Buy Now! Cottonseeds: The Killer and the Eternal Child

It's here! Buy it now in Lily's Online Store. More retailers coming soon. Red the preview. Buy or the sex. Just saying.

 

http://lilyauthor.com/graphicnovels/kilerandchild/

Previews and news

New Media section added with previews of the next Cottonseeds issue. See them all here!

http://lilyauthor.com/graphicnovels/media/

Nifty share buttons for your convenience. Shre with your friends, spread the word.

Shroud Media is expanding distribution so there's a delay. I will continue providng previews until it's published and ready to buy.

Here's a sample ->

Think you can handle it?

Cottonseeds New Series

Hi. I've been busy. I made the announcement on FB so I'm doing it here.

After a lot of thought and discussion, I've decided to start a new series for Cottonseeds. It was the only way for me to have the fast-paced thriller action Cottonseeds is meant to have. So, announcing Cottonseeds: The Killer and the Eternal Child. Rough ETA for #1 is end of April. Stay tuned. Make popcorn. Put on your seat belts. It's going to be one hell of a ride. Here's a preview of the cover. Enjoy!

Cottonseeds Collected Edition #1 and other news

Forgot to update my blog.

Sorry.

Big News! Announcing the addition of an artist, Henry T. Pardo. Issues will be released once a month from now on. Can I get a yay?


Thanks! You're a star.

Fun interview with Michael Benavidez. He's such a good sport. Go read. A lot of new info.

https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/9948393-interview-lily

Cottonseeds Collected Edition #1 coming at the end of the month. The edition will include issues 1 - 3, for 2.99$.

Check out the video:




Give it a like. Share with friends. Let everyone know that I finally figured out how to embed a video on this blog. Good times!

Direct link in case you need it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ7avmOhh-Q

Cottonseeds #2 - Smashwords and B&N

Cottonseeds #2 is now available at Smashwords and B&N.

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/598614

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cottonseeds-2-shroud-media/1123117329?ean=2940152510386

Cottonseeds No. 2

It's here!

Buy Cottonseeds Issue No. 2  in the Lily Store: http://lilyauthor.com/graphicnovels/store/cottonseeds/

More retailers coming soon.

Still wondering if you should start reading Cottonseeds? Now's the time. Get issues 1 and 2 for only 1.49$.

Buy: http://lilyauthor.com/graphicnovels/store/

More info!

Issue description:
 

Sam discovers interviewing The Knoxville Killer’s family is a dirty job. When Misty, Frank’s daughter, breaks Sam’s world apart, he’s forced to choose between appearance and finding the Raven Mocker that haunts him.

Leave a review on Good Reads. And while you're at it, enjoy the trailer.

Buy Links!

Cottonseeds #1 is now available at B & N, and Apple Store iTunes!

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cottonseeds-1-shroud-media/1122636623?ean=2940152340211

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/-/id1041541250?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

And tell you friends, thanks.

It's Here!

Cottonseeds Issue #1 is now available in the Shroud Store and Smashwords for $0.99. Here's all the buy links:

http://shroudmediallc.com/store/graphic-novels/cottonseeds-2/issue-1/

Issue 2 will be coming soon. For the meantime, enjoy the preview.

http://lilyauthor.com/graphicnovels/cottonseeds/issue-no-1/

Or look at the pretty pictures and videos.

http://shroudmediallc.com/store/graphic-novels/cottonseeds-2/

Or make popcorn. Whichever.

Cottonseeds - Issue 2 preview

At last, it's here! It's really here. No, really.

See the 8 page preview in all its wonderfully sliding glory.

http://lilyauthor.com/graphicnovels/cottonseeds/issue-no-2/

Ta da!

Hopefully this means the reast will be done soon... ish.

I've decided to stop sending newsletters for either Cottonseeds or Ash Garden, or anything really. It's too much work and I would rather spend the time on doing, you know, artwork.

And this is important. Very important. Cottonseeds will be published by Shroud Media on September 7th. Mark that date on your calendar. Why? Because I said so.

I mean... please?

P.S. Tell all friends.

P.P.S. Oh, you still need a bit of an incentive? Here you go.

Shroud Media

I'm pleased to (finally) announce Shroud Media, a digital publisher of creator-owned comics and graphic novels. I'm the media department :)

Cottonseeds will be published by Shroud on September 1st, with a shiny new ISSN. First stop will be Smashwords, then other retailers from there.

Here's the Shroud FB Page.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shroud-Media-LLC/736606119782980

Check it out, tell your friends, join the Shroud Forum on the Shroud website.

http://shroudmediallc.com/ 

And here's the first promo video. Enjoy!

P.S. Spread the word for me, okay? Thanks.

The Art of Art

I'm having the most fun designing my own comic books/graphic novels than I've ever had in my entire life. At the same time, while I muddle through one panel at a time, I'm learning hard lessons.

It just took me a solid week to figure out what I was missing from three whole pages. There needed to be a shadow behind the tree. Sigh...

