Comic books were a gateway drug to Novels.
I mean real novels, not the ones they made you read in elementary school, now there were a lot of good stories I read as part of class assignment, “The Pig Man” and “The Hobbit” being two of them. But, I really didn’t start reading Novels till I got to High School, I was always reading comics. My English Class had a book section with novel for us to read for our reports. I picked up a fantasy novel, Forgotten Realms book “Iron Helm” It took me forever to read it, it just didn’t spark my brain like comics did. I brought the book back and did my report on it.
I picked up another novel, it had a white cover dark trees and an ambulance. Poor book sat in my backpack for at least 2 months before I started reading it.
This book was “Hideaway” by Dean Koontz. He sank his claws into me with the first chapter, and didn’t let up till I was done with the last chapter.
I had found the kind of novels I could read and it would fill my imagination with such images. Every single person had a face and voice in my mind, it was like watching a movie in my head. It was amazing.
I found Anne Rice, Brain Lumley, James Byron Huggins, Stephen King, H.P. Lovecraft and so many other writers that just drew me into their worlds and inspired.
It was something I wanted to do. It is still something I want to do, to be able to craft a world that sparks the imagination of those who read my work. I’m not limited by one kinda of format, If I think an idea would work better as a webisode I can write it as a webisode. The same way if I think a story should be a novel, or webcomic.
I have so many stories in me, some are ready and willing to start coming out of me, other are still developing not wanting to rush its way out into the world.