Artist Spotlight: “Interview with Cover Artist-Illustrator Bob Veon…”

Posted on November 27, 2012

If you draw or write in the genre communities, if you are affiliated with comic books and illustration in any shape or form, if you know who Alex McVey, Vincent Chong, and Daniela Siera is, then you probably know who Bob Veon is. If not, you are missing out on the next big thing in horror and scifi illustration, Ebook and print cover art, as well as mind-blowing graphic design. Like McVey, Chong and Siera, Bob Veon is currently breaking into the big time. 2012 seems to be his year, and things are only looking up for 2013. Here is a small press artist that turns your visions into beautiful—or scary, if that’s how you like it—prints. A man who can turn a canvas or book cover into the next museum masterpiece, or who can bring ideas to the table that probably no other artist of his caliber can. This freelance master of pencils, ink, paint and Photoshop is also available for hire. Let it be said that there is nothing this man can’t do. He is the next award-winning genre artist. It is not only an honor and a privilege to obtain his services for my own fiction work, but to interview him this very day. See what inspires him and makes him tick. You will also see some of his favorite art samples and be able to contact him at the end of the interview should you desire his services. And now, on with the Q and A…

Robert Veon (a.k.a. Bob) hard at work

Lawrence: Bob, I’m glad you could be here today. Let’s start from the beginning. Where did you grow up and go to school?

Bob: Thanks for having me here! I grew up in East Palestine, Ohio, and went to high school there. After, I went to Pittsburgh Technical Institute in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where I studied Multimedia and Graphic Design.

Lawrence: What was your childhood like?

Bob: Probably pretty much the same as any other kid growing up in the 80’s/90’s. I was always interested in horror movies and books from a very early age and anything else creepy and strange. I liked to play video games and draw, read comic books. Pretty typical stuff.

Bob Veon — pencil, ink, canvas, computer art, etc.

Lawrence: How did you first get into drawing?

Bob: I liked to draw pretty early on in life. Ever since I was able to pick up a crayon, I think I’ve been drawing since! I always liked to come up with strange creatures and places that were different from what you saw in life. When I was a kid I was always fascinated with drawing skulls and skeletons (no shocker that I still have that fascination). I remember a tornado going over the apartments we lived in during the mid-80’s and afterward I went into my “tornado drawing phase.” Drawing has always been my place to go to think and look at things.

I always doodled in my notebooks at school and at work. Probably about 2005 or so I decided to start doing more elaborate work with it. Trying to make something distinct, original. I came to this decision that I’d make some stuff that I would like to hang on the walls around me, art that would reflect myself and things I found interesting. Then a friend of mine suggested that I try doing illustrations for short stories, so I checked around online and Whispers of Wickedness gave me a try.

Lawrence: I used to be a reviewer and contributor for Whispers of Wickedness. So tell me, what inspires you? For example, certain music and video games set the mood for me. But they also inspire me, too.

Bob: I’ve always been drawn to dark and strange themes. When I draw I tend to put on a lot of music that reflects that, and the two of them, music and drawing, seem to go together great! I tend to listen to things like Blue Oyster Cult, Black Sabbath, Marilyn Manson. A lot of Industrial music too, things like Wumpscut, Combichrist, and Dismantled. That sort of thing. It really adds an energy to what you’re doing!

Bob Veon’s Comic Book work 1

Bob Veon’s Comic Book work 2

Lawrence: Let’s talk influences. Everybody has them. What writers, artists, or filmmakers influenced you and your work?

Bob: Huge fan of Stephen King’s work – The Dark Tower series is still something I read over and over. Clive Barker has been a major influence in my life since I first saw Hellraiser and then went on to read his books and get acquainted with his artwork. He’s great in any medium he works in, as far as I’m concerned. Besides fiction, I read a lot on paranormal subjects. The things like alien abduction, UFOs in general; mysterious occurrences, cryptozoology, and conspiracy theories. Books by folks like John Keel and Jim Marrs. There’s a lot of strange things that happen in the world that kind of get brushed aside. I don’t know what’s more fascinating a lot of times, the stories you hear themselves, or the reactions in the “official world” to them. As far as art goes, I’ve always been amazed by HR Giger’s work – definitely an original vision there! Frank Miller’s black and white comic style is definitely something I was impressed by. Jae Lee is fantastic in that whole positive/negative style too. I love his attention to minute details.

