Elizabeth's 2 seconds

Clockwork Alchemy 2012! (pre-event!)

Hey Kids! :) It sure takes a lot of prep for a 4 day event, but I think half of what I've accomplished are things that will apply well to future events (and Dark Victorian fun). Clockwork Alchemy 2012 in San Jose, CA, this coming Memorial Day weekend (beginning Friday and ending Monday), is really shaping up. Find out details and how to get your tickets if you're local, HERE.

There will be such exciting pastimes as airship racing, mechanical fox hunting (this fox will shoot lasers back at you), dance lessons, 19th C. martial arts, AND (among many other fun things requiring music and frolicking) ARTISTS EXHIBITING IN A MAGICAL, MYTHICAL, TIME TRAVELING BAZAAR.

Therefore, this artist/writer/whatchamacallit is bringing Stuff.

ART PRINTS OF ART!

Dark Victorian ART!!!

ART ON CARDSTOCK!

MOAR DArk Victorian ART!!11!

We are a fine selection for any Dark Victorian collection.

BUTTONS.

If we glow, it means a GHOST IS NEAR YOU.

MOAR Dark Victorian BUTToNS GAAAhhh.

What all the ladiez are carrying these dayz.

Oh, and some leather & steel flash drives, loaded with all three e-book files of THE DARK VICTORIAN: RISEN. Namely, epub, mobi, and an Illustrated PDF (plus free goodies).

Yes! See it all, again!

The DARK VICTORIAN: RISEN e-books on disc, of course!

For those times when feeling hot and bothered.

And I made myself this (blurry) paper fan. DID YOU know that during Victorian times, there was a 'fan language' as well as 'flower language' and whatnot? I won't be signaling anything, especially since this isn't a folding fan. But there will be lots of bosoms, corsets, and bustles, so . . . *fans self*.

All pertinent papers, rental car, inventory, outfits (hidden cache of foods and waters), complimentary freebies and candies for customers, etc, are accounted for and now I'm really happy to get back to my BONES manuscript. I look forward to having a venue to share Dark Victorian with more new readers---and again, I WELCOME and appreciate those reviews, mentions, and Likes (and Pins, and tweets), so Thank You! But all in all, you know it, I especially will be happy to get back on track and Writing again. Clockwork Alchemy was good motivation for getting a few RISEN illustrations done. 1 of Helia Skycourt, 2 of Art (and Jim), and the 4th will be Helene Skycourt; the 5th should be Manon. Of the black and white work for the Risen story itself, I think I'm up to illo 4.

Like so.

Kids, make up your own narrative, it will be fun.

Looking good, yeah? If I go to ten . . . well, I'll share later what going to ten illustrations, mean.

HEY! I learned how to tie a dressage cravat.

LOOK MA, NO HANDS.

The cravat tied and worn for Clockwork Alchemy is not guaranteed to look like this picture. :D

I will see you there! Everyone take care, and if time-traveling, safe journey and wishing you much fun upon reaching the destination! :)

All the best,

~~eeeee

Dark Victorian Reviews, illos, and more

FIRST: Risen's first review by the gracious Raydeen, at My Ethereality! (go go go!). What a wonderful way to debut, thank you, Ray! :) She has very nice things to say about RISEN, so it's a nice warm boost for me!

SECOND: Yes, you guess it, a second lovely and insightful review by Lee Ann Farruga at Steampunk Canada! We are currently on the front page, so please take a look, because that is very cool! :) Review by Lee Ann is Here, and I thank her for the words!

Besides promoting RISEN (in a very haphazard, 'sort of'', fashion), I've been preparing for Clockwork Alchemy, a steampunk event in association with FanimeCon, the longest running anime event in northern California. Happening Memorial Day weekend, it is shaping up to be quite a show, with airship racing, dancing, bands, games, a stick fighting demonstration (sob), more bands, workshops, you name it. And I will be stuck in the Artists Bazaar all four days, wishing I was at the 19th century martial arts demo. For you see, in BONES, the next book in the Dark Victorian series, I've some stick fighting between gentlewomen. Let's just say it's awesome and they beat the tea cakes out of each other. :D And I've purchased me own 19th century Blackthorn for the occasion. Um, so I can enjoy having such a walking stick, not to go out and beat upon folk with my unlikely 19th c. stick fighting skills. WHY am I harping on this subject?

