Also, as a little something extra, I took part in Smashwords’s Year-end Sale, so head on over to their eBook store and grab any one of my titles for 50% off! (Some of the shorter works might be free!) This is a great time to stock up on A.P. Fuchs superhero and monster eBooks.
The deal expires January 1, 2020.
Lastly, if you’re subscribed to my Patreon page, please be sure to check the feed because there’s something Christmas-y in there just for patrons!
Have a great day! Again, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
A dancing Santa that has been known to cause trouble here at the Central.
Christmas Eve Status Report – 122419
Merry Christmas Eve, everyone.
This is just a note to wish you well tonight. Stay safe. Clean your rooftops so Santa doesn’t slip off. Leave something out for the reindeer. Santa gets enough to eat as it is.
As for life here at the Central, I’m enjoying my Holiday break. Much needed and much appreciated. If you need to reach me, please use email but note I might not get back to you until next week.
Also, I just posted a behind-the-scenes photo tour of my new writing and art studio to Patreon. Please head on over there to check it out. Available on the behind-the-scenes tier and up.
Ps. Make sure to come back to the blog tomorrow for a special Christmas present from me to you.
Background: A Superman intarsia clock I made in junior high. Foreground: a Lego Enterprise (a gift from my son)
Very soon the Timeline of All Things goes into a new decade so it’s fair to begin reviewing 2019.
Soon we’ll all be taking some time to think and reflect and look forward to the 2020s with excitement and a little fear.
Soon everyone on Earth will have to get used to writing 2020 when they date something.
This is a heads up that between now and when the year closes out, some blog entries will show up recapping various items from the past year in an effort to play some good old-fashioned “remember when.”
First up, and solely because I want to give people time and not do it at the last-minute, my freelance rates are changing January 1, 2020, so if you would like someone to edit your book/comic, design your book/comic cover, layout the interior, or do custom artwork, please go here to see my current rates and extensive experience. I will honor 2019’s rates if I’m booked by the end of the day on December 31 even if you’re project won’t be ready for me to work on until early in the New Year.
Second up are the Public Journals. These are the entries that are titled, “On Fill-in-the-blank.” I’m thinking of making a page here on the site linking to them all. They regularly air on social media. These have been fun to do and are a bit cathartic. Due to their short nature, they are good for voicing an opinion or concern without going on and on about it. In short, they are meant to be straight, brief, and to the point. Feel free to poke around the blog to track down the entries. You can make a game out of it. (Or just use this cheat link.)
Have a good day, people.
Remember, The Canister X Transmission goes out tomorrow. Be sure to subscribe here so you don’t miss it.
Last night I got a phone call from Long & McQuade and it turned out I won a free Yamaha FG800 acoustic guitar!
Watch the vLog below to hear the story and get a good look at this beautiful instrument.
https://youtu.be/MpGsrM8OGQ8
Make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel so you don’t miss the latest video.
Making vLogs was always part of my YouTube plan and today marks the release of the first one. More coming. Still deciding on vLogging frequency but don’t worry, I will keep you entertained in the meantime.
On a side note, the Holidays are right around the corner. Did you get something for that superhero and/or monster fan in your life? If not, please visit my Book and Comic Shop for last-minute reading purchases. Thanks.
I’ve officially entered that season where I’m gearing up for the Holidays. And I know I’m gearing up for the Holidays because I’ve hit my wall after four months of going hard trying to rebuild my career after being ill for so long. Next week is Christmas week and I’m taking the week off effective Sunday. Daily blog posts are still planned as is the newsletter. If you’re a Patreon subscriber, the behind-the-scenes tier airs next week. But that’s pretty much it for me for the Holidays. I’ll be back in full swing the week after.
Also, I have a Christmas thing planned for both Patreon and this blog (both different special Christmas things), so make sure you’re hooked up to All Things A.P. Fuchs before next week rolls around so you get everything.
In the end, this break is needed. I plan to read, sleep, watch a little TV, and eat and visit.
