Christian Laforet's Blog, page 8

Digital Death

Part 1. The time my 10 year old ass got rocked by a guy named Rick

Hey, know what I love? Horror video games! Seriously, I can’t get enough of them. Some of my all-time favourite horror stories have come in video game form. When done right, a video game can be the most immersive story you can experience. Don’t believe me? Imagine the scariest movie you’ve ever seen. Got it? Now instead of an hour and a half, make the story stretch for days (even weeks or months, depending how fast you play your games). On top of that, the story is completely interactive. You are not just along for the ride, you actually get to control the fate of the protagonist (to a degree).

Nothing beats a scary game. With that in mind, here are some of the ones that have left the biggest impression on me.

Splatterhouse (1990).

My cousins had a turbo Graphix 16 (I know! Lucky little bastards!). I was stuck with a broke ass Nintendo while they were rocking 16 bit graphics. The Nintendo had waaaaaay more games, but it didn’t have anything even remotely close to Splatterhouse. I could remember sitting on the carpet in front of their 20 inch television, watching glorious bodily mayhem explode across the screen.

You played as a hockey mask wearing, 2X4 swinging fellow by the name of Rick. Being a huge (HUGE!!!) Friday the 13th fan, I was already down with the guy based solely on his choice of facial armour, but then when I witnessed the first creature get spattered against a nearby wall Jackson Pollock style, I officially joined the Rick fan club.

Besides the gratuitous gore, what really stuck with me about this game was the setting. You had to traverse a house so haunted that it would have sent Father Merrin running for the hills. Every floor of this place was a nightmare. The best part was, none of it made sense. You would exit a room on one level…then come out into a cemetery on the next, and then walk into the attic after that. I really didn’t notice the odd-ball architecture as a kid, but yeah, The Winchester House wishes it was as weirdly designed as West Mansion in Splatterhouse.

The ghouls which came at you one at time (ala every kung-fu movie ever), were ripe for the killing. Besides the above mentioned 2X4, Rick also rocked everything from knives to the holy grail of horror gaming, the shotgun! Each instrument of carnage dealt out unique destruction. Use the 2X4 and you would splat the baddies against a nearby wall. Using bladed weapons would lop off heads, while the shotgun would blow their upper bodies clean off (I told you this game was rad!).

Two sequels followed (which I played when I upgraded the NES to a Genesis), and there was even a recent remake (I played this on the Xbox 360). These weren’t bad (part 3 really tried to get innovative and the remake upped the ante by adding nudity to the mix), but like the best shock-rockers screaming on stage in their leather pants, once you get past the gimmick, it doesn’t seem that enjoyable anymore.

Doom (1993).

Picture this. You are a space marine. That automatically makes you the coolest version of a marine you could be. Next, imagine that you are going to Mars. Why Mars? I don’t think that was explained, but does it matter? It’s fucking Mars…nuff said. So there you are, hanging on the red planet getting all kinds of Martian trim when BAM! All. Hell. Breaks. Loose.

I’m not talking figurative Hell either. I’m talking about some hellfire and brimstone shit. All of a sudden you are running and gunning you way through nightmare mania. A few things you can expect. Walls made of human skin with bloody pentagrams cut into the surface? Check! Zombies? Check! Demons of all varieties? Check! Endless backtracking for primary coloured key cards? Ugh…check.

Key cards aside, Doom was a mind-fuck of epic proportions (or maybe because of the key cards…). This was my first forays into what would become a staple of video gaming, the first person shooter (or FPS). Nowadays, every third game is an FPS, but back then, it was still a novelty. So what’s the big deal about it being a FPS you ask? Let me tell you, nothing causes stress like not being able to see what is behind you in a horror game. Doom was great at this. Monsters would appear out of nowhere (usually from hidden doors) right fucking behind you. To make matters worse, either as a stroke of brilliance, or poor technology, monsters anywhere near you produced the same volume of sound. The clicking of an Imp nearby would cause you to spin like a drunk uncle at a bat mitzvah, only to find that it was actually two rooms away.

With over 20 years of hindsight, you realize Doom has some strange levels. Don’t forget, this place is supposed to be a military/scientific installation. That being said, I would have hated working there. Besides the fact that you would have to travel down endless corridors (and don’t forget those fucking key cards), but there is, like, no furniture to speak of. Just hundreds of toxic waste barrels that blow up faster than my bathroom on taco night. And if that wasn’t enough, employees needed to watch their step, because around every corner there is a random pool of glowing green liquid that will quickly deplete your health. You would think the company would want you to avoid this stuff, but you’d be wrong. Often times to get one of those pesky key cards, something the staff would need to get around the place, you’d have to walk across the stuff. I’m not even going to mention the large openings in the walls letting in all that fresh Martian air.

