tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88279348547048361222024-02-19T11:22:31.259-05:00Farlaine the Goblin ~ A Fairy Tale About Finding Your ForestFarlaine the Goblin, a shaman from the Forest of Fin-Din, has spent years wandering the very many Oddlands of Wug in search of a forest to call his own.
He only has 10 lands left.Pug Grumblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17519221739487381268noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827934854704836122.post-92010021196446348812020-10-22T21:45:00.010-04:002020-12-09T20:48:11.411-05:00My First Novel: Ouch by Pug GrumbleHowdy folks! <div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08LN1X7H3" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-UkaBH3qvalzjiJQx-M2DT2h5zvAx9Buei6MWdswoUVKHpKHeORufomt2Xe_hXyO5gsZQ11cnQye8j6Kl4sewy_1PxqwDdRizHnfn1N2s3bl0tHPfOPsfbV1TXebj6MyZWBcDRIEOOP4/w416-h640/front-cover-only-500x750.jpg" width="416" /></a></div><br /></div><div>The time has finally come! My first novel, Ouch, is out in stores!</div><div><br /></div><div>Kindle $3.95:</div><div><div><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08LN1X7H3" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08LN1X7H3</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Paperback $12.95: </div><div><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0989005895/" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.com/dp/0989005895/</a> </div><div><br /></div><div>Ouch is definitely a bit more out there than Farlaine, but I might be even more proud of it! It took me years to write and revise and edit and polish, but I'm confident I'm putting out a book that's as good as I can make it. The subject matter may not be for everybody, but I think the writing is top-notch!</div></div><div><br /></div><div>In honor of the book's release I also decided to throw together a new website, <a href="http://www.puggrumble.com" target="_blank">puggrumble.com</a>, which will act as more of an umbrella for my different projects. It doesn't have much on it for now, but I hope to add to it as time passes. If you want to read a chapter of Ouch, it's posted there.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll continue to leave the <a href="http://farlaine.com">farlaine.com</a> website up and update it with appearances and even occasionally post a blog entry, but with the series completed there's only so much I have to write about Farlaine these days:)</div><div><br /></div><div>So please consider bookmarking <a href="http://puggrumble.com" target="_blank">puggrumble.com</a> and keeping up to date on any future projects through my mailing list. And consider buying a copy of my new book!</div><div><br /></div><div><div>What's it like? Imagine Stephen King and Neil Gaiman riding a narcoleptic porcupine to a Fight Club. </div><div>That's the vibe:)</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Here's the jacket copy for anyone who's curious:</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Ouch by Pug Grumble</b></div><div>A Comical and Quirky Tale About a Masochist, a Sadist, and a Klutz</div><div><br /></div><div><div><i>Sylvester's got a bit of a thing for pain. In the silliest of ways, he enjoys it. He likes splinters and stubbed toes, pizza burns and ice cream headaches.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>He’s dating the perfect girl in Felicia, a sadistic siren who torments any who wander within reach. The kinda girl who sharpens doorknobs and electrifies jukeboxes.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>But when Felicia goes to jail, Sylvester can’t help but run into Natalie, a colossal klutz who topples into everything. The kinda girl who twists her ankle on the toilet and gets injured by plastic reindeer.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>It's the start of something fun, at least until Felicia gets out of prison.</i></div></div><div><br /></div><div>
</div>Pug Grumblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17519221739487381268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827934854704836122.post-40450729511218303772020-07-27T15:44:00.003-04:002020-07-27T15:44:53.788-04:00Howdy gang!<br />
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It's been a while since I posted an update on here (a year!), so I figured I may as well update anyone who was curious:)<br />
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Since the series completed I've started moving on to other projects, while still hitting any shows I can. I had expected to do San Diego again this year, as well as Baltimore, Boston, Heroes, and more, but with the pandemic raging all of that's been cancelled. Hopefully I'll be able to do them all next year if things improve. My current plan is still to hit shows indefinitely with the series and try to slowly buy surely grow the audience:)<br />
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In the interim I'm still working on releasing my first novel, which at this point seems likely to be self-published. I sent the manuscript off to over 100 agents and have been rejected or ignored by all of them! But honestly, it's not a huge surprise. Most of the publishing industry seems to want boring and safe rather than wacky and creative, and this book is definitely not for everyone! As I like to describe it, it's "A comical and quirky love triangle between a masochist, a sadist, and a klutz". Odd, eh? But trust me, it's awesome:)<br />
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So that's in the works and will hopefully come out at some point before the end of the year.<br />
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Otherwise I'm working on some other projects that are still in the writing stages and will battle each other for time and attention as things progress, but the goal is, eventually, to continue to create new work, both comics and novels. It's just gonna take time.<br />
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I'm also hoping to transition to a new website at some point that will act as more of an umbrella for different projects instead of relying on farlaine.com for everything.<br />
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Since I haven't done a ton of new Farlaine art in a while, I'll leave you with this fun gem, done for a friend who collects mock covers from an old book called Sugar and Spike.<br />
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Hope everyone's staying safe!<br />
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<br />Pug Grumblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17519221739487381268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827934854704836122.post-77626669742629070672019-07-08T19:36:00.002-04:002019-07-08T19:45:02.332-04:00Trade Paperback #2, San Diego Comic Con, SDCC Variant, and more!Long time, no talk!<br />
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With the whole series finishing up last year there hasn't been a lot of updates to share, so instead of overwhelming you with multiple tiny updates I figured I'd save up:)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Trade Paperback #2!</b></span><br />
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The first big news is that the second trade paperback containing Books 4-7 hits store shelves THIS WEEK! July 10th! If you can't find it at your local comic shop you can order copies direct from me at <a href="http://www.farlaine.com/p/buy-more-copies.html" target="_blank">farlaine.com</a>. Amazon should have them soon, too!<br />
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It's truly a BEAST, clocking in at 228 pages long and weighing almost 2lbs!! So if you've been waiting for the second trade to have your matching set, your time is now!<br />
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San Diego Comic Con!</b></span><br />
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But that's really only the tip of the iceberg, because the bigger news is that I'll be at the San Diego Comic Con this year!! SDCC is THE biggest comic convention in the world and the one that has all those fancy panels where they show clips of Star Wars and Avengers movies waaay in advance. I've never hit this show but always wanted to, so this will be a fun experience!!<br />
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<b>I'll be set up in Small Press at table O-02</b>, in sight of the Oni Press booth.<br />
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And I'm trying to bring out the big guns for the show, reprinting every book I was running low on(2nd printing of Books 3-4, 4th printing of Book 1), making sure TPB2 was done and on shelves in time, AND even soliciting a brand spanking new variant cover for Book 3 that will be an exclusive giveaway at SDCC!!<br />
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This variant cover is by Jonathan Kirtz, a concept and game design artist who worked on things like Batman: Arkham Asylum, Kingdoms of Amalur, and King's Forge. Very talented dude. He did this epic painted piece originally as just a pinup for the new TPB, but after I started to see it come together I realized it would make a very fun variant! So that's what I did:) I printed 1000 copies of that variant of Book 3 exclusively for San Diego and will be giving them out FREE all weekend! If you're at the con, just swing by table O-02 in Small Press!<br />
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I'm bringing just about everything, including all 7 books, all variants, both TPBs, prints, original art, stuffed goblins, and t-shirts! It's gonna be a blast!!<br />
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What's Next?</b></span><br />
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So what's next on the horizon from here?<br />
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The main thing on my plate is still trying to get my first novel a proper publisher. The book is a bit weird, so most folks seem scared off, but I'm planning to send it off to 100 agents and if they all pass, I'll end up self-publishing that as well.<br />
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I'm also working on ideas for the next few things I may work on. I have another comic I've been brainstorming on and doodling ideas for, as well as a couple of other novels I'm working out the pieces for.<br />
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And that's about it for now:)<br />
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Hopefully I'll see some folks at San Diego in 2 weeks, and I hope anyone who's anxiously been awaiting the second trade paperback enjoys it when it hits their hands!
