Canister X – A.P. Fuchs: Zombie, Paranormal Romance and Superhero Novelist, Blogger, Artist, Publisher

A lot of “numbered” features appear on this blog–i.e. book reviews, movie reviews, etc.–and as is my way, I’m starting a new one: Various Bits from the Net, a kind of showcase, if you will, of a handful of things I find on the Whacky Worldwide Web that I enjoy–usually fandom-based–and posted here for your amusement or criticism or whatever you like. Cool? Okay, good. This’ll be done now and then to help while away the hours for both of us.
Here we go:
The Avengers – Extended Super Bowl Spot (HD):

Comic Book Men on AMC (A few trailers):





Steampunk Bicycle Playing Cards:

The Horror Fiction Review has gone live with their thoughts on all three of my Blood of my World books.

They are available online here. Scroll around 3/4 of the way down to read them.

Nice thing to read after battling a headache for the past 14+ hours.

November 8, 2010
Blog: Seduced by Books
Web: http://seducedbybooks.blogspot.com/2010/11/scott-nicholson-blog-tour-and-kindle.html
Comment:

That same thing happened to me. My wife’s reviews of my books got pulled as well, and we received the same message you guys did. (And, to be clear: her reviews are indeed unbiased because she has no trouble telling me when she doesn’t like one of my stories, and every time she wrote a review for one of my books, I insisted she kept it honest.)

So, yeah, I agree: someone is playing Amazon Cop on us and, since we travel in the same circles, Scott, it’s probably someone we both know.

Thems the breaks, I guess, but at the same time, you and I are fortunate because we’re both doing what we love and are making waves because of it.

That’s something even an “Amazon Cop” can’t stop.

November 8, 2010
Blog: Lauren’s Crammed Bookshelf
Web: http://laurenscrammedbookshelf.blogspot.com/2010/11/guest-post-by-scott-nicholson-plus.html
Comment:

Cover #3 is my choice. It’s simple yet bold, and jumps out more than the others.

Series are massive playgrounds for writers (speaking from experience). Glad you found one to play in as well.

November 10, 2010
Blog: Book Faery
Web: http://book-faery.blogspot.com/2010/11/win-kindle.html
Comment:

I’m with you, Scott.

A diverse career is a healthy career, at the very least internally.

November 11, 2010
Blog: e-Volving Books
Web: http://readseverything.blogspot.com/2010/11/e-volution-by-author-scott-nicholson.html
Comment:

I have to disagree on these days being an “indie revolution.” Indie publishing has been around forever. Ebooks have been around for ages. Even e-reader devices. It was only the Kindle that started making e-reading popular.

A few years back writers were laughed at for going it alone. Now it seems writers who back then had contracts–who now no longer have them due to various reasons–are self-publishing and calling it good. Not directed at you, Scott. You know me better than that. But I thought it a topic worth talking about, perhaps even as an idea for a future post of yours. Isn’t this really just a case of “the shoe being on the other foot”?

November 12, 2010
Blog: Dark Faerie Tales
Web: http://darkfaerietales.com/guest-author-scott-nicholson-guest-post-giveaway.html
Comment:

Laugh all you want, but The Haunting remake scared me. I don’t know why. First time I saw it I was all right with it, then the second time it just freaked me right out.

Same with the Blair Witch Project. Dark forests and basements are a fear of mine and that movie played into both perfectly.

Gives me shivers just thinking about it.

Last year I put out zombie poetry anthology called Vicious Verses and Reanimated Rhymes: Zany Zombie Poetry for the Undead Head. It was the only zombie poetry anthology out there, and still is. You could almost consider it a benchmark in zombie achievement, if there is such a thing, and the reviews have all been positive thus far.

Horrornews.net is the latest place to review the book, and I’m really thrilled they enjoyed it.

Please read the review here, and grab a copy of the book for your collection by going here or clicking on the thumbnail above.

The anthology covers undead mayhem, survival, love, loss, guns, video games, and all kinds of graveyard delights. (Plus it would make a cool Christmas present to the zombie afficiando in your family.)

Thanks.

Stargazer Vol. 1
by Von Allan

5 out 5

After the passing of her grandmother, heartbroken Marni is having a hard time dealing with her loss. Her friends Sophie and Elora come to her side and try and comfort her. All Marni has to remember her grandmother by is a strange-looking artifact that looks more like an antique vacuum cleaner without the hose or cords than anything else.

