• Taking Notes Superhero Style

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    DSCF3331As per my last post, the project right now is to reread The Axiom-man Saga thus far. It took a few days to get going, but now I’m in the midst of reading the first book. It’s strange reading it as just a reader versus going over it for edits. I admit that the editor side of my brain is looking at ways to tweak this or change that, but then I remember that I’m reading it for the joy of reading it and also to take notes, no other reason. A writer’s work is never done, it seems. The book was also written by a different guy some eight years ago. I was a different man back then with a different writing style.

    It is cool, however, to see the character in his infancy, to see him stumble along as he tries to figure out this whole superhero thing. At the time the story takes place, he’s only been at it four months, a time frame that isn’t long enough for someone to be truly adept at being a hero. It’s also neat considering I know where the story goes and is going, and I’m looking at Axiom-man thinking, Man, you have no idea of the scope of things ahead of you, how your universe and the reason for your existence is this huge thing and here you are still getting used to wearing a costume beneath your clothes.

    Like the picture shows, I’ve been taking notes, little things that I want to mention in the upcoming four-book arc or things simply for me to keep in mind while writing it. The main points I’m after are mythology-related and certain items that foreshadow where I’m ultimately leading everybody. I want to make sure I don’t leave anything out because the upcoming storyline is meant to wrap up everything that’s come before.

    After reading this first book, it’s onto First Night Out, which takes place between the “Four months earlier . . .” segments of Axiom-man and the novel’s main story.

    Like last entry, I’m asking for those who’ve read the series to come forward and write reviews. Reviews help spread the word and I’m hoping to grow The Axiom-man Saga in the coming year into something more prominent in the superhero fiction market.

    On a side note, I’m tabling at the Winnipeg Comic and Toy Expo this Sunday at the Viscount Gort Hotel in Winnipeg. Hope those in town can come out, say hi, and talk superheroes with me.

    Until next time . . .


    📂This entry was posted in Axiom-man Superhero Fiction Superheroes 📎and tagged

  • Undeniable: A Supernatural Thriller Novelette

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    Undeniable: A Supernatural Thriller Novelette

    Undeniable: A Supernatural Thriller Novelette

    When Duncan and his son Kyle are arrested for their faith, they are subjected to bloody and horrific torture that brings them to sanity’s edge and death’s door.

    Physically broken and emotionally spent, the real threat is if they will finally break spiritually.

    His eyes removed by his tormentors, Duncan is blind, and it’s only when he asks God to see again is it revealed to him what is really going on beyond the natural realm.

    Amidst all the blood, the pain, and the hissing of demons, will Duncan break, or will he prove that Jesus is Undeniable?

    Recommended for fans of Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker.

    Available as an eBook at:

    Amazon Kindle
    Drivethru Fiction
    Smashwords

    Need another supernatural thriller? Then look no further than the Book and Comic Shop.


    📂This entry was posted in Books Christianity Fiction 📎and tagged

  • Look, Up on the Screen! The Big Book of Superhero Movie Reviews

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    Look, Up on the Screen! The Big Book of Superhero Movie Reviews

    Look, Up on the Screen! The Big Book of Superhero Movie Reviews by A.P. Fuchs

    Superheroes have invaded film more in the past decade and a half than they have in their entire history. From major blockbusters like Man of Steel and The Dark Knight Trilogy, to DC Entertainment’s line of fantastic direct-to-video animated films, to other super-flicks like The Incredibles, superheroes are enjoying a major resurgence in popular culture and fans have now entered a golden era of superhero cinema.

    Lifelong superhero fan and author A.P. Fuchs has made it his mission to see every superhero movie that’s been brought to screen. Collected here are his first one hundred reviews, covering the major blockbusters of today to the lesser-known super flicks of yesterday along with everything in between.

    Reviewing such classics as the original Christopher Reeve Superman films to the jaw-dropping Marvel Phase One series that include Iron Man 1 and 2, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America and The Avengers, to the movies that arguably started the current age of superhero cinema: The X-Men franchise, he’s got this amazing genre covered. Also included are a multitude of animated features, superhero movies that didn’t quite hit at the box office, pulp heroes and more.

    Look, Up on the Screen! is a collection of reviews for the serious superhero filmgoer from a diehard fan who’s seen nearly all of what the superhero motion picture field has to offer. Whether your theatre is at the cineplex or in your own home, this is one collection that’s a must-add to your bookshelf of behind-the-scenes goodies, movie guides, superhero film novelizations and graphic novels.

