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Wednesday, May 30, 2012
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| An example of the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter graphic novel, via Marvel |
As many of my fans, friends, and peers know, I have been hard at work on the first installation of what I hope will be a loooong and successful venture: the conversion of my most popular book thus far, BLACK DOG AND REBEL ROSE, an action-packed paranormal adventure pairing two unexpected companions, a Nephil (half-angel) and Halfling (half-demon), on a gore-flecked and erotica-tinged vampire hunt in an abandoned town, into the comic book medium.
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| The cover of the BD&RR prose novel...already in the comic book style. |
Turning paranormal romance books into comics has become a trend in the last few years, as several bestselling and cult-followed PNR novels by such renowned names as Laurell K. Hamilton, Kim Harrison, Patricia Briggs, etc. Even Twilight (puke) has been turned into a popular Manga comics series with that distinctive Japanese flair. I have spent several hours scouring the internet for examples of how the major comics companies—including comics giant Marvel—handled the “translation” of said bestselling novels into the comics/graphic novel medium. Overall, I was impressed: the artists selected are talented, the book designs (mostly hardcovers) are beautiful. Action, gore, and, yes, even sex, seems to be properly represented with good flow. I should be ecstatic to be potentially joining the ranks, right? I mean, I might be considered the "full monty" when it comes to this sort of thing: the characters and plot of BD&RR is perfect for this medium, and unlike the bestsellers mentioned above I am an artist, and can tackle the job entirely on my own, without having to deal with another writer or artist’s ego throwing a wrench into the gears, and make sure the comic represents my story the way I would see it best. While BD&RR is not an NYC bestseller, I do have a solid cult following, and two of my books have hit the Amazon Bestseller list for erotica in the past year. I have the submission ok to submit to several of the biggest “indie” comics publishers out there, including IMAGE, publisher of the wildly popular “The Walking Dead” comics. And on top of THAT, there is the increased possibility of BD&RR being picked up for film/television, etc. when said comic hits the shelves...
I should be thrilled, and I was…until I glimpsed the reviews left by readers of said PNR comics.
Now I am, admittedly, a little scared.
To say that many of the reviews for these book-to-graphic novel translations are generally scathing is an understatement. Reviewers griped nonstop about how too much of the story was "left out", how "cartoony, stylized, and unrealistic" the characters looked, how too much dialogue and description was "missing", etc. All complaints from a bookstore audience who is buying a comic book and expecting to get...*drumroll, please*...A PROSE NOVEL.
I think the big issue we are being faced with here is that these comics are being purchased by people who DON'T READ COMICS. They have no concept of "how" comics work...how comic art is generally stylized, how plotlines generally have to be very direct and trimmed down to fit within the confines of this medium. How dialogue must be clipped and to the point to, again, hold a comic reader's attention. Comic books are visual stories--it is up to the artist more than anyone else to "tell" the story via quick action, good panel flow, and quicker-than-lightning transitions. "Descriptions" are not provided through words...it's through art.
Think about your favorite book-to-film adaptions. Movie plotlines adapted from books usually have to cut out, rearrange, or rewrite parts of the book in order for it to make it suitable for the medium of film. If that didn't happen, you would have movies with clunky plotlines and confusing dialogue/conversational situations that ran for hours and hours. That's why it's called an "adaption"...it isn't going to follow the storyline exactly, since the medium cannot possibly bear that burden with any measure of success. Same thing applies to comics...think of them as a "storyboard" of your favorite novel.
As far as the art being "stylized", that's comic books, baby. Few comics these days feature artwork that is super-realistic, and there are many reasons for that...stylized art allows for quick action, proper visual portrayal of amazing feats impossible in the "real" world, and, quite frankly, doing a hyper-realist comic would take years. (A few artists have done it, including those of titles such as "Road to Perdition", etc, and these maniacs undertook feats that took 3 to 4 years to complete, on average. Think about it, that's a LOT of drawing and finishing!) Plus, let's face it...comic readers LIKE stylized art. Comics are known for being "cartoony", at least in principle...that's part of the charm.