Pug Grumblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17519221739487381268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827934854704836122.post-61558872589927466502018-09-26T13:04:00.004-04:002018-09-26T13:04:53.095-04:00Book 7: The Final Land IN STORES TODAY!After years of work and 6 other books, the climactic finale to Farlaine the Goblin hits stores today!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMGGIWo0wrVCVR9pTqH-qNF7dievFl60R9xRSPAGMS2cqjdl2v_RMYEWdoThVQjKd-19yqwtHR6BYMiXStbAVA8vMWfFrEMg0yU1CQyNY0fzTIHOoQLznk4awUgLuhuLYNF317sNVjkg/s1600/Farlaine-7-Cover-sml.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1500" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMGGIWo0wrVCVR9pTqH-qNF7dievFl60R9xRSPAGMS2cqjdl2v_RMYEWdoThVQjKd-19yqwtHR6BYMiXStbAVA8vMWfFrEMg0yU1CQyNY0fzTIHOoQLznk4awUgLuhuLYNF317sNVjkg/s640/Farlaine-7-Cover-sml.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The 64-page finale crashes Farlaine into a land that's up for grabs! Whoever can collect the biggest pile of somethings can claim the land! So it's a mad rush for Farlaine and Drowsy to throw their hat in the ring.<br />
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This over-sized finale also boasts an amazing variant cover by the great David Petersen of Mouse Guard fame:
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The books can be found in cool local comic shops that like indie books, or on farlaine.com(I can sign and doodle these!) or even amazon.com. I'll also be at the Baltimore Comic Con this coming weekend (Sept 28-30).</div>
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This 7th and final book marks the end of the series, a 300+ page adventure that took me more than 5 years to complete!</div>
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And there's still plenty more to do still!</div>
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I need to release a TPB that collects together Books 4-7 for the TPB crowd, which will include a bunch of work resizing the series up and finding some goodies to add to the end. I also need to save up some cash before I can print that beast...</div>
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I'm also still on the lookout for a good publisher who wants to help get the series into book stores. I think book stores are far more Farlaine's home than a comic shop. If that day ever comes, we'll be sure to colorize the series too! (and fix all the mistakes and problems that bug me!)</div>
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What else now, you may ask?</div>
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Well, I wrote a novel called Ouch that I'm in the midst of pitching around to publishers. I'm also grabbing a real job again to pay the bills and dig out of some of this fun comic book debt:)</div>
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But there are plans for other comics down the line, just not sure yet when:)</div>
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I hope you enjoy the end of the series! </div>
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-Pug</div>
Pug Grumblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17519221739487381268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827934854704836122.post-84971052045426600952018-07-22T22:01:00.002-04:002018-07-22T22:07:38.864-04:00Final Reminder! Pre-Order Book 7 Now!<span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: inherit;">Howdy gang!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: inherit;">Final Reminder!</span><br />
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: grey;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Farlaine the Goblin ~ Book 7: The Final Land is available for Pre-Order RIGHT NOW!</span></strong><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: inherit;">Pre-orders are always a huge help since it encourages stores to order more copies and helps me sell the books I overprint:) </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: inherit;">Call or visit your local comic shop this week and tell them you'd like to preorder a copy(<b>Diamond Code: JUL182154</b>)! If you order 3 copies, 1 of them should be the David Petersen variant cover!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: inherit;">Don't have a local comic shop? Order online at places like:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.midtowncomics.com/store/dp.asp?PRID=Farlaine+The+Goblin+%237+Co_1759011" target="_blank">MidTown Comics</a></span><br />
<a data-auth="VerificationFailed" href="https://forbiddenplanet.com/253397-farlaine-the-goblin-7-cover-a/" originalsrc="https://farlaine.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=81025c79107490c5f27eab2d8&id=5ed1e56fc9&e=a7e7a25056" rel="noopener noreferrer" shash="AIVLm2meRk3X1jPNA+COIFtpX8rdrVegBHi1wOU/oFPxrdhsJBZTp+S/ct7JvjzvXJyeLrSM9FuYKul7bIk3lqfLoQ4MpA9WP0YxEXwtunqLGIXrjGNoHAoqzmNPGqlWiz95m6mjAFE/e8ytp08F4ypFiEakw8xMCjSC0eydF/s=" style="background-color: white; color: #00add8;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Forbidden Planet</span></a><br />
<a data-auth="VerificationFailed" href="http://westfieldcomics.com/store.cgi?cid=1&SearchString=farlaine&sc=151616285118442967676&U=1532309577405&SearchDescs=1" originalsrc="https://farlaine.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=81025c79107490c5f27eab2d8&id=941498f8f6&e=a7e7a25056" rel="noopener noreferrer" shash="xTbILT/0dnrB8Qypy/CDRlBndRYdY/GG8JcJfT/27GO/yj+ggVMNdgBH37mGP3aaKblTVceMZX8obNqUdEtV/rEc12oEUUhn5LWgdOfT5vj3XmA1zFX42LZf1b24h9n966rbKZpy8TyOuWGJnizGATKZ8pX4QMvMuza+hA5SBdQ=" style="background-color: white; color: #00add8;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Westfield Comics</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: grey;">NOTE: Websites may keep the variants. You can order from </span><a data-auth="VerificationFailed" href="http://www.farlaine.com/p/buy-more-copies.html" originalsrc="https://farlaine.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=81025c79107490c5f27eab2d8&id=f824ea5d9f&e=a7e7a25056" rel="noopener noreferrer" shash="vv7sQC+pIsKN3/5yM/1PIOkHW0vGoE3IbK2tmAAZbCR2CKAWVLb7dembCbDUq3nOT0M1ZIKnPwbNV4Xjoc7avhywdmfhsFg5LHscR+VSsVyyRsbJo9ipHbztTA3iK8Ng4aUdDL69/JcOpAnR6WZNC8KMv42WTYxYAC/h6qOBRHI=" style="background-color: white; color: #00add8;" target="_blank">farlaine.com</a><span style="background-color: white; color: grey;"> if you want to be sure to get one!</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: inherit;">The book will hit store shelves September 19th!! Enjoy!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: inherit;">-Pug</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPEGeAsH9_AhPtNX9fvFRT1m0Jr6ZlLqHTGMkPSpN3f6zz69LJ7Udocg4w8S2rdUIqgag6vT2eCat6MhmKK0k9BkSWbvSqGPlRh9PPM7C9WJEEJYGA20fztRU6igZsZEa3XryqvUi7ZQA/s1600/Farlaine-7-Cover-sml.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1500" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPEGeAsH9_AhPtNX9fvFRT1m0Jr6ZlLqHTGMkPSpN3f6zz69LJ7Udocg4w8S2rdUIqgag6vT2eCat6MhmKK0k9BkSWbvSqGPlRh9PPM7C9WJEEJYGA20fztRU6igZsZEa3XryqvUi7ZQA/s640/Farlaine-7-Cover-sml.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PUG GRUMBLE COVER</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSAmkPCU5TZ_QLZLw-oAZYHj1L-VvFtV8wqwhtmQOoLR-GxspZwC6Y-P_PVMlgV_Ck8BA30L0iKB3DYoJZsztieB9kUVvkIg6jRhXjfdZRDh0NbnA6NEGtQL4kcWeeUZMpjMqMbqmbRvc/s1600/Farlaine--7-Variant-David-Petersen-sml.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1500" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSAmkPCU5TZ_QLZLw-oAZYHj1L-VvFtV8wqwhtmQOoLR-GxspZwC6Y-P_PVMlgV_Ck8BA30L0iKB3DYoJZsztieB9kUVvkIg6jRhXjfdZRDh0NbnA6NEGtQL4kcWeeUZMpjMqMbqmbRvc/s640/Farlaine--7-Variant-David-Petersen-sml.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DAVID PETERSEN VARIANT</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Pug Grumblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17519221739487381268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827934854704836122.post-68340366555872287132018-06-21T12:07:00.003-04:002018-06-23T00:02:12.297-04:00Book 7 is Available for Pre-Order! With a David Petersen variant!!<h2>
<span style="font-size: large;">BOOK 7: AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER!</span></h2>
Starting next week, <b>Farlaine the Goblin ~ Book 7:The Final Land</b>, the climactic finale of Farlaine the Goblin, will be available for pre-order!<br />
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The Diamond Previews Prevue is already listed, which includes a handful of advance pages:<br />
<a href="https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/JUL182154">https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/JUL182154</a><br />
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Below is a sneak peak at my cover for the book! I tried to get all artsy with leading the eye in a spiral to pull you through all the story elements. This piece also dovetails very nicely with the original cover for Book 1, which had the Tinks of Orn chasing Farlaine off the page!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR3NrHGdGnD02Jr6f6waJWBcvzpF6k6tePeYzj5iGqLPD1yFjeAB68yS5v-NkXJFhJ3uCMtpB0qEWszKWizBnbMsrreYqroK1xcgXoGWgmstHC74pfgkGscuexD4o1n5lRzNtdQZ0FcoQ/s1600/book+7+cover-jfb_col4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="836" data-original-width="1500" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR3NrHGdGnD02Jr6f6waJWBcvzpF6k6tePeYzj5iGqLPD1yFjeAB68yS5v-NkXJFhJ3uCMtpB0qEWszKWizBnbMsrreYqroK1xcgXoGWgmstHC74pfgkGscuexD4o1n5lRzNtdQZ0FcoQ/s640/book+7+cover-jfb_col4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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At this point I'm drawing the final 7 pages of art and this book is gonna be a whopper, clocking in at 60+ pages!! Lots of loose ends to tie up, questions to answer, and fun characters to bring back. Hopefully it gives people a fun and solid ending to the story:)<br />
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I held off on releasing Book 6 for a few months so that I could get further along on Book 7, which means that while Book 6 hit stores last March, Book 7 will be close behind it, hitting store shelves in September!!<br />
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Even better, it'll be available for pre-order starting next week and throughout the month of July! Be sure to order a copy at your Local Comic Shop, or online at sites like <a href="https://www.midtowncomics.com/store/dp.asp?PRID=FARLAINE+THE+GOBLIN+%237+CV_1759011" target="_blank">MidTown Comics</a>!<br />
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: large;">
DAVID PETERSEN VARIANT</span></h2>
What makes this book even cooler though is that it's also going to boast a variant cover by one of the best all-ages artists in the industry, <b>Mouse Guard</b>'s own <b>David Petersen</b>!