    Available as a paperback at:

    Amazon.com
    Amazon.ca
    Amazon.co.uk
    Barnes and Noble
    Other On-line Retailers

    Available as an eBook at:

    Amazon Kindle
    Drivethru Fiction
    Smashwords

    For other non-fiction like Look, Up on the Screen! The Big Book of Superhero Movie Reviews, consider Canadian Scribbler: Collected Letters of an Underground Writer.


    📂This entry was posted in Books Superhero Movies Superheroes 📎and tagged

  • Project Announcement: Axiom-man, Four-book Arc

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    Cover to "Outlaw," the latest book in The Axiom-man Saga
    Cover to Outlaw, the latest book in The Axiom-man Saga
    Last entry I mentioned I decided what series of projects I’m going to do next.

    Today I reveal them.

    They are four new books in The Axiom-man Saga!

    They will make up the first-ever prequel and trilogy in the series. They will still follow the main feature/episode/main feature/episode reading format established thus far, with the prequel to be an episode novella and the trilogy–name to be revealed later–to be one main feature book, an episode, then finishing in a main feature book.

    I have these all blocked out in my head and what each one is going to be about. The plan is to tie up all loose storylines from the first seven books.

    The cool part, too, is these will all be written marathon-style as I’ve found with my past few books that I write really well just going whole hog and typing 6-10k a day (sometimes more). For this series I plan on writing all four books first then releasing them so fans can get the whole story in one shot instead of waiting between each installment.

    The titles for each of the books will be revealed after they are written. I found a word count widget–I think it was yesterday–that I’m going to use for each one and post them on the side of the blog so you can check in and see the progress of each book as I go along. The goal word count will be an estimate as I really don’t know the final word count until a book is finished, but the widget requires I put something as my end game.

    This week is Spring Break so my boys are home thus working is tricky as I juggle Dad duty and book stuff, so my first step is to re-read The Axiom-man Saga to date and make sure I remember all loose threads so they can be addressed when I go to town writing the new series. I also have some cool plans for the cover art so I’ll be getting in touch with the artists soon to share with them my vision.

    I’m really excited for this next set of books as they’ve been in my head for years but only now is Axiom-man at a point in his superhero career where he is able to take things to the next level.

    In the meantime, I’m asking readers who’ve read the first Axiom-man book–or any of the others–if they’d be willing to put up a review on Amazon. Reviews go a long way in selling books and I’d really like Axiom-man to have his day in the sun, so if you’ve enjoyed any of the books in the series, would you be willing to help out and take a few minutes to post a review? The first book in the series can be found on Amazon here. Thank you to those who are able to write something. It means a lot.

    I have more things planned as we lead up to the release of this new story arc, but in the meantime . . . I got some reading to do.


    📂This entry was posted in Axiom-man Writing 📎and tagged

  • Decision Made – Next Series of Projects

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    The thing with writing is that, at times, certain ideas speak to you louder than others, and over the past few days one idea–make that four interconnected ideas–have been pretty loud and clear in their intention–dare I say need–to be written.

    So that’s what’s happening next.

    I’ve made my choice in terms of what the next series of projects will be. I use the word “series” on purpose and as a hint as to what I’m going to start writing soon. As a second hint, the ideas have been brewing for quite some time, but the other day I finally got this realization as to how I’m going to present them. It’s one idea, four parts: a prequel and a trilogy.

    Also have a marketing plan formulating for them once all is said and done, but part of it might entail doing not only title reveals on this blog but those word counter things I’ve seen where you can check in here and monitor my progress via a progression bar. The only downside to those bars is, so far as I know, they need a predetermined word count to be entered. This is information I don’t have. I can ballpark it, but I have no idea on the outset the exact length of any book I write.

    So we’ll see.

    In the meantime, I’ve finished my rough draft of the five panels I’ll be doing this weekend at Lit Fest. Will give it a quick once-over and fill in any gaps, then will review it once I’m actually at Lit Fest and ink in any changes/additions before speaking.

    If you are or will be in Winnipeg, details for the Central Canada Lit Fest can be found at their website here.


    📂This entry was posted in Stuff Writing 📎and tagged

  • It’s Coming Together

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    My plan, I mean.

