Episode Details

The Fun Stuff First

Join Me at Niagara Falls Comic Con

I’ll be at Niagara Falls Comic-Con with copies of Unlimited Udo and Stay Cool available — plus a bonus for any backers of Crazy Latte Thing Called Love.

Not just that, but dear subscribers (LIKE YOU) will also get a freebie from me. Just show me your subscription on your phone and I’ll hand over the goods.

NFCC runs from June 7-9. Find out more here.

“Crazy Latte Thing Called Love” Going Strong

Holy cow! What a start we’ve had! 13 hours in and we hit our funding goal! We rocketed past the first stretch goal too before slowing down through the deadzone for a little while.

I’m writing post on Monday to get ahead of all the things I need to do for the campaign, so I don’t know how the Flash Goal and Pocket Reward have done. Hopefully those drummed up a lot of interest. If you’re reading this now, you know better than I do.

The support this campaign, in comparison to the previous ones by Pesto Comics, has been absolutely astounding. I’ve been trying a whole bunch of new things this time out to drum up interest. Not everything has worked, but a lot has.

Most of all, Mattia Monaco’s art has been a huge talking point by nearly everyone who checks the campaign out. I’ll get into this more later in this post.

I’ll also be doing a post-mortem, here in the Substack, a couple weeks after the end of the campaign to really dive deep into the numbers.

For now, I just want to say thank you to anyone who has backed the campaign already. If you haven’t, don’t delay. Though the comics will be available in some form after the campaign, you won’t get the deals you do during the Kickstarter.

Shipping is included. There’s great bundles. A whole whack of free extras that go to both physical backers and to digital only ones. Plus, keeping these campaigns alive ensures that we can keep creating new and more amazing stories to share.

Speaking of sharing stories…

Call for Entries Continue!

I’ve been reading more than ever - and I was already an avid reader. There are so many good stories out there. It’s incredible the gems I’ve been uncovering from the submission to Big Smoke Pulp. Space in the book is nearly 50% spoken for. So if you’re a glass half-full kind of person, throw your hat in the ring.

Some tips to make sure I’m happy when I read your story:

* Fast paced and high tension: get into the story immediately. Set the scene with action over description.

* Shorter is better: though some longer works have made it through, the overwhelming majority have been south of 2000 words.

* Cliche is okay...sometimes: with shorter word counts, using some cliched tropes helps set to scene so you can get to the action.

* With a twist: keep me guessing 'til the end. I want to feel like I know what's coming - then be shocked. It's not a requirement to be an actual twist, but subvert my expectations a bit.

I’m looking forward to seeing what you’ve got — and I can’t wait to show you what I’ve been reading!

A Year on Substack

Time flies, doesn’t it? I remember when this newsletter could barely walk - and now it’s soaring!

This newsletter started with just a handful of readers and we’re now well over 600 subscribers. I’m thrilled to have so many friendly folks interested in what’s happening with this venture every couple of weeks.

If you haven’t subscribed yet, it won’t cost you a dime! Join the party:

Now, with that hidden segue…

How Lucky Am I?!

You may have noticed I use “I” and “we” interchangeably. That’s because I don’t do any of this alone. The amazing artists I’ve worked with since 2022 have elevated my stories into something new and amazing every single time.

I’ve had a great experience with