Writer, Artist, Creator
I’m feeling much better. The lingering effects of covid have lifted. I’m still not 100% due to other issues but the brain fog is gone and I’m getting things done.
All is on schedule for the summer releases, including GIGANTI-GATOR DEATH MACHINE: TRIPLE FEATURE.
Unfortunately, I won’t get the Axiom-man books done in time for comic con. I can write fast enough but it’s the publication lead time that’s the problem.
I’m going to still keep working, though. One step at a time.
With the two waves of books I plan on putting out this year, I’ve been so busy as my health will allow that I haven’t been getting any writing done. It makes me feel down and sad especially since there’s no way I’m going to finish the Axiom-man books in time for comic con. Writing them is one thing; publishing them and all the time that takes is another.
So I’m kind of left without a path because I’m busy getting books ready for print and eBook and don’t have a creative outlet.
I don’t know.
Just venting.
Need to come up with a plan.
Here is the chronological reading order of my superhero fiction series, THE AXIOM-MAN SAGA. Just click on a title for a list of retailers to complete your collection.
Axiom-man
Char (short story in the tenth anniversary edition of Axiom-man)
Episode No. 0: First Night Out
Doorway of Darkness
Black Water (short story)
Episode No. 1: The Dead Land
There’s Something Rotten Up North (short story in the anthology, Metahumans vs the Undead)
City of Ruin
Rite of the Wolf (short story in the anthology, Metahumans vs Werewolves)
Episode No. 2: Underground Crusade
Outlaw
Episode No. 3: Rumblings
The Split (flash fiction in the collection Flash Attack)
Mercy (flash fiction in the collection Flash Attack)
Last Flight (flash fiction in the collection Flash Attack)
Frozen Storm (side adventure team-up with Auroraman; story by myself and Jeff Burton)
Coming soon:
The Summoning
Episode No. 4: Transformations
New Dawn
Happy reading!
I haven’t blogged here in nearly a year, which makes me a hypocrite because I used to stress blogging fairly frequently. Thing is, I fell ill again and had to put a full stop on most things while I recovered. I was able to pick at odds and ends but wasn’t able to get back into the full swing of things.
Over the past few weeks I’ve been as productive as ever and finally brought some book stuff out of the darkness and into the light. I did a lot of work and the following is an update as to where my various projects are at.
In no particular order:
Giganti-gator Death Machine: Triple Feature – with the editor.
The Canister X Transmission: Year Four – with the formatter.
The Canister X Transmission: The Long Year Five – with the formatter.
Expected release: Summer 2022
Reissues:
Blood of the Dead – with the formatter.
Possession of the Dead – with the formatter.
Redemption of the Dead – beginning of final proofread.
Surprise Project – In pieces but not in a bad way. Just need to assemble everything and write something for it.
Expected release: Fall 2022
The Axiom-man Saga:
The Summoning – to be written soon.
Episode No. 4: Transformations – to be written.
New Dawn – to be written.
These three Axiom-man books will be written back-to-back because these three stories are The Battle of Power Trilogy, so essentially one story told over three parts. My goal is to have them out by Winnipeg Comic Con in the fall. I know the above looks like a lot and overshooting the year but you have to remember what these projects are and how close each one is to being finished.
Other items:
Fredrikus – I have one episode inked and ready for scanning. The comic is temporarily on the backburner while I finish up the above.
The Canister X Transmission: The Very Long Year Six – I plan to resume the newsletter at a later date. I want to wait until I’m fully back up and running so I have something to write to you every week.
YouTube – I have a package here at Axiom-man Central that I want to do an unboxing video for so look for that soon. I also plan to make more videos once I’m fully back in the saddle.
Canister X – I’ll blog when I can and when I have something to say.
And there you have it: A complete picture of what’s happening with various projects on the go. Let’s hope my health keeps up.
Cheers.
~APF
An Elaboration of 2020 and a Career Shift.
After years of putting it off, I’m stepping down from being solely an author. “Solely” being the operative word. The book publishing industry rewarded me in the ways I needed, taught me the things I wanted to learn, and helped me meet the types of people I wanted to meet, both creator and reader alike. And while true that since I’ve been back from being ill, I’ve taken on the mantle of writer/artist instead of just writer, I thought it’d be a fair thing to tell you what the current road map looks like career-wise so I don’t accidentally mislead you.