    Project-wise, I have an idea of where I’m going, that is, I know what I’m writing, just an issue of what project comes first.

    So that’s good.

    In terms of my on-line presence and whatnot, the “simply working” thing is, and will be, in place. Sometimes I forget what things looked like from your perspective, so while it seemed, to me, I was always on-line, the times I actually popped my head up were about average to those looking on. That’s not to say I loathe being on-line. Quite the contrary. I find myself slipping into the Twitter vortex rather often. Used to be a Facebook junkie until I switched to a fan page versus a personal one. Now I can’t see anything other than logging in. Which is fine as Facebook, for me, will become more of a broadcast point and central hub. Twitter is where I’m at these days. I really like how I can streamline the news feed and see what I want to see and, because it’s only 140 characters per post, it’s very neat and tidy.

    Simple.

    Simply tweeting?

    Anyway . . .

    I’m going to start next week on getting my panels together for the Central Canada Lit Fest at the end of the month, while also doing some of the administration chores left over from my days as a traditional publisher. I hired out some help with that so, pressure-wise, a good chunk of it has been lifted.

    Then there’s the writing and my hope is by next week I’ll know what project I’m going to embark on. After that, assuming I maintain a good schedule, you’ll start seeing new books from me rather quickly.

    That’s it for now.

    Off to make dinner.


    📂This entry was posted in Stuff 📎and tagged

  • Ducks – This Writer’s Just Figuring Things Out

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    It’s been a crazy time lately in terms of my career. I’ve walked away, I’ve come back. I’ve made changes to the type of stuff I’ll write and publish, made new goals, have new plans, reaffirmed old ones–so much going on.

    Ducks in a row, as they say.

    So that’s what’s going on right now: getting those ducks aligned. I have a meeting tomorrow night that’ll change how I do things from here on out. Will make my life incredibly easier and will enable me to operate in a way I haven’t in years. Looking forward to it.

    Sometimes I wonder if I’ve been too transparent with my career, a little too personal. Sometimes I think I’ve done all right in sharing who I am, the good and the bad all in an effort to be real. Other times I wonder if I should “just be the professional” and close off the personal. A balance is key and I’m still trying to find it.

    I want to get into blogging again as I thoroughly enjoy it. I also like the schedule idea and was on the phone with my wife today talking about her blog. Got me all jazzed up about this one in the process. I know things look different here than what they were. The reason is I wanted to strip away most of what went on before in terms of style yet keep the layout as a reminder of who I was. What you see here isn’t permanent. Just a “holding place” for the time being.

    I was serious when I talked about “simply working.” Finally getting to a place where I can do just that. One day I’ll tell you more about what went on and why things suddenly changed for me. It’ll all make sense when I do.

    In professional news, as said, I’m getting my ducks in a row. I’m also back to being a guest at the Central Canada Lit Fest on March 29 and 30. I’ll be speaking on the following panels: Self-publishing Basics; Self-publishing Advanced; Music, Coffee and Other Things Writers Can’t Live Without; Including Art in Your Novels. Then on April 13th I’ll be at the Winnipeg Comic & Toy Expo. Be great to see you at these events.

    In personal news, been reading a couple graphic novels, playing DC Universe On-line, and making homemade pizza.

    Hope everyone’s doing all right. Reminder, you can hook up with me on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest by following the links on the right.

    Thanks.


    📂This entry was posted in Stuff 📎and tagged

  • Social Media Reinstatement

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    Today I got some social media started again. I got back on Twitter not long ago, but today I started a new Facebook page and reactivated my Pinterest one.

    Feel free to join me on those platforms. Please note that for right now my plan is not to be all that active on them, however I wanted to lay the groundwork for things to come.

    Thanks.


    📂This entry was posted in Stuff 📎and tagged

  • Simply: I’m Back

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    Last week I began reinstating some of my titles, starting what could be considered my fifth era in this business, my Mark 5, so to speak.

    Those in the know would tell you the reason for my retiring was a valid one, but upon reflection, prayer and consulting with others, I’ve stepped back into the world of writing and publishing.

    However, this time, things will be different. As said, this is my fifth era in terms of how I do things, and it’s going to be a much simpler one. One of the problems with the last method was its complexity. Most of it was complicated by its nature, and the rest was made complicated by me, but since publishing is always about learning, I discovered how I did things before brought on its share of headaches and issues. Not the publishing part, but the administrative side.