Well besides sitting in Alchemy's Bazaar selling me wares, I'll be in my dressage top hat and with walking stick in hand. HOPING I might run away for a wee bit and see the stick fighting demo. This may happen, I might be desperate. I may leave out a BRB sign and hope me wares are still there. :-P

Mock-up of my table for Alchemy! Yes, that's a Nook.

Note: the above pic is way more crowded than it should be; it's on 4.5 feet of table space and at Alchemy I'll have 6 ft.

SMOOTH SEGUE INTO: I made RISEN epub ebook Cds! \o/!

oooo, sexay

Since I was burning ebook cds for Alchemy, I decided to throw in a Freebie folder containing a digital mini poster of KEEP CALM, GHOST & SKULL ARE HERE, and 3 colouring pages. "What?", you may ask. "Coloring pages?". Yes, I said Colouring pages. Because thee is never too young or old to play with markers and crayons.

What you get is what I got, babee.

So to totally screw up my sales ranking at Amazon---and what sane author would want to do that---I've decided to offer the Risen epub cd at my own online store. Shipping is Free, as in included in the purchase price. The link is HERE.

Colouring pages. Well, I'll tell you why. Again, against all sanity, I've decided to illustrate RISEN. There can be an illustrated version, yes. I still get the message from the universe that people who read 'real books' do not like pictures in their books. I totally get that. I am a fool and will go ahead anyways to make an illustrated version. Will it be in print? Ideally, ebook sales are supposed to pay for print. WELL! That would be nice. So will there be a digital illustrated book? Yes, that can happen. So meanwhile, I am drawing and inking certain illos that are planned out. Getting them painted is also in the queue.

Here's illustration plate 1, in progress:

Art is a big girl.

Excerpt:
“Yes,” Fall said. He moved for a bell and rang it. “My best resurrection yet.” He swiveled in his chair to face the door behind him. “An artificial ghost.”
“A ghost?” Jim said.
Beyond the door, deliberate and purposeful steps echoed. There was the accompanying tap of a stick. Jim listened and wondered at the validity of so solid a ‘ghost’ when the door opened.
An extraordinarily pale and statuesque woman stepped forward, her high-collared fitted dress sweeping the floor. A cravat pinned by a cameo skull brooch adorned her throat. A silver-handled ironwood walking stick was in her gloved hand. Her body held a subtle, spectral aura. The shimmer of it bleached the color from her clothing and hat."

Here is illustration plate 2, in progress:

Aww.

Excerpt:

"She passed the book kiosk where a delivery man was setting down stacks of periodicals and papers. While he and the seller worked, she turned her head and saw a woman standing there. She was a young lady in her mid-twenties, dark haired with arched brows and a rosy tint to her lips and cheek. Her hair was disorderly beneath her hat. One side of her face wore a fitted leather mask. Her eyes were blue, and at the sight of Artifice her lips parted and her eyes grew wide with a strange, deep delight and profound awe. Artifice returned the gaze and then had to break it; the intensity unsettled her."

And so on. So some of the colouring pages are like this. I know, how to explain it to the kids. When they are OLDER, they will THANK YOU.

I got lots to do. If you haven't read or bought RISEN already (who hasn't? :D), TELL YOUR FRIENDS! 'Like' it over at Amazon and B&N, Plus it, Tweet it if thou whilt, PIN it baby, Pin it like you mean it. All these things count towards boosting the signal into the interweb-verse. And YES, I very much welcome reviews written at Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, and your own blogs. If you are book blog reviewer, most definitely contact me and I'll provide you with goods. I mean, look at that second illo (yes, scroll back up); can't you see what needs to happen?? It can happen with your help! :D

And THANK YOU, btw, to those who've gotten their copy of RISEN already! Hope you enjoyed it, I know you did, and you are awesome!

Now really, back to it. Have a beautiful end of April!

love,

~eeee

(more excitement) Dark Victorian: RISEN is also on B&N!

I is an auteur.