These things aside, Doom left a big impression on me. Whereas Splatterhouse was my first horror game, Doom was the first game to legitimately scare the shit out me. I would play it not because it was fun, but rather as a way to conquer my fear. I would blow through each level at breakneck speed hoping to get to the end as fast as possible.

Doom has two numbered sequels and an upcoming remake. Doom 2 was a bigger version of Doom 1, while part 3, which was released on the X Box, was actually a remake itself of part 1. I know, confusing.

Come back next week for part 2 when I examine just why that resident was so evil.

The Pro of Cons

Valentin’s Day 2016. What was I doing? Spending the day with my lovely wife? Nope. Eating chocolates with my two girls? Uh-uh. Hanging with the geeks at the Comic Book Syndicon? Oh yeah!

Although not sure of the long term effects of doing so will have on my marriage, I can say the short term gain was great. Me and my friend-for-life, Ben Van Dongen, sold a whole bunch of copies of our new book No Light Tomorrow. In fact, Ben wrote a blog about his experience right here! https://benwltp.wordpress.com/2016/02/18/the-storm/#more-764

By my count, this was my 7th con as a vendor (although it may be 8…I really feel like I’m forgetting one) with two more in the very near future and I think I’m starting to get a handle on the ins-and-outs of the them.

Here are a few rules that I like to follow.

Get there late (let me explain). Unless you have a crap load of product, or a bunch of tables, there is no reason to get there as early as you’ll invariably be instructed to. If the con starts at 11am, then get there around 10:30am. The only reason to get there early is to get your shopping in before the doors open. That brings me though to my next point…

Don’t buy anything…at least not at first. Unless you’re looking for something specific, wait! The worst thing you can do is spend money before you make any. I’ve been to a few cons where I’ve just made enough to cover my table, if I’d have bought anything, I would have been in the red! Go around before the con opens, scout out what you want, wait until you’ve had some sales then go shopping.

Cosplay girls: Look, don’t touch! Yes, you will see several young ladies wearing almost nothing at all. And yes, you can look. But remember, they are probably younger than you think, and you could wind up in jail.

If things are going badly, bail! I don’t say this lightly. But the fact is, sometimes, you’re going to be at a con or fair or expo and it’s going to be very obvious that it is dead in the water. If there is still an hour left, and you’ve sold one book all day, cut your losses and leave.

Make contacts! This is a big one, and one I’m guilty of ignoring. You are in a room with a whole bunch of other people in your field. Walk around, talk, and exchange business cards. You will gain all sorts of future opportunities this way.

Deals! At the Syndicon, we had the luxury of having two books for sale, The Space Between Houses and No Light Tomorrow. This meant that we could do a package deal of 2 for $15 (they are normally $10 each). If somebody is already willing to drop $10 on one book, they will almost certainly be willing to throw in another $5 for the second one.

Now, with that stuff out of the way, I’m going to switch to the supplies I usually bring. Think of these as the con survival pack

Tylenol! If I bring nothing else, I better bring these. I get some wicked bad headaches at these things (readings and signings included). There’s nothing worse than trying to sell people on your work when your head is about to explode.

Water. At least one bottle. I usually bring something else like a bottle of Coke, or a Monster, but you need to have that back-up water for later in the day.

Pen and Paper. The first thing is rather obvious if you’re an author. You’re going to need a pen for signing. But the paper is almost as equally important. The amount of times that I had to write a person’s name on a separate piece of paper before actually scrawling it in their copy of my book, to make sure I got the spelling correct, is a lot.

Hand sanitizer. This is a new one for me. It’s not that I enjoy germs, it’s just not something I usually have. However it turns out that Ben has my back as he recently gave me a small bottle of sanitizer. You shake a lot of hands at cons and if you’ve ever seen the movie Mallrats, you’ll know that some people go out of their way to make their hands nasty.

Food. Cons all have one thing in common: over-priced food! Also, you want to have control over what you eat. Bacon Cheeseburger with extra onions? Not a great idea. A small, non-offensive sandwich you bring from home? Yep! I remember being at a con where I had gone for the former (minus the onions) and totally regretted it. Nothing worse than hastily pushing a messy burger aside, wiping ketchup from your hands and signing a book.