Bob Veon’s work space

Bob Veon & Lawrence Dagstine project

Lawrence: I love your penciling and inking style the most. I love how you draw everything by hand first. But at the same time you’re the kind of guy who can do pencils and inks one day, then jump from canvas to crayon to computer art the next. What is your favorite medium to work in? Also, what mediums are you experienced in?

Bob: I’m going to have to say that the medium that seems to be “me” the most is pen and ink drawings. It’s a pretty fun and worthwhile effort all around to see what you can come up with. When I first started to get serious with pen and ink drawings I would sit down to a piece of paper with just a pen, no pencils or other starting points, and just start going. Make a mistake? Just fold it into what I was doing somehow! It could get challenging, but at the same time was pretty exciting. Especially when I pulled off something that looked good!

I also like to paint a lot, but haven’t done much of that in the past year. It’s always interesting to me how drawing and painting, while essentially very similar in that you are trying to create form, space, and value, defining something two-dimensional to look a certain way, are so very different to do in technique.

As for other mediums, I do stuff with Photoshop, but mainly just for coloring or adding effects. I don’t do much with it aside from that. I do a lot with Illustrator which is a really interesting graphic design program with a lot of potential. When I was in school I worked in some 3D programs but never really got into them like I thought I would.

Mysterious Lady of the Caribbean 1 – Bob Veon

Mysterious Lady of the Caribbean 2

Mysterious Lady of the Caribbean 3

Lawrence: Originality. It’s definitely something you have. What is your take on it?

Bob: Like I said before, I was striving to try to go into places that I hadn’t seen before when I started getting serious with my artwork. I try to be as original as possible when I’m coming up with things to work on, but I’m sure that you see a lot of the things that influence me in there as well. I guess that you’ll always have that, though.

Lawrence: Your black and white illustrations would look great on somebody’s back or forearm. I’m sure they would also make your typical tattoo artist salivate. Have you ever thought about working alongside a tattoo artist?

Bob: I have indeed! Actually, I’ve done tattoo designs for a few people. My girlfriend actually got one that she asked me to design for her. I did check out a tattoo shop a few years ago that was looking for apprentices and took in several of my sketchbooks for the owner to look through. He seemed to be really impressed with what I was doing and said it was very original, which I took as a great compliment! Unfortunately, due mainly to time and economic reasons, I wasn’t able to go forward with this.

Family Reunion Novella – pencils

Family Reunion Novella – colors

Lawrence: A lot of artists create their own graphic novels or books of their work these days. They even do it on places like Lulu or CreateSpace. Have you ever thought about coming out with an art book?

Bob: I finished up a graphic novel script just last year that I’d love to get moving on. I started penciling about three pages then got busy with other projects, but would love to get back to it. I know that it’s going to be a long project, and I think that kind of keeps me reserved on it.

I do have a book of artwork available through Lulu from 2007 called Landscapes of Hell. It’s still available if anyone’s interested.

(to order Landscapes of Hell: http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/bobveon)

The Paraplegic – pencils

The Paraplegic – colors

Lawrence: Who are some clients, authors or publications you have done artwork for?

Bob: I started off doing black and white illustrations for Whispers of Wickedness. They always had some really good stories! From there I started working with Jason Gaskell on his online magazine Oriental Tales, doing illustrations for the stories people sent in. Other than that, I was asked to send some original work in for Taj Mahal Review and Harvests of New Millennium. For a while I hadn’t been doing much illustration and then just this last summer Jason Gaskell got in touch with me about doing illustrations for more of his short fiction for a collection he wanted to put out.