SKRIKER AND ROSE... the, er, "stylized" h/h from my comic
Readers of PNR novels who are looking to try comic versions need to understand that giving bad reviews based on the medium that they are choosing to explore BASED ON what the medium is hurts someone very important: THE ARTIST. I think what a lot of romance readers don't understand is that, when an author's work is translated into comic form, the publisher of said comic lists both the author AND the artist as "creators" in this particular version of the story...after all, you cannot have a comic without the artist! The authors are already being "cushioned" by the good reviews of the prose versions of their books, i.e. the original medium. When a reader used to prose romance novels buys a comic version of their fave story and then leaves a bad review based on the fact that IT IS A COMIC VERSION leaves a bad mark on the artist's review ranking...and that just isn't fair.
It is my hope that this blog entry...my first for Paranormal Romantics...will give my wonderful readers--and that of other PNR authors, bestselling, cult followed, or brand spanking new--some food for thought on a medium that is rapidly growing in the PNR world. I hope to inspire you lovely folks out there to explore something a little different, while enjoying the characters, themes, and storylines that have allowed you to escape the mundane.
I would love to hear YOUR thoughts on this subject...and as a thank you, I am giving away the first two books in the BD&RR series--your choice of Ebook or Kindle Edition!
Enter via the Rafflecopter widget below...you MUST answer the "food for thought" question to be entered...can't wait to hear our reader's thoughts. Giveaway ends on 06/10.
Good luck...and thanks for welcoming me into the Paranormal Romantics family. :-)
Are you inspired? I know I am...
;-)
www.danielledsmith.com
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Thought I'd introduce myself. I'm new on this block and glad to meet you. My name is Wendi Zwaduk, but I also write as Megan Slayer. I often visited the blog and commented occasionally. When I got the chance to be a part of the blog, well, I've got to tell you, I jumped. Heck yeah. So what gives me the paranormal card? Other than talking to the characters in my head...grin. As Wendi Zwaduk, I wrote a vampire novella entitled, My Immortal and a ghost story called Careless Whisper. As Megan Slayer, I've got an entire series over at Changeling revolving around elementals and the Glow punk band. Check 'em out. I'll leave you now with my vital stats in case you wanted to know. I'm looking forward to playing here and hope you are, too.
And now for that contest... want to win a copy of the first book in Megan's Glow series? Leave your name, email and a comment. Yep, it's that easy. I'll pick someone Wednesday, leave the winner's name in the comments and email them then. Check back to see if you're the winner!
Want to know more about Wendi Zwaduk? Here you go:
I always dreamt of writing the stories in my head. Tall, dark, and handsome heroes are my favorites, as long as he has an independent woman keeping him in line. I earned a BA in education at Kent State University and currently hold a Masters in Education with Nova Southeastern University.
Site: http://wendizwaduk.com/
Blog: http://wendizwaduk.blogspot.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WendiZwaduk
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/wendi.zwaduk
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Wendi-Zwaduk/e/B003KA589U/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1
Goodreads:http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3495446.Wendi_Zwaduk
On Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/wendizwaduk/
On Google+ : https://plus.google.com/115637543946745656739/posts
On Romance Novel Center: http://www.romancenovelcenter.com/wendizwaduk
And a little about Megan Slayer:
When she's not writing the stories in her head, Megan Slayer can be found luxuriating in her hot tub with her two vampire Cabana boys, Luke and Jeremy. She has the tendency to run a tad too far with her muse, so she has to hide in the head of her alter ego, but the boys don't seem to mind.
When she’s not obsessing over her whip collection, she can be found picking up her kidlet from school. She enjoys writing in all genres, but writing about men in love suits her fancy best. Currently hanging out every Wednesday and Friday at the Menagerie Authors site, hunting Hotties for the Saturday posts, and working on the next great story brewing in her head!
The cabana boys are willing to serve, unless she needs them. She always need them. So be nice to Javier or he will bite--on command. She also masquerades under the name Wendi Zwaduk and is published through Changeling Press, Liquid Silver Books, and Total-E-Bound Publishing.
Megan’s site: http://wendizwaduk.com/indexMegan.htm
Megan’s blog: http://theauthormeganslayer.blogspot.com
Megan on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5330530.Megan_Slayer
Megan on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/theauthormeganslayer
Megan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/MeganSlayer
Monday, May 28, 2012
About me. Well, I'm a wife, a mother of two, and I also have a part-time job on top of all my writing. I started officially putting pen to paper when my daughter was in kindergarten. She hated reading, to the point where she would scream and cry when she had reading homework to do. I thought if I wrote her a book about something she liked (superheroes), she might enjoy reading more. Well, that story turned into my Mark of the Stars series (and the superheroes turned into aliens), which she can't read until she's much older. But now she loves reading and reads above her grade level in English, and even reads French.