The main reason I decided to delve into the world of independent comic books is because of my work experience. I've been a computer graphic designer professionaly since 1997. I remember when Photoshop didn't have filters and it took about ten steps to create a drop shadow. So, I figured, with my years of experience, I can totally do this.

This past week I have been seriously considering giving up. Things were dragging. I kept bitterly complaining to friends. I can't do this! It's taking way too long just to draw one panel! What's holding me back?!

Answer: experience.

There are fantastic advantages to a lot of experience: strong work ethic, following schedules, meeting deadlines, meeting client's demands perfectly, getting it right the first time, etc, etc.

Experience can also become an incredibly bad habit. In this past week, I've been chipping away at all my experience and going back to basics. I'm working for myself, not for any clients' specific instructions. No boss, no one to work for but myself. No steady paycheck, but that's a topic for another blog post.

On a side note, people who get jealous of experience and independence, and try to drag others down to their level are fools. Moving on...

It's about art. My art. The lesson I keep learning. Stick with the art and forget everything else. Then, it's a smooth ride from there. I'm still learning though. Thank you for your patience.

P.S. Three pages finished for Cottonseeds, Issue No. 2, and I hope to have a 5 - 8 page preview available soon.

Cottonseeds, Issue No. 1

I'm excited and exhausted, but mostly excited to announce Cottonseeds will be available very soon. I estimate about a week. The artwork is finished (FINALLY). I need to put together a copyright page but that will be dead easy and take no time at all. I'm also waiting for the ISBN that should be sent to me within a week. Well, hopefully.

The issue will be available as a free download for the first 24 hours in the online store, after that, 99 cents. If you want to know the exact moment it's available, sign up for the newletter.

Hold on to your hats, we're real close now!

Update and Apology

This blog is linked to my author FB page, and for some reason I can't unlink. I've tried everything. So, there will be duplicate posts as I post updates with all of my social media accounts. I'll try to mix it up so it's not too tedious.

Moving on. The first 14 pages of Chapter 2 are now available. Check it out!

The Chapter 2 video is also available. Watch it now!

Full Chapter 1 for The Ash Garden

The full Chapter 1 is now available.

http://lilyauthor.com/ashgarden/

Watch the full trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyfGP-VOM1g&feature=em-upload_owner#action=share

Chapter 2 will be coming in January.

I'm now in the process of pursuing publishing. I will contiue posting pages on my website.

Enjoy!

Interview with a Lily

A fun interview I did recently with really good questions. Thanks, Justin!


Check it out: Interview

Ash Garden video #3

Latest video for the Ash Garden graphic novel. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHaXk3fDod8&feature=youtu.be

Subscribe to the newsletter to receive the latest updates right away.

http://newsletter.lilyauthor.com/?p=subscribe&id=2/

7 Pages

My online graphic novel, The Ash Garden, now has 7 pages. If you want to hear about updates right away, well, you should really subscribe to my newsletter. Hint.

There were some technical problems, so I've provided an HTML version for anyone who has trouble with javascript. Enjoy!

http://lilyauthor.com/ashgarden/

The Ash Garden

A psychedelic graphic novel.

Teaser:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99RRy2eMDaM&feature=youtu.be

Page:

http://lilyauthor.com/ashgarden/

Subscribe to the newsletter and get updates first!

The Sordid Tale of Damnation Books

While this will be a long post, I hope everyone sees it a warning message to other online authors. Bear with me, there is a happy ending.

I first met Kim Richards Gilchrist, currently the CEO of Damnation Books, in an group called Dark Fiction Guild back in 2009. The DFG has since moved to Facebook and it's no longer the active discussion group it once was. It happens, the internet moves fast. Kim had made an announcement in DFG that she and her husband William are starting a new ebook company called Damnation Books. She invited authors in the DFG to submit. I spoke with her directly, asked if a story like Eden Fell would be of interest. She said she might be interested so I sent it along.

I always did find it weird to get an acceptance within two weeks of submission. I wrote the story in 2002 and honestly expected a rejection. But I figured, okay, I guess it's ready. So, I made a full commitment to editing and preparing for publication, whatever I had to do, I was willing. I loved the idea of supporting a mom and pop shop right at the beginning then watching them grow. Then... shit hit fan.

There's been problems with Damnation Books from day one. I'm not the only author. I wouldn't wish this publisher on my worse enemy. A few authors have since made their woes public. Tim Marquitz, Mark Edward Hall, Terri Bruce, Alex Smith. There might be others, but they haven't made it public, and I respect their privacy. Yet it's my hope that more authors will come out and stand up for themselves.

The following is my personal experience dealing with Kim. I never met William, he doesn't seem to really be there. It's not so much what Kim does, it's the way she does things. Kim doesn't communicate. Ever.

The first thing I told Kim, would you prefer the story rewritten in American English? It's loosely set in an unnamed Canadian city and you are based in California. She said, “No, the Canadian English doesn't distract from the story.” Odd thing to say, I thought. That wouldn't have occurred to me. I was thinking more so consistency and marketing, but whatever, less work for me. So I shrugged it off.

