The holiday shopping season is in full swing, and with it comes the annual “Teach Your Kids to Game” Holiday Sale at e-book gaming retailer DriveThru RPG. From now until the end of the year, DTRPG and its sister site Dungeon Masters Guild—a webstore dedicated to Dungeons & Dragons fans—will be offering a multitude of titles for parents hoping to introduce their children to the joys of role-playing games.
For some reason, however, this year StarWarp Concepts wasn’t included among the list of publishers joining in—even though we have a book that’s perfect for budding gamemasters. Well, there’s no reason why you can’t still purchase it—from us, of course!
Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is our popular how-to book for writers and gamers in which bestselling fantasy author Richard C. White (For a Few Gold Pieces More, Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special, Harbinger of Darkness) takes you through the step-by-step process of constructing a world for your characters, from societies and governments to currency and religion. Included is an interview with New York Times bestselling author Tracy Hickman (Dragonlance) that discusses his methods of world building, as well as his creative experiences during his time as a designer for gaming company TSR, the original home of Dungeons & Dragons.
What you’ll find in its pages is information that’s vital for just about any writer, especially when it comes to world building, and Rich shows you how to do it:
Avoiding the pitfalls of naming characters, regions, and countries
Applying the technique of “outside in” to develop and then refine ideas for your world
Creating a world your readers can relate to, regardless of its technological levels
Identify how to create backstories and conflict by observing how your world comes together
Adding details to make your story richer without overwhelming your readers
Identifying useful resources for research
From its first publication, the book has been a hit with not just fantasy writers, but role-playing gamers as well. When it debuted in October 2015 at the e-book distributor DriveThru Fiction and its sister sites DriveThru RPG and RPGNow, it immediately shot to the #1 position on all three as their top-selling title, and then remained for weeks as DriveThru Fiction’s #1 Hottest Nonfiction Book and #1 Hottest How-To for Writers! If you’re a writer or gamer, you might just want to check it out. In fact, it’s currently being used as a textbook in the Interactive Media & Game Development program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worchester, Massachusetts!
“I think Terra Incognito is a solid introduction to the subject of world building. The book succeeds in helping the aspiring writer in creating a skeletal framework for which to hang the moving parts required of a believable fictional setting.”—The Gaming Gang
Well, another year is winding down, and you know what that means: finding a new calendar to hang up for marking the next year’s events. Well, if you’re a fan of Vampirella, the outer-space vampiress who’s been stalking the horror comics landscape since 1969, might we make a suggestion for your 2022 calendar choice?
Back in 2014, the site Fantasy Ink posted quality full-size scans of the Warren 1977 Calendar featuring Vampirella and Other Girls: a collection of Warren magazine covers painted by the incomparable Enric Torres-Prat—better known as Enrich to his legions of fans. He was, and remains, the quintessential Vampirella cover painter.
Well, the funny thing about time and pop culture is that they always seem to circle around, to be discovered by a new generation. And in this case, it just so happens that the days of 2022 line up perfectly with those of 1977, so that you can use this very same calendar for the new year! So head on over to Fantasy Ink and download the pages for your very own 1977 2022 calendar!
And while you’re marking off the days of 2022, perhaps you’d enjoy some Vampirella-related reading material to liven up the year? Then do we have the perfect book for you!
From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures, by Steven A. Roman (that’s me!), is the critically acclaimed nonfiction history of Vampirella that takes an extensive look at her early days, from the debut of her series in 1969 to the death of Warren Publishing in 1983. In it you’ll find an in-depth guide to all her Warren stories; a checklist of all her Warren appearances (plus the publications from Harris Comics and Dynamite Entertainment that reprinted her Warren adventures); an overview of the six novelizations by pulp sci-fi author Ron Goulart that were published in the 1970s by Warner Books; and the behind-the-scenes story of Warren Publishing’s demise, explaining how Vampirella survived the death of her original comic house. There’s also a foreword by Official Vampirella Historian Sean Fernald, a frontispiece by Warren artist Bob Larkin, and photographs from the personal archives of Forrest J Ackerman.