Grim Reaper print (part 1) by Bob Veon

Grim Reaper print (part 2) by Bob Veon

Lawrence: What do you think art is most lacking these days? And why?

Bob: I try not to get too elitist about art. It’s usually something you get or you don’t, but the fact that someone created something, took the time out of their life to put the energy in to make something for someone or just for themselves, that’s pretty important and deserves a look. If I want to get picky about things though, I could say there is too much of a reliance on digital technology to make something look good. But that would be a stupid thing to say since I do it myself!

Gargoyle-Dragon Creature

In Thrall to the Succubus

Lawrence: Although it’s taken both of us almost a year, what do you think of the “Six Novellas” eBook project? Have you ever done something like this before?

Bob: It’s been a lot of fun and exciting! I never know what to expect in the next story I get from you, and that adds to the fun of what I do for them. Hell, I’d never drawn a pirate ship before and then found myself doing it for Mysterious Lady of the Caribbean! I’ve never done anything like this before, but would love to do more of it. It certainly keeps the creative process moving!

Lawrence: If there was an artist or writer you could work beside, living or dead, who would it be? And why?

Bob: I think it would be pretty fun to work with someone like David Lynch. He certainly brings a very unique touch to whatever he’s working on. Really just about anyone I mentioned before as influences would be great fun to work with. It would be neat to see firsthand how they go about their work.

Death Clock

Dream Within a Dream

Lawrence: Funny how when we first teamed up we learned that we owned the same exact video games, the same exact toys and stickers (Star Wars, Mega Man, Final Fantasy, etc.), and other collectibles as if we had identical childhoods. Fun Stuff… What do you do for fun? Where do you turn when it’s time to take a break?

Bob: I know what you mean! It was pretty wild to find out we pretty much owned the same toys and video games! Usually for fun I like to play video games. I’ve been a huge fan of them since the old Nintendo system and haven’t stopped playing since! Things like Final Fantasy, Metal Gear, Grand Theft Auto, Castlevania – I enjoy them all. I also like to watch movies and read. Seems like most of the things I liked to do when I was a kid have pretty much stayed the same!

Nurse by Bob Veon

Secrets of Darkness

Soul-Eating Demon

Lawrence: In twenty years time, where would you like to see yourself?

Bob: I would love to be able to work on my artwork full time.

Lawrence: If you could be somebody famous in history, who would it be? And why?

Bob: I don’t know if he’s considered someone famous, but the Count St. Germain. I just want to know if he was this immortal that he claimed to be or a fake. Regardless, I’m sure it would be an interesting time!

Scarecrow Piece by Bob Veon

Tarot Reader piece by Bob Veon

The Return by Bob Veon

Lawrence: Favorite comic book superhero and super villain? And why?

Bob: Oh boy, this is one that’s hard for a comic geek! If I had to boil it down, I’m going to go with Wolverine for superhero. Why? With his powers and unbreakable skeleton he pretty much has no choice but to be this tough little ball of fury taking it to the villains every time they come up! As for super villain – Herr Starr from the Preacher comics. He takes villainy to a ridiculously fun level to read!

Lawrence: You know it’s bad for you. Favorite junk food?

Bob: I could eat pizza every day if I could, though I don’t consider it a junk food because it contains the four food groups. See how I justified that?

The Tormentor by Bob Veon

We Can Make You Better

Wicked Forest

Lawrence: Have any advice for aspiring artists who might be reading this?

Bob: If you want to make artwork just do it. And keep on doing it. Don’t try to compare what you’re doing with what someone else has done because that’s a very quick way to get discouraged. Good and bad are arbitrary things in art, and you are your own judge. The important thing is that you are expressing yourself creatively and hopefully gaining confidence as to just what you’re capable of doing with your abilities. It takes time and effort, but you will find your own unique style.

Canvas Work 1

Canvas Work 2

Canvas Work 3

Lawrence: Bob, I want to thank you for being here today and wish you the best of luck. Do you have any last words?

