Nick Davis's Blog, page 79

A thank you, but no thank you as I continue the manuscript submission game…

The dream of traditional publishing continues… Some of you may have remembered an odd Twitter by me made over three months ago about making a Hail Mary pass with A Teddy Bear Tales. It was as this time I decided to submit A Teddy Bear Tales to Archaia publishing an emerging publisher of amazing alternative titles like Mouse Guard, Tale of Sand and Rust. I noted at the time they were expended their all ages tales books and figured my little story about a quietly heroic Teddy Bear would be a great fit.

So I filled out the submission form, sent in the book, made a tweet, crossed my fingers and got on with things. Three long months later I got this reply… (which you can read after the jump)

Hi Nicholas & Dan,

Thank you for submitting to Archaia! We had a chance to review your material and feel this may be better suited for another publisher. 

Again, we really appreciate your submission to Archaia and wish you success in finding another publisher for A TEDDY BEAR TALE. 

We look forward to your next submission to Archaia!

Well, scuppered again… Of course I will keep trying different avenues, but as many of you can relate you get filled with hope with every submission you make and to be totally honest to get published with Archaia would be frankly amazing… With their quirky titles, alternate all ages stories I felt A Teddy Bear Tale would be a great fit for them. Maybe I might try to see if Fabula Exposition will be a good fit for them? After all who doesn’t like Ninjas?

As for Tristan his journey continues… Is it time for a comic book for this most noble of Teddy Bears?

Awesome commission by Teddy Bear Tales Artist Dan Nokes – Jedi Tristan vs a Sith Cat

Jedi Tristan vs Sith Cat by Dan Nokes

I had to share this pretty cool commission art by Dan Nokes, the Teddy Bear Tales artist and local indie creator. He was commissioned to do this piece at Baltimore comic con and it turned out great. Be sure to check out his other work over on his website at http://21sandshark.com 

Lest we forget we will be doomed to repeat history for this 911 will be forever remembered…

For me 911 holds a lot of different meanings from those that you would normally have. What I will say this is a reminder to us all to remember the Heroes those that ran in when others ran out and to celebrate your life. Be thankful for what you, have those that protect us in your mind for Freedom isn’t free, it must be held onto firmly with white knuckles with both hands, do not give it up for the promise of security, for well-being, it must always be watched over and protected… For in this land you are born free with the most unique document that protects you. Never give it up ever… Lest we forget we will be doomed to repeat history… Always remember… Always… Be gentle with the Earth now!

Baltimore Comic Con 2012 Day Two – All Good Things

All good things sadly have to end and that is how I feel about Baltimore Comic Con, ever since I first attended this show way back in 2005 I’ve found it to be one of the most enjoyable shows of the year.  Win or lose I don’t have a bad BCC it is my home turf, an end and a beginning. Already I am making plans for next year show and will try to be a little bit bigger next year. This is after all a marathon not a sprint, eh? So on with the highlights of this weekend.

Last night I learned that the Teddy Bear Tales got press in the Baltimore Examiner – a chance meeting with what I thought was the Baltimore Comic Con Press Lady (for their website) led to Tristan being mentioned in her column on the Baltimore Examiner. You can read this fine piece by clicking the link here.

Also this convention saw some interesting of changes I had a couple of fans of The Wonder Tales namely The Daughter of Frost seek me out. The news on this book is good, Terra is moving on with the illustrations and we are still on target for an early October release for the Kickstarter part of this project. The same thing happened with The Teddy Bear Tales too. It was really cool having people come to me I’m normally leaping out at them. Nice change

In all this was a really good show for me, and my Cuddly Sketch Cards proved to be very popular too. needless to say I am very inspired for the next year and have a number of plans to help advance my projects. More Sketch cards, more books and more stuff yet to come. Thank you all for making this a good conventions, now onwards…

And yes the Tristan meets the Cosplayers gallery is next…

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Baltimore Comic Con 2012 Day One – Long day, lotsa fun and a bunch of pictures to share

Just completed the first day at Baltimore Comic Con 2012 and it was a long one. I always enjoy this convention it is like a homecoming and you meet genuine fans who love books. You get to talk to people, have a little fun and actually get really good traffic. After the jump you have a cornucopia of pictures of Tristan the Teddy Bear meeting various Cosplayers and my very first ever convention sketch. 























































































































































































































































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See you all at Artist Alley Booth A47 at Baltimore Comic Con

The time has come… Baltimore Comic Con marks the end of the convention season for me and also a renewal as the I start the wind up for the next year of dates. This event has always been my homecoming and I normally debut a big release at this event.

This year at Baltimore Comic Con I am debuting the illustrated story A Teddy Bear Tale II, the second part of Tristan adventures against the Monsters under the Bed as he explores a world within a world. I will also be debuting the first part of Cuddly Defender Range a series of Cuddly Tristan’s & Wilma’s you can buy to help protect you from the Monsters under the bed!!!

