Music is playing, the sun is filtering its yellow warmth
through the window, and here I sit in my studio staring at a screen that is
staring blankly back at me, waiting for me to fill it with words. It is my ritual
of creativity, this mental flogging and piecing together of thoughts, and as I
sit here and I do it, my mind wanders back over the fields of the last few
years. It is strange. I have performed this act many times.
How many?
It’s hard to say.
It’s certainly more than I did- what?- five, six, seven
years ago. Certainly more than that.
But that’s not the most interesting question, the “how
many,” that’s not the one that will fill this blank screen with words and wipe from
it the smug and rather contemptuous attitude it bears for my skills as a writer.
No, the most interesting question to me is: “why?” Why, oh why, did I decide to
engage in this chore of staring at screens thinking and thinking of something
to write? It’s not like I had no creative outlet and was dying for some sort of
artistic release. I was, and still am, an illustrator. I make art for companies
on commission, and it’s usually cool artwork that I get to create. Stuff like
this:
And this:
So why?
Well, as it turns out, like most things the illustration
market just ain’t what it used to be. Prices for the artists’ work have fallen,
and there are more competitors than ever for those dollars. In my mind, this
has come about due to a variety of factors, some of which include: the ability
to use computers as a way to make art, massive piles of stock photos and stock illustrations,
and a truly globalized talent pool willing to take pennies rather than the
dollars I would ask for to do the same work.
It was because of these things, and a host of other more
boring factors, that I felt like I needed to start creating my own independent
properties. Projects that were mine from start to finish.
What would that be though?
Lucky for me, I was asking these questions at a time
when I had returned to college for my MFA. While there, I received some
excellent advice from a man I consider my mentor, Murray Tinkelman. Murray is
an amazing professor and artist, my respect for him is boundless. When he
looked at my written work and told me that I was one of the best writers he’d
seen in his ridiculously long career as an educator, I took it seriously. He,
and another professor, the esteemed Vincent Di Fate, strongly suggested that I
combine my potential as a writer with my skills as an illustrator.
I thought, “Why not? I really enjoy writing, and maybe
this is just the thing I need to make something that was mine from the
beginning to the end. So that is what I did. I wrote a book, “The Zombie Axiom,” and I did up some
interior pieces like these:
And I put together this cover:
I then picked up an agent, and we shopped the book around for about a
year before we decided to self-publish while continuing to look for a traditional
publisher. To that end, I studied the above image and, though I loved the
action of the piece, felt it was too bright and too graphic novel looking.
Plus, I wanted to develop a sort of theme based on color with green being the
dominant color on the first book, followed by blue on the second, and a
combination of the two on the third. This line of thought led me to create this
piece and to use it as the cover of the self-published book:
With this image and
the ten interior illustrations in hand, I self-published the novel, and within
five months, was signed with Severed Press for the trilogy. Oh, and they wanted
me to redo the cover. They thought that it was too science fiction-y and wanted
something with more action and zombies in it. I said, “I have just the thing,”
and showed them the original cover. They loved it and agreed that it needed to
look less like a graphic novel cover and much less bright. Back to the drawing
board! Here is how it came out:
They
really liked it, and so did I. It was immensely gratifying to see it put together
as one published book, one piece of art, something I had made, the story, the
images, all coming together, closing the circle. Much like this essay. The
music is still playing, the sun has moved higher beyond my window, but my
computer screen is no longer blank and smug.
The Zombie Axiom
In the Time of the Dead
Book I
David Monette
Genre: Horror/Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Severed Press
Date of Publication: April 11, 2014
ISBN-10: 1925047717
ISBN-13: 978-1925047714,
ASIN: B00JM38JZY
ASIN:
Number of pages: 310
Word Count: 113,000
Cover Artist: David Monette
Book Description:
A handful of survivors claw out a life amid the ruins of the world, all the while fighting the zombie hordes.
In Northern New York State, three uncommon allies lead one of these bands in this epic struggle as they learn both the strengths and weaknesses of their enemies… and of themselves.
Pushed to their limits and holed up on a remote lake island, life has taken on a new normality. That is until winter arrives and all hell will freeze over. For it is then that the open waters of the lake, the only barrier against the unrelenting dead, will freeze. And the monsters will come. By the thousands…
Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/AXmHYK5TrSc
About the Author:
David Monette functions as an author and illustrator from his home in Northern New York State. His highly detailed fantasy and science fiction artwork has appeared on many books, magazines, board games, and collectible cards. While receiving his MFA in illustration, his instructors reviewed his written work and strongly suggested that he combine his writing ability with his talent as an illustrator to chart his own path. Hence, “The Zombie Axiom” was born, a compelling, terrifying story sprinkled with amazing black and white illustrations from start to finish.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaintWriteDave
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zombieaxiom
Website: http://davidmonette.com/
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7334521.David_Monette
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/David-Monette/e/B00FMX73DM
Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyLnc5iH4YIC_L2TioEjt1w
June 2 Guest blog
Roxanne’s Realm
June 3 Guest Post
Books Direct
June 4 Interview and review
Little Read Riding Hood
June 5 Spotlight
3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! http://3partnersinshopping.blogspot.com
June 6 review
Mama Knows Books
June 9 Spotlight
Nanna Three and Counting
June 10 Spotlight
Deal Sharing Aunt
June 11 Spotlight
Sapphyria's Book Reviews
June 12 Spotlight
Coffee Break
June 13 Guest blog
Darkest Cravings
June 16 Guest blog and review
The Bookie Monster
June 17 Spotlight
Share My Destiny
June 18 Character Interview
Author Karen Swart
June 19 Spotlight
Soaring Eagle Publicity
June 20 Interview
Eclipse Reviews
June 23 Guest blog
Fang-tastic Books
June 24 Interview
The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom
June 25 review
Mom With A Kindle
June 26 Guest blog
Booklover Sue
June 26 review
Paranormal Romance and Authors That Rock
June 27 Interview
Twisted Book Junkie
June 30 Interview
Pembroke Sinclair.
0 comments:
Post a Comment