Gum. This kinda follows the above. You’re going to be talking to people all day. Make sure you have some gum.

Tape. You just never know when you’re going to need to MacGyver some stuff up.

Alright, I’ve laid down all kinds of stuff above, but the only thing you need to know…I mean really, the only thing you have to do at a con is talk. You have to talk to every. Single. Person. That walks by your table. Don’t be pushy, but if you don’t give people a reason to stop walking, and actually listen to your spiel, you ain’t gonna sell shit.

The Write Stuff

I had a great opportunity come my way this past December. CFTV was putting together a new show called The Write Stuff hosted by Veronique Mandal which would focus on two different writers each episode and they were looking to do a horror themed episode. Guess who got the call? My friend, and fellow horror writer, Mick Ridgewell was also invited to take part.

I was given directions to a small building located in Leamington ON, which, if you’ve been to Leamington, a metropolis it is not. So after cruising down a pitch black Highway 3, in the rain, I was convinced that the whole thing was an evil ploy to get me into the middle of nowhere and kill me. However, since I have no life insurance policy (which eliminates my wife, who, let’s face it, is the only person who probably wants me dead), and not a ton of enemies, I figured I should continue on.

Sure enough the directions turned out to be accurate and I found myself at the CFTV station. A brief introduction to the man in charge and the television crew followed and then I was in the green room (although it wasn’t actually green) and talking to show host Veronique Mandal.

Soon after Mick arrived (fashionably late), and we got down to business.

I’ve done interviews before, but they were always short things on the radio or for newspapers. This was something altogether different. I was going to be talking one-on-one with the host for nearly half of the show’s runtime.

After several mic checks, which was awkward because I was required to talk continuously about random things until they could figure it out, we began. Veronique dove into the questions (which centered on my first book, The Space Between Houses) and away we went.

I felt like I handled myself well, but was not trusting in my own gut (sizeable though it may be) and decided that I would wait until I actually saw the episode before I told anybody about it.

After my segment, I got to sit off to the side as Mick entered the hot seat. It was interesting seeing the show from that angle. The room was completely backed out except for the set and it produced a voyeuristic sensation within me (nothing sexual here, although Mick is a fine looking fellow).

Once the tapping was finished, we took a couple photos, chatted for a bit and were on our way.

Me and mick ended up at a nearby McDonalds for a late night snack, and then returned to our regularly scheduled lives.

Flash forward to last week when the episode finally aired. The Write Stuff was broadcast across Canada…for Bell ExpressVu customers only. Since I don’t have Bell ExpressVu, I missed it. Thankfully, I was sent an email from CFTV and some handy Youtube links to boot.

I was very hesitant to actually watch it. This is because I’ve decided that not only do I sound ridiculous, I also look stupid as well (I believe I described my physical appearance in such things to my wife as, it looks like my fat face is trying to eat my features). And even though I feel this is still true, I don’t appear as awful as I feared so I chalk it up as a win.

Anyway, at the end of the day it was a great experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Thanks to CFTV for giving me the opportunity and hopefully I didn’t cause too big a ratings drop-off…

(The episode  has been broken in two. Mine is up first)

(and Mick’s)

Book Launch aftermath

The book launch was a big success! We (me and Ben) had high hopes for the launch and I think they were exceeded.

The idea for the launch was to treat the event a little more like a record release and less a book launch. A lot of the book launches we’ve been to lately are either a) very dry and boring or b) have large gaps in the programing where people are standing around doing nothing. So to combat that we did two things. First, we had it in a bar (booze!) and second we had live music. That way, during those moments where we were off signing books, there was still something for people to do (get drunk and listen to music). It worked like a charm.

One thing worth mentioning was the utter success that was having a limited edition cover of the book available at the launch. This cover (limited to 50 copies) would be exclusive to the launch. I wasn’t sure how that would go over, but since we sold out of them that night, it went pretty damn great. I can’t remember who exactly thought of the idea for the limited cover, but I’m pretty sure we’ll be doing it from now on.

The book has continued to do well over the course of the week as well. In the first six days, we’ve already sold nearly a hundred copies. I’m pretty sure, with the upcoming signings and conventions, we’ll be through the first printing of No Light Tomorrow by summer (500 copies). Which, for a little book of science fiction stories, is not bad.

As promised last post, here’s some pics. (for all those wondering, I’m the fat guy)

New Year, New Updates.

