When engaged in the editing of my novel, I’ve learned an important lesson. I might have two books on my hands rather than just one. What that means is that even after assiduous editing – chopping here, tossing out there – I still have a novel so large that to put it out on the market as is would seriously impinge its marketability. Now, I could continue the cutting until the story was bled dry of character development, world building, mood, atmosphere, excitement etc. However, the question that has been pressing down on me is: What would the market for a book in my genre tolerate?

When I first started writing, I naively thought Marketing came “later”, after all the writing, editing and cover design was finished. Yeah, I was that clueless. Luckily, I came around and began studying more closely the target market for my novel. Something I highly recommend to any newbie writer out there. I learned some interesting things.

Such as the average size for a novel in the Paranormal Historical Thriller is 300 to 400 pages. 600 + page epics sell best in the fantasy genre though mostly if your name is J. R. R Tolkien or George R. R. Martin. Also, my target audience of women 20 years old and up, prefer series to simple standalone books. Doesn’t mean they don’t read standalone just that they prefer a series.

So, what would be an option for you if you had a massive tome on your hands that held so much of your blood, sweat and creativity within it? Look below…

I took a brief break from writing and editing to do a water-colour painting of a Cheetah. I love doing animal portraits and find a lot of peace when I paint them. Also, if you love Cheetahs or other animals, we have a number of different designs on a multitude of products in our Redbubble store. Check it out when you need that break from writing and doing market research.

Been loaded with other work recently so I’m running this Doodle Blog from a couple of years ago. It does, in a way, tie back to my blog on where some of my ideas come from. There’s a large “What if…” to the silly story below.

I hope you had a laugh. Since I doodled this story, my Dad, my dog Hugo and my cat Dusty have all passed on. 2020 was a hard year for multiple reasons. However, I know my Dad had a great laugh when he read this story. I’m pretty sure he would have found a way to beat those zombies with a few pieces of scrap wood and duct tape. He was just that kind of guy. Now, one question remains….If you found yourself in the Zombie Apocalypse, how would you survive?

In our fantasy-adventure graphic novel trilogy, The Sorcerer’s Children, there are zombie-like monsters called Wraith Warriors. Check them out when you join the adventure of that series. Or perhaps you would prefer the nefarious, interstellar threat of the Space Phantoms in The Adventures of Astrodog. They’ve got all the sci-fi swashbuckling and high-flying fun you could want.

As I approach the latest edit on my novel, it has struck me that running through it are some of the broad influences of my favourite stories. That’s inevitable, of course but two of my major influences stem from works at opposite sides of the literary spectrum. It makes for some interesting imagery in my opinion. Beyond my interest in mythology, the following books are stories that have made a lasting impact on my literary experience.

This is the book that hooked me on reading as a child. Now, over a hundred years since its original release, I can acknowledge some of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ problematic depiction of native Africans; not to mention the African American character of Esmerelda. However, Tarzan of the Apes has been continually in print since that time and has evolved into a cross-cultural icon. If your only exposure to this character is through the movies the novels will come as an entertaining surprise. The pacing of this book is pure page-turner and ERB skillfully hooks his reader into this ultimate fish-out-of-water tale. It’s that stirring pace that I’ve tried to evoke within my own work, whether in our graphic novels or my novel-in-progress. ERB packs his story with great surprises and interesting characters. I won’t even go into his utterly-cool Mars series.

This cover is by renown comic book artist Neal Adams.

At the opposite end of the literary spectrum is the classic Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. There are many reasons that this novel has endured across centuries. Aside from the beautiful gothic atmosphere and inspiring struggle of its titular heroine, this novel was groundbreaking for its time. Charlotte Bronte (and her sisters Emily and Anne) introduced an interior, emotional life to her characters that had previously never been explored. Whether or not you agree with Jane’s decisions and actions, you can’t help but feel for her and her struggle to assert her self-worth and her demand for respect as a human being. Again, there is some aspects of the story that make you shake your 21st century head, especially in the treatment of the mentally ill, but the themes resonate to this day.

It might be most obvious how the pulp stories of ERB influenced our graphic novel series, The Sorcerer’s Children and The Adventures of Astrodog. However, I like to think some of the emotional depth of the classics like Jane Eyre work their way into the stories as well. These are, of course, only two of the tales that have resonated with me. There are plenty more and don’t even get me started comic books. Or rather, I’ll talk about those later.

As I reveal a little more about the story of my upcoming novel over the next few months, other influences or inspirations may become more obvious. Hopefully, in a good way. What are some of the books or stories that have affected or influenced you? What, perhaps, are some of the books that might be your “guilty pleasure”?

Didn’t I mention something about “Gothic Atmosphere”? A little hint of the mood for my upcoming book. It’s not an exact match for the setting but it’s pretty close.