    The main thing that will underline what I plan on doing going forward is to keep things as simple as possible in as many ways as possible. Going back to basics here, and since 2014 already marked a change in my career in terms of stepping down as publisher, it’ll also be a year in which I fly below the radar in a lot of ways. I plan on just keeping my head down and working, only surfacing from time to time to check in, see what’s what, then step away again.

    One of the main points of my retirement notice was my plan to go into full time Christian ministry. That’s still the plan in that I want my writing work to glorify God and not use it to glorify myself. I might miss the mark now and then, but Jesus is the center of my life so while I’ve made mistakes and had my ups and downs, I want my career to reflect my love for Him.

    There are still some Mark 4 items that I’m wrapping up, but after the end of April at the [hopefully] latest, it’ll be Mark 5 all the way.

    For my titles, I’ve brought a good portion of them back–books and comics–but my monster and horror stuff is gone. Those made up about half my catalog, but I’m okay with letting them go. What does light have to do with darkness, right? As for anything else I might bring back, we’ll see.

    I learned a lesson recently in that I was invited to submit a horror story to an anthology in 2013, the story due end of January/early February of this year. I had a very, very hard time writing it. It was around 13,000 words or so on the third draft, if memory serves, but it was a difficult write and I mentioned to my wife as I wrote it that I just wasn’t into that stuff anymore. That story won’t be published and I pulled out of the anthology when I posted my retirement notice. My heart’s changed and horror and monsters are no longer my thing. A pastor I spoke to recently said it best when he said I was a dispenser of fear.

    It’s true.

    I was.

    I don’t want to be that anymore.

    I have plans for what books I’ll write this year and I really hope to do some comic stuff, too, as I love them so much.

    This blog will be updated now and then, but with what, I’m not sure. I might go back to a schedule, I might not. I really like this idea of simply working.

    Simply.


    📂This entry was posted in Stuff 📎and tagged

  • Axiom-man (The Axiom-man Saga, Book 1)

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs
    Axiom-man Superhero Novel

    Axiom-man (The Axiom-man Saga, Book 1)

    One night Gabriel Garrison was visited by a nameless messenger who bestowed upon him great power, a power intended for good. Once discovering what this power was and what it enabled him to do, Gabriel became Axiom-man, a symbol of hope in a city that had none.

    One night after a routine patrol, a mysterious black cloud appears over the city. Flying over to investigate it, Axiom-man is stopped short when the cloud’s presence shakes him to the core. An electrifying fear emanates from the cloud and he can barely get near it. Quickly, the cloud takes flight and leads him on a wild goose chase throughout the city, only to flee from him in the end. Almost immediately after the cloud’s appearance, a new hero arises, Redsaw, clad in a black cape and cowl. The people, now enamored with this new super-powered marvel, seem to have forgotten about Axiom-man and all he’s done for them.

    Except something’s wrong. That same fear that emanated from the cloud drips off Redsaw like a foul smell and Axiom-man can barely get close to him without feeling ill.

    What is Redsaw’s agenda and who is he? And why is it every time Axiom-man gets close to him it feels as if his powers are being sucked away?

    As if that wasn’t enough, Gabriel’s day job hasn’t gotten any easier. His co-worker and the woman he adores, Valerie Vaughan, has little interest in him, and his boss has made it clear that one more day late to work will be the day he cleans out his desk. Then there’s the new trainee, Gene Nemek. What is his fascination with Redsaw and why is he never around when Redsaw appears?

    From flying over city streets and soaring at dizzying heights, to balancing a secret identity with destiny, Axiom-man must discover what Redsaw’s presence means and how it ties into the messenger’s life-altering visit before the city—and the world—are enamored with an evil that has haunted the cosmos since the dawn of Time.

    Welcome to Axiom-man (The Axiom-man Saga, Book 1).

    Available as a paperback at:

    Amazon.com
    Amazon.ca
    Amazon.co.uk
    Barnes and Noble
    Other On-line Retailers

    Available as an eBook at:

    Amazon Kindle
    Drivethru Fiction
    Smashwords

    Be sure to check out the rest of The Axiom-man Saga at the Book and Comic Shop!


    📂This entry was posted in Axiom-man Superhero Fiction Superheroes 📎and tagged