Bob: Just that I hope everyone likes what we’ve got on the Six Novellas project for next year! It’s been a pretty fun thing to be working on, so I’m hoping everyone gets that sense of fun when they get to read the stories. Thanks again, Lawrence!

Commissioned cover for Surprising Stories

Need a book cover done? Or maybe a canvas or a graphic novel? Hire Bob Veon now. Click any of the links below:

Main website:

http://bobveon.webs.com/index.htm

Also check out:

http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/bob-veon.html

http://www.artistrising.com/shop/tags/bob-veon.htm

http://bobveon.deviantart.com/

Or contact Bob Veon directly at:

bobveon@yahoo.com

Lawrence Dagstine: “How to make $5000.00 from writing…”

Posted on February 12, 2010

HOW TO MAKE FIVE-GRAND IN YOUR SPARE TIME FROM WRITING

An Essay by Lawrence Dagstine

This conversation always seems to come up whenever my name is made in passing in certain industry circles, regarding that “Prolific Hack” Lawrence R. Dagstine. This time it came via Facebook a few days ago by a person we’ll call Chubbs. Congratulations, Chubbs, you are now a character in my upcoming, racially provocative, cyberpunk novella, MAURICE AND THE URBANITES. All with good intentions, Chubbs; I won’t kill your character off. If there’s one thing I’m known for, it’s helping other writers find markets for their work. However, I think it is important that all housewives or househusbands, part-time tutors, teachers or students looking for extra cash, has-beens, wannabes, bohemians, panderers, starving artists, prose-driven lushes, pain-killer popping poet laureates, and yes, even young technical writers who need reminding pay heed. Or if you’re smart, can program yourself to type methodically, but find yourself currently unemployed. So let’s start this off right…

Publishing Clip/Magazine Tupperware No. 2 of 4 - Yes, I own four.

Hi, my name is Lawrence. I’m a hack writer who made roughly $5000.00 in 2009 from the written word. Cash. Mojo. Bling. And I’m going to show you too how to make this kind of money over a 365-day period; have checks and payments coming in regularly in this tough economy; samples on how to get writing gigs and become a fiction writing machine in your spare time, and the difference between quantity and quality (in my opinion). As a trench-writer since the late 90’s, with close to 400 magazine and webzine credits, and in this current market, this is how I perceive Quantity and Quality.

QUANTITY = The Possibility of Fast Money and Brief Popularity.

QUALITY = The Possibility of Immortality and Elegance of Prose.

Author’s Note: With the above, your mileage may vary. But both can exhibit a certain level of professionalism. I’ll also get to the novelist a bit more later on. Everything I put down here in the meantime is from firsthand experience, acceptances, years of observation, and generally whatever else worked for me concerning the written word.

I think everybody pretty much knows by now that I submit to a LOT of half-cent to three-cent per word paying markets. I often have a minimum of 20 to 40 different short stories and novelettes floating out there at any given time, and so should you; with reprints, once rights have reverted back to me, sometimes as many as 60 fiction markets. There’s one short that I’ve sold over seven, eight times already. These are often called “Trunk Stories”, stories which have already been published and are just sitting on your laptop, can be dusted off, and sold again after many years. And I’m not including small non-fiction gigs, which rely mainly on published clips, actual “print” periodicals, or through connections/recommendations one might have through freelancing or journalism. That’s a whole other ballgame. If you want to make some kind of extra cash with short stories, you need to write plenty of them! Like one or two per week, then build up a hefty folder over time. This is a must! It won’t be an overnight thing. Oh yeah, and expect to get a boatload of rejections. But I think every writer and his or her grandmother is aware that it comes with the territory.

