WooHoos, Shout-Outs & the Warm Glow of Accomplishment

[jmward14]

Finally sat down with Lil Kids!, the first paper graphic novel by Von Allan of vonandmoggy .  Lil Kids! is a prequel to his web comic, the road to god knows..., which tells how the two main characters became fast friends.  Thrilling girl adventure stories and the friendships that make them possible are among my favorite things.  When I was the age of the girls in this story--and the road to god knows...--I generally wound up reading comics and boys' books, because nobody seemed to understand that small females were every bit as curious, ambitious and prone to getting into trouble as small males.
And, oh yeah, we wanted to be superheroes too, because it's fun beating up bad guys.
Now I know Von's a man.  I've seen his picture on LJ, and Moggy swears it's really him.  But reading Lil Kids! it sometimes feels like Von plugged right into the little girl I used to be.  And there's more.  Lil Kids! sets up the main plot threads of the road to god knows..., including Marie's awareness that her mom is different.  It also provides interesting insights into Von's creative process, from initial idea and thumbnails to fully developed comic.
In fact, I enjoyed the book so much, I'm going to give it away.  To my husband, another late-blooming artist.  If artists are like writers--always learning from each other--this could get interesting in the best possible way.
Today has been an all around good book day.  I decided to present my local Waldenbooks a copy of Here Be Dragons: Tales of Dragon*Con, the wonderful anthology I'm in with Jody Lynn Nye, Susan Sizemore, Quinn Yarbro, Todd McCaffrey, Teresa Patterson and the late Bob Asprin.  (Yes, I will post the cover as soon as the dh scans it.  Some people!  *g*)  Naturally, I couldn't escape without buying something, especially since they had only two copies of lilithsaintcrow 's Steelflower left.
Steelflower is Lili's sword & sorcery epic, and as fine as anything she's ever written.  But that's not why it holds a special place in my heart.  Steelflower was the first novel qnotku bought as a Samhain editor.  I read it in the manuscript, filching pages from Teri as she finished them.  It broke my heart when her ill health (and her all-too-sudden death) prevented her from bringing the novel from perfect ms. to published book.
Today the book broke my heart all over again when I read Lili's dedication: "To Teri Smith.  Go, blithe spirit.  You were a joy to know.  And I look forward to seeing your smile again." 
Somehow I missed that in the electronic version.  As soon as the budget permits, I hope to get a copy for hundakleptisis.  He needs to see that.
Was finally able to do all this good stuff because I shipped off the last section of a new book proposal early this afternoon.  The deadline for the proposal had been hanging over my head since Dragon*Con.  Ironically enough, the book is a how-to for aspiring fantasy artists.  (No ma'am, I don't draw; I just write like I know how.)  I'll share more if the project gets the green light, but for now, let's just say the artist is super and the set-up really intriguing.
The proposal is why I've been so slow about posting my Dragon*Con pics and report.  Nope, still not finished, and I have to get back to the Story From Siren Hell before I work through them.  But thanks to fellow DC Area Storyteller Anthony Stevens, I do have pics from this weekend's two book signings.  Yes, Virginia, little tomboys do grow up girlie.  Now if I could only figure out a way to get make-up on without losing that extra half hour of sleep...
Hugs and smiles,
Jean Marie

Comments

[klgrem.livejournal.com]

A very nice tribute. :) ♥

[jmward14.livejournal.com]

It really is. SJ will love it. Hugs and smiles, Jean Marie

[lilithsaintcrow.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

*beams*

That is all.

[jmward14.livejournal.com]

Thanks {{{{Lili}}}}. Big hugs, Jean Marie

[vonandmoggy.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for that. You made my day! Yay! Now, I hope you don't mind a gentle nudge, too. Is there any chance I can convince you to put that up on the book's Amazon page? Or something similar? No worries if you're not keen, of course. :)

I will always feel bad about Teri (as will Moggy). We had had plans to meet her at SPX '06 and that fell through due to her ill health. As it turns out, we never did get another chance before she died. While I'm honoured to have gotten to know her, at least a little bit, online, I'll always regret not getting a chance for a face to face chat. I also would have loved to know what she thought of my book. Her death, like Rory Root's (though in his case we did get to meet him in person), has touched me more than I realized. Partially because I'm disappointed that I didn't get that chance to know her better and also because I regret the loss of a deepening friendship down the road. "What might have been..." Sigh.

Von

[jmward14.livejournal.com]

Done. :-)
Would you mind if I asked a favor too? Greg is considering using Cafe Press or some other POD outfit to put together a collection of his Bush-era cartoons and he's got a thousand questions about the process. May I point him in your direction? Unfortunately, all I know about the art business is writing the captions.
Teri realy wanted to get to SPX-06 and meet you both, but the gods had other plans. You and Moggy were very precious to her, and she was always your number one fan. She would've been thrilled about the book--and the road to god knows...
Hugs,
Jean Marie

[vonandmoggy.livejournal.com]

Well, first - wow! Thanks so much for the Amazon review! :)

POD: yes, absolutely. My suggestion is pretty simple, though. He should use Lightning Source. All other POD printers (Cafe Press, Lulu, and on and on) pale in comparison to what Lightning offers. Why? Because all of the others take a cut over and above the manufacturing cost of the book. Lightning doesn't. On top of it, Lightning (LSI) is owned by Ingram. And that means that they feed data directly to companies like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and on and on. Li'l Kids is printed through LSI and that's why you were able to purchase a copy on Amazon. Incredibly, incredibly efficient and cost-effective. My best suggestion would be to seek out a book called Aiming at Amazon by Aaron Shepard. It's on Amazon and it's the blue print I've been using (with some modifications on the art side) for getting Li'l Kids "out there." And I'll be doing the same thing with the road to god knows..., too. I need to do a proper blog post about this, but I'm still figuring out a few odds and ends myself. But I can certainly attest to how well it works.

Teri: that's so nice of you to say. I'm a little speechless on that front. Thanks for letting me know.

Von

[vonandmoggy.livejournal.com]

Oh, I should add that I can certainly help Greg on the graphics side, too. At least I think I can.

I should also add that LSI is a smidgen more labour intensive than other companies like Lulu and Cafe Press. If he's absolutely new to this, then these companies may be better simply because they're a bit easier to use.

Von

[jmward14.livejournal.com]

Thanks {{{{Von}}}}, for both notes. :-) I'll point Greg at the page and let things develop as they will. I think what he's looking for more than anything is someone to bounce ideas off. I'm a great cheering section, but all I know is writing and government service, neither of which do an artist much good.
On sooooo many levels. LOL
Big hugs to you and Moggy both,
Jean Marie

OMG THANK YOU~!

[(Anonymous)]

Hey Jean~! I recieved your copy of HERE BE DRAGONS today and I have to say it really made my week! Knowing that my annoying cackles of delight were small echoes of inspiration in your head tickled me purple~! (cuz I no likes the pinks >.>)

Thanks so much Jean~!

Re: OMG THANK YOU~!

[jmward14.livejournal.com]

{{{{{Kristen}}}}}}
Glad you're enjoying the stories. :-) Sending good thoughts and crossed fingers for all your classes too.
Big hugs,
Jean Marie
*who stole the lines about Renji straight from you*