Here's a sneak peek!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik5iImkjWpE1W4WJEcqzIu7jZPaBFydR1J78a8cfvGiih2ffRgo8aerixy1gHGCiuJPjc9yNizZpfNlmdkpLIzTbFpFcHTMN0tlwSIdmxuq01eePsOVgrA0PqAmf2OlUVskCuDxT8k4Bk/s1600/Farlaine--7-Variant-David-Petersen-sml.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1500" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik5iImkjWpE1W4WJEcqzIu7jZPaBFydR1J78a8cfvGiih2ffRgo8aerixy1gHGCiuJPjc9yNizZpfNlmdkpLIzTbFpFcHTMN0tlwSIdmxuq01eePsOVgrA0PqAmf2OlUVskCuDxT8k4Bk/s640/Farlaine--7-Variant-David-Petersen-sml.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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David was my top pick of dream artists to do a variant. I've loved his art on Mouse Guard for ages, as well as all the other random covers and pieces he's done over the years(TMNT, Harry Potter, etc). I'd asked him to do a cover for years but he was always too busy to fit it in. After my original Book 7 variant artist had to bow out I threw out one final request and the timing shockingly worked and David agreed to do it! I did cartwheels for weeks:)<br />
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What's great about this piece too is that David redrew EVERYTHING. The nested layout of the cover, the tree on the left, even the titles! Stellar work.<br />
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I especially loved his take on Drowsy the Tink. Not only is his design wonderful with the huge mustache and the pimpin' Liefeld-like shoulderpads, but he really nailed his sense of worrying, both with his clasped hands and his inward pointing feet. His Farlaine was also amazing with that huge acorn and a very fluffy grass skirt! Overall I was thrilled with his work on this!!<br />
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David Petersen's variant will be mixed into orders for Book 7 at a 1:3 ratio, meaning if you order 3 copies, 1 of them will be David's variant. Pre-order the books ahead of time at your local comic shop to be sure to get your copy. I know some of the online places like to keep the variants to try to flip them later, so be careful. You can also always order copies direct from <a href="http://www.farlaine.com/p/buy-more-copies.html">farlaine.com</a>, while supplies last.<br />
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And as with all other variant covers, this'll be printed on some fancy pirate paper that will look and feel far cooler than most comics!<br />
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With this final cover, it also means the series ended with variants by David Petersen, Skottie Young, Charles Paul Wilson III, and Larry MacDougall, which truly blows my mind! What a group!! Thanks guys!!!<br />
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: large;">
CONVENTIONS</span></h2>
The last few months had a few conventions mixed in, starting with C2E2 in Chicago back in April and two great local shows with the Plastic City Comic Con in Leominster, MA and Kids Con in Nashua, NH. All 3 shows were great fun and I sold more books than I had ever! C2E2 now boasts my single best day of sales with Kids Con coming in a close second, beating out such heavyweight shows as NYCC!<br />
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To finish up the year I'll be at the <a href="https://www.fanexpoboston.com/en/home.html">Boston Comic Con/Fan Expo Boston</a> in early August, followed by <a href="http://www.micexpo.org/">MICE</a>(Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo) in September, and the <a href="http://baltimorecomiccon.com/">Baltimore Comic Con</a> in October! Then for 2019, with the complete series in hand, I hope to start hitting more cons I've never been to before, especially toward the west coast I've never made it to, as well as returning to place I haven't been in a while like Heroes Con. Gonna be a fun year!<br />
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: large;">
ORIGINAL ART</span></h2>
In the past I didn't sell much original art from the series, with only a dozen pages from Book 4 slipping out during the Kickstarter. Since then I've gotten a little more open about it, giving pages to friends and family who helped and supported the book. I've consigned 10 pages to <a href="http://www.comicoriginalart.com/">Gallery Laqua</a> in Europe, and have even started to post a few pages for sale on <a href="http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryDetail.asp?GCat=128083">ComicArtFans </a>too.<br />
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If anyone's interested in a page, feel free to check those sites, or reach out via email(contact form on the right). I'm keeping a lot of it for myself, but am considering letting some go to fans who want to give it a nice home:)<br />
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<br />Pug Grumblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17519221739487381268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827934854704836122.post-79636271858761494032018-03-28T11:52:00.001-04:002018-03-28T11:52:34.792-04:00Book 6:The Winglands In Stores Today!<h2>
<b><i>Farlaine the Goblin ~ Book 6:The Winglands</i> hits store shelves worldwide today!</b></h2>
Books are available in cool local comic shops, as well as listed on Amazon Prime, Amazon Kindle, and on this very <a href="http://www.farlaine.com/p/buy-more-copies.html" target="_blank">website </a>where I'll happily sign and doodle in them for you!<br />
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Farlaine.com: <a href="http://www.farlaine.com/p/buy-more-copies.html" target="_blank">http://www.farlaine.com/p/buy-more-copies.html </a><br />
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Amazon.com: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Farlaine-Goblin-Book-Winglands/dp/0989005860/">https://www.amazon.com/Farlaine-Goblin-Book-Winglands/dp/0989005860/</a><br />
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The latest adventure of Farlaine and friends comes in at more than 40 pages of wing flapping fun!<br />
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Here's the official description:<br />
<i>"Farlaine the Goblin travels up to The Winglands, a flying land where everything grows wings! From butterfly wings to fairy wings to grasshopper wings, this is a land full of flapping! But when Farlaine finds a potted forest in the sky, is this finally his chance? The second to last volume of the series!"</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaytVx9c353F7lZLsQU9eW3N-rOFbnvEh33unOsXexUfY_d8sgDTaudgL3Agtm8E73FFCMa94jq53LQDrPCRnRzShBc1FDFLZAIm-KNCar22Lh7ILwI0WBgqo2RVrUBQ0xEykQhSr4WNU/s1600/Farlaine-6-Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1500" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaytVx9c353F7lZLsQU9eW3N-rOFbnvEh33unOsXexUfY_d8sgDTaudgL3Agtm8E73FFCMa94jq53LQDrPCRnRzShBc1FDFLZAIm-KNCar22Lh7ILwI0WBgqo2RVrUBQ0xEykQhSr4WNU/s640/Farlaine-6-Cover.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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This book also ships with a 1:3 variant by the great painter Larry MacDougall!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBnuf0rcmXIgcDSvmAabJf08u8x6zfgt3NmyL8EzgAHAlL2zAMQv8u4Yiqwra16a3vyuLy6rfp2h_xWWlcHbqY6EHuUlx65owkhwkmH3KN95H1-HIJpOZx_Xq7UTLoIV0kHPvfw4Vyz7g/s1600/Farlaine-6-Variant.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="984" data-original-width="1500" height="419" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBnuf0rcmXIgcDSvmAabJf08u8x6zfgt3NmyL8EzgAHAlL2zAMQv8u4Yiqwra16a3vyuLy6rfp2h_xWWlcHbqY6EHuUlx65owkhwkmH3KN95H1-HIJpOZx_Xq7UTLoIV0kHPvfw4Vyz7g/s640/Farlaine-6-Variant.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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I hope everyone enjoys it!<br />
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Thanks to everyone who supports the series! Only one more book to go...Pug Grumblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17519221739487381268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827934854704836122.post-52604000759562981412018-02-11T11:44:00.002-05:002018-02-11T11:45:42.804-05:00Book 6:The Winglands hits stores March 28th! Book 7 is half done! C2E2 in April!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_lq3d3maR37P0Dk0peHGbLjrpZGhdkWbm2gwGJ4YqpoiXD1PyepCjSl1GN1FzIhXn0egjjmGFi0_PL0JkhVulEUh9IQmz7SqLtpp3zNbMF2BRXxGeift13eZz65fy0BXr8IrqSQ9rDE/s1600/22853081_1313500322093956_2678264780014917907_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_lq3d3maR37P0Dk0peHGbLjrpZGhdkWbm2gwGJ4YqpoiXD1PyepCjSl1GN1FzIhXn0egjjmGFi0_PL0JkhVulEUh9IQmz7SqLtpp3zNbMF2BRXxGeift13eZz65fy0BXr8IrqSQ9rDE/s400/22853081_1313500322093956_2678264780014917907_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm terrible at remembering to update all the different websites and social media places, so apologies for the delay in putting up a website post! I usually focus on writing and drawing the book, and not enough on spreading the word. Things to improve on in 2018! Anyways, lots going on of late as the series wraps up:)<br />
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First and foremost, <b>Book 6:The Winglands, will hit store shelves on March 28th!</b><br />
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It's got a variant cover by Larry MacDougall and the whole story takes place in the clouds! I think this is a fun story, has some hints of The Racelands, and I think readers will enjoy where the story goes. But beware - it's a bit of a cliffhanger! That's why I held off on releasing it too soon, because I wanted Book 7 to be closer behind:)<br />
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Book 7, tentatively titled "The Final Land", is well underway. I've finished drawing the first 18 pages and am planning to solicit it in April if things go well. This would mean it would be in Previews in June and hit stores in August!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_tIb7yPnUNF5tf18rQhpOCGMvAWln6kR9akUWOQ8GvEimIukIlR3MPlGarKobDGtkrXffuol-7SyuzDuUBec1emrXSGaP_jmm9D12XuFFFhlrSqymv4wy4F1UKRggR4SmYaMgahO1w8/s1600/08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="1600" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_tIb7yPnUNF5tf18rQhpOCGMvAWln6kR9akUWOQ8GvEimIukIlR3MPlGarKobDGtkrXffuol-7SyuzDuUBec1emrXSGaP_jmm9D12XuFFFhlrSqymv4wy4F1UKRggR4SmYaMgahO1w8/s640/08.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
And, best of all, I've got a very exciting artist lined up for the final variant! This is actually a change from earlier plans too - the original artist vanished on me so I had to scramble to find someone else, but as luck would have it, my original top pick, first choice of all(above even Skottie Young!) somehow had time in their schedule!! I'm still not saying who it is because I don't want to jinx it, but I'm confident he'll deliver an epic final cover for the series.<br />
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And finally, as 2018 rolls around to the spring we enter convention season! I'll be at <a href="http://www.c2e2.com/">C2E2 </a>in Chicago April 6-8, <a href="http://www.plasticcitycomiccon.com/">Plastic City Comicon</a> in Massachusetts April 21, <a href="http://www.kidsconne.com/">Kids Con New England</a> in NH on June 10, plus a few more TBD later in the year. Most likely Boston(as usual) and NY, with a chance at Baltimore, SPX, and a few others. It all comes down to when Book 7 gets released and which conventions let me in:) My goal is to do the fall with the full series in hand! And then in 2019, maybe I'll head further west and finally hit the west coast. We'll see. If anyone has any requests, feel free to ping me!<br />