In addition to all that, I tell the tale of the unproduced film adaptation of the 1970s planned by legendary horror studio Hammer Films that was to star Barbara Leigh as Vampi and Peter Cushing (Grand Moff Tarkin of Star Wars) as her constant companion, the stage magician Pendragon. How the production came to be and how it ultimately fell apart is a complicated, somewhat convoluted story, but I did my best to put the events surrounding it into a chronological, logical order—for the first time ever! This overview includes a peek at Mr. Cushing’s personal copy of the ’70s Vampirella screenplay.
I also take a look at the awful 1996 direct-to-cable-TV movie that was made for the Showtime network, produced by Roger Corman, directed by Jim Wynorski (Dinocroc vs. SuperGator), scripted by Gary Gerani (Pumpkinhead), and starring Talisa Soto (Mortal Kombat) as Vampi and The Who’s front man, rock god Roger Daltrey as…Dracula! It’s a film so bad and so low budget, and the Vampirella costume that was concocted was such an eyesore, that even Wynorski hates being reminded of his involvement with it.
Hey, shoppers! Sure, yesterday might have been Black Friday, the retail industry’s most notorious day of the year, and in two days you’ll have Cyber Monday, when the Internet shatters from the volume of online sales that will be flooding shop sites, but are you aware that Small Business Saturday—that annual celebration of mom-and-pop companies that can always use your holiday-buying dollars—takes place this very day? And in case you hadn’t noticed, StarWarp Concepts just happens to be a small business!
And what better way is there to support our efforts than by purchasing copies of our popular titles for friends and family members—or even for yourself? After all, Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa are right around the corner…
Writers and role-playing game enthusiasts:Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is perfect for budding authors as well as RPG fans interested in building their own fantasy and science fiction environments. In this nonfiction how-to book, author Richard C. White (Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil) takes you through the step-by-step process of constructing a world for your characters, from societies and governments to currency and religion. Included is an interview with New York Times bestselling author Tracy Hickman (Dragonlance) that discusses his methods of world building, as well as his creative experiences during his time as a designer for gaming company TSR, the original home of Dungeons & Dragons.
Horror and bad-girl comic fans: From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures by Steven A. Roman (that’s me!) is a nonfiction history of the queen of the comic book bad girls. In its pages you’ll find a breakdown of every Vampirella story that appeared during her Warren Publishing days from July 1969 to December 1982 (plus a list of the modern-day books that reprinted them); a checklist of every Warren Era appearance she made; a look at the six-book novelization series written by sci-fi and pulp-adventure author Ron Goulart and published by Warner Books in the 1970s; an examination of the awful 1996 movie that starred Talisa Soto of the Mortal Kombat movies as Vampi and featured a scenery-gulping performance from rock-god Roger Daltrey as Dracula; and a pretty extensive look at the history of Hammer Films’ Vampirella movie, announced in 1975 with model/actress Barbara Leigh and Hammer legend Peter Cushing as its stars, but which was never produced. Plus little-seen photos and other material pulled straight from the vaults of the Ackermonster by the Official Vampirella Historian, Sean Fernald, who also wrote the foreword.
Dark urban fantasy readers: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback is a young adult, dark-urban-fantasy novel series written by Steven A. Roman. It stars a 16-year-old Goth girl who’s spent the last decade being treated for mental health problems because she can see monsters. It’s only after she meets a shape-shifting monster hunter named Sebastienne “Annie” Mazarin, in the first novel, Blood Feud, that Pan discovers she’s never been ill—her so-called “monstervision” is actually a supernatural gift that allows her to see into Gothopolis, the not-so-mythical shadow world that exists right alongside the human world. But before Pan can learn more about what she can do, she and her parents are drawn into a conflict among warring vampire clans that leads into Blood Reign, the second action-packed novel, in which Pan must deal with even greater threats.