This is the general plan:
2020 is a year of rebuilding hence Project Rebuild. Throughout the course of the year–with the very end of the year being the ideal-but-flexible deadline–I’ll be bringing my book list into the 21st century and will release a new thing or two along the way. And it will take the whole year or potentially more because I have a lot of titles and all this takes time.
Going forward in 2021, I have a few books that are done that need releasing so those will be tended to as well as finishing off some works-in-progress to wrap them up.
While the above two are occuring, I’ll be spending most of my time and energy devoted to making comics. Comics are what started me on the publishing path and are a great love of mine. In short, writing books will be a secondary thing compared to the comics.
All I want to do is finish the last bit of my book publishing life and make comics going forward.
For Axiom-man fans, don’t worry. Lots of prose adventures coming. I’m referring to my non-superhero work.
I also need to point out something to my readers that needs to be taken into consideration: I’m still sick. I’m much better than before, but even when I started up again at the end of last August, I was operating at around 65-70% capacity. Going hard at 1000mph has dropped me to about 50% on a good day, 40-45% on every other day. Each day I come to the keyboard, I’m not healthy on multiple levels, but I work anyway because making art and stories is what I do and it’s what helps me survive. All I’m saying is I’m changing things on various levels so I don’t keel over and die one day in the middle of a script or while drawing something. It is also important to point out that my shift to comics isn’t about accommodating for being unwell. It’s about looking ahead to my deathbed when I’m lying there and looking back. I know I’ll regret it if I don’t do comics and since time is the most valuable thing on this earth, I want to spend it doing something I love.
Thank you.
As part of the original conception of Project Rebirth, creating audio editions of my work is on the docket. These will occur sometime after this year because the reissues of Project Rebuild and the publishing of new work are priority.
I’ve dabbled in audio before. I recorded the first Axiom-man book many, many years ago as a free download (sorry, I no longer have the files to this and it was pulled from the original distributor many years back). I also recorded a video reading of the first four (I think) chapters of Blood of the Dead, which aired on my old YouTube channel (here’s the new channel). The first bit of Blood of the Dead was also recorded as an audio drama on an old zombie podcast back in the day (it was really cool).
This is the next step for the books once I’m caught up on everything else.
Please accept this blog entry as mere notice that audio editions are on the horizon, but due to the number of books I’ve written and the time it takes to properly record them and package them, audio book releases are still a decent ways off into the future.
But no fear! You can still read all my novels in book form in paperback and eBook by visiting the Book and Comic Shop.
Enjoy your day.
At long last, the Axiom-man/Auroraman: Frozen Storm copies have shipped and went out last week. Auroraman creator Jeff Burton now has them for his signature and Kickstarter fulfillment. Those who ordered the tiers with the Frozen Storm paperback and/or the Frozen Storm limited lettered edition will now get their copies once Jeff’s signature is in place.
Thank you for your patience throughout this campaign.
Here is a video showcasing the editions. While you saw the paperbacks hot off the press in one video and the lettered edition in a separate unboxing video, here they are together.
Please subscribe to the YouTube channel to be notified of new videos.
If you missed the Kickstarter and want a copy of Frozen Storm, please go here to order the paperback and/or eBook from a retailer of your choice.
There are a few copies of the special lettered edition left so if you’d like a copy, please inquire via email.
Thanks.
Reader Questions: What’s Happening with The Axiom-man Saga?
Many folks have asked me when the next Axiom-man book is coming out and my plans for the series. In this video I give my current thoughts on the subject and what’s planned for The Axiom-man Saga as a whole.
You can view it in the player below.
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Thanks.
It came in as a request when I did my video, Reader Questions: Axiom-man Inspiration and Superhero Influences, that some pictures of locations in my Axiom-man novels be shown. Well, dear reader, I’ve got you covered because below is a photo video compilation of the Winnipeg Exchange District at night. This area is often showcased in my books, with a big emphasis on the area in Axiom-man: Underground Crusade.
Without further ado, here is the Exchange District in real life.
Please be sure to subscribe to my channel to be notified when a new video is added. Thanks.
Enjoy.
It’s time for another edition of the Canister X Mailbag! This time it’s The Wraith Action Figure Unboxing!
This came in the mail all the way from down under.
Watch the video to see this cool Wraith action figure!
Please subscribe to my YouTube channel to be notified when new videos are added.
For a couple of anthologies featuring both Axiom-man and The Wraith, please take a look at this first installment in the Metahumans vs superhero anthology series. The second installment is here.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