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OK, now back to work drawing Book 7!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwYhW0G9tViWD_OA5g8tbI1AwE9NYfy-YIdJV-2KxQqgJektd44Hd5dcIVgPnzwUkmf3ZBqJ2oyE_d5kyXY51Jibrcsvbt8yd4vKioLVkiJQ8x2aMifwkLat-3iXb2fs4Fk6m9h4uYb6U/s1600/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1241" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwYhW0G9tViWD_OA5g8tbI1AwE9NYfy-YIdJV-2KxQqgJektd44Hd5dcIVgPnzwUkmf3ZBqJ2oyE_d5kyXY51Jibrcsvbt8yd4vKioLVkiJQ8x2aMifwkLat-3iXb2fs4Fk6m9h4uYb6U/s640/10.jpg" width="515" /></a></div>
Pug Grumblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17519221739487381268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827934854704836122.post-48539064645320716322017-11-15T23:47:00.004-05:002017-11-15T23:52:22.325-05:00Book 6:The Winglands solicited! Book 7 written! Drawing has begun!!Howdy all!<br />
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Been a few months of focusing on work and things are chugging along!<br />
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Book 6: The Winglands is done and has been submitted to Diamond! It'll appear in the January issue of Previews(which is when you can order it from your local comic shop) and then it'll hit store shelves in March 2018!<br />
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Here's the official cover:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs66aYqr264itpwkOs1duwllIeIlAalhZ2N7t0Fn_Ren_XkfUWtdLlzH-zk2kpYAvj-k6Dnh4k4pHdSgSwmXATVzwnEzk4kXPVkja_Um2CupNdNnZNH4c6emAZi3wBEX28crhZk18AtG8/s1600/Farlaine-6-Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1500" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs66aYqr264itpwkOs1duwllIeIlAalhZ2N7t0Fn_Ren_XkfUWtdLlzH-zk2kpYAvj-k6Dnh4k4pHdSgSwmXATVzwnEzk4kXPVkja_Um2CupNdNnZNH4c6emAZi3wBEX28crhZk18AtG8/s640/Farlaine-6-Cover.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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There will be a 1:3 alternate cover on this book by the great painter Larry Macdougall, who I think hit this out of the park!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR9aR5QFOj4Hhocm4W7f4GFr7QkwYwKc382nRslfU5m7vEz7dI6p3IoEjG4pOEg-tz6cJinSaan-NXLlOEw7g20_k10uqNw__ZbSMbxhUFh5B539nbdJQAxvPQxom7-C9nCfWcdI8yU5M/s1600/Farlaine-6-Variant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="984" data-original-width="1500" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR9aR5QFOj4Hhocm4W7f4GFr7QkwYwKc382nRslfU5m7vEz7dI6p3IoEjG4pOEg-tz6cJinSaan-NXLlOEw7g20_k10uqNw__ZbSMbxhUFh5B539nbdJQAxvPQxom7-C9nCfWcdI8yU5M/s640/Farlaine-6-Variant.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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So that's coming in early 2018, cruising in at 41 pages plus all the trimmings and fluff.<br />
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I'm also hard at work on Book 7, the final book of the series!<br />
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The script is done and I've finished the first 5 pages of drawing as I head off to a Thanksgiving visit with the family. I'll be doing some script polishing and layouts while I'm gone, with the plan to dive back into the drawing upon my return!<br />
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This book is likely to be 40-50 pages long, so my current hope is to solicit it when I've hit page 25, probably in January/February, which would mean it hits store shelves in May/June. I'm trying to keep it relatively close to the release date for Book 6 since that book has a bit of a cliffhanger ending I figure folks won't want to wait too long for:)<br />
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Here's a quick taste of Book 7 and a rare tall panel:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAwjsaPci5jA6Z1yI9uULGAw3AIS8gdDWAPSrGSWBgoxfwWbQBv9E_S9_0pqU9qjN9SdTlaCy9MBI7xKisnyeOBQ68GJ3a93Y79rKXlxe6hp0d3tdMXZrIda1aRiyU_OmkkVBNjSo4Lgw/s1600/22853081_1313500322093956_2678264780014917907_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAwjsaPci5jA6Z1yI9uULGAw3AIS8gdDWAPSrGSWBgoxfwWbQBv9E_S9_0pqU9qjN9SdTlaCy9MBI7xKisnyeOBQ68GJ3a93Y79rKXlxe6hp0d3tdMXZrIda1aRiyU_OmkkVBNjSo4Lgw/s640/22853081_1313500322093956_2678264780014917907_n.jpg" width="512" /></a></div>
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<br />
For 2018 my plan is to finish the series and then dive into the convention circuit with the completed series! As usual a lot of where I pop up with depend on who actually accepts me. Sadly, the bigger cons like NYCC, C2E2, and ECCC are all run by the same company that never lets me in, so I'll probably end up at a lot of the more comic-friendly shows like Boston, Baltimore, KidsCon, MeCAF, MICE, SPX, and Heroes. But again, it'll all come down to who accepts me, whose lottery I win, etc. It will also hinge a little on when Book 7 hits, since I'm not sure I want to fly anywhere without the finished series in hand.<br />
<br />
So we'll see how things go and I'll update the website as I know more about conventions:)<br />
<br />
And then ideally, once the whole series is done and out, maybe next summer I'll put together the TPB of Books 4-7, allowing those folks who opted for the trade paperback to finish the matching set:)<br />
<br />
So that's the plan! Feel free to follow me on Facebook(Farlaine the Goblin), Twitter(@TreeGoblin), or Instagram(StudioFarlaine) for more updates and behind the scenes images!<br />
<br />
Also, there's a mailing list now too! You can sign up on the right --->>>Pug Grumblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17519221739487381268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827934854704836122.post-79198661447333959392017-08-08T11:00:00.005-04:002017-08-08T11:00:44.406-04:00Book 6, the Boston Comic Con, SPX, and the final stretch run!The Boston Comic Con is coming up this weekend, August 11-13, and I'll be there set up at AA710. I'll have books, stickers, prints, and more, including the Book 5 Skottie Young variant, the Book 4 Charles Paul Wilson variant, and a bunch of the original art to Book 6 you can flip through.<br />
<br />
I'll also be heading down to Maryland for the Small Press Expo, SPX, for the first time on September 16-17. I hear great things about it and it seems like an audience that's interested in something a little different.<br />
<br />
No other conventions are planned for 2017, my focus instead on getting the series finished by the end of the year. If I can manage that, then 2018-2019 will be a world tour of sorts with the finished series, where I try to get back to all the major conventions I've hit since the beginning. Boston, NY, Baltimore, Heroes, C2E2, KidsCon, MeCAF, MICE, and ideally add a bunch more to the west. I was even talking to a friend about trying the Helsinki Con one year!<br />
<br />
But for now the focus is on getting the series done. It's been a busy few months, finishing up Book 6: The Winglands. A few distractions and reshoots required for the end of Act 3. I think it's coming together OK.<br />
<br />
Then it's immediately on to writing Book 7, the culmination of the series! Lots of plot points and tidbits to tie up, lots of questions to answer. I think I'm going to have way too many ideas to cram into this, so it'll probably either be a very long story or very, very dense!<br />
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I'll leave you with a fun panel from the new book, The Winglands!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8q_DD-UnKVAdd2o0ogAJqxWgUSMLlq0nY5rJ7D-UZvEniMfQfHjnBrz3V-0B15yN0if5armkX16I7m8fe1EwC0IFagJNZpb9OX1tI9iZ6OqUfkPbhle56emaj60t855LnGJHqUrr_t70/s1600/searching-panel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="737" data-original-width="1600" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8q_DD-UnKVAdd2o0ogAJqxWgUSMLlq0nY5rJ7D-UZvEniMfQfHjnBrz3V-0B15yN0if5armkX16I7m8fe1EwC0IFagJNZpb9OX1tI9iZ6OqUfkPbhle56emaj60t855LnGJHqUrr_t70/s640/searching-panel.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Pug Grumblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17519221739487381268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827934854704836122.post-81338566698322844662017-05-31T00:00:00.000-04:002017-05-31T00:00:16.292-04:00Book 5 Hits Stores Today! Now With a Pen Name!<i>Farlaine the Goblin ~ Book 5: The Vaultlands</i> hits store shelves today! Pick it up at your local comic shop, here on farlaine.com, and soon on Amazon!<br />
<br />
Farlaine's latest adventure through The Vaultlands is one of the more background-intensive stories I've done, but hopefully you enjoy it!<br />
<br />
There's one thing though that may stand out for readers of the series - Farlaine the Goblin now has an author listed!<br />
<br />
<b>What's in a Pen Name?</b><br />
<br />
For anyone that's followed and read Farlaine the Goblin over the last few years, the one thing most people notice is that there is no name listed in it. It's simply a story, presented as it exists. No credit, no author, no illustrator.<br />
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This was always done for a variety of reasons, but at it's core there were two main ones.<br />
<br />
First and foremost, I wanted people to read the series as it is. Don't let the author's name influence you. Regardless of my experience, gender, age, race, or anything else you may guess from a person's name, the idea was to let people simply read the series on it's own merits.<br />
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But the second reason was also a lot simpler - I like my privacy. I could care less about celebrity, and on the off chance the series had succeeded, I didn't want to lose that. So I'd always planned to have a pen name.<br />
<br />
But a pen name is not an easy thing to decide on. A pen name is an alter-ego that the world sees and judges you on, and in many cases the pen name is remembered far more than the real person. It is often the first exposure someone has to the work, and it can be used to even convey a personality.<br />
<br />
While most people know Mark Twain was a pen name for Samuel Clements, not as many seem to realize the long list of actors whose pseudonyms have been used for decades. Chevy Chase, Natalie Portman, Jon Stewart, Jamie Foxx, and on and on.<br />
<br />
In comics there are plenty as well, from Frank Quitely to Moebius and Peyo and Herge.<br />
<br />
A name truly matters too. We often don't give it the credit it deserves, but for every Zach Galifinakis that succeeds, there are twenty others like Demi Moore and Cary Grant whose names are unique and simple and easily absorbed.<br />
<br />
A simple name helps build an audience and be memorable.<br />
<br />
Some people are simply born with great names, like Stephen King or Ridley Scott or Jeremy Bastian. Most of us fall somewhere else, with names that we may be proud of, but which don't roll off the tongue or illicit the kind of remember-ability you'd like.<br />
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<br /></div>
So I thought and I pondered and I made a great many lists.<br />
<br />
I spent quite a few years trying to come up with one I was happy with, starting long before the first issue of Farlaine was ever written.<br />
<br />
But I never came up with anythying I liked.<br />
<br />
So Farlaine was released with no name on it, lest I use one I would grow to hate and be stuck with. There would be nothing worse than choosing something over a weekend and regretting it for decades!<br />
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And so I thought and I pondered for years while I worked on the comics, and the books continued to be released anonymously. It was quite fun to see how people reacted to it, and it ranged from curiosity to entertainment to downright anger. There were some people who were actually offended by my series being anonymous!<br />