But if teen monster hunters aren’t your thing, there’s another urban-fantasy title that might be more to your liking: Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase. It’s a collection of fantasy-noir, pulp-detective tales by Richard C. White, starring a private eye working the supernatural beat in the city of Calasia, and whose clientele is of a definitely paranormal persuasion.
Fantasy and science fiction readers: For a Few Gold Pieces More is a collection of ten fantasy adventures by Richard C. White that star a Rogue With No Name who travels a world of epic-fantasy adventure, looking for treasure—and revenge against the woman who sent him to prison for a crime he didn’t commit (but she did). Harbinger of Darkness is an original fantasy novel by Richard C. White that stars the daughter of a bookstore owner who at night transforms into a swashbuckling thief and adventurer. And A Princess of Mars, by Edgar Rice Burroughs—the creator of Tarzan—is a science-fantasy epic about Civil War veteran John Carter, who is somehow transported to the planet Mars, where he battles monsters and aliens while falling in love with Dejah Thoris, the titular Martian princess.
Comic book and graphic novel fans: Got a comic book reader on your shopping list, or even them yourself? The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1 features stories by author Steven A. Roman and comic writer Sholly Fisch, with art provided by Eliseu Gouveia, Elizabeth Watasin, and comic-art legend Ernie Colon. Lorelei: Sects and the City is a Mature Readers graphic novel involving a succubus battling a cult of Elder God worshipers, written by Steven A. Roman and illustrated by Eliseu Gouveia, Steve Geiger, and Neil Vokes. Lorelei Presents: House Macabre is a one-shot anthology comic containing tales written by Steven A. Roman and Dwight Jon Zimmerman, with art by Uriel Caton & Chuck Majewski, Lou Manna, John Pierard, and Juan Carlos Abarldes Rendo. Lorelei: Genesis is a digital-exclusive comic collecting Lori’s early small-press stories from the early 1990s, written and drawn by Steven A. Roman. Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings is a graphic novel starring a group of supernatural superheroes for hire on their first mission, written by the husband-and-wife team of Richard C. and Joni M. White, with art by Reggie Golden and Randy Zimmerman. And The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special is a digital-only, 48-page pirate-fantasy adventure by writer Richard C. White and artist Bill Bryan.
Comic art lovers: The Bob Larkin Sketchbook is a collection of rarely seen pencil drawings by the acclaimed cover painter for Doc Savage, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel Comics, and our own Saga of Pandora Zwieback. Included are a pair of original Doc Savage–related pinups done especially for this book.
Classic literature lovers: Know a reader with a passion for genre literature? They might be interested in our line of Illustrated Classics. King Kong is the 1932 novelization by Delos W. Lovelace that adapts the screen story by Edgar Wallace and Merian C. Cooper used for the classic monster movie, enhanced by six black-and-white illustrations by Paul Tuma. Carmilla, by J. Sheridan Le Fanu, is a 19th–century paranormal romance between a vampire and her next intended victim—or lover, and contains six black-and-white illustrations by Eliseu Gouveia. Snow White is the timeless Brothers Grimm fairy tale, made even more enchanting by a collection of full-color illustrations first published in 1883. White Fell—The Werewolf, by Clemence Annie Housman, is considered the first feminist werewolf story. And The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving, is the quintessential Halloween ghost story.
So, take a look around at our offerings and get busy shopping! Spread cheer (not to mention books and comics) this year! And enjoy the holidays!
Beating the rush before the post-Thanksgiving shopping season goes into overdrive this weekend, e-book distributor DriveThru Fiction—along with its sister sites DriveThru Comics and DriveThru RPG—has launched its annual Black Friday/Cyber Monday Weekend Sale, during which you can purchase a ton of digital books and comics at special prices! It runs from now through Monday, November 29—so it covers those special shopping days of Black Friday and Cyber Monday—and yes, you’ll need to set up an account (it’s free) to take advantage of this promotion.
