What is a childhood memory that makes you smile?
It's not one specific memory, but the excitement I had when I started to get into gaming.
Particularly with the SNES, which is still one of my most favorite consoles of all time!
That and when Jurassic Park came out haha!
Who introduced you to the world of books?
My parents. My dad especially. He still reads, like, two novels a week on average. Ironically, I've never really been a big reader...
As a teenager, what were you obsessed with?
Part of me thinks I'm too embarrassed to remember. But I'd have to say it was probably the start of a long-time obsession with the paranormal. I grew up in a few haunted houses and eventually became part of a paranormal investigation team and even developed the ability to communicate with spirits and became a bit of a psychic artist. But that's an interview for another day...
How was your lifelong passion for drawing developed?
In grade four, I was inspired by other classmates who were drawing TV cartoon characters. So I started to do the same with some of my favorites at the time. In particular - The Simpsons, Road Runner and Coyote, Super Mario, Darkwing Duck, and Batman. Then in grade 5 back, we were given the assignment to draw a comic strip. That was all the taste I needed to dive headfirst into a lifelong tumble down that rabbit hole of creating my own characters and their stories.
What motivated you to pursue your dream of storytelling professionally?
I got a degree in multimedia design to further develop my art skills and after graduating, worked in the field producing content for some TV networks. After various contract positions, I wanted to focus on getting something more "stable" career-wise, and so went into the IT field. But continuing to develop my art and stories was a constant project in the background. I realized, even if I did return to working in the media field, I was tired of telling someone else's story and wanted to tell my own. So I started to work on a graphic novel for the favorite of my stories, The Herd, follow by Farm Freaks.
How did you come up with the title of your novel, The Herd Volume 1 Part 2.5?
When writing The Herd, it ended up going through rewrites as I was writing it. I was halfway through when is book 2 when I decided I should maybe break this book up into multiple parts, as it was getting to be fairly long. At that point, I thought I could do it all in 3 books and had redesigned covers based on that, as well as had been advertising. THen I realized book 3 was getting to be lengthy as well and during conventions, I was getting asked when part three was out. So to change direction and to lean into the meta ridiculousness that THe Herd already is, I changed marketing direction and said it was a part 2.5 in order to keep to the 3 book plan I'd already been advertising. So, although it's 4 books, it's still ending in "part 3". ...It made sense at the time anyway...not so much in hindsight.
Would you like to join the new team of amateur heroes to save Maple City and stop the superpowered pandemic from spreading beyond its borders?
Sign me up! I hear they have great benefits!
How would you describe your career in the IT field as a Global Systems Operator?
It's a career in the IT field as a Global Systems Operator.
What made you decide to go to Durham College to get a degree in Multimedia Design?
I'd applied to Sheridan for animation at the same time and had made it to the last administration test to make the "final 30" list of those who were being accepted...but didn't make it. At the same time, I was accepted to Durham College and their multimedia design program still had an animation course, on top of the web and graphic design. I also lived 20 minutes away, had friends going there, so just made sense to go with it.
What's the single best bit of advice you've been given as an entrepreneur?
As I mentioned before, after college I worked in the field for some tv networks. At the time, FLASH was the big animation tool the studios were using. I loved that tool! Everyone did. Now it's not used anymore, but by the time that happened, I'd long been out of the field and had grown out of touch with what was new, because my focus was elsewhere in life at the time. The problem for me though, even when I was in the field, I was always focused on telling my own stories and trying to get them off the ground, and that was another reason why I grew out of touch with the tech. To apply in the field now, my education is outdated for the programs used now. Yes, I can easily take a course and learn. But with what time? Full-time regular job, a mortgage, two kids, and I still have that little problem of wanting to work on and tell my own stories, rather than someone else's. Which if I did get back into the field in some network or company, is exactly what I'd be working on - someone else's stories! So where I stand now, I don't hold a candle when in the mix of applicants to certain positions in show production (as that is where I'd love to eventually bring The Herd). So, that is why I went solo the way I did to build my own company and products - my books. Now that I have a few under my belt and have laid some groundwork, that is my "resume". SO, this is a long-winded way of saying - make your voice your own currency! Create something based on what you know and what you know you're meant to do inside. No amount of degrees can do that for you! (...although they do help! STAY IN SCHOOL, KIDS!)
Which famous person would you like to be? Why?
I don't want to be anyone cause then I inherit their problems. I've got my own problems. ...But I'd like to be Batman...and do I really need to explain why? It's Batman!
If you could listen to just 5 artists for the rest of your life, who would they be?
I mean, there are some of the staples that EVERYONE loves (as do I) - Nirvana, Beatles, M.Jackson, but I also listen to a lot of techno, club, Euro-dance. THAT being said, I also like Dead Maus, Original 3, and Parrov Stellar. I usually always default back to 90s and early 2000s music. I'm more about movies than music though. Top 5 movies - Beetlejuice, The Dark Knight, Jurassic Park, Ghostbusters, The Lion King.
What should all first-time entrepreneurs know before starting their very first business?
Their goals, their target audience, their budget, a game plan and to do it within your means. Don't rush, do your research, and don't make brash decisions. Just take your time and make sure it's not what you're relying on to be as your main income to start. Have a job that's a main income and your entrepreneur work is all extra and let it build off itself. When you're ready to do the switch to full-on entrepreneurship income, you'll know when you get there. I'm far from there, and I'm well aware of it, but I just keep leaning into it! Make sure it's something you can sustain and don't go outside your means, especially when getting lost in the excitement of a big payday. Don't be doing it for immediate cash flow, because unless you struck gold, it's going to take time with many many discouragements. But if it's what you love doing, that shouldn't matter, because you love doing it. SO always look for your silver linings and follow their narrow paths to success!
What is your next book and when is it coming?
Farm Freaks: Day 1 - The Arrival is my most recent book and its next installment, Day 2 - The Accident, will be available in a couple of months (hopefully). Farm Freaks is a 7 book miniseries I'll be working on into next year. Following that, The Herd Volume 2.
How has your experience of being associated with AllAuthor been?
Very good! I've taken huge advantage of the various book mockup services available, and it's really helped gain my following and readers. Thank you!
