Gah...

It's bee a while since I updated, hasn't it?

The difference between this time and all the others is that I actually have an excuse. I've been busy - really busy - so busy that busy people look at me and say, "wow, that dude's pretty damn busy."



First and foremost the first issue of THE BAD GUYS has finally found its way to e-readers everywhere! (Click the picture above for purchase details)

It's a decent little read at a decent little price and I PROMISE you that if you stick with the series you'll like what you see. I've wrapped up the second issue, and not only does the book really pick up, but it ends with a surprise that you won't see coming.

Unless you're me - then you might have seen it.

Also, for those of you out there that read my stuff back in the day when I was blogging on a regular basis, I posted a guest blog over at litUnderground.com

You can find it here: The Business of Art

While you're there check out the LitUnderground site. I'm going to be working closely with them to get out the final two Forts books, as well as a special edition of the first one.

Good people.

Scratch that - great people.

It's an honor to have my name alongside any of them.

Lastly, I am going to make a REAL attempt to update this place a bit more - especially considering all the stuff going on right now. If I don't toss up (at the very LEAST) a sketch sometime this week, I'm giving you permission to punch me in the face.

Full power.

You can wind up.

Steve

The Forts series has found a new home!

More than likely you’re silently saying to yourself, “Oh that’s too bad. It must not have sold well. That poor, poor man.”

Let me assure you, that’s not the case – far from it in fact. The choice to continue the series with someone else was actually mine and mine alone. I never signed a contract for the series as a whole and after my experience with the first book there was no way that was going to happen. It wouldn’t have been the right choice.

I don’t see any reason to go into the details of the “breakup” (for now), but I will say that Forts is moving to greener, less frustrating, and far more professional pastures.

So what does this all mean to you?

Well, it means that the copy of “Fathers and Sons” you no doubt have sitting in a place of prominence on your bookshelf – or next to the crapper, either way. That copy of Forts will very soon be an out of print collectors edition!

That’s right, I said collectors edition and I meant it!

Will you be able to sell it on ebay to pay the rent? Eh, I wouldn’t count on that.

Will you be able to trade it for a pack of gum and maybe a Butterfinger bar? Yep, I think you might be able to pull that off.

Still, your copy is special now. It’s unique. If you sent it to me to get autographed it’s even more unique. You own it, some other people own it, but no one else is ever going to own it – ever. That’s pretty cool, no?

For those of you that haven’t got your hands on a copy yet, a second edition print version of the book will be arriving with a brand new cover before you know it. (Probably within the next few months in fact.) Along with the print version, the book will FINALLY make its way to e-readers everywhere! (This is long overdue.)

Oh, all those editing flubs the original publisher left in – you know, the ones that caused the sentence “This could have been a fantastic book if it had a good editor” to appear in nearly every review. Thankfully those are going to be fixed up for the second edition.

For those of you waiting patiently for “Liars and Thieves,” right around the time the second edition arrives book two is going to hit the shelves! It’s a heck of a lot later than was originally planned, but I’m hoping it’ll be worth the wait.

The nonsense of the past is in the past and hopefully that’s where it’s going to stay. Writing has officially picked up again on the final book in the series and I’m probably only 40,000 words or so from finishing it up.

Forts has a new home, and this is a good thing.

Scratch that and revise: Forts has a new home, and it’s a giggity-great thing.

It’s better than a steaming hot pizza and a tub of ice cream served to you by Rosario Dawson in a French maid’s outfit.

Okay, maybe it’s not that good…

It’s still pretty fantastic though.

Steven

I decided to get to work on the cover for the third book in the Forts series over the weekend. I will of course, keep you updated.

I have a good feeling about this one.

Well, it took me only a week to fail on my promise to get a new sketch up every friday.

Yep, I kinda suck.

Maybe this will make you feel a bit better.

I've recently decided to do something I've always wanted to do, but for whatever reason always backed out of - a webcomic.

I've loved comics as a medium since I was a kid and I've always thought doing a webcomic on a regular basis might be fun. That being said, I don't have a ton of extra time and I didn't want to get something started and never see it through.

I'm not saying there's no chance of that happening this time out, but I've chosen sort of an easy-breezy style of art and I'm going to give it my best.

