"Dudes and Dames of the DreadVerse"

The Next Project Around Here

Ladies and gentlemen: bad AI art

So, I got really pissed off at the plot summary of The War of the Rohirrim the other day, and I decided to do something about it.

I’m tired of studios and publishers who just flog IPs into oblivion with bad characters and bad writing, especially when there are actual talented writers being ignored by the masses.

Getting ignored is primarily a consequence of bad marketing, or no marketing at all.

Marketing is hard, and not just because it’s expensive; it’s because I don’t know how to do it or where to start. It’s a discipline and a talent unto itself. And frankly, I’m conditioned to think it’s manipulative and dishonest. That could be a “me” problem.

Best thing I know how to do is highlight what I make and point you to it and say “Check this out if it sounds like it might be your thing.”

I’ve written dozens of characters that are better than whatever the big studios are putting out. Hell, Tolkien himself wrote actual characters (like Helm Hammerhand) who should get their own film treatments, but the people who own the rights to Tolkien’s adaptations are instead giving us fake characters (like Helm’s daughter “Hera”) who are basically every Big Brand Female Lead of the last ten years:

—Perfect

—Universally adored

—Great at everything

—Adamantly opposed to marriage and motherhood

These movies aren’t stories; they’re lifestyle advertisements with zero writing and flashy packaging. Twenty years ago you could go to the theaters and find SOMETHING to watch that was worth your time. Now everything is a sequel with the same plot and the same characters and the same idea, all of it bad.

I take a cinematic approach to my writing, with flashy characters and bombastic action sequences and intriguing plots that fold back onto themselves. I want people to chew on the things I write without overstaying my welcome. But I don’t know if I do it well enough because I lack feedback. I lack readers. I need you guys and your friends to try my books.

And I need to give you a reason to do that.

So here’s the project:

Over the next year, I’m gonna take one night a week and draw up a fresh sketch of one of my characters from the different books I’ve put out (or will put out… :)

I’ll write a short description of the character, their attributes and exploits, and why I want to tell their stories. It’ll give me, the creator, an outlet to easily share what I do and why. It’ll give you, the reader, a quicker way to sink your teeth into the characters I’ve cooked up.

And it’ll help me practice my sketching. In 2020 I did a “draw every day” challenge and I really liked it, but I also had more time because of my job. I don’t think I could generate 365 images of any real quality but 50 or so would be a lot easier.

Anyway, keep me honest by following along here. I’m adding the list below so I have some definitive to work off of.

Thanks guys.

ENGINES OF LIBERTY (and other Engines books)

Calvin “Screaming Eagle” Adler

Amelia McCracken

Godfrey Norrington

The Rebel Heart Brigade (Hank, Emma, Adam, Ingvar)

Graveheart

Mickey Littleton

Calico Hind

Ezekiel Duncan Trench

Tiberio Iniesta

KILL THE BEAST

Gautier Lesauvage

Danielle

Robinette

Leroux

Prince Aubrey

THE HERO NEXT DOOR

Nick Stavros

Penny Tarkanian

Rezingoras

Finn McCool

Tobias and Archer

SHERIFF PORTER

Brock Porter

Elizabeth Porter

Justo Gomez

Andre and Marco Gomez

Agent Reed

Buford Cagle

Connor Malloy

SLEEPLESS HOLLOW

Josie Penninger

Silas Proctor

Kay Youngblood

John Crowe/Ichabod Crane

The Headless Horseman

The Woman in White

THE INTREPIDS

William “Razor” Edgerton, Jr

Rick “Atlas” Larnogon

Luke “Magnum” Larnogon

Thalia “Morning Star” Gunderson

Boss Gundy

Brutus “Buffalo Soldier” Vaughan

Leftenant Liberty (ID Unknown)

Edward “Stonewall” Bly

Riley “Sidewinder” O’Niell

SHORT STORY CHARACTERS

Eugene “Gargoyle” Roberts (Last Flight of the Gargoyle)

Park Jae-Seong, aka “Super Chungsa” (Last Flight of the Gargoyle)

Minos (When Pigs Fly)

Jake McClane (Behind the Wheel)

Trex and Reverend (Brothers in Arms)

Old Man Silas (Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus)

That’ll definitely get me started, though it isn’t exactly fifty, I’m sure I’ll want some wiggle room later on for new characters I cook up.