The link! : http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1110145826?ean=2940014513043

Hooray! So there it is for Nook users. I will have a DRM-Free .epub file eventually uploaded to Google Books, now known as Google Play, for those who like their .epubs and music non-proprietary. That is in the queue. Eventually I'll figure out Apple's iBookstore (that has an extensive approval time, so that could take a month from now), and also Smashwords for those who buy from Sony for their Kobe.

As I'll usually claim, I am new at this and the Google Books angle is especially new; they've sales territories in Spain, Italy, France, as well as the English-speaking countries (Australia, Britain, Canada). I activated for the English speaking ones but just wonder about the sales tax in the others. *more perplexity*. This business stuff, I really should know more about it. :P

But right now, I am inking illo #2 for the possible illustrated RISEN and must work on manuscript 2 of Dark Victorian, BONES. And laundry.

BUT what excitement on a Saturday night!! I'm on B&N! :)

I guess it can grow from here, whether I'm ready or not, and thanks to all of you who've been on this for the past many years, with me!

Love, ~~eee

The Dark Victorian: RISEN novella is now available :)

My first steampunk / steamgoth novella, "The Dark Victorian: RISEN" has just published to Kindle :

Amazon Link to Dark Victorian: RISEN

Nook, etc in the queue. "In 1880, criminals are resurrected to fight the supernatural evils that threaten a mechanical and supernatural London." Strong heroine, fun dialogue, horror, and mystery! Hope you enjoy! :)

Having a bit of posting trouble here, or I'd show you the cover pic (again). Thank you all, for your great support! :)

best,

~~eeee

Final DV art, Clockwork Alchemy, and more

Will you look at that! :

LONDON, WE HAVE LIFT-OFF.

As you can see, here at Dark Victorian central, we are full of the beautifuls. Thank you to Tom Orzechowski for the incredible (hand done!) logo and lettering. Thanks must be given to me (bwa ha) for finally nailing a decent composition of the background illustration in order to show off the title and the main character. Win/win! Presently, the doc is now with the e-book formatter, awaiting a quote (which I will prolly agree to, because sheesh, we want a book!).

While that's happening, thanks to peer discussion whilst at Wondercon 2012, I will also work on a print book. With illustration plates (am working on that now). And me, working with a typesetter, requesting fleurons and pretty things, and then me, working with a printer (Lightning Source, ftw), wondering how this is all going to work. So eventually, I will GET this, and there will be a print version.

Calloo calley! EVENT!

And then---until then! I will put my dressage hat on and exhibit at the illustrious CLOCKWORK ALCHEMY event, May 25-28 (yes, *4* days!!) in San Jose, CA, at the Doubletree hotel, near the SJ airport. It is Memorial Day weekend and also presented by Fanimecon (also happening that weekend), the biggest, oldest anime con of Northern California. Clockwork Alchemy promises to be quite a treat, with film festivals, airship events, dancing, a Ball, and so forth. Check it all out at the site. If you are local to the area, I very much encourage you to come. If you know me, remind me, and let's say 'hi'!

Myself, I will be in the Artist Bazaar, wistfully wishing I was airship racing. Thus is the life of a working artist/writer!

OH, but I'll be bringing stuff, most notably what couldn't be brought to Wondercon: E-book DVDs and flash drives of The Dark Victorian: RISEN. And original art, hopefully, and more art prints. And me, in a dressage hat. No horse. :D

Viens! Veronique Chevalier!

More Steam'y news: A big BON JOUR to Mlle. MAD V, otherwise known as Veronique Chevalier, who stopped by during Wondercon---merci beaucoup!---and let me know how much she enjoyed The Dark Victorian: RISEN preview! A big thank you to all those who have enjoyed the preview, too! :) MAD V does dark cabaret, comedy, gothic polka, and steampunk. Listen to her musique, HERE.

Have fun! :)

What am I thinking? Oh yes, EMERALD CITY COMICON in Seattle, WA, is happening RIGHT NOW! So I want to give a few friends a signal boost. Are you going? Are you not? Well, check out my friends who do the BAND comic, table in the 'J' section. Site, HERE. Christine (writer) is an old Action Girl Comics comrade (hearts) and Erin (artist), he's an animation colleague. So go say "HI"!

