My name is A.P. Fuchs and I’m an author, artist, and freelancer in everything and anything to do with publishing. You are tuned into my blog, Canister X, my official web presence and the Realm of Heroes and Monsters. I’ve been writing and publishing since my first short story sale in 2000, and have been publishing books and comics since 2003.
My Patreon page can be found here. It’s where I post serial novels, essays on the creative arts industry, what goes on behind the scenes here in the great white north at Axiom-man Central, and more. Join the journey and be a part of something special.
Hope you had a pleasant Holiday week.
Ps. All my superhero and monster fiction eBooks are presently on sale at 50% off on Smashwords until January 1, 2020. Please go here (and scroll down a bit) to stock up before the discount ends!
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.
As part of the semi-regular-until-the-end-of-the-year Recap Tunnel, I’ll be closing off 2019 with various things and/or reflections from/on the past year. First up is Recap Tunnel: YouTube Video Round-up Part 1 of 2.
The first round is:
Please subscribe to my YouTube channel here so you don’t miss the latest videos.
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.
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.