In addition to this amazing new story and the Cuddly Defenders I will be bringing A Teddy Bear Tale, brand new Cuddly Sketch Cards, the unique narrative prose & comic book action mash-up graphic novel Fabula Exposition Zero and the rest of the Alt-World books.  See you all at Baltimore Comic Con drop by Artist Alley Booth A47 and say hello!

The British are Coming… The British are Coming to Baltimore Comic Con along with Tristan!

Tristan the Teddy Bear by Will Nix III

Don’t forget Tristan the Teddy Bear, the Teddy Bear Tales and the entire collection of Alt-World books, cards and bears will be coming to Baltimore Comic Con this weekend at Artist Alley Booth A47… We are joining the British Invasion this year… An invasion so big that the Baltimore Comic Con will have its own British Embassy set up in the Entrance Lobby!!!

To celebrate all things Cool Britannia make sure you stop by the table to pick up your FREE Tristan the Teddy Bear Coloring Page and help this Teddy bump back at the Monsters under the Bed… See you all Baltimore Comic Con from this Saturday onwards!

My immigration journey the Adjustment of Status interview what was the verdict?

This blog is the second part to my And it all comes down to this… Is this the final step in my immigration journey? As you all know I had my Adjustment of Status Interview, where I have to basically prove my worthiness to remain in the USA. So I can finally adjust my immigration status from non-resident to legal-resident. If you read the blog you will know I wasn’t holding out much hope of success…

Because frankly I needed my Ex-Wife to turn up to complete the interview for Matter of Sesay. As you may of guessed my Ex-Wife didn’t turn up leaving me to twist in the wind and very little chance to successfully complete the AOS and finally be approved for my Green Card. But that is only part of the story.

Jean and myself arrived at the USCIS offices in plenty of time, I reported to the receptionist and we took our seats to wait to be called. I was called much sooner that I thought and was redirected to Room G600 were I believe AOS petitions that require more research and lengthier interviews take place. After waiting two hours (one hour past the appointment time) I was finally called in the back to start my interview.

At this point Jean couldn’t join me because she wasn’t named on the petition, and I went through my interview showing documents, answering questions, explaining the situation and the complications of applying through Sesay. In return the Immigration Officer was very pleasant and the interview wasn’t that hard. She did comment asking why the Ex-Wife didn’t turn up and also said she didn’t know why I wasn’t approved when we tried to file with Jean as the sponsor. The interview ended and I was told my case would require more research and I would get a decision in the mail.

I asked about a timeline and of course she was vague about that, so once again I am in Immigration Limbo waiting on a decision that I am convinced will be a resounding no. I am without a doubt just so tired of being put through this emotional rollercoaster by the USCIS. I cannot make long-term plans and our entire future here is so up in the air it isn’t even funny anymore.

So… No real verdict and back to the waiting game.

Here is my conclusion – First, I’m really annoyed that the USCIS denied the petition with Jean as the sponsor that caused us a lot of problems including the loss of a really good life changing job, I am even more annoyed learning from this Immigration Officer that she really couldn’t see why I was denied in the first place. Second after a little research I’ve found out this decision could take up to nine weeks to arrive! Nine more weeks with no guarantee of success…

It is my hope from the positive vibe I got from this Immigration Officer that I am looking at yes. Although I feel my Ex-Wife not appearing will really count against me. So lets keep those virtual fingers crossed we got this far with little breaks… So not much further to go right?

My Immigration journey continues as ever it is one step forward followed by two steps back and we stand at another crossroads waiting. And People say immigrating to the USA only requires you to just turn up… Bah Humbug!!!

And it all comes down to this… Is this the final step in my immigration journey?

Big day… Big day… One of the biggest I will ever have… Around 10am today I am taking what I hope will be my final journey to the USCIS Department in the Federal Building here in Baltimore for the next couple of years.  This is my Adjustment of Status Interview, the last big step before I get issued my Green Card it all comes down to this folks and I am very, very nervous…. Read on to find out why…

Now before I get ahead of myself; I am sorry I know it has been a very long time since I last posted a Immigration Journey blog. But to be completely honest not much has been going on since I got my Work Permit in April. All I have been doing is working and waiting for my appointment for my Adjustment of Status Interview. You see a lot of the stuff involved in this immigration process is hurry up and wait. They after all have the time… Me as an Immigrant does not.

I was remit though and I did forget to post about one more hurdle I had to clear before I even got this interview date. You see you can’t just decide you want to stay in this country, well you can it just means it makes things very difficult. You have to have a relative or sponsor. One of those things that your sponsor or relative have to do is fill out an I-864 Support Petition saying that the immigrant (that’s me folks) will not become a public charge and that sponsor or relative are financially responsible for you.

My Adjustment of Status Petition was filed using Matter of Sesay which allowed me to use my previous marriage to my Ex-Wife. An amazing ruling that allows K1 Visa holders like me have to adjust under the one that brought us in. The only problem being is my Ex-Wife doesn’t like me (and I’m being polite) and I knew there would not be a chance of getting her to sign a new I-864. Thankfully I’ve been in the USA long enough now to earn enough Social Security Credits to be able to file a Waiver. I think this Waiver worked because I now have this interview.