<br />
My plan was always to do more than comics though, so it had to be something equally marketable to novels and movies and whatever else I may one day find myself in.<br />
<br />
One of my favorite pen names ever was Mark Twain, taken from a simple riverboat phrase for marking depth. (As a simple example of the power of a name, do you think his work would be so beloved if he'd kept his earlier nom de plume, Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass?)<br />
<br />
I had some interesting ideas that sounded cool but fell apart over time. Things that seemed neat, but were not remotely "me". I liked the name John Gotham as a simple, straightforward 'cool name'. It had that Batman and NYC vibe to it, which while awesome and cool, also seemed horribly out of place for a person like me who hates cities.<br />
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<br /></div>
The years passed and ideas moved around, and I continued to make lists and throw them out, until I eventually came up with a name that I quite liked.<br />
<br />
You see, I have a little pug dog, a cute and squishy thing, and her personality is very similar to my own, silly and clownish and comical. Pugs are a unique breed too in that they have their own word for a collected group, outside of a pack or a kennel. A group of pugs is known as a grumble.<br />
<br />
So with Mark Twain bouncing around in the back of my mind, I realized that Pug Grumble was a name that somehow suited me quite well.<br />
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Is it silly and ridiculous? Absolutely! But it also feels accurate and true to the kinds of stories and humor I write.<br />
<br />
I sat on that name for the last 3 years, letting it sit and percolate. I mentioned it to a few friends, most of whom rolled their eyes and called me an idiot.<br />
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But I decided that, idiot that I am, I wanted to be the idiot who was happy with their strange name.<br />
<br />
So that was that, and with Book 5 of Farlaine the Goblin, it's finally out there in print.<br />
<br />
I'll continue to sign books with the same signature, and I'll continue to use the letter j to sign any covers I work on, but at least in the credits, it will simply be listed as Pug Grumble.<br />
<br />
In my mind the J is an initial never seen, and the longer pen name could even be J. Pug Grumble.<br />
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So there you go. A new pen name to go along with a new book.<br />
<br />
Now go out and buy a copy of The Vaultlands!Pug Grumblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17519221739487381268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827934854704836122.post-28475292384654712222017-03-25T13:10:00.001-04:002017-05-10T22:24:09.369-04:00Convention Appearances for 2017<div style="border: 0px; color: #020621; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Liberation Sans", FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Convention season is about to get underway, so on the off chance people were saving up rotten fruit to pelt me with, here's my list of potential appearances for 2017! A few are awaiting acceptance still, but this is the potential list schedule if everything came through.</div>
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Confirmed:
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<ul style="border: 0px; color: #020621; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Liberation Sans", FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">April 1 - 10am-2pm - Friendly Neighborhood Comics(Bellingham, MA) (<a href="http://friendlycomics.com/" style="border: 0px; color: #2752ff; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">http://friendlycomics.com/</a>) </li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">June 11 - KidsCon New England (<a href="http://kidsconne.com/" style="border: 0px; color: #2752ff; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">http://kidsconne.com/</a>)</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">June 17 - MeCAF(Maine Comics Arts Festival) (<a href="http://www.mainecomicsfestival.com/" style="border: 0px; color: #2752ff; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">http://www.mainecomicsfestival.com/</a>) </li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">August 11-13 - Boston Comic Con (sent in application and check, awaiting confirmation) </li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">September 16-17 - SPX(Small Press Expo) (<a href="http://www.smallpressexpo.com/" style="border: 0px; color: #2752ff; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">http://www.smallpressexpo.com/</a>)</li>
</ul>
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Tentative:
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<ul style="border: 0px; color: #020621; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Liberation Sans", FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">September 22-24, 2017 - Baltimore Comic Con (still deciding) </li>
</ul>
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Unlikely:
</div>
<ul style="border: 0px; color: #020621; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Liberation Sans", FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">October 5-8 - New York Comic Con (applied, but not expecting to get in)</li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="color: #020621; font-family: "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, "liberation sans", freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Wait Listed:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #020621; font-family: "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, "liberation sans", freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div>
<ul style="border: 0px; color: #020621; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Liberation Sans", FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">September 28 - October 1 - Cartoon Crossroads Columbus(applied, rejected, waiting list) </li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">October 21-22 - MICE(Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo) (applied, rejected, waiting list)</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Pug Grumblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17519221739487381268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827934854704836122.post-80886262888075447182017-03-01T16:20:00.001-05:002017-03-01T16:20:33.489-05:00Book 5 is in Previews! Book 6 is written and being drawn!OK, I'll admit it, I'm horrible at updating the website!<br />
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Between the website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Kickstarter there are a lot of things to do that take away from the actual producing of a book! And being a one person(and one pug) act, there's only so much time and lots to do!<br />
<br />
But enough with the excuses - this is an exciting update!!<br />
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Why, you ask?<br />
<br />
Because <b><i>Farlaine the Goblin ~ Book 5: The Vaultlands</i></b> is solicited in the March issue of <a href="https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/MAR172021" target="_blank">Previews</a>!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxlK75gJ2JiILpLRHj7POlb4nFAzyZpXLzLb0WFZtpVhfcfh_H3EcrykU_hCaC4jxWv2WBprlKS1VRnaSLHv6-_Qn25sGner5HWiPg6CHN1mZ-fGoDicPF9Iqla33r3_7HC_-DijD4b9w/s1600/Farlaine5-Normal-Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxlK75gJ2JiILpLRHj7POlb4nFAzyZpXLzLb0WFZtpVhfcfh_H3EcrykU_hCaC4jxWv2WBprlKS1VRnaSLHv6-_Qn25sGner5HWiPg6CHN1mZ-fGoDicPF9Iqla33r3_7HC_-DijD4b9w/s640/Farlaine5-Normal-Cover.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
I have a spiffy ad on page 407 that makes mention of the coolest part of this book too - I have a variant cover by epic-cover-god and iconic-hat-wearer <a href="http://skottieyoung.com/" target="_blank">Skottie Young</a>!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl4pmiyY2jrmBpDThyAFHIn3dPeW0Nrwhf5Ug_N-UiRtaiMj2Yk2dgCc9f4gLE013_OmNx0bNm_9FUlz-LM6-goAp6TtVAT0Gl9ICDPQHsFGH6noe_pyZUGrfpq1OFMN5x7VLVcztGeuw/s1600/farlaine-book5-diamond-ad-final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl4pmiyY2jrmBpDThyAFHIn3dPeW0Nrwhf5Ug_N-UiRtaiMj2Yk2dgCc9f4gLE013_OmNx0bNm_9FUlz-LM6-goAp6TtVAT0Gl9ICDPQHsFGH6noe_pyZUGrfpq1OFMN5x7VLVcztGeuw/s640/farlaine-book5-diamond-ad-final.jpg" width="498" /></a></div>
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<br />
This took me 3 years of bribing and cajoling to get, so hopefully it helps sell a couple of extra books(it's mixed in at a 1:3 ratio with my cover, so it should be easily attainable for Skottie's fans!).<br />
<br />
Check out the awesome job he did and the equally wonderful coloring by Jean-Francois Beaulieu:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUo9loJt0fATBzxpms5TKwwGsTMyKbRvunJ2Z9uJ-CepFyMKbeDmnkGSQSFhffu70wpnJ40NzJu-0XPmlMGdjf1GVZLyhJ4kmybUFRUDFTiZvHNanMAWruKLQpTr4PsZt2lo_8D_yw4tM/s1600/Farlaine5-SkottieYoung-VariantCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUo9loJt0fATBzxpms5TKwwGsTMyKbRvunJ2Z9uJ-CepFyMKbeDmnkGSQSFhffu70wpnJ40NzJu-0XPmlMGdjf1GVZLyhJ4kmybUFRUDFTiZvHNanMAWruKLQpTr4PsZt2lo_8D_yw4tM/s640/Farlaine5-SkottieYoung-VariantCover.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
So please please please, if you dig the series and want to support it, contact your local comic shop and ask them to order it for you! <b>The Diamond Code is MAR172021 and every issue helps!</b><br />
<br />
I'm also hard at work on<b><i> Book 6: The Winglands</i></b>! I wrote the script in January and started drawing it mid-February. I'm inking page 5 right now and hope to keep this book a little shorter than the last, maybe around 35 pages. So far so good!<br />
<br />
Here are a couple of fun images from the new book:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiy8t4du-MEWKAwW2cLeEcFPo665YZODx8GwAOTMI7tidLeBZ7960_NAfd_OrU_Vw2y9Fst6MDXPuiSvTiq-FrN1qEgB73gHQB-NyS0JlAEBgBGnve07rHgaLnDCFkJUEKgyeJkLo4MoE/s1600/farl-and-tink-p2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiy8t4du-MEWKAwW2cLeEcFPo665YZODx8GwAOTMI7tidLeBZ7960_NAfd_OrU_Vw2y9Fst6MDXPuiSvTiq-FrN1qEgB73gHQB-NyS0JlAEBgBGnve07rHgaLnDCFkJUEKgyeJkLo4MoE/s640/farl-and-tink-p2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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OK, now back to the drawing board(literally!).<br />
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Pug Grumblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17519221739487381268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827934854704836122.post-41730598772274153442016-12-13T13:37:00.000-05:002016-12-13T13:39:11.043-05:00Book 5: The Vaultlands is complete!!<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #020621; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">
Howdy gang!</div>
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OK, I'm a bit late on this update, but it's because I was determined to finish Book 5 before writing again, and I'm happy to say it's finally done! </div>
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44 pages before editing, so it came out a bit longer than I'd expected. I'm working on getting it into InDesign today and then printing off and reading a copy with first-time eyes to see how bad it is. I expect much editing will still be needed(like all the previous books), but at this point it shouldn't slow down the release of the book!</div>