I want to get a few pages ahead of the game before I start posting stuff, so I'm looking at getting up and running by the end of next month - hopefully. I'll have mo information as I get closer.

In the meantime, here's a little something to wet your whistle.

Steve

I'm going to make an effort to update the blog more, and because of that I'm promising at least one sketch a week - every Friday!

Excited!?

You shouldn't be.

If history is any indication, the chances of me following through on this promise aren't that great.

Steve

The publisher of the Forts series, CANONBRIDGE LLC is working alongside the SOLDIERS' ANGELS charity and has reduced the cost of the book in hopes that you'll purchase, donate, and get it in the hands of the soldiers overseas. This is not only for Forts, but some of their other titles as well.

If you're interested, click the words CANONBRIDGE LLC for more details.

See how easy I made that for you?

Go me!

Steven

I'm bringing back the "100 blah, blah fill in the blank" thing I did for "Fathers and Sons" as we slowly approach the release of "Liars and Thieves."

I've been hard at work on the sequel to the first Cousin Albert book lately (among about a thousand other things).

The above is a an unfinished page. Unfinished means not done - so I don't want any comments from the peanut galley.

It's an elephant with a bruise on her butt.

Quality stuff.

Steve

I promised you a snippet from book 2 before the end of the week and that's exactly what I'm giving you.

Liars and Thieves is only a couple months away!

Which is Just in time for Christmas - go figure.

*wink, wink, budge, nudge*

Oh, don't worry about spoilers. The chapter I'm offering up is a flashback, so no major plot details are leaked. I'll save that for a little later.

Steven







Every breath was like a knife stabbing the twelve year old Tommy Jarvis in the chest. Even the most simple of movements sent a torrent of unrelenting pain flashing throughout the entirety of his body. Outside the cold window pressed against his shoulder, the darkened world passed by in flashes. Streetlights soared like shooting stars, dragging behind them ghostly trails that wagged across the blackness like the latent images of never-there monster tails. In desperate need of a tune-up, the car underneath him clanked and creaked, its engine struggling to maintain even the most average of speeds for any significant amount of time. Across from Tommy, only half awake and hunched over the steering wheel, was his father. The eyes of Chris Jarvis were wide, the stubble on his face at least two days old. Since the funeral for his wife earlier in the week, Chris had spent his days fading in and out of reality. This was due in no small part to the endless stream of mind altering, wonderfully numbing liquid consistently making its way down his gullet and back up again into his brain. Problems were easier dealt with when one had the help of friends – Chris had found his friends in bottles. Faced with a red light, Chris slammed on the breaks, bringing the car to a screeching halt. Briefly glancing to his right, he watched with the slightest bit of worry as his eldest son clutched at his chest, a strained grimace stretched across his boyish features.

Gripping tightly on the leather of the steering wheel, he looked away, his breaths coming in more rapid succession with every passing moment, “We’ll be there in a minute…”

The hospital was still six blocks away but it was not the time or even the amount of pain his son was in that worried Chris at the moment. There were much larger things at stake; things involving his personal well being and things involving the truth. The sweat pouring down his forehead seeped into the crack of his lips – salty and warm, he awkwardly swallowed it down. From two feet away, Tommy groaned deeply, the boy’s breaths seemed labored and anguished, as a barely there wheeze escaped his lips. Chris asked himself, ‘How did this happen?’ Sifting through the blurry memories scattered across his mind like debris from an explosion, he found little answers. How could he do this? How could he do this to his own son? Worse yet, what if someone found out?

Before he even realized what he was saying, the words were leaving his mouth, “It was an accident Tommy…you got in a fight at school…you didn’t tell me until just now…it was an accident.”

Tommy could only barely hear his father. Stretching his neck upward, he twisted his nose toward the fresh, moist air pouring through half-opened window next to him. The dewy smell of early morning entered his nose and traveled down his chest, caressing his injured ribs from the inside. The momentarily relief carried with it an all too brief moment of clarity, making it possible to once again put to use his other senses.

Again came his father’s voice, clearer this time, more insistent now with the hospital only a few blocks away, “Do you hear me Tommy? It was an accident, right? Look at me and tell me it was an accident…”

Reluctantly Tommy turned his head to his father, the pain in his chest moving outward once again and pouring over him like molten lava and scorching his insides. The person sitting across from him bore little resemblance to the

Nope, Forts isn't gong to be made into a movie anytime soon. Sure, it would be nice, but it isn't very likely.