And Roberta Gregory (please check out her latest, TRUE CAT TOONS, which I very much enjoy, at her site) may still be there, a few tables down with Larry Lewis, and Donna Barr is at the Prism Comics booth.

OH, and remember my friend Carolyn (Watson-Dubisch), creator of THE PEOPLE THAT MELT IN THE RAIN? You can keep up with what's current with her, HERE.

And to swing everything back to The Dark Victorian, made some stuff over at Zazzle with variations on Tom's logo and my DV art. MORE to come, but please take a look. Fave'ing or Liking or even Wishlisting will also boost my store's signal. :)

Thanks everyone, and now back to it. Besides drawing more Art (Artifice) for the new print book, I have to figure out if my new hat will go with that new skirt. :P

All the best,

~eeee

Wondercon, 2012!

WONDERCON, 2012, in Anaheim! I braved torrential rain and cold to do my exhibitor thing for 3 days, traveling to and fro from Burbank. No drunk leprechans tried to race me, I didn't collapse under the weight of stuff I carried in and out, didn't have to use my AK; it was a good day! ;)

Oh, 'tis blurry on a Friday morn, pre-opening!

The table set-up, pre-opening on Friday! On SAT and SUN, the gracious Carolyn Watson Dubisch sat with me and brought her children's books and graphic novel, THE PEOPLE THAT MELT IN THE RAIN. (check out the links to her Amazon Author page and to the digital version of PEOPLE at Amazon!).

My aim for this con, since The Dark Victorian: RISEN, is still in the process of becoming an e-book, was to spread the word on DV. Made 60 preview booklets with about 90% of them going into the hands of people genuinely attracted to the cover. IF they are going to be so curious and pleased as to pick up something like the Dark Victorian and take a look inside, that person gets the preview booklet. And a free Dark Victorian button. AND I just remembered, I've a heck of a lot emails to enter into the mailing list (yes, I know I've been neglecting the mailing list members!).

Another remembrance!!: My total apologies to the young lady wanting to buy a pendant necklace, I think? On Sunday. I had to run off with another young woman's CC in order to get a clear wireless signal for my iPod's SQUARE. I super apologize for running off, though Carolyn assures me that all was fine. I hope you enjoy your purchase. :) I hope everyone enjoys their purchases! BTW, to all who are planning to vend at events, the Square is awesome, it's so simple to use and now I can process credit cards. It's like the miracle of indy creator selling. :D

Carolyn Watson Dubisch with a dragon!!!

Here's Carolyn with a dragon from the DRAGONS OF BLIZZARD ISLAND franchise, as promoted by the fine fellows behind Carolyn. They had a giveaway and Carolyn's eldest daughter won this dragon! His name is Strudel. The Dragons team were our table neighbors and were just the best kind of neighbors a girl could want, because, y'know, they had Twizzlers and stuff. Here's Rick Van Velsor, the Man behind the Dragons of Blizzard Island!:

That's Van Velsor, creator of Dragons of Blizzard Island!

And his toy sculpts, at least three of his characters:

Their nicknames start with 'S', and sound like delicious food items.

There's a comic just launched and you can check it out, HERE. As well as browse around for the wonderful toys and apparel. Written by Jim Krueger and Rick Van Velsor, art by Matt "Macho Mustache" Brundage, and colored by Tyler Champion. There's a coloring book in the works and it looks fab too. It's an epic storyline with much weight and wonder, and the art and coloring is really pleasing too.

ooo, books I scored!