Giveaway!!
For your chance to WIN an ebook copy of any of my backlist books at Decadent Publishing, simply leave a comment below with your email address. Winner will be drawn May 31, 2012.
“Why don’t we go somewhere else and continue this? We can get a room if you want.” She didn’t care where as long as they were off the street and had a little more privacy. The possibility of someone catching them excited her, but she didn’t want the rest of their time together interrupted.
“I have the perfect place, if you’re willing to trust me.”
How could she? She’d just met him, didn’t even know his name. Yet she refused to say no, couldn’t have him walk away and leave her alone and needy. She’d go wherever he wanted to take her, whether to a bondage dungeon or a closet. So long as he took her, over and over. Because, for once, she’d found a guy who pleasured her without her asking. She planned to return the favor as soon as they left the alley.
With one hand gripping her ass, he skimmed a finger back across her slick folds. “Well, do you?”
Only aware of her growing need, she nodded.
He returned to her slippery heat, plunging in and out. “First, tell me your name.”
“Danyka.” Her name rolled out as she moaned with his movements.
“Okay, Danyka, hold onto me.”
How could she not? He’d transformed her knees, her entire body, to jelly with his touch. She already gripped his sleeves, afraid if she let go she’d fall, slide down the wall.
Pulling some kind of remote from his pocket, he pressed the single white button on its surface. He slipped the device back into his pouch then leaned forward to reclaim her mouth.
She had her eyes closed, her lips pressed against his, when the sensation started. First, a tingling in her hands and feet, as he swept his digits deep inside her. The buzz spread up her arms and legs until it engulfed her entire body. She no longer sensed the ground below her.
The man continued to drive his fingers into her core with vigor, ridding her of the urge to pull away and find out what was happening to her. She landed with a thud, feeling returning to her limbs. Nothing stopped the man who held her, though. He continued to ravage her mouth, her jaw, her neck, keeping her pressed against the wall.
But something felt different. Gone was the hard brick pressing through her corset and against her skin. She reached behind to brush her hand along the surface. Soft. Almost like cushioned satin.
With a whimper, she pushed the strange man away. Where was she? What had she been thinking? This is the stupidest, most insane thing I’ve ever done.
The Prince Charming she’d had the fortune of being set up with peered down at her, his gaze intense and filled with lust. “My name is Galan, and we’re in my spaceship.”
At least she now knew his name, but wait…. Spaceship? She stared at the man, disillusioned. She could think of no other explanation for how they had traveled to a new location with the press of a button. Oh God, she’d been abducted by an alien. How would she get out of this situation? The first time she’d done something spur-of-the-moment, and she’d ended up being finger-fucked by an extraterrestrial.
You can find me here:
Thanks for stopping by, and I'll see you next month!
All the best!
JES
Sunday, May 27, 2012
I was drooling over my copy of Harry Potter ~ Page to Screen (I imported it from the US as it's out of print in the UK. This is a crime, btw) and I was caught by the attention to detail of the costumes. A little spark went off in my head about how the actors and the costume designers formed the characters from the clothes they wore. (Yes, the writer in me never switches off. It's quite sad, really... ;-) )
For instance, how Harry--who the costume designer Jany Temine saw as a loner and not happy in his skin--would wear greys, black whites, because he didn't want to be noticed. Or Hermione not really having the urge to be fashionable, or seen as a 'girl' as she thought her intelligence was her greatest asset. Or Snape, with his cloak that's split up the back so the two forks slither behind him. Also, apparently, Alan Rickman can really work a cape... *grin*
This idea has given me a new angle to think about as I create my characters. It's also serendipity as I'm creating a character who has the mask of a fop and a dandy and a man far too attached to his tailor. It's little touches, like Snape's cloak, or the numerous eyes that appear cover Professor Trelawney's tunic, that speak of the character's nature and occupation.
And there's body art too. Sirius Black is not tattooed in the books, but this incredible sketch from Rob Bliss of Sirius' runic prison tats is simply...whoa.