So…2015 happened. It was a pretty crazy year for me. The first full year as an author (The Space Between Houses came out in Oct. 2014). There was a rather surprising amount of ups and downs for a twelve month period. I did a lot of cool writer things, but also was not nearly as productive as I could have been.

But forget all that jazz, it’s 2016 baby! And I got some fun stuff planned.

It’s been awhile since I gave an update on my projects, so now seems like a great time.

First and foremost is No Light Tomorrow. This is a book that has been in the works for quite some time. It is a collaboration with Ben Van Dongen (check him out here: https://benwltp.wordpress.com/ ) of short sci-fi stories, half of which are written by me, half by Ben. They are more Twilight Zone and less Star Wars (although a couple skirt that line).

I love sci-fi! I love watching it, reading it and writing it. But not to fret, I’m a horror writer first and foremost…I just like to moonlight from time to time.

I’m really proud of this book. Some of the stories I’ve written for it, I consider amongst the best I’ve ever produced. It was a ton of work though. Writing, editing, designing and printing a book from scratch is a real challenge. We decided to self-publish this one under Adventure Worlds Press. Something I may use for other fringe projects in the future. 

No Light Tomorrow launches on Jan. 9th and will be available soon after on various platforms.

Next is my novel. It does exist, I swear! It also has a name, I’m just not ready to share it yet (although I did let it slip during an interview I did for a TV show called the Write Stuff). The novel took a hit during the production of No Light, but with that book all wrapped up, I’m back at it. I figure the first draft should be done by mid to late Feb. After that I’ll start cleaning it up. I’m still estimating it to fall in the 70 – 80K range for word count (I’m at about 30K right now).

I’ve had the good fortune to make a couple amazing contacts over the last year that I am really hopeful will result in some interest for the book. Only time will tell I guess.

Beyond that things get foggy. If all goes according to plan, I have another collaboration (this one a novel) with a history expert. Let that bit of info sink in for a moment… 

Besides the above projects, I also have some fun events to attend, including a 3 day horror convention in London in May. Really excited about this one, more on that as the date nears.

Alright, I guess that’s it for now. I’ll be back next week with pictures from the No Light Tomorrow launch party!

-Christian

 

No Light Tomorrow Cover Reveal!

I can’t believe it’s finally here. I’ve been working on this book for the better part of the year, and despite most of the process being trying (to say the least), I’m excited and proud of the final product.

Without further ado, I present No Light Tomorrow!

 

Some things are so accepted as to be taken for granted. While the far future is shrouded in uncertainty, there are expectations often considered assured that are overlooked. There is only one you, threats are usually empty, ghosts are not real, life is finite, science can solve the most daunting challenges, and beliefs are assured when society takes matters in their own hands. When unexpected events transpire, we are left in the dark.

Authors Christian Laforet and Ben Van Dongen present six science fiction stories that explore improbability and show you what happens when expectations are subverted.

 

 

Christmas Comic Con 4

This Sunday (Nov. 29th) I’ll be signing copies of The Space Between Houses at the 4th annual Christmas Comic Con.

I won’t be alone either. I’m sharing a table with upcoming horror standout Christine Hayton, and will be right next door to both Mick Ridgewell and Michael Drakich (accomplished authors both).

For more info, follow the link :)  https://www.facebook.com/events/725394720898986/

A Halloween Story

Spider-man and Dracula stepped off the porch.

“What did she give us? I can’t see.” Dave pulled his Spider-man mask to adjust the eye holes.

“Take your stupid mask off, we’re not even at the door anymore.” Twin lines of spit dribbled down Rob’s chin from where his plastic fangs poked out past his lips.

Dave shook his head emphatically. “Sorry dude, with great power comes great responsibility.”

Rob raised his arms and looked around with exaggerated movements. “There aren’t even anymore houses on this street.”

Behind them, two Batmans, a Transformer and Princess Bubblegum ran up to the steps.

“So…seriously, what did she give us?”

Rob rummaged around in his pillowcase. “Oh man, weak!”

“What?”

“She gave us a toothbrush!”

Dave stopped walking and dug through his own haul. “Who does that? Why would somebody want to ruin Halloween?” With a groan, he pulled the offending treat from his bag and flicked it into a nearby bush.

Rob followed suit.

Dave turned back towards the house. “I kinda want to use these on her now.” He let his hand rest on the small, nylon bag tucked into the waist of his spider-pants.