OK, though Carolyn was there to help watch the table, I actually didn't get away all that much---well, not at all, to look at other people's stuff and socialize. And I almost knew, with the huge scattering of Steampunk tables and such (no one was grouped by genre, which I would have preferred just for the sake of efficient browsing), that I might NEVER come back to my table for a good long while, and that would be unfair. But there was lots of cool stuff there. A huge variety of creators, artists, works of art ranging from the illustrative, to painting, to sculpting, to leathercraft, jewelry, and so forth. I never saw anything on the 'main' floor, where people or entities had islands, so I'm sure there were even more variety of interests. It did, however, get very packed on SAT and even Sun, so negotiating the huddled crowds could be trying, even for a short trip to the bathroom. I KNOW there was awesome costuming; I'm pretty sure most hung out where they could be more easily photographed or could pose in groups. I got no pics. :(

But that's what's interesting about a very large event, it is hard to do everything. Manning the table, making contacts, and socializing with other creators are really the priorities, though as an attendee I would love to wander, see all the cool works, take lots of costuming/cosplay pics, and maybe attend a panel or workshop or two. I want to thank everybody who stopped by to say hi and show support. :) Also super appreciate for every curious reader who's anticipating Dark Victorian: RISEN and even giving it a little shout-out on their social networks. Glad for all the mailing list sign-ups. Oh! And very grateful for the shoppers. :)

Now a little shout-out to K. MICHAEL CRAWFORD, that wonderful children's illustrator who touched bases with me again (well, she was a neighbor over, so was easy to do), and included me in her dinners whilst I waited out traffic and Talked Shop. Cuz 'shop talk', that's important in these crappy economic times, lol. You will see K. at San Diego Comic-Con 2012, at various other comic book conventions and also book festivals and children book festivals. Check out her children's activity books, all self published and totally creator driven, HERE. I dig K.'s work, I love the whimsy of it and the world that's there. MUSEUM OF RIDICULOUS is on my Wishlist.

I got K.'s coloring book, ONE WHIMSICAL ZOOFARI:

I love this gate!!!

I wonder if this will take watercolour. :D

where are my crayons

Also met Jeanie L. S. Galster, who created REVERANCE:

Illustrated by C. J. Draden (chills!)

Ate fried calamari whilst querying Jeanie and K. about book festivals and whatnot. Like DARK VICTORIAN, Jeanie has captions, or subtitles giving a theme for each book. Hers for Volume 1 is, "What will you seek?". Is that not cool, or what? :D Check out her books, HERE.

For The Dark Victorian: RISEN, it's "I am here". For the Volume 2, The Dark Victorian: BONES, it's "I am made of this". So yeah, I think you're going to really like it. :)

Hey, who's that behind the table?

And looking pixelated and blurry too? And I felt like that! ;) OK, I told everybody I'll have DV: RISEN out in e-book by mid-April, so got to go crack the Twizzler whip. Now WIT'S WORLD: NEVER WAS, that's still work-in-progress. I know, I gave it less priority when The Dark Victorian obsessed me. I felt it couldn't be help, and I'm rather encouraged by the fact that the writer, Melissa Good (longtime Xena fan fiction writer and writer of two of the season six TV episodes), spoke this past January at Xena Con 2012 of how when a good story idea grips you, you really should work on it. I'm glad I didn't wait. But it does come with the usual realities; in order to promote it properly, I will change the look of the website and shift focus on Dark Victorian, may work on a new Zazzle store, and also change the look of the newsletter. So all good things.

My kitteh Draw with Schnoozer the Tinker! Thank you, Rick! :D

Schnoozer Beetrop Burlybend will be making sure I am tinkering!!

Happy Spring to all, :)

love~~eee

 

Launching: The Dark Victorian novella series

I KNOW, I haven't been back to this blog for quite a while. In a state of obsession, I've decided to launch something new, and it took quite a bit of work and we're still working on it (as in, typography, courtesy of that gentleman of lettering, Tom Orzechowski, and the e-book formatter, who I would name as soon as we've a relationship finalized).

Everything is SEXY about this picture.

WHAT IS THE DARK VICTORIAN, ELIZABETH??

We have free preview booklets! Title logo by Tenacious Tom Orzechowski.

FIRST: I will be at Wondercon 2012, in Anaheim, tomorrow! And Saturday, and Sunday, and bringing free promo booklets of The Dark Victorian's first novella, RISEN. The Dark Victorian is a steampunk, steamgoth detective/horror/romance series certain to tickle your adventurous (and sapphic) fancies. Soon to be in a purchasable digital format in mid-April.

So if at Wondercon, I am "A-Girl Studio" at table A-160, in Artist Alley, in that row where you will note the presence of lost souls and stray paper napkins. :) Come say HI! And get free things!