The reasons why he would carve all of these into his skin simply pushes too many ideas through my head. Or maybe that's just me. (This image is in the book too. That particular page is worn thin ;-) )
Now I'm away to look at Victorian tailoring--petting Sirius one last time *grin*--and fabrics. And I'm wondering how other writers tackle clothes...or you could simply join me for some Snape and Sirius love... <--so glad I'm not a fanfic writer, because...yum :D
*The title quote is from Alan Rickman, from his explanation of why he agreed to play Professor Snape.
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Kim Knox brews sex, magic, darkness and technology in a little corner of North West England. She writes erotic science fiction and fantasy romance for Carina Press, Ellora’s Cave, Samhain Publishing, Cleis Press and others.
SYNTHETIC DREAMS and BITTER HARVEST are available now from Carina Press.
AT THE SORCERER'S COMMAND and DARK DEALINGS coming soon
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Hi there! I’m Voirey Linger and… no, Voirey. VOY-ree. There is an I before the R. I know it’s a weird name, but it looks pretty, doesn’t it? Please say yes…
Maybe I should just get to the getting to know me bit.
What are ten things you should know about me? Well for starters, I’m a cat person. My cat is my furbaby and she is quite spoiled. Spend much time around me and you are guaranteed to hear about her.
I’m a voracious reader, but I read almost exclusively romance. It can be about any kind of romance, but I’m in love with the love story. I’ll read historical, contemporary, inspirational, erotica, and of course, paranormal so long as it’s a romance.
I love chocolate. The words ‘addiction’ and ‘intervention’ have been bandied about.
I love a good bout of wing sex. In books, I mean. I don’t have wings of my own.
I’m artsy. I sing, paint, knit, write and create in as many mediums as possible.
I’m picky about my paranormal critters. If the mythos isn’t strong, I don’t want to read it or write it. I’m socially awkward in person.
I like to pretend I’m cute and witty online but I can’t promise that’s true.
I write angels and make them dirty. I love men. I love writing them, looking at them, and doing other things with them. I like them big and bad and alphahole in books. In person, alpha is good but he’d damn well better respect me.
I suck at math but find science fascinating.
My books have socially unacceptable language and are not recommended to be read in public.
I can’t count.
Is there anything else you want to know?
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Yeah, I know that's not how it goes. But I think it's even more interesting when good things happen to bad people, instead of bad things happening to good people. We all love a good villain, and many of us love to hate them. I often think the villain is a neglected subspecies in a book. Your bad guy needs to be as well developed as the hero and heroine.
And once you got your badass meany...let good things happen to him. It will stack the odds in his favor -- and usually against your hero.
In Howl, poor Zalin handed the villain the ultimate piece of information -- and enabled him to carry out his master plan without interference. He had no one to blame but himself, and it seriously screwed up his day.
Yep, all those good things happening for your bad guy...give the book a whole new dimension. It keeps your hero out of step, makes things that much more difficult and dangerous, and thus keeps the reader groaning right along with the unfortunate hero.
Imagine you have a valuable commodity or important information which is needed by the hero to save the heroine, but in order to get it, he has to jump a few hoops -- and he's not the only one after it.
Let him get to the safe--five minutes after the bad guy got the map out of it. Let the bad guy get hold of the only vehicle for rent. The only guide who knows the jungle. The key to the dungeon. Let him find things or be handed things just before the hero gets there. He's having all the luck, while the hero struggles to keep up, putting the heroine's ultimate safety more and more at risk.
Let the villain walk away with the only thing able to save her.
Your hero will have to be resourceful and determined, even in the face of adversity. It gets even better if both the hero and the villain have the same goal...saving the heroine. But while the hero does it for (more or less) selfless reasons...the villain might do it to gain something she has and couldn't give two hoots about what ultimately happens to her.
What I'm trying to say is, it doesn't always have to be the same old, same old. And who says you can't start out with two villains -- and no hero? Why not make your villain the hero?
I'm bored with the same format. :) I think we need to shake it up some.
I'm working on a story at the moment where the good guy is also the bad guy... Let's see if I can pull it off. :)
What do you like about villains and heroes?
Silke grew up in Germany and is used to things going bump in the night -- and it wasn't always the acrophobic cat, or someone hitting their head on a low beam on the ceiling.
She writes paranormal romance, usually at night, and blames Anne Stuart to this day for all her ambitions and strange stories, after reading one of her books.
These days the only thing going bump at "oh-dark-thirty" is her -- usually when she smacks into the sofa while creeping to the kitchen for another cup of coffee.