When I received the first round of edits, I was given two weeks, and what was the first thing I saw? Corrections of the Canadian English. I sighed and thought, fine, she does want it in American English after all. But when I reached the half-way point with the first round of edits, I reached my boiling point. So much had been inserted into the manuscript. The ignorance of these mistakes was offensive. I thought, this is ridiculous, I have to say something.

I sent an email to Kim, expressing my frustrations. She lectured me and said, “You signed a contact! You have to do the edits!” Also, she attempted to convince me I was just gripping because the story was cut to ribbons. One, I never said I wouldn't do the edits. I just had a serious problem with inserting another person's obvious mistakes. Two, not even a two letter word had been cut. No editing whatsoever. So, I offered a compromise since at least one of us had to be an adult, and said, I'll finish the edits and put in notes showing why and how the mistakes are wrong. In essence, two rounds of edits in one, in a measly two weeks, despite the fact my contract says a max of two rounds of edits, I ended up doing a total of three. Kim saw what I had done and said she'll pass it on to another editor, as if she was doing a big favor to me.

In the second round of edits, I was given a week. Kim ignored each one of my notes and had them all removed. In this second round I was sent a form to fill out, numbering each correction that was needed. I found over 180 grammar, spelling, punctuation, and inconsistency errors that Kim had inserted into the manuscript. I found only two of my own tiny typos that I hadn't caught before. Seeing the story shredded to ribbons would have been easier to deal with than that. I let go of a lot of little things and just kinda... lost heart. I never received the chance to improve the story. At least the other editor agreed with all of my corrections and the majority of mistakes were removed.

Still, I soldiered on, hoping to sell at least a few copies. I meticulously went through the list of reviewers Kim had provided. 75% of the links were dead. One reviewer responded, said in no uncertain terms that he ever reviews ebooks, then weirdly asked me to send the PDF ARC. A couple of weeks later he destroyed me in a review, using me as an example to show that ebooks are oh so bad. Humiliated, I shared the review in the Damnation Authors Yahoo group Kim had created. She mocked me for the review and didn't take any responsibility for the fact she had provided that list of reviewers in the first place. I gritted my teeth and ignored. I kept trying to get reviews... or something... without any support from the publisher.

Through the internet grapevine I heard about Bitten by Books, a popular and well-respected reviewer of paranormal books. I submitted and crossed my fingers. They accepted! I received a wonderful 4 star review that was very fair. The reviewer mentioned the grammar and punctuation errors, and I'm glad she did. I wish more reviewers were that honest. Excited, I shared it with the authors group. I thanked the reviewer for her honesty on the webpage for the review. A little while later, Kim showed up and also posted on that webpage, stating that she thought the story is suppose to be this way. She... trolls... reviews.

I stopped all promotions. Hell-bent on sabotaging her own authors? Screw it. I'm not playing that game. In the five years Eden Fell was published by Damnation Books, I've earned maybe $30 in royalties. The book died before it had a chance.

There's a rather long list of other problems. Lies about the print version, lies and arguments about distribution, horrible formatting, refusal to fix any problems, all kinds of useless drama, and overall a lot of unprofessional childish behavior. Working with Kim is like working with a petulant child. Then word came that Kim and William had decided to buy two ePublishers that had gone bankrupt. One of them is still alive, Eternal Press. Shortly after, Damnation Books was registered as a corporation. That mom and pop shop I wanted to support? It became a vanity press, complete with kill fees of up to $1000. And it's all fake.

I needed to share the full history in order to explain my next statements. Those who have read Eden Fell, for the most part, liked the story. Not long after Damnation Books started, the popularity of online self-published books exploded. Also, this weird idea that everyone has to support indies under penalty of death. Well, while I'm grateful for nice reviewers, the truth is, every nice review made it that much harder for me. And I couldn't say anything until my contract expired. I got full blame for all the mistakes. I was patted on the head and given a patronizing, good job! Not everyone, but enough. And Damnation Books has yet to take responsibility for their own screw-ups. Why should they? Authors get the blame and Kim can keep trolling along as a vanity press, making money from charging authors unjustified fees instead of book sales.

Over-indulgent reviews can hurt authors far more than the worse one star review.

I decided to wait until my contact expired. Since I was part of the first batch of authors, there aren't any kill fees in my contract. I had other things to work on, other projects, and, you know, a life. I was never dependent on Eden Fell to be some kind of launchpad for my writing career, nor did I ever think the story would become a best-seller. It's dead weight, so I waited. As of Sept 9^th, 2014, last Tuesday, my contract has expired. I am no longer connected with Damnation Books and will never deal with them again. Eden Fell is now out of print, any new copies sold are illegal. If anyone wants a copy I suggest searching for used copies or contact me and arrangements will be made.

And now for the good news! *trumpets blare* The essence of the story will be republished on my website as.... wait for it... a graphic novel! The new title is The Ash Garden. I've set a tentative date of October 1^st. Full issues with be self-published with comixology, hopefully all will go smoothly. Stay tuned, big things are happening very soon.

Meanwhile, enjoy the mock up of the new cover for The Ash Garden!