At the same time, I truly believe that while the written word is the written word – by that, I mean whatever you manufacture from your keyboard – within short story writing and novel writing there exists two very different breeds of writer. Two very different thought process patterns between both of them. Even though, over time, it is essentially the hardworking novelist who will round up the most funds. One is taught to submit to nothing but the highest paying markets, because there is this invisible rule, and everybody should adhere to it. Because we should better ourselves. Start at the top, work your way down. Maybe go to Clarions or Borderlands or a similar writing workshop, and attend seminars where you can sit down with actual New York Times Bestselling Authors. Excellent philosophy. I’m for it one hundred percent! I’ve been told to submit to nothing but five-cent per word markets, otherwise throw your story away. I’ve had writers tell me five cents is an insult and submit to only seven-to-ten-cent per word paying markets. And there was the one old-schooler who said submit to only ten-cent markets (yeah, and out of the thousands upon thousands of genre writers, statistically we all know there’s a ton of those out there). I wouldn’t dare say keep that piece sitting in a drawer, especially if you believe in it. Submit it! Still, at the same time we can’t forget that some levels of writers do it for the sake of paying other bills, no matter how big or small that earning from writing may be: it might help you fill up your gas tank, it might help you afford air conditioning this summer, or even pay your mortgage or credit card. For some the opportunity is out there (on both levels); for some, not in a million years because they might not know what to do or how to go about freelancing or how to utilize reprints or how to get into the “Writing Habit”. Personally, I could give a damn about immortality. I live in the Here and Now, therefore I must eat, think, and survive in the Here and Now. That’s my philosophy.

Basically, have a secondary income coming in on a fairly repetitive basis. Checks and Paypal payments flying in every week to two weeks. The same way prolific novelists receive royalties by the quarter. Two very different breeds of writer, in my opinion.

Example 1:

On one particular day in September 2009, I opened up my email to find seven paying acceptances in ONE DAY – nothing big, nothing exorbitant – and I’m not a full-time writer. That’s my current record, by the way. In December 2009 I had another four paying acceptances in ONE DAY. That’s eleven paying short story acceptances right there. In only two days out of 365. Now, out of those eleven acceptances, who am I to say no to $25.00 checks, $50.00 checks, $75.00 checks, or even a $100.00 check, which might turn out to be a 2-cent per word story which just happens to equal a Benjamin Franklin? Especially if they’re rolling in constantly! Unless you’re already established, you never say no to Benjamin Franklin. Benjamin is your friend; Grant ain’t so bad either. A 2,000-word short story to a professional market equals the SAME hundred dollars. Not to mention I can probably name three or four other prolific short story writers who have me beat with the numbers above. And while Benjamin and Grant are your best friends, they can do more than just get your name and work out there. In this current market and economy it can pay for things.

Here’s another example from December 2009. The publication in the link below, which has been around eleven years, I often get acceptances from. I’ve even helped improve their exposure and circulation a bit. They pay me 1-cent per word for material. The two accepted stories in this particular entry, to be released this year, are 6,000 words in length each. That equals $120.00. Over a period of twelve months, it adds up.

CLICK HERE: https://lawrencedagstine.com/2009/12/21/nova-science-fiction-spring-2010-eight-acceptances/

This recent story acceptance below is fairly long. It took me one day to write this story. The creative juices were flowing. The check from it will pay for one gas bill. Still, if you want to pay more than one bill, you need to have at least 40 different short stories floating out there for you. When rejections come in, send the stories right back out.

CLICK HERE: https://lawrencedagstine.com/2010/02/10/aoifes-kiss-35-december-2010-12th-acceptance/

Once again, that $5000.00 was from part-time writing, not full-time. This came from short fiction, short non-fiction, selling Dagstine mags and wares in Coney Island, small leads and gigs on places like Craigs List to resume writing (www.craigslist.com). Let’s throw in a little off the books proofreading for people advertising simple jobs from foreign-speaking countries (e.g., gigs I had for Denmark and The Philippines). You can charge these people a fee in the low hundreds just to edit their manuscripts or fill their technical and business writing needs. Always charge less than what the Writer’s Market suggests for these jobs; work with your clients, they’ll use you again or recommend you to others. That’s how resume writing fell into my lap. It doesn’t matter where you come from: if you understand English, have Internet access, and enjoy typing, anybody can do this… ANYBODY CAN DO THIS! So what if it isn’t entirely fiction? Now I’m building up an entirely different kind of portfolio in the process, something I would never have done or thought of, say, five years ago. I’ve written under such names as Lawrence Davis, Lawrence Roberts, Lawrence Hewitt, and in the science fiction arena, Lawrence Dagstine. The list goes on. I even wrote a porn story once under the name Nabudi Sun (this was for kicks). Plus, the freedom of this also gives me the time to write more genre fiction, which I enjoy and grew up on.