Which brings me to this Adjustment of Status Interview, I made it right? This part is a cake walk, correct?

Well… No it is not… You see there is one more hurdle which I don’t think I can overcome. While Matter of Sesay gives me the golden opportunity to get my Green Card it still requires that your ex-spouse has to be at this interview; without my Ex-Wife being there (and she is pointedly not coming) my chances, the fight, all your help and everything else has been for naught, we are dead in the water here.

Sure I have evidence pointing to the fact we had a legitimate marriage, we have two children, that we lived out lives together for five years. My Ex-Wife even gave me an affidavit to this effect (the bare minimal she can do in this matter), it doesn’t matter if I could come in with fives years of continuously recorded video and nothing I can bring is worth a damn… Crap… Even the USCIS has an 3 inch thick file full of information about me, my marriage, my second marriage, my kids and my divorce.

But, because the Adjudication Officer and USCIS procedures require myself and my Ex-Wife to be there. There is no flexibility, no leeway, no guidelines that cover this accept the one that says without her the petition is lost. Of course she is aware of this and I’ve been asking for weeks basically begged her to turn up. You would also think even for the sake of the children she would endure me for a couple of hours just so they can keep seeing their father… Or if you even look at the mercenary aspect of it to keep me in the USA so I can keep paying child support. Oh no… It is not that easy… Or simple… I never knew until now how much she hated me until this point, that she would want to see her kids suffer than have me remain in the country. How can one person lose their way this much? Pure self-destructing madness…

So I don’t hold out any hope for my adjustment of status interview to be successful, my last chance gone leaving me pretty much with one choice. I feel a little like a condemned man going through the motions and it is really sad. I don’t want to leave… I’ve spent twelve years building my life here, everything I love is here… Everything!

I think all I can say at this point is thank you, thank you all my friends for your support. For everything you’ve all helped me with, giving me hope and keeping me in the USA just a little longer to see another year of my children growing up, to be a father to them, to be a husband to my wife, to help me regain a little control over my life.

We sit here my friends at the end of all things… You all have been great company on this journey thank you for listening. Be gentle with the Earth and your kindness has lifted me up. You’ve shown me all things are after all possible.

What you can do now is hope for good news, hope I am wrong, hope that everything I have learned over the last year about USCIS and this procedure don’t mean a damn, and that tomorrow I walk out of that office approved for my Green Card. Hope for just one more break so my journey, my story here can go on with my family… Because they do deserve so much more than I’ve ever been able to give them.

There is and always will be hope… At least for that I don’t have to fill out a form, eh?

You are all amazing… Don’t ever stop being so

The Avengers a very late movie review, but just in time for the DVD

Today I took my boys to see Avengers at our local strip mall theater, it is a small place with six screens which seat about 100 people per auditorium. This was oddly the last chance I would get to finally see the Avengers on the movie screen. Yes… You read that right, I’ve not had chance or opportunity to see this movie yet… So now that wrong has been righted.

The Avengers is the movie that Marvel Movies have been building too with hints in Ironman and the Hulk, part of Ironman 2 devoted to setting it up and Captain America being the prequel of things to come.  It didn’t pretend to be anything else than a Superhero popcorn fest and what I saw was the Avengers comic brought to life on the movie screen. In short it was really good comic book movie and made no apologies for it.

The pacing was light and fast like flicking through the pages of a comic book; we got just enough characterization to establish each character for anyone who hasn’t been watching one of the best movie build up’s since Back to the Future and we got just a little more to put more flesh on the Hawkeye and Black Widow characters. Enough to know that their relationship is complicated. We even got to see a few layers of Fury the secret keeper and without knowing a little more of the Marvel universe was unlocked before us.  We got some stunning action sequences, Cap oddly enough got to be more Cap in this movie than in his own, Hawkeye was made very cool, Natasha swung around a lot and Mark Ruffalo did an amazing job of taking the Hulk role from Edward Norton and making it his own. Pretty much we were treated to spectacle without the action being too confusing and you could follow who was who, and what was going on unlike the blurred mess of Transformers (see what you can do without using shaky-cam all the time.)

What really tied it all together was a stellar performance from Tom Hiddleston who played Loki up to the hilt, manic, insane, calculating, machiavellian and sometimes the victim. He was very believable as a menace and I find it hard to think that this is the end of Loki’s plan and we’ve just peeled back one layer.  Chris Hemsworth again was a worthy Thor with some fun one liners, and the moments he went head to head with his brother we stepped into some serious Shakespearean stuff.

My only compliant was the movie was a little longer than it really needed to be, we got a little too much of Robert Downey Jr helmet cam and some of the fan service wasn’t needed. In all though and I am a little biased, but we got the best comic book movie since Ironman. This was fun, a little silly, didn’t try to explain everything and a great reminder of what action movies, what comic book movies should be. Take notes DC this is what you should be doing with the Justice League movie and you have a mighty high bar to clear.

4.5 thumbs up out of 5