In an effort to get back to a normal life, Marni and her friends have a campout in the backyard and Marni brings the artifact with them into the tent. After a brief tussle, the artifact transports them to a mysterious world, tent and all. The three girls now need to find a way home. The question is how? Perhaps the cute robot they discover can help them. He seems pretty handy, giving them food and all, but he better act quick because a foul beast lurks somewhere in the dark and Marni and her friends will be doomed if they don’t stop it first.

This is my first exposure to Von Allan’s work aside from what I’ve seen on his website (which I think I found while Googling Canadian cartoonists). I’m very pleased and Stargazer was better than I anticipated.

The writing: very solid. Allan’s pacing is spot on and his delivery of information is succinct and gets you from point A to B without any clutter. I was very impressed with how he was able to convey what are very detailed story points, characters and the world they inhabit without him over-explaining everything. His word choice and placement does the work for you and tells you what you need to know when you need to know it.

The art: Lately I’ve been falling in love with black-and-white comic books and Stargazer further convinced me that the black-and-white comic book medium is an arena that needs to be explored by comic book enthusiasts everywhere. Von Allan’s artwork is natural, shaded well, inked clearly and is detailed enough so you know what you’re looking at, without you getting lost in endless black lines. His proportions are bang on and regardless of the camera angle chosen, each scene unfolds smoothly and easily.

The book: Well put together and well bound. I particularly enjoyed the non-standard size of the book (I think it was around 6×9 thereabouts) which made for easy handling when reading.

Von Allan also included extras in the back: a character gallery (very cool posters here); plot outline; brainstorming sessions; and even a few pages of sample script. I’ve always been a fan of behind-the-scenes material for books and comics and Allan’s little package at the back of Stargazer was well put together.

I’m looking forward to what will no doubt a dynamite Volume Two from a talented storyteller.

Keep ’em coming, Mr. Allan.

MegaMan NT Warrior Vol. 2
by Ryo Takamisaki

5 out of 5

World Three makes it move. The target? The entire planet, set for deletion. Humanity’s only hope lies on the shoulders of an eleven-year-old boy named Lan Hikari and his NetNavi, MegaMan. And something’s different this time around: Lan doesn’t watch MegaMan go into battle, he goes with him.

This second installment in Ryo Takamisaki’s manga series is fantastic. The first was an introductory book of sorts. This one takes it up a notch and goes full tilt right from page one. His art is just as good as in the previous volume, but also carries more edge and dynamicism given all the action scenes in this tale. The humor remains from Volume 1 but that, too, is upped and Lan’s and MegaMan’s banter is stellar. It’s worth reading this volume just for that if for no other reason.

Maysa, the fish guy and SharkMan’s Netop, is also introduced in this volume.

A really great sequel to its predecessor.

MegaMan NT Warrior Vol. 1
by Ryo Takamisaki

5 out of 5

In the year 200X, the whole world is connected to the Cyber Network. People jack in to the Net using handheld PCs called PETs, and each person has their own artificially intelligent avatar called a NetNavi.

Lan Hikari’s is MegaMan, a truly sophisticated and powerful NetNavi programmed by his father.

Like any fifth grader in DenTech City, Lan passes the time by having NetBattles with his fellow classmates, pitting MegaMan up against any who would challenge him. The problem is, NetBattling is illegal unless you have a special license. But that’s only part of the Lan’s and MegaMan’s problem. An evil organization called World Three is infecting computers with sinister viruses with the hope of one day taking over the world.

Lan jacks in and sends MegaMan to stop these viruses before it’s too late.

This manga, which is similar to the anime of the same name, was a blast to read. Ryo Takamisaki’s storytelling is topnotch—quick, exciting and a whirlwind of adventure from beginning to end. His art is your classic manga but with a cartoon flare, and the dialogue is perfect, conveying to us everything we need to know about the story, without it coming off as long-winded explanations for “what’s happening.”

The banter between Lan and MegaMan is priceless, even better than in the anime.

This volume also contains a very intriguing cliffhanger ending and a fun bonus story.

Recommended.

Faith Awakened by Grace Bridges
Review by A.P. Fuchs

4 out of 5

If you had the chance to start over, would you take it? If you could program your entire life in a better world, would you do it? These questions are asked (and answered) in Faith Awakened, the new novel by Grace Bridges.

