script for the first episode--it's truly terrific) is still surreal to me. You can read about David's involvement here:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news...

My heart, of course, will always be with the comic. And that's what I'm primarily writing about. The first issue--re-releasing the four issues found in the Kickstarter trade paperback--is coming out from Heavy Metal this August, and the final date for retailers to place orders is this Tuesday, July 5. Let me tell you from experience after experience, the only thing that gets retailers to order books is if they know it will sell. And the only way they'll know it will sell is if they're told, directly by customers, that they will buy the book. 

So, I ask you, please, when you go to your local comic shop this weekend, please tell them to have it in stock. Keith and I have overcome a lot of adversity and beaten a lot of odds to keep this book going, and we want to continue to keep it going--our plan, if all goes well, is to start a new series after the Kickstarter material is re-released. 

If you need a little more convincing, you can read the first issue of ReincarNATE for yourself. For real, totally free. Download it right here:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2913133/Michael%20Moreci/Reincar%28Nate%29_2016_01_Proof_001.pdf

(P.S. We're still tweaking a few things for the re-release, and the cover isn't the current final cover in this version)

As always, thanks for reading--enjoy the holiday weekend!