First run mock table set up for Wondercon 2012.

The blurb for DARK VICTORIAN: RISEN :

“Way will open.”

She is Artifice.
A resurrected criminal and agent of HRH Prince Albert’s Secret Commission.
An artificial ghost.
A Quaker.

He is Jim Dastard.
The oldest surviving agent of the Secret Commission.
An animated skull.
A mentor to newly resurrected agents.

It is 1880 in a mechanical and supernatural London. Agents of Prince Albert’s Secret Commission, their criminal pasts wiped from their memories, are resurrected to fight the eldritch evils that threaten England. Amidst this turmoil, Jim Dastard and his new partner Artifice must stop a re-animationist raising murderous dead children. As Art and Jim pursue their quarry, Art discovers clues about her past self,  and through meeting various intriguing women—a journalist, a medium, a prostitute, and a mysterious woman in black—where her heart lies. Yet the question remains: What sort of criminal was she? A new beginning, a new identity, and new dangers await Art as she fights for the Secret Commission and for her second life.

***

Thank you to my editor, JoSelle Vanderhooft! Who is no slouch when it comes to the steampunk genre, fairytale genre, and sapphic subject matter. :D

***

Trina Robbins gave me a kick ass blurb! Thank you!!! :

I loved Elizabeth Watasin’s graphic novel, Charm School. Now, after too
long an absence, she has returned to print with fiction. Dark Victorian:
Risen, is just that: a dark Victorian detective story featuring two of
the most eldritch detectives I have ever encountered: a beautiful Quaker
amazon of a ghost and her sidekick, a wisecracking, monocled skull in a

top hat. And they are not the only memorable characters we meet along the
way in this dark romp through fin de siecle London’s foul cribs and
alleys, where our detectives search for the man who brings innocent
murdered creatures back to life, to wreak a hideous vengeance upon their
torturers and murderers. How about a lovely prostitute who may be a
dryad? Or twin sisters, one of whom has a deadly tendrilled virus growing
on the left side of her face?
Risen is only the first of what promises to be a thoroughly enjoyable (if
delightfully disturbing) series. Roll over, Arthur Conan Doyle! Move
over, Philip Pullman!
- Trina Robbins
Writer, Herstorian, author of The Chicagoland detective Agency series and Lily Renee, Escape Artist

***

And so did Carla Speed McNeil! :

"RISEN is as interesting for the things half-seen as the things shown
clearly: the elegant exotica of steampunk London, the mysterious
natures of both the not-dead protagonists, the elements unexpected
even in steampunk, such as the 'artificial' ghost's faith and ethics.
I am well and truly drawn in, and am eager for more."

--Carla Speed McNeil, creator of FINDER

***

What more can I say about it except when it comes to Kindle, Nook, those Apple things, and so forth, please partake and support! I'll let you know when it happens. And the next in the series? The Dark Victorian: BONES.

Are YOU keeping calm?

All the best and a very good Spring to those excited enough to wet their plants. :)

~~eeee

Wit's World: Never Was, Chapter Nineteen by Elizabeth Watasin | Elizabeth likes...Air Ships

via a-girlstudio.com

Finally a chapter update!: "Em sat quietly at one of the small tables on the dining terrace and ate her macaroni and cheese in the dark. She watched the serene, pastel beauty of Mystica beneath its blue skies. One of the rocket launchers sat soaking in a bucket and she intended to clean up the others later. The polished terrace was stained with burn marks and Em was embarrassed by the damage."

The Dark Victorian animated pose test (for motion illustration) | Elizabeth likes...Air Ships

via a-girlstudio.com

I blogged! In which I talk and you listen. And WATCH, my first attempt at a pose test for a motion illustration. In progress. :)

Adventures of A-Girl!: A-Girl Misc! and Elizabeth's Lame-o Attempt at 24 Hr Comics

via a-girlcomics.smackjeeves.com

The small press zine and now web comic A-Girl! is updated with Misc! risque satirical content plus creator Elizabeth Watasin's attempt at 24 HR comics. Which clocked in at 12 hrs. Enjoy!