It's been a while since I've had the chance to update my blog as things have been insanely busy since heading off to Vancouver in early April. It's times like these that I wish I had a twin or a clone to help me juggle all of the tasks that go into self-publishing while maintaining my regular gig as a teacher, father and husband. That being said, I'm probably the luckiest guy in the world for getting to pursue my dreams personally and professionally, so I'm not complaining one bit (although I would have loved my beloved Montreal Canadiens to get past Tampa Bay, but I digress).
First off lets flip through the calendar and head back to early April and Fan Expo Vancouver. It was my second trip out to the left coast and Van City continues to hold a dear place in my heart. The fans were awesome and I had a great time reconnecting with those who remembered me from last year. This year's convention was a little different for me as it was the first time that I was exhibiting on my own and it was a lot of fun. Last year I handed out preview samples of Chronokari Alpha: Time is Relative and it was nice to see that those who swung by the Boeboe Creative booth this year remembered the samples and picked up copies of the print edition. I had a great time introducing Chronokari Alpha to a new set of fans and was really pleased by the enthusiastic feedback that I received.
Over the three-day event I did sketches, chatted with the fans and was amazed by some of the awesome cosplay that was on display. A special nod to the cosplayers in the life size tauntaun costume who roamed the halls of the Vancouver Convention Centre! The sketch that I still find myself smiling over was the request I got to draw Princess Leia on a blank cover of Princess Leia #001. The cool thing about having to do the sketch was the fact the comic had already been signed by Carrie Fisher herself! Talk about pressure.
I also enjoyed this blank cover request: A zombified version of Wolverine.
Another contributing factor to an enjoyable weekend was the fact that my booth was placed between two very cool artists Craig Wilson (www.money-shotz.blogspot.ca) and Stanley Miller of Bling Squared (www.blingsquared.com). I was amazed at their talent and would gladly go through another convention weekend with them on either side of me.
Since returning to Toronto its been full steam ahead getting ready for the rest of the convention season, working on social media for Chronokari Alpha and getting the new edition of my magazine Comix Asylum up and running. In addition to writing and publishing Chronokari Alpha, my company also publishes Carl Jackson's Edge: East Wind in Paradise and the bi-monthly Comix Asylum Magazine. The magazine has recently switched platforms and is now going to be available through Magzter. I'm the Editorial Director for Comix Asylum and contirbute a few articles to the website and magazine when time allows. Now that the convention season is ramping up I'm going to have to find some time to take care of the Comix Asylum commitments, promote Edge and finish the follow up to Time is Relative. It's going to be a busy summer but I'm really looking forward to it.
The highlight for me this summer will be AnikeKon in Barbados. I had the pleasure of going to AnimeKon a few years ago as a fan and really enjoyed myself. I was amazed at the passion fans in Barbados had for cosplay, science fiction and video games. I'll be there this year as an exhibitor and can't wait to introduce the adventures of Miles and Derrick to the masses in the Caribbean.
As the school year winds down and the calendar flips towards June and July I'm going to be looking at ways to increase my social media presence. There is so much to learn as a self-publisher but thankfully there are lots of other authors who are willing to share their experiences and tips to being a successful author and blogger. One that I found useful today was Discover How To Write Better Blog Posts by Elana at www.livingwithbatman.com. Hopefully my clone or twin will help me take advantage of Elana's good advice. I'll be doing some sketches to further prepare for the next installment of the Chronokari Alpha saga and will share some of them with you in my next blog. Until next time, enjoy the sunshine and the heat, as it appears that spring is finally beating back the cold winds of winter.
#FanExpoVancouver #ComixAsylum #blog #selfpublishing #AnimeKonExpo #Magzter #CarrieFisher #PrincessLeia #Wolverine
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