Ps. Today on my Patreon page was a Patron-first Announcement revealing the real title of Project Jackass. As a patron, you get project reveal news before anyone else. Subscribe today for as little as a buck to make sure you’re always in the loop. (Other things like an ongoing serial novel, bonus posts, and more should keep you busy between Patron-first Announcements.)
A couple of bookshelves showing part of the library here at the Central.
As I’m getting back into the swing of creating things, I’m also in a place where I’m digging into the masters of the mediums I pursue to see what their thoughts are/were on a particular craft and how those views align or don’t align with my own (the latter approached with an open mind so I’m not closed off in my thinking). In the case of today’s blog entry, quotes on writing were the order of the day.
I’m a firm believer in always learning even if there are stumbles along the way. I also believe every artist regardless of their craft never arrive. Practicing a craft is a lifetime pursuit and ends when you die. Perfection will never be obtained because there is always one punctuation mark to adjust or one fine line on a drawing to tweak. The goal is to do your best while making every effort to improve along the way.
Here are three quotes on writing–more specifically reading–to ponder:
“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” – Stephen King
I am in agreement here, and by reading, Mr. King is talking about actual reading, not social media or simple headlines. Reading is part of the job.
And so . . .
“Read, read, read. Read everything–trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write. If it’s good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out of the window.” – William Faulkner
This I’ve practiced since I started in this field. I believe that every piece of writing has at least one good sentence in it, or one good turn-of-phrase, or one lesson of some sort to learn. The ideal is to find all those things repeatedly in the same book, but at a minimum, every type of writing has at least one thing going for it that is worth learning from.
“You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.” – Ray Bradbury
I chose this one because I was often criticized for living in Fantasyland. I’ll let this one speak to you in its own way. I know how it’s spoken to me.
Last, in regards to reading, this is a note to say the latest chapter of Gigantigator Death Machine was posted to Patreon today. Please go here to start reading this exciting and terrifying serial novel and its preceding chapters for just a buck. Thanks.
Welcome to my Inktober 2019 Artwork Video Showcase!
As promised, here is the video showcasing this year’s Inktober efforts.
My Ello account has also been updated to show the three collages created from 31 drawings.
Inktober was completed on schedule, with 31 ink sketches done in 31 days at a rate of one per day. Images were shared each day on social media, with Instagram being where I uploaded them.
Please watch the video below and please subscribe to my YouTube channel so you can ensure you receive notifications of each new video the moment they are uploaded.
Project Jackass notebook plus some tools. Image distorted because project specifics have not yet been formally announced.
There is a convergence of reality and fiction occurring.
We’re in a thinking phase at the moment. Project Cobalt has taken a new turn and more coherency is happening with Project Jackass.
These are comics.
Timelines are forming both in their respective fictitious worlds and in their correlation to our world. An even further, even more bizarre formation is occurring on how these timelines correlate to their debut in our world.
Again, it’s a strange convergence of fiction and reality these days and I’m glad to be a part of it.
As well, a lot of thought is being given to the concept of information and what that really is. I’m discovering information has complete governance over every single thing we do at all times in all ways in all dimensions and in all states of being. The extrapolation of this requires an essay so I’ll give you that as a teaser for now. Needless to say, it has altered my worldview and is jarring at times.
Time to work. Have a good day.
Ps. The latest issue of The Canister X Transmission, my weekly newsletter, went out on Saturday. If you missed it, please go here to get caught up on back issues and be sure to subscribe so you get the latest edition all the way over on the other side of the week.
My new business cards–printed by Vistaprint–came in along with return address labels for stuff shipping out of Axiom-man Central among other purposes. Take a look at this unboxing video showcase to see the new cards.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8N4KRteZgc
Business cards are critical in the art world and I’ve been using them in one way or another since I published my first book back in 2003. I might have even had some before then. I can’t remember. Regardless, it still surprises me when I meet creators at conventions and they don’t have a card so I can follow up with them. Business cards are Publishing 101 so if you don’t have some of your own for whatever you do, better get going on that.
Be sure to subscribe to the channel by going here so you don’t miss the latest video.