“Yeah right, and miss the look on old lady Talbot’s face? Never.”

Dave twisted his wrist towards the woman’s house, jabbed his middle and ring fingers hard into his palm, a thwip sound coming from his concealed lips. Happy with spraying the offending home with imaginary spider webs, he turned back towards Rob. “Yeah, you’re right. Speaking of old lady Talbot, I guess we should start heading that way.”

Rob checked his phone. “Crap! I didn’t know it was so late. We’re gonna have to hurry, I told my mom I would be home by eleven.”

The boys continued to the end of the street. Most of the houses had turned off their porch lights creating an eerie darkness which was only pushed back by the yellow tinged streetlights. They walked for a few minutes before coming to an alleyway.

“Let’s cut through here.”

Rob stared down the narrow alley for several seconds. “Uh, maybe we should just go around.”

Dave let out a honking laugh. “You’re such a baby! I can’t believe you’re scared. Rob, man, we’re going into high school next year, we can’t be acting like little kids anymore. Besides, the next couple streets end in cul-de-sacs, we’d have to walk like, twenty minutes, to get over to the next block.”

“Still…”

“Hey, you’re the one with a curfew. Listen, if we walk alllllll the way around, we’ll have to rush at old lady Talbot’s. What fun is that?”

Dave, not giving Rob a chance to respond, grabbed the cheap black cape tied around his friend’s neck and yanked him into the alley. “C’mon, it’ll only take two seconds.”

“You think she’ll be home?” Rob stammered, hurrying to match Dave’s pace.

“What?”

“Old lady Talbot. You think she’s at home?”

Dave let his hand rest on the small bag. “Of course she’ll be there. That miserable old hag lives for Halloween. I heard a few years ago she threw a cup of prune juice on some sixth graders who dared to knock on her door.”

“Maybe we should think about this. The whole thing seems a bit extreme.”

Dave stopped. “Are you kidding? Old lady Talbot has been making our lives hell for years! Remember that time she told your mom you were drawing on the wall behind the 7-11? You got grounded for like a month.”

“I know she’s horrible, but couldn’t we just egg her house or something? We could run over to grocery store and get a dozen eggs. I bet she’d piss her granny panties if we did that.”

Dave gripped Rob by the shoulders. “Firstly, somebody egged her house last year, remember? Secondly, we owe her, and I’m not just talking for us, I mean for every kid that’s ever had to deal with her. Some people just have it coming.” Dave cocked his head to the left. “Are you afraid we’re gonna get caught?”

Rob nodded as he toed an errant weed jutting through a crack in the concrete.

“Jeez. We went over this like a million times. Her house is the only one at the end of the street. Barely no kids go down there anymore. And even if somebody was still out trick-or-treating, they’d never recognize us.”

Rob let out a sigh. “I guess you’re right.”

“Oh man, we’re going to be legends. Just think, when all the kids are talking about this tomorrow, we’ll know they’re talking about us. Nobody will ever top this!”

The boys stopped suddenly. A nearby garbage can toppled over and rolled towards them.

“What the?” Dave jumped at the sound.

Rob stuck his foot out stopping the can with the sole of his shoe. He stood motionless, willing his eyes to pierce the darkness enveloping the nook that the can had come from.

“It was probably nothing,” Dave started, his sentence going unfinished as a sharp hiss filled the air.

“You…you hear that?” Rob knew the question was stupid, but his brain was in a state of near panic and it was all he could manage.

Dave nodded quickly as his fingers pulled at the eyes holes of his mask.

The hissing grew louder, another can clanged to the ground. Moments later, a small, dark creature flew out from between the remaining garbage containers, it shot straight toward the boys.

Rob felt himself running even before the thought to do so presented itself. He noticed Dave keeping pace right next to him.

“What is it! Did you see it!” Rob screamed.

“I can’t see anything!” Dave was struggling with his mask. In his haste to clear his vision, he had twisted it awkwardly across his face.

Dave tripped on a slightly raised sewer grate. As he collided with the pavement, he released his pillowcase sending a wave of assorted candy skidding across the ground.

Rob heard Dave fall. The sound was a dull thud followed by the crinkling of candy wrappers. He skidded to a halt and spun back to look at his friend.

“Rob! Help me!” Dave struggled to get up, his mask was completely blinding him.

“Hold on!” Rob backtracked to where Dave had fallen. He grabbed the top of the Spider-Man mask and gave it a tug. The fabric pulled across his friend’s face, stretching Dave’s upper lip painfully before coming free.