Damn Hollywood fatcats!

With the help of a little extra time though, google images, and my handy photoshop skills, I put together a poster anyway.



I'd pay seven bucks for that.

Steven

I polished off the cover for Albert at the Zoo early last week, and I'm pretty pleased with the results. It's a nice looking cover. I think it relates to the first book well.

Steve

Along with the ten-thousand other things I'm currently working on is the sequel to Paul Wood's "Cousin Albert" Series. Not only is Albert taking a trip to the zoo this time out, but he's doing it in full color. That's right, no more black and white interiors, this time it's color all the way.

While I haven't seen the full manuscript yet, I have gotten started on the cover. I'm pretty pleased with the overall design - think it'll be a quality piece when completed.

Hopefully it will...

Otherwise, as an eight year old might say, I'm in deep doo-doo.

On another note, it's only about four months or so until book 2 in the "Forts" series comes out. I'm excited. A part of me thinks it'll be the one people remember the most. It really is the "Empire Strikes Back" of the series It's a bit darker, the ending will leave you wanting more, and once it gets rolling it doesn't stop.

Then there's Krystoph...

You're going to like Krystoph.

I finally finished up the piece for my brother and his wife in honor of their impending twins (who are due in August). Overall I think it came out pretty good. Hopefully they like - at least pretend to like it.

Either way is fine by me really.

Here's a quick update on the piece I'm doing for my brothers impending twins. I spent much of last week in the hospital, so progress has slowed considerably.

Feeling much better though - thanks for asking.

Overall I like how the piece is coming along. There's a lot of work to do though, and they are due to pop out sometime in August.

I need to get my keyster moving.

Steve

Here's a quick little video I put together of a sixth grader reviewing "Forts: Fathers and Sons."

He was more than a little nervous about the whole thing - which is obvious.

A big thanks to david for even agreeing to do it!

Steve

I wasn't able to dedicate as much time putting pencil to paper as I would have liked on this years drawing day, but I did get a few sketches completed.



The first is of Me, Sayid from Lost and Liza Minnelli as a dangerous trio of rebels roaming a post apocalyptic wasteland in search of the scarcest resource of all - our humanity. It's all very deep and meaningful.



The second is a sketch of a Beaker plush doll in my office. Why Beaker? Why not?

Steve

So my brother and his wife are going to have twins - twin girls in fact. Instead of buying them a super-expensive gift to celebrate the joyous occasion, I've opted to go the cheapo route and paint them a pretty picture for the nursery.

I'll try to convince them it'll be worth something one day...

It won't.

Anyway, I started on it last night.

It may not look like much at the moment, but I'm liking the early direction and have high hopes.

I'll cross my fingers and you cross yours. Deal?

Steve

That's right, as of this morning there are not one, not two, not three or even four, but forty-two pages of "Forts: Fathers and Sons" available for you to read online!

Get this...

It's totally free!

Don't say I never gave you anything.

Why not click the link below and take a look? What have you got to lose? Nothing.

Or did you already forget that I said it was free?

Damn you and your short memory.

Steve

Because I'm a nice guy I've decided to toss another sample chapter your way. If you haven't yet purchased book one, what exactly are you waiting for?

Get your butt in gear.

Don't make me tell you again, or else I might just have to tell you a third time - in a far sterner tone.

You don't want that and neither do I.