Silke likes to hear from her readers.
Feel free to contact her via her blog at http://www.evilauthor.com, follow her on Twitter, look her up on Goodreads or become a friend on Facebook and G+.
Her books Howl and Smitten are available at all major ebook retailers. 
*The random generator has spoken!!! CONTEST WINNER is MELISSA P., who said: "I love to read about strong woman who don't wait around for life to happen to them." Melissa, please contact me at dawnmontgomeryauthor @ gmail.com (no spaces) with your ebook format preference. Please put Paranormal Romantics Contest in the subject line.*
When I was a child, I was obsessed with fairy tales. There was nothing in the world like them. Action. Adventure. A known villain (so much better than the confusion of day to day life in elementary school...you never knew when you were the epic hero or the evil villain...on the playground and off). Swords. Sorcery. Mayhem! I was in reading heaven.
Move on to preteen angst and teenager love and it was Labyrinth, Legend, Willow, Vampire Hunter D, the magic of Kindred the Embraced (in my vampire phase), and Beauty and the Beast (the TV series),There was just one problem.
The women were waiting to be saved. Some of the female characters were in strong positions but they were at the mercy of both the villain and the hero. While that led to some sexy tension, it definitely left me wanting. This was pre-Buffy, DarkAngel, and many other fantastic ladies who could kick some butt.
Why did the princess have to be at the mercy of the dragon and wait for the hero to rescue her? I always imagined ways she would team up with the dragon and go on other adventures. They were always hilarious and full of danger. Campy. Making fun of conventional character roles.
When I was faced with the reality of being a full-time writer, I was completely stumped. What would be my first big project? Self-doubt is a killer on creativity. When it got to be the worst, I decided to write the fairy tales I'd always wanted to read...with a sexy adult flair, of course. ;)So I did. And Dash Ryan, dragon prince, stepped into existence. Bold alpha male. Delicious. Trapped in a spell for five hundred years. Waiting for someone to rescue him ;).
Princess Tasminia barely escapes marriage (and a horrible groom-to-be) to find herself in an enchanted room with very sexy and naked man. Chained. At her mercy.
Oh my. It sure got hot from there. No Dragon, No Problem was born.
Dash said it best when he told Tasminia...A woman is the heart of magic...
CONTEST! Leave a comment to be included in a drawing. Winner gets a copy of No Dragon, No Problem. In comments tell us what your favorite fantasy book or story was growing up. Did you get lost in Labyrinth? Fall into fiction with Anne McCaffrey? I'm dying to know, readers! Contest ends at noon CST on the 26th. Good luck!
One bound man. One desperate princess. A curse. And dragons? WTF may never be the same.WTF Dragon: In the fairytale kingdom of Werthing Ton Fallorian (or WTF for short), fairytale folk have gone insane. With the imps of lust and wickedness on a rampage, no one is safe. Five Princesses, Five Dragons. A coincidence? I don't think so.
The Motive: Princess Tasminia deSoto has had it with her stepmother's horrid matchmaking. Tricking the princess into a surprise wedding with the narcissistic Baron Winterwood from a neighboring kingdom (of the same name) is the final straw. If only there was a dragon to be sacrificed to!
The Idea: Desperation forces her to enlist the aid of the notorious Dash Ryan, illusionist and con artist for hire. Surely the wildly entertaining (and sexy) rogue can come up with something believable. And if a princess can find a little sexual education on the side... well... that's just a plus.
The Twist: Dash Ryan has a few secrets of his own. Secrets he's more than willing to exploit for just a taste of the princess's sexual awakening. But will one taste be enough?
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Have a fantastic rest of your week, readers! May you find a book that sweeps you off your feet. Keep reading!
Dawn Montgomery
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About Us
- Hailey Edwards
- Veronica Scott
- Annie Nicholas
- Wendi Zwaduk
- JoAnne Kenrick
- Ella Drake
- Silke
- Lyric James
- L. K. Below/Lindsay Below
- Sara Brookes
- Dawn Montgomery
- Jessica Subject
- Danielle D. Smith
- Selena Illyria
- Voirey Linger
- Rebecca Royce
- Heather Long
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- Deena
- J Hali Steele
- Amy Ruttan
- Sarah Gilman
- D L Jackson
- Kim Knox
- Robert C Roman
- Lyncee
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