Enter Mariah, trapped in a life—and a world—filled with trouble. And not just any “trouble,” but the Trouble, a series of events that has left the world near void of human life save for a small band of survivors. Struggling to put the pieces of a broken life back together is no easy challenge, but thanks to the company of a few close friends and the guidance of an ever-present Awakener, Mariah seems to pull through. That is, until, something even worse happens and she is left with no choice but retreat into a virtual reality program for several decades until it passes. Once inside, and without memory of her previous life, Mariah must discover what it truly means to live, to find purpose in life, and how to truly be awakened.

It’s hard to imagine this is Bridge’s first book. The way Faith Awakened is written makes you think she’s been at this for a long time. The prose is detailed yet smooth, firm in approach yet comforting, well-articulated yet easy to read.

I’ve always been a fan of end-of-the-world type of stories and while reading this book I was often reminded of Stephen King’s The Stand, where a super virus has taken out most of mankind. Bridges captures the loneliness of an empty world, one filled with dead streets and empty houses, with only pockets of life (human or otherwise) scattered here or there. She truly makes you feel for these characters and care about their every move.

Told as a dual narrative (one following Mariah and the other a girl named Faith), Bridges seamlessly blends two storylines with ease, ones where I wish they had gone on once each were finished. There are rumors she might start up a sequel.

This reviewer is hoping for it.

Recommended.

1001 Ways to Market Your Books, Fifth Edition by John Kremer
Review by A.P. Fuchs

5 out of 5

Writing a book is easy. Getting it out there is hard. It’s a challenge for both the big, small and self-publisher alike. 10% of your time and energy goes into creating your masterpiece, 90% goes into bringing it to the masses.

In 1001 Ways to Market Your Books, author and publisher John Kremer walks you through step-by-step 1001 effective methods to market your book.

This doesn’t read like a manual or some textbook. Kremer’s professional yet personable writing style keeps you interested and forces you to pay attention to everything he has to say.

This book is so dense that you can’t just read it once then call it good. It’s a resource, which means it’s meant to be visited each time you publish a book so you can pull out some of the 1001 marketing methods offered.

Don’t try doing all 1001 things suggested in this book all for one title. It won’t work. Kremer even says so in the opening pages. The idea is to cater to your particular book’s needs and find the marketing methods that work for that specific title.

Kremer backs up his info with industry stats, gives examples of what’s worked for some publishers and what’s failed for others.

Take notes while you read it. Even jot down in separate columns on a loose sheet of paper what ideas would work for the titles in your company’s catalogue and mark down the page number in Kremer’s book for each.

This is a book every serious publisher needs to have on their shelf. More importantly, it’s a book they need to use.

Review of David Kilpatrick’s L.A. Stalker
by A.P. Fuchs

Pandora Collins, one of Hollywood’s most famous movie stars, has a stalker. To eliminate the threat, she hires a hitman to pop the guy. Quickly, all goes awry as the hitman delves into plans of his own, betrays Pandora, and slips away without a trace every time he strikes. Add a romantic subplot between Pandora and Jerry Leger, the detective assigned to her case, and you’ve got yourself a compelling read.

Kilpatrick has succeeded where only the best authors do: he tells the story to you straight and not once are you thinking “Hey, wait a sec. What happened here?” and you’re forced to reread the last paragraph or two or, sometimes, even chapters. But the most important aspect of his storytelling is his ability to make you believe he knows what he’s talking about and that every word you read is truth.

I’m a huge fan of the small press and of self-published titles. I’ve said it many times, but these “lesser known” books are far more engaging and far more authentic than so much of what comes out from large publishing houses these days. Kilpatrick has written one heck of a novel and the fact he went independent with it instead of selling out to some big name publisher (which he could easily have done), speaks of his desire to keep things simple and give you, the reader, a superb tale, an engrossing story, and an honest-to-God page-turner.

Being an author myself, it’s easy for me to pick apart someone’s work (I’m not saying I’m perfect, but after writing a few books, you develop an eye for “near-perfection”), and with Kilpatrick’s novel, that is extraordinarily difficult to do. This story is one worth reading several times over and one that gives you a sense of comprehension of how those who have been hurt in the past grow into the adults they become, whether for good or ill.

Read.