The pale-skinned children from the hundredth world brought with them an infectious feeling of possibility that permeated the streets of Tipoloo. It slid under every doorway, through every crack, into every home, and filled the city’s inhabitants with a wonderful, warm feeling to which they were not accustomed. This was an odd feeling, a new feeling, a beautifully strange feeling that some of the younger children, those who had been born inside the city walls, had never felt. On every corner of every street, large groups of vastly different species talked amongst themselves, hopeful smiles spread across their tired, beaten, war torn faces.
It appeared as if the prophecy was more than just words. It had turned to flesh and blood. It was real, and could put an end to the incredible hardship they had come to know as simply being alive.
As Zanell turned the corner on her way to her grandfather’s dwelling, she passed a family of Huerzo Snubs outside of a tiny dwelling cut into a section of the city’s earthen walls. In many ways, the four foot tall Huerzo Snubs resembled ladybugs. Their enormous oval shaped bodies seeming impossibly large for their spindly legs, and yet they managed to move with an inspiring gracefulness. This was mostly due to the aid of a pair of nearly transparent wings attached to their backs that constantly flapped, enabling them to maintain their balance. The mother Huerzo sat quietly on a rock outside of her dwelling watching her two young children playfully wrestle in the street a few feet away. Each time one of the children was knocked over it rolled through the dirt like a marble on a sidewalk, its tiny legs flailing wildly in the air. As Zanell passed, the mother Huerzo looked up at her, smiling a timid smile in a way only a Huerzo could do justice. Zanell hadn’t seen a smile of this nature on her face in a very long time, not since her mate was captured a few years back above ground while searching for food with a gathering party.
The tiny bit of happiness in the mother Huerzo’s expression momentarily warmed Zanell on the inside. How uncommon, how truly wonderful and uncommon. This was exactly what the boys’ appearance brought to Tipoloo. This was exactly what Tipoloo needed.
Zanell noticed similar smiles all day long. In fact, the smile of the mother Huerzo became the rule rather than the exception. A small group of four or five Ricardian children passed by Zanell. She could overhear them whispering to each other about the way Tommy Jarvis blasted a massive hole in the city’s wall just a couple of days earlier.
“I heard that he blew a hole in the wall, and vaporized four of the king’s guards with it!”
“Shut up…that’s not what happened…it was seven of the king’s guards! Afterward he opened up another hole in the ceiling and flew off into the forest. I think he’s on his way to take on Kragamel one-on-one!”
“Now you’re the one who needs to shut up. He can’t fly!”
“Can, too! I saw it with my own eyes!”
“You didn’t see anything, liar. You were with me when it happened!”
“Well…whatever happened, I know that crusty old king is in for a serious beating when Tommy and Pleebo get hold of him!”
Ricardians were well known as a race of wonderful storytellers, and wonderful exaggerators. Ricardian children, on the other hand, were known to take exaggeration to unbelievable levels. Zanell smiled slightly, laughing a bit on the inside at the sweet, overzealous innocence in their words. At the same time she couldn’t really blame them, becau

I've finally put the kibosh on the cover of book 2 due out before the end of the year.



The overall tone of the book is a little darker, and I think the cover matches. If you liked anything about book one, the sequel is going to make you go bonkers.

You can hold me to that.

On another note, the profiles page of the Forts site has been updated to include four new characters. Two of them you'll be familiar with from "Fathers and Sons," the other two you'll meet in "Liars and Thieves."

Consider it the first preview.

CLICK HERE TO READ

Steven

Well, book one is officially available everywhere. Book two is written, being edited, and the chapter illustrations are done.

So what am I missing?

Yep, a cover.

I did one a while back, but honestly it didn't quite sit right. The characters didn't work for me, and honestly it didn't capture the absolutely bonkers, surprise the poop out of you, and leave you shaking your head in disbelief nature of of the second book.

So I've started over.



I like this new version. I like it a lot in fact. Granted, it's still in the early stages, but I think it'll capture the intensity of book two much better. Things get much darker, much crazier, and much more unpredictable. I need the to make sure the cover reflects that.

If you haven't yet ordered a copy of "Fathers and Sons" I'm not exactly sure what you're waiting for.

What else are you going to do with your money? Pay bills? Save for retirement?

You're smarter than that.

Spend it needlessly on things you don't need.

Come on, all the cool kids are doing it.

Steve

P.S. Please ignore the messy desk - you know, because I'm messy.

The trailer for book 2 is done. Be warned however, if you're currently still working your way through book 1, there are some minor spoilers here.

Otherwise, enjoy (Double Click to see in full size on youtube)



On another note, I'll be appearing on a segment of The Annie and Burl show this coming Saturday night! The show starts at 10:00 EST, and I should be popping up around 10:15. I'll be discussing the book and whatever else the cool table wants to toss my way. If you're bored, listen in!

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN LIVE!

Steve

A picture book I worked on last year, written by Paul Wood and titled "Here Comes Cousin Albert" is now available for pre-order on Amazon!

Here's the cover as well as a few of the interior illustrations.














CLICK HERE TO ORDER A COPY!

Steve