Welcome to the A.P. Fuchs 2019 Holiday Gift Guide.
Holiday Season is now in full swing so here’s a list of things that would make great gifts to the A.P. Fuchs fan in your life or anyone who has a thing for superheroes and monsters. While everything I have to offer is available in the Book and Comic Shop (with links to a retailer of your choice), the list below showcases the more unique items from my catalog. All my titles except the second one are available in paperback and eBook.
1. A copy of my latest release, Axiom-man/Auroraman: Frozen Storm, written by me but with the story by Auroraman creator Jeff Burton and I. Opposite heroes. Cold weather. Snow monsters. You know? The good stuff. Copies are available here.
2. The Axiom-man/Auroraman: Frozen Storm lettered edition. This is different from the paperback above. The lettered edition is a hardcover edition of Frozen Storm limited to just 26 copies and comes with a special piece of art within the opening pages and the book is signed by Jeff Burton and myself. These are nearly sold out and only 26 copies were produced and will ever be produced. They run $50CAD each with $20CAD for shipping. (We can do a currency conversion to US funds if this item is going to the States.) Please inquire by email.
3. Axiom-man: Tenth Anniversary Special Edition. This book is a celebration of ten years of Axiom-man and includes a revision of the original book, a short story, an essay, and introduction. No collection of The Axiom-man Saga is complete without this special version of the first book. (The short story within is also considered canon.) Copies are available here.
4. Look, Up on the Screen! The Big Book of Superhero Movie Reviews. This title is perfect for the superhero film buff in your life. So far as I’m aware, this is the only film review book out there exclusively dedicated to superhero movies. 100 films are covered. Copies are available here.
5. Book-of-the-Month Club Patreon subscription. On my Patreon page, patrons can elect this tier to join A.P. Fuchs’s Book-of-the-Month Club, in which each month I sign and mail out a book or comic from my catalog. This tier is $30 and includes shipping. It also grants you access to the other tiers, which feature things like an ongoing serial novel, essays on the creative life, behind-the-scenes stuff, and an official membership card. Subscribing someone to the Book-of-the-Month Club ensures they get a signed book from me every month as a surprise in their mailbox. Other tiers for subscription consideration begin at just $1 a month. Please go here to subscribe that special reader in your life.
6. The Undead World Trilogy (Blood of the Dead, Possession of the Dead, Redemption of the Dead). A zombie series unlike any other. The goal with this trilogy was to take what people love about zombie stories to a whole new level and deliver unique twists and turns that you can’t get anywhere else. I don’t want to give anything away, but this series features elements I’ve yet to see in other zombie fiction. But if your reader loves fast-paced, high-stakes stories, then this trilogy delivers both. Copies are available here.
7. Zombie Fight Night: Battles of the Dead. What would happen if you took Bloodsport and The Walking Dead and mixed them together? Zombie Fight Night is what you’d get! This book was an attempt to put everything that’s cool between two covers. A main storyline about a gambler who gets in way over his head anchors the whole thing while the reader is treated to action-packed fights with zombies, werewolves, ninjas, superheroes, robots, kickboxers, sumos, and more! Copies are available here.
8. Metahumans vs the Undead and Metahuman vs Werewolves. Does your Holiday someone like superheroes and monsters? What if you could put the two together? Don’t fear! I’ve already done that for you by editing these two anthologies (which both feature a superhero vs monster tale written by me and starring my superhero, Axiom-man). The stories are about what the titles imply and each book is loaded with creative takes on superheroes vs monsters. And if you’re an Axiom-man collector, these definitely need to be added to your library because the Axiom-man stories within are considered canon here at the Central. Copies are available here.
Thank you for tuning in to the A.P. Fuchs 2019 Holiday Gift Guide this Christmas and I hope that special reader in your life enjoys one or more of the things above. Again, please be sure to browse the Book and Comic Shop for what’s not covered here. I am able to make arrangements with you if you want to order direct in the interest of getting a signature and a personal message (no extra charge for this). Please email or PM to get in touch.