Dave spun around looking wildly down the alley behind them. “Is it still coming?”

As if to answer Dave’s question, the hissing sound returned. The boys looked on as two glowing orbs became visible in the darkness.

They grabbed each other in a tight embrace, both of them screaming in terror.

Slowly, almost lazily, an obese raccoon waddled from the shadows. The critter looked at the boys for a moment before letting out another long hiss. This time however, the noise quickly turned into a retch as a chicken bone came flying from the things mouth. Having cleared the obstruction, the creature skittered off into the nearest backyard.

Dave and Rob watched in stunned disbelief as the critter disappeared from sight. A moment later they realized they were still tightly entwined, the two boys hurried to their feet, standing a bit further apart than necessary.

As Dave checked himself for injuries, Rob slowly shook his head. “That was messed up.”

With nothing more than a couple of scraped palms and a hole in the right knee of his spider-pants, Dave turned his attention towards the backyard into which the creature had vanished. “What kind of raccoon does that? I swear that thing was trying to scare us!” he said as he kicked the chicken bone into the side of the fence.

Snatching his mask back from Rob, Dave started collecting his candy from the ground. “So, we’re in total agreement that we don’t to tell anybody about that, right?”

“Yeah, for sure.” Rob hurried to help his friend.

Besides a Twix that had landed in a puddle, they managed to save all of Dave’s loot.

***

The walk to old lady Talbot’s was a quiet one. The run in with the overweight raccoon had soured the night considerably, neither boy said two words the rest of the way.

Only once they stood in front of the large, two story home, did Dave pull his mask back on. As they had predicted, the street was completely empty.

“Alright, are you ready to do this?” Dave started up the steps before Rob could answer.

“Yeah… but let’s be quick, I kinda just want to go home.”

Dave pulled the bag free from his waist as Rob banged on the front door.

A series of lights came on within the house one at a time like a row of dominoes, the porch light coming on last. A stern looking old woman answered the door.

“I thought you damn kids knew by now that I don’t do Halloween,” she said with a snarl.

Dave passed one of the hammers he’d been carrying to Rob, as he pushed the old lady back into her home with the other hand. “We know.”

The door shut behind them, moments later, the porch light went dark.

This story originally appeared on adventureworldsblog.com as part of a two story experiment written by myself and Ben. His story, which has the same characters and the exact same opening, can be found here: http://adventureworldsblog.com/2014/10/27/spider-man-vs-dracula/

2015 Local Authors and Artists Festival

This Saturday makes the first ever LAAF (Local Authors and Artists Festival). I’ll be there, sharing a table with horror Author Christine Hayton. On top of that, I’ll also be doing a reading from my book, The Space Between Houses at 2pm.

Like the flyer says, Admission is Free! For more info, head over here: https://laafestival.wordpress.com/

Hope to see you all there!

 

 

Big Things!

No Light Tomorrow is coming soon (even sooner than I thought) and we’ve started sitting down (Ben and myself) to work out a promotional schedule for its release.

I’ve managed to do pretty well with my first book, The Space Between Houses, by making lots of connections and hitting up various events, and, most importantly, being available for any opportunity presented to me. It wasn’t easy though. Keeping motivated, doing research on events and staying prominent in the community becomes exhaustive. If it were just me pushing this next book, I would probably be looking at the same amount of success, but I’m not alone. Having a second person involved, who has as much interest in the book as I have, is going to pay off greatly.

The first thing up (for the public anyway) is the launch. Some of the ideas we’ve been throwing around lately have me super excited. I’ve been to a few book launches in the past few months and they have been…lacking. Some have been so poorly attended that once you removed the author’s family from the equation, there was only a few people there. Others had more people in attendance, but the launch itself was so painfully long and boring that the bulk of the crowd high-tailed it as soon as all the speeches and back-patting were over, blowing right past the table of books along the way. Now, it is still a bit early to reveal exactly what we have in store, but I can say that our launch is going to be a hell of a party, with some innovative ideas.

And that’s just the beginning!

We have an aggressive marketing campaign, lots of appearances and a book tour or two scheduled over the next six months.

Plus, besides all that, because of recent developments, we (again me and Ben) have finally decided to do something that we’d talked about for quite some time. This new endeavor will open doors for both us, as well as other talents in the community, and pave the way for any fringe work we produce in the future.

Like the title says, Big Things are on the horizon, so stay tuned!