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<figure style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="Book 5! 44 Pages of Farlaine!" src="https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/014/871/641/07fcdcb2fca5f7a56a9b6d18688808b5_original.JPG?w=700&fit=max&v=1481650978&auto=format&q=92&s=460fcd86ba37047578fd4c90f057bfe5" style="border: 0px; height: auto; margin: 20px 0px; max-width: 100%; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 457px;" /><figcaption style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Book 5! 44 Pages of Farlaine!</figcaption></figure></div>
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So here's the plan going forward...</div>
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I'm working on the cover right now, trying to come up with the right layout and design, then I'll draw it. I hope to finish it and get it off to the colorist so I can make the mid-January distributor cutoff date. If I do, then it would appear in their Previews catalog in March and hit stores in May. Horribly long lag, I know, but it's also why I wanted to have the book done before I started. </div>
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My hope from here is that I will solicit Book 6 and 7 before they're complete, so ideally the books all come out in 2017. Sorry I wasn't faster, but I didn't want to rush something subpar out!</div>
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Once the cover is done, I'm jumping right into writing Book 6 over the holiday. I'm not yet sure if I'll write just 6 or 6-7 together to make sure all the loose ends tie up, but the idea will be to hammer the script into shape. I may have rushed the script on Book 5 a little to get to the drawing stage, which meant I ended up drawing scenes I may have cut with more time writing. So we'll see, but the idea is I'm in editing and writing mode for the next 6 weeks:)</div>
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<figure style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="Book 5! An inch thick of inked pages!" src="https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/014/871/646/19deeb2f27836f8eaccad1f0c00e5dbc_original.JPG?w=700&fit=max&v=1481651005&auto=format&q=92&s=5f576a338c77295903bcdaf17dec2939" style="border: 0px; height: auto; margin: 20px 0px; max-width: 100%; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 457px;" /><figcaption style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Book 5! An inch thick of inked pages!</figcaption></figure></div>
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So that's where I'm at! 44 pages done, 2 books to go. Money is running lower, but I have a plethora of duplicate organs that I expect should be easy to sell, so no worries, Books 6-7 are coming!!</div>
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I'm hoping Book 6 comes in a bit shorter, maybe a 30-35 page yarn, but book 7 I honestly don't know what to expect. It could be 35 or 55, I'm not sure! </div>
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<figure style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt=""Is that a typo I see two paragraphs up?"" src="https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/014/871/935/8284d09932c6073f95b63a5d7736cfa5_original.JPG?w=700&fit=max&v=1481652651&auto=format&q=92&s=527290b1e12396da70555b5e59d3ad32" style="border: 0px; height: auto; margin: 20px 0px; max-width: 100%; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 457px;" /><figcaption style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></figcaption></figure></div>
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PS - I stole this post mostly from my <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/farlaine/farlaine-the-goblin-completing-the-series">Kickstarter</a>:)</div>
Pug Grumblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17519221739487381268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827934854704836122.post-8220196993681616152016-10-22T13:11:00.003-04:002016-10-22T13:12:42.659-04:00Book 5 - Nearing Completion! MICE! Wow, where does the time go! I kept meaning to post a blog update but lost track of time, so apologies about that!<br />
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Before I forget, I got a late invite to <a href="http://www.micexpo.org/">MICE</a>, the Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo in Cambridge October 29-30! This is a show I've always wanted to go to since it seems ideal - indie self-published comics only! Sorta like a smaller version of APE(Alternative Press Expo) or SPX(Small Press Expo), but within driving distance!! So please swing on by and say hi if you're in the area!<br />
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With family time and conventions behind me, September and October have been prime drawing time! I'm trucking along nicely and up to page 32 into Book 5, with another 10-12 to go. The climax of the issue is ahead of me so I'm hoping it means I'll be giddy and draw faster...but honestly I half expect instead I'll just stuff a lot more detail in:)<br />
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As soon as that's done I'll need to draw the cover, send that off to the colorist, and then start writing Book 6!<br />
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The original plan for my year off was to release the books as soon as they were done, but a part of me is now questioning whether I may do better getting a bit further into Book 6 so I don't leave too big of a gap between the final issues. You see, they sorta run together a little more than the previous books, so I don't want to leave readers hanging too badly:)<br />
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Book 6 I'm hoping will be a little shorter than the last two books. I was getting a bit indulgent in my writing and world building and tried to stuff a lot of things into Books 4-5, but I think Book 6 will be closer to the 30-40 page range. Book 7 though...no clue how long that'll be!<br />
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Getting back to Book 5 though, one interesting thing I find funny is the extreme difference of working on a comic in your living room vs a typical office job. Your life formats very differently I find, and you don't even realize some of the strange office habits you establish. It makes it strange to change that rhythm sometimes(at least for me).<br />
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When I drew Books 1-3 I had had time to settle into whatever schedule worked, which eventually morphed into a strangeness of working until 4-6am every day and then going to bed. Somehow I've always been more productive late at night. When I went back to a desk job my body never really liked it, and I was constantly exhausted no matter what time I went to bed and would find my creative spark igniting just as I went to bed most nights.<br />
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I'd expected that when I went back to full time comic work I'd happily slip back into that schedule of staying up until 4-6am every day...but sadly I haven't. I'm still generally up until 2-4am, but those last two hours have eluded me. Maybe this is age catching up! I still find it interesting though. I expect over time I'll shift later and later, just in time for running out of money and having to go back to an office job:)<br />
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But for now, things are happily moving along on Farlaine and all the folks who have patiently been waiting for the next book should have one on the horizon! And then two more! Exciting times are afoot in the land of Farlaine...<br />
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To tide you over, here are a few more in-progress tidbits from Book 5: The Vaultlands!<br />
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<br />Pug Grumblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17519221739487381268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827934854704836122.post-84867574650015907042016-08-17T10:42:00.002-04:002016-08-17T10:42:42.677-04:00Convention Season/Family TimeThe last month has been a nice trucking along on Book 5, doing some big rewrites of the script as I progress through the drawing. I had some new character designs that took some time to figure out and some new locations and plot points that needed hammering and polishing, but at this point things are looking pretty good. Book 5 should clock in around 40-45 pages long and I'm targeting the end of September to be done.<br />
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Part of the reason for the later September date is that the month of August is being largely lost to unproductive time. I had two conventions to deal with, the Boston Comic Con that was this past weekend(and awesome as usual!) and then the Baltimore Comic Con coming up September 2-4. Wedged in between them is a family vacation where I can't bring my drawing table so I'll be reduced to pencils and layouts for a bit.<br />
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I'll also be at the Hartford Comic Con September 24-25, which will be the end of my convention season for 2016. I'm hoping to hit more shows in 2017 as I get closer to the end of the series:)<br />
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I need to finish some inking before I leave for vacation later today, so I'll leave you with a couple of pages from Book 5 to wonder about:)<br />
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<br />Pug Grumblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17519221739487381268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827934854704836122.post-53324941704174303112016-07-09T11:00:00.001-04:002016-07-09T11:00:19.243-04:00Heroes Con, Book 5, Boston Comic ConThe last month was the start of Book 5!<br />
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The first 6 pages are inked and scanned in and I'm burning through pages 7-9 as I type( I work in bundles). It's a bit slower of a start than I'd hoped but solid nonetheless! Hopefully over July I crank through a lot of pages.<br />
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In other news Heroes Con was this past month in Charlotte, NC. I'd never been and heard good things. It was a solid show and certainly worth going back to, and there was some tasty food too:) Not sure it can be an annual trip because of the expense, but could be fun to do alternate years!<br />
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The Boston Comic Con is coming up August 12-14, my next likely destination. That's my local show so I should have comics, trade, prints, and all the other goodies.<br />
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OK, short but sweet update so I can get back to work inking and drawing. Here are a couple of shots of some of the new stuff being worked on for Book 5:)
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Pug Grumblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17519221739487381268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827934854704836122.post-57193399112542058842016-06-03T11:54:00.000-04:002016-06-03T11:54:28.588-04:00Book 5 Begins...It's been an exciting and busy last month and a half !<br />
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The Kickstarter did wonderfully, raising $12,000 towards printing the final books and getting them in front of people! Thanks to everyone who helped out and supported the series; I really hope you enjoy what comes out of the final books:)<br />
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Since then I've been working on sending out the early rewards I promised people and finishing up the day job, which I've now been free from for a couple of weeks. It's amazing how set in that routine you can be, so it's taking some time to transition into a more productive schedule. So far so good though!<br />