SAMPLE FOREIGN / FREELANCE LINK: http://manila.craigslist.com.ph/wri/

You ever see that show, DEAL OR NO DEAL? Hosted by Howie Mandel? He comes out on stage rocking his baldy, a woman with a silver briefcase hollering and screaming at his side. The audience is cheering on. The woman is given the option to pick briefcases and go for a six-figure win. Let’s pretend that the contestant is a writer, and that this game show scenario applies to writing. Very rarely do people get that six-figures; shit, some times they don’t even score five. Howie Mandel will call upstairs and one of the producers or whatever will make an offer. It might be $6,000, $8,000, or $10,000… Do yourself a favor, TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN! Don’t wait around for a half-million dollars. Because, in traditional publishing, six-figures ain’t happening. $10,000, sure, why not. I can figure that. Pay your bills and have fun with your peers.

Example 2:

You know, when you think about it, $5000.00 equals an advance on some novels, which might take you a year to write and then an additional 18 months to be released. There’s no guarantee the book will sell, the agent you have will keep you or you will keep her, or that you’ll be the next big thing. Your book may sit on a shelf for what seems like an eternity, or be sent back for a refund. Or, in the end, have its cover torn off.

You have to remember, writing is a starving profession. Freelancing is quick cash. Thanks to it, I sell most of my works a minimum of three times each. Thanks to it I have heat and hot water, a full refrigerator, electricity and gas, copays on prescriptions covered, clothes on my back, toilet paper to wipe my ass, diapers on my kid’s behind, and all other bills and necessities besides a rent firmly paid.

But, I understand. Even though you realize that genre is a lottery, with one in every 10,000 to 20,000 truly making it BIG, you aspire to be that New York Times Bestselling writer. There’s nothing wrong with that. Dreaming big is a part of life. Sometimes those workshops or classes, however, are pricey. With round-trip airfare, hotel and food, you could be talking $2000 just to attend! Freelancing, in the fashion mentioned above, can PAY FOR THAT PROFESSIONAL WORKSHOP… It can help you afford these writing camps in what is a truly reserved economy.

In the end, it’s all about enjoying what you do. The storytelling aspect, and of course, entertaining your readers. Listen, you don’t have to stay in this little shell your whole life because some organization has it hammered out that way or because people have inferiority complexes (such as Chubbs). What good is a writer who ends up worm food from lack of finances? I think that at a certain point, you have to come out and set up your career the way you feel most comfortable with it. Remember, only you are responsible for your own destiny. Only you can carve out a niche for yourself, thus turning it into your own reality.

Until Next Time,

Lawrence Dagstine

Lawrence Dagstine: “Christmas Time 2009…”

Posted on December 11, 2009

For the 2009 holiday season, I decided to update my blog homepage and fill my fans and followers in on some of my gifts and achievements of the last twelve months, along with what to look out for and what will be under the x-mas tree this yuletide season (for the little one). Regardless of the last year-and-a-half of dying markets and a bad genre economy, 2009 still managed to be my best year in the “earning” department, where I doubt I will ever be able to rival 2007 in the quantity and material department. Some of these achievements range from smaller press and semi-pro fiction acceptances, minor proofreading, non-fiction writing and essays, resumes, my first official short story collection being released, my first Kindle title being released, making over 2000 friends and followers on Facebook, and just a lot revolving around the written word and The Spirit of Christmas.