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I'm trucking along on the script for Book 5 right now and hoping to have the first solid draft done soon. Luckily the beginning is mostly set so I'm able to start drawing while I work out the later kinks of the story. There are definitely some fun and interesting ideas in this book, so hopefully people enjoy it!<br />
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I also got in hand just this week the alternate cover painted by Larry MacDougall and let me tell you - it's spectacular!!! I'm not sure yet what book this will be used on but when it does it's gonna look amazing!!<br />
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Oh, I'm also going to be at Heroes Con in Charlotte June 17-19! First visit to this convention that I've only heard amazing things about and can't wait for!!<br />
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OK, back to work on that script now...<br />
<br />Pug Grumblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17519221739487381268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827934854704836122.post-48366382069629359022016-04-18T11:21:00.006-04:002016-04-18T11:21:57.034-04:00Farlaine the Goblin - Year off to finish the series! Kickstarter Now Live! http://kck.st/1VxmmqN OK, so there's some big news!<br />
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I've decided to take another year off from the day job to finish the series! Books 5-7 are coming over the next 12 months!<br />
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I've saved up enough to do it if I live cheap and focus. Three stories to tell, and a year to do it. Should be a fun year:)<br />
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To help start with, I'm launching a Kickstarter to raise some funds to cover printing costs.<br />
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Launched today, April 18th, 2016, and runs for a month.
<a href="http://kck.st/1VxmmqN">http://kck.st/1VxmmqN </a><br />
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Lots of great unique rewards like original pages of art, stuffed Farlaine dolls, first printings of Book 1, and more! Loads of great choices to support the book.<br />
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I'm finishing the series even if nobody supports the KS...but it sure would be nice if I could presell some of the books to cover the costs:)<br />
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Thanks a heap everyone!!
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Pug Grumblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17519221739487381268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827934854704836122.post-43545695514236550122016-02-09T00:00:00.003-05:002016-02-09T00:00:51.043-05:00What I've been up to for the last 3 months...Wow, it sure has been a long time since I updated the site! Sorry about that! I'd meant to a few times and either got distracted with something else or posted to Facebook instead. Oops!<br />
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Quick catchup time...<br />
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I spent much of the fall dealing with the release of Farlaine the Goblin ~ Book 4: The Twistlands. With juggling a day job it takes longer than expected to deal with the legwork. I hit a few conventions, sent tons of copies off to be reviewed, and tried my best to get Farlaine in front of as many eyes as I could. In the end there were more reviews for Book 4 than any of the others, and it was positive across the board with a few really great ones. My favorite might have been Graphic Policy who said <i>"Farlaine The Goblin #4 is, in all honesty, and without any exaggeration, probably the best comic I’ve read all week."</i>. Woohoo! A few of the others were equally glowing, and all are linked from the <a href="http://www.farlaine.com/p/reviews.html">Reviews & Press</a> section of the site!<br />
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In November/December I decided to try Amazon marketing to help move the book, which led into some great directions and a lot of books moved. I then got it into my head that I really needed more of Farlaine on Amazon, so I spent a few weeks setting things up, making digital versions, and getting that side of things up. So as of 2016, ALL of Farlaine is on Amazon! You can order any of the 4 single books or the TPB, all in print or on Kindle! We even put Farlaine in the Kindle Unlimited bucket, so anyone that's already got that can read Farlaine for free:)<br />
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The last month has been spent on a fun little side project with someone who wanted to pitch Farlaine as an animated series. We needed to put together a show bible, so a lot of time was spent on getting that set, boiling down the plot, digging into the backstory, adding some new characters and drawings, and hammering out some of the future plot wrinkles that hadn't been put down on paper yet. It seems a longshot for anything to come of it, but why not try?<br />
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And now, finally, in February, I can begin to move on to Book 5! Since Books 5-7 tie into each other a bit more than the others I wanted to get everything else out of the way before I dive in, and then hope to produce them one after the other. I've been gathering ideas and thoughts for a while now so it's about time to sit down and write it all out:) Wish me luck...<br />
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<br />Pug Grumblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17519221739487381268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827934854704836122.post-14776852228334292742015-09-26T12:58:00.001-04:002015-09-26T12:58:09.842-04:00Farlaine the Goblin ~ Book 4: The Twistlands is out now!OK, it's been a weird week, but here's the deal - the distributor split the book between hitting stores on September 23rd or September 30th. So in some places Farlaine In The Twistlands is out and on stands. In other places it will be out this coming Wednesday.<br />
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Apologies to everyone who's as confused as I am:)<br />
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But, since it is already released in some places, that means we're going to start selling it through Farlaine.com now! Just head over to <a href="http://www.farlaine.com/p/buy-more-copies.html">Buy The Comic</a> at the top of the page.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">Gorgeous alternate felt cover by Charles Paul Wilson III is also available! </span></div>
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<i>"The most amazing alternate cover ever made."</i> - Everyone Who Touches It</div>
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Pug Grumblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17519221739487381268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827934854704836122.post-55229639538890386472015-09-19T13:57:00.001-04:002015-09-19T13:57:34.000-04:00The Twistlands hits stores in 11 days! NYCC October 8-11!The last two months has been full of all the 'other parts' of doing a self published comic while having a day job.<br />
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Getting the books printed, dealing with complications and tweaks to files, changing inks to get the blacks to look better, sending the book off to reviewers, trying to find new reviewers, and all of the marketing prep and misc stuff you need to do.<br />
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The New York Comic Con is also right around the corner and there'a s lot of prep work needed for that, so there's a fun overlap. It's expensive to go to NY, but you can make it back easily. I went 2 years ago when I only had Book 1 and 2 and came out ahead, which was good for NY being my 3rd ever show:)<br />
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I skipped last year, but figured the timing with Book 4 was too perfect not to come back. I got a nicer outside corner that should get a good amount of traffic. Got a nice new 7'x7' banner, new t-shirts, little backpacks, and there will be Books 1, 2, 3, 4, TPB, and the alternate cover 4 by Charles Paul Wilson iii. A lot more stuff to offset costs and introduce more people to the book!<br />
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And now that I finished ordering gear and getting things en route for the show, reviews and press are starting to roll in for Book 4: The Twistlands!<br />
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Here are the first 3. I'll post more in the <a href="http://www.farlaine.com/p/reviews.html">Reviews & Press</a> section as they appear!<br />
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<b>Graphic Policy:</b> <i>"Farlaine The Goblin #4 is, in all honesty, and without any exaggeration, probably the best comic I’ve read all week."</i><br />
<a href="http://graphicpolicy.com/2015/09/17/review-farlaine-the-goblin-4/">http://graphicpolicy.com/2015/09/17/review-farlaine-the-goblin-4/</a><br />
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<b>The Pullbox:</b> <i>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Arimo, sans-serif; font-size: 15.0080003738403px; line-height: 24.0128002166748px;">This is a must have for readers of all ages!!!"</span></i><br />
<a href="http://www.thepullbox.com/2015/09/ftg4/">http://www.thepullbox.com/2015/09/ftg4/</a><br />
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<b>Positively Nerdy Podcast:</b> Starting 3:40 in:<br />
<a href="http://positivelynerdy.com/?p=3449">http://positivelynerdy.com/?p=3449</a><br />
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The book hits store shelves September 30th worldwide! If you can't find it at your local comic shop you'll be able to order it through <a href="http://www.farlaine.com/p/buy-more-copies.html">farlaine.com</a>!<br />
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I'm also going to be set up at the New York Comic Con this year in Small Press at <b><i>Table 1341</i></b>! Swing on by!<br />
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Oh, and on a final note, the physical books arrived yesterday. They came out AMAZING.<br />
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My cover was a bit darker, but it really pulls the eye into the inner drawing and helps set the mood.<br />
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Charles' cover was amazing. Off the charts amazing. I got a felt paper used on this that wasn't glossed over or anything, so it's all tough and starchy. Combined with the painting Charles did and the texture of the paper, this looks and feels like one of the coolest alternate covers ever. Very 90s. Anyone who ordered 3 copies of this book is gonna smile when they see and feel how cool this is.<br />
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<br />Pug Grumblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17519221739487381268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827934854704836122.post-360483975125956782015-06-29T19:33:00.001-04:002015-06-29T19:35:16.235-04:00Book 4: The Twistlands - Available for Pre-Order!!<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
OK! This is it!</div>
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<b>Book 4: The Twistlands, is finally available for pre-order! </b></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">This is when it matters the most, when the orders roll into the distributor!</span></div>