Isn’t that a beautiful Christmas tree? The lights flash blue and white. Progress-wise, this year I had very little time to blog/plug but got a lot of acceptances (some straight through 2011), let go of a lot of reprints, wrote 26 BRAND NEW short stories, wrote 8 BRAND NEW novelettes, wrote four unfinished novellas between 15,000 and 30,000 words in length — which I may make available on my blog to read next year. I mean, why let good stories go to waste. Or maybe I will get around to editing and finishing those novellas. I have future eBooks & Kindle titles on the horizon. I realized that, money-wise, it doesn’t pay to release a second short story collection. I can earn more individually. I was shortlisted a couple of times by some decent pubs, made second readings, almost made it into 4 professional level magazines/venues. And that’s just the fiction department. Oh yeah, did I mention the steampunk and satire offers?

Below you will find pictures of just half of this year’s gifts. It’s mainly a Cybermen-themed Christmas this year, with David Tennant regenerating into Matt Smith and all. And my son is now a Dr. Who fan and absolutely adores The Cybermen (he’s scared of the Daleks). Oddly enough, he’s also more a Christopher Eccleston fan. One of the items I searched the UK high and low for was The Cybermen Age of Steel 4-figure collection. Collect them all, open up the packages, and you can build a fifth figure. The Cyber Controller. I also picked up The Next Doctor on DVD and ordered a Cyber Leader Voice-Changing Helmet to seal the deal.

Some of the other gifts, which are already wrapped, consist of model kits with glues and paints from my old man, though they say ages 8+ and 12+ on the packages. So I guess the little one will have to hold on to them until he’s old enough to understand them. Those are made by Revell. There are also Bob the Builder videos. Believe me, Doctor Who wasn’t the only stocking stuffer. There are some other wonderful toys and gifts ranging from Super Mario to Toddler Costumes to Spongebob Squarepants-themed games, and, like last year, play food items. Like “make your own pizza.” The Spongebob game in the picture below is actually Connect Four, but obviously for a slightly younger age group. Then there’s the one last-minute gift I just couldn’t put down. The paint job was so realistic. It reminded me of the Super Powers Action Figures of the 80’s. Remember those? The Justice League of America Boxed Set: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern. These figures are mint and pristine! And who doesn’t love the JLA?

Now that’s a big ass cup of coffee (by the way, that’s made of metal). Just couldn’t resist.

In a reduced and very affordable fashion, I also treated myself to a few early-season gifts. First, notice the non-fiction book above on Pompeii. You got it. It’s research time. Lawrence Dagstine will be coming your way sometime in 2010 with a story set in Pompeii. It could be before Volcano Day, it could be after. It could be Alternate History or not the story you’re expecting. But you know me when it comes to Historical Weird Tales.

Also, I can’t recommend enough WEIRD HISTORY 101 — published by Falls River, and if you’re a B&N member, you might be able to get it reduced now for $4.00 — in hardcover. This tome is sooo awesome. It’s like a mini factbook and reference tool for the writer, and just all around interesting to own. If you’re a writer of historical tales, alternate history, steampunk, or period pieces, trust me and go to Barnes & Nobles and get this book. Doesn’t matter what genre. Author is John Richard Stephens. You won’t find these kind of facts on Google, or between the pages of traditional historical reference books.

And if you look up above, I finally have a new computer desk. Nice to have shelving and a drawer, but still unsure of what to fill it up with yet. Now that the little one has gotten older, the bookcase units pretty much belong to him and his toys. Now that I have a Kindle, most of my print books will be donated. Those I wish to keep will be locked away in storage between two households (yeah, there’s that many). But that desk above is situated in a new corner, it’s my new workspace, and it’s where I’ll pen that Pompeii tale for you Dagstine readers when the time comes.

With that said, I’ll probably only update this blog four more times before the New Year. Stay with me in 2010. We have many adventures to go on together, and much awaits. Won’t you join me? To all my fans and readers…

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Lawrence R. Dagstine

Other New Entries: “About Me”