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If you like Farlaine the Goblin then please pre-order a copy or five! Give them away to random people if need be!!</div>
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You can pre-order it at your local comic shop or online at places like Midtown Comics, which has it discounted to $3.25/book, so with shipping only $3, you end up paying $6.25 delivered for a $5 book!</div>
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<a href="http://www.midtowncomics.com/store/dp.asp?PRID=FARLAINE+THE+GOBLIN+%234_1460265" style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">http://www.midtowncomics.com/store/dp.asp?PRID=FARLAINE+THE+GOBLIN+%234_1460265</a></div>
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<b><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Farlaine the Goblin - <i>Book 4: The Twistlands</i></span></b><br />
<b style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Diamond Code: <i>JUL151594</i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">ISBN: <i>978-0-989-00584-5</i></span></b><br />
<b style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Street Date: <i>September 30th</i></span></b><br />
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<span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Here's the regular cover art by myself, with gorgeous color added by the great </span><a href="http://johnnybleuart.blogspot.com/" style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" target="_blank">Jean-Francois Beaulieu</a></div>
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And here is the very cool and amazing alternate cover, done by the great and powerful Charles Paul Wilson III! He'll be on a third of the covers, so y<span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">ou *should* be able to order 3 copies and get the CPW3 variant cover, but confirm it with the store/site - I can't control if they snag them because of how awesome it is!!</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Thanks again to everyone who likes the books and orders it! </span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Thank you!! I hope you enjoy it:)</span></div>
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Pug Grumblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17519221739487381268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827934854704836122.post-44885761654805198322015-06-13T02:52:00.000-04:002015-06-13T02:56:37.120-04:00The Final Stretch of Book 4Long story short, Book 4 has taken a while, but the end is in sight!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgY6602aGWv83iWZUrMwjCfcf9Ldi_Y0fHFZ2HrG45uP2iQPFmUCJbVYQihwcNnZYoNdPDKqCEhXGvBzVFJsAQg2AtYvZcH5vgXp5VRQEy1pBQZRvZjbaTjncrEmcXqHeeFnjsBuJh4E/s1600/flying-twistcatcher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgY6602aGWv83iWZUrMwjCfcf9Ldi_Y0fHFZ2HrG45uP2iQPFmUCJbVYQihwcNnZYoNdPDKqCEhXGvBzVFJsAQg2AtYvZcH5vgXp5VRQEy1pBQZRvZjbaTjncrEmcXqHeeFnjsBuJh4E/s400/flying-twistcatcher.jpg" width="395" /></a></div>
When I first started the series I drew for 9 months straight, treating it more than a full time job, living off unemployment and savings. I produced books 1-3 in that time and got in a rhythm. Then I ran out of money and had to get a job again.<br />
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Book 4 has taken 17 months.<br />
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A combination of reasons behind this, mostly not finding enough time to devote to the book. Some weeks I'd get less than a page done. Tough to finish a 50+ page book at that rate!<br />
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So it has taken a long time, but it is almost done, and the urgency is on since it'll appear in Previews by the end of this month!<br />
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I have 8 pages left to draw, and my goal is to be finished by the end of the 4th of July weekend. It will have been listed in Previews for almost 2 weeks at that point. I'll have a few weeks to polish it before it'll go to the printer in early August, hitting store shelves sometime in September.<br />
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Oh, and if I hadn't mentioned, it's got an alternate cover by <a href="https://twitter.com/cpwilsoniii" target="_blank">Charles Paul Wilson III</a>. It's gonna rock.<br />
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I have the <a href="http://www.bostoncomiccon.com/" target="_blank">Boston Comic Con</a> coming up July 31- August 2, and will then be at a small press table at the <a href="http://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/" target="_blank">New York Comic Con</a> October 8-11.<br />
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Then I'll need to start writing #5!<br />
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<br />Pug Grumblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17519221739487381268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827934854704836122.post-11741876285515016612015-05-22T19:25:00.001-04:002015-05-22T19:25:19.790-04:00The Joke That is ComixologyYup, I found Comixology to be a complete and utter joke.<br />
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At least for self-publishers looking to it as a revenue source(excluding superstar SPs like Jeff Smith and Terry Moore).<br />
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Let me backtrack a little...<br />
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I held off on going digital for a long time. Farlaine the Goblin was meant to be held and seen large and flipped through. It was meant to be read in print.<br />
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Going digital provided one large draw - availability. No longer were there shipping costs or printing costs. You were never out of stock. People around the world could find and read the book easily.<br />
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But there is also the reality that as soon as you go digital your work will be stolen and spread. People will be able to get it for free. It is a guarantee. People will always be too lazy to scan the printed book, but if they can download a torrent of the PDF and repost it in 30 seconds? Of course people will do it.<br />
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So I gave the idea of going digital a lot of thought, and after two years, I finally decided to do it. The potential growth of my audience, both to digital readers and overseas, seemed a fair trade-off.<br />
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But the idea was still that you’d expect it to <i>sell</i>.<br />
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That you'd expect in exchange for worldwide piracy you'd sell a bunch of copies. You’re already discounting it dramatically($4.99) from the printed version($13), so you’d think the people who'd heard about it would give it a try. Even impulse buy it to read later.<br />
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Well, don’t look to Comixology for that.<br />
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My book first hit their site on January 28, 2015 via Comixology Submit.<br />
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Within 10 minutes of going live it was appearing on torrent sites.<br />
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Yes, that quickly.<br />
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A lot faster than I would have thought. I rolled my eyes at how little protection they offered, and their empty claim to "inhibit unauthorized distribution of your book".<br />
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But I still hoped that the piracy was a good sign. That it meant people were buying the book on the first day. Having no experience with Comixology and their sales numbers always unpublished, I had no idea how many copies were likely to sell in a day or month.<br />
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And this is where Comixology fell to utter-garbage.<br />
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Although my book went on sale in January, it was a complete blackout of information until mid-May. They tell you nothing. Silence. I could have sold ten copies that first day or a thousand and I wouldn't have known.<br />
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This made me a little suspect about the honor of the company. This is a website. Everything is stored and easily accessible in a database. There is no reason not to let publishers see how their sales are doing. To tie marketing strategies to results. Even a weekly or monthly number would be helpful, but honestly, there's no excuse not to have it live and instantaneous.<br />
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Yet they don’t. It’s a complete secret. You need to wait until May to find out how you did. Four months of silence.<br />
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And what makes this troubling is that there is no “digital inventory”. No way of knowing anything beyond what Comixology wants to tell me. For all I know maybe the book sold 50 copies on its first day and Comixology lost the data in a power failure. Or maybe they deflate sales numbers and play accounting games.<br />
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The point is, there's no visibility...and I think it's pretty clear why - they don't want you to know how weak the numbers are.<br />
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After four months of silence I finally heard from them last week. Before I opened the email I wrote down some numbers. What I was expecting and thought I’d be happy with.<br />
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I knew how many copies my books sold through Diamond. I knew how many I sold at a convention. I knew how many I sold on my website.<br />
This was four months of sales, a $5 price tag, worldwide digital, wide-screen friendly, and posted on Comixology, the biggest digital comics publisher out there, owned by the mighty Amazon.<br />
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My breakdown:<br />
< 25: Complete waste. Don't put anything else on there. You gave my book away for free. Butthusks.<br />
25-50: Still a waste, but maybe post the other TPBs eventually. People read it at least.<br />
50-100: Worth putting up single issues, starting with Book 4.<br />
100-200: Pretty cool. Worth doing.<br />
200+: Awesome! I love digital!<br />
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Want to guess how this turned out?<br />
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It sold 5 copies. 5.<br />
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I got a direct deposit of $11.85. Not even the retail of one physical book. Not even worth the time to put together the PDF and submission.<br />
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To say I’m disappointed is an understatement. This is a joke.<br />
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At this point the damage is done, so it'll stay up. We'll see how sales of the digital TPB goes after Book 4 appears in Previews. Maybe that will trigger some orders. But I doubt I'll be putting Book 4 up on Comixology anytime soon.<br />
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And I do need to leave a little bit of hope here - that there will be a longterm impact on growing the audience not measured in sales; that the free books were read and enjoyed. Maybe hundreds or thousands of times.<br />
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Or maybe 5.Pug Grumblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17519221739487381268noreply@blogger.com