Included among the many participating publishers is StarWarp Concepts (of course), which means you can take advantage of some sweet discounts while the sale’s running. Four of our titles are involved:
Harbinger of Darkness is an original fantasy novel by author Richard C. White that’s perfect for book lovers. It stars Perrin, the daughter of a bookstore owner in a land of magic and adventure. Quiet and unassuming, Perrin harbors a special secret: with the aid of a mystical talisman, she can transform into Raven, a swashbuckling thief who’s number one on the king’s list of most-wanted criminals. But with thugs and fellow thieves and the king’s assassins hot on her trail, Perrin finds just staying alive is becoming a full-time occupation! It’s sword-swinging adventure at its finest!
For a Few Gold Pieces More is a collection of ten fantasy adventures by Richard C. White that star a Rogue With No Name who travels a world of epic-fantasy adventure, looking for treasure—and revenge against the woman who sent him to prison for a crime he didn’t commit (but she did). Think Lord of the Rings meets the “spaghetti Westerns” of director Sergio Leone (A Fistful of Dollars; The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly), with a healthy dose of monsters, magic, and swordplay mixed in.
King Kong is our Illustrated Classics edition of the 1932 novelization of the renowned motion picture is written by Delos W. Lovelace, based on the story by Edgar Wallace and Merian C. Cooper and the screenplay by James A. Creelman and Ruth Rose. The SWC edition of monsterdom’s answer to the tale of Beauty and the Beast features scenes that didn’t appear in the final cut of the film—including the notorious “spider pit” sequence in which Kong’s human pursuers are attacked by horrific arachnids and insects. What makes our version special is that it contains six exclusive, original black-and-white illustrations by comics artist Paul Tuma, whose pulp-influenced style has appeared in the pages of The Twilight Avenger, Flare, and Dan Turner: Hollywood Detective.
And Snow White is the classic story by the Brothers Grimm, featuring full-color illustrations first published in 1883 (and they really are beautiful drawings).
Born on this day in 1861, in Bromsgrove, England, Clemence Annie Housman grew up to lead quite an interesting life. An 1883 graduate of the South London School of Technical Art, she became an engraver and children’s book illustrator, but was probably best known for her work as a supporter of women’s rights.
In 1909 she and her brother, Laurence, founded the Suffrage Atelier, an artists’ collective that campaigned for women’s suffrage; she also designed banners for suffrage demonstrations. The following year, she joined the Women’s Tax Resistance League, which (according to Wikipedia) “used tax resistance to protest against the disenfranchisement of women” during the suffrage movement in England. As a result of her involvement in the latter organization, she was arrested and sent to prison for nonpayment of taxes in 1911, but was released after a week following public protests.
Outside her political work, Housman illustrated two books written by Laurence: The Blue Moon, published in 1904, and Moonshine & Clover, published in 1922. (Laurence, too, was an accomplished writer, as well as a playwright.)
Clemence Annie Housman passed away on December 6, 1955, at the age of 94.
So why are we celebrating Ms. Housman’s accomplishments here at ’Warp Central? Because she wrote three novels during her lifetime: Unknown Sea, published in 1898; The Life of Sir Aglovale De Galis, published in 1905; and her most famous work, The Were-wolf, published in 1896—which, as White Fell: The Werewolf, became the launch title for SWC Horror Bites, our e-book chapbook series that reprints classic horror stories.
White Fell: The Werewolf is regarded by scholars as perhaps the first feminist werewolf story. In it, a beautiful woman named White Fell wanders into a snowbound village—and into the hearts of twin brothers, one of whom immediately becomes smitten by her. The other brother, however, soon grows suspicious of the enigmatic White Fell. Where did she come from? Why does she always carry an ax? And is her sudden appearance somehow related to the recent sightings of a bloodthirsty wolf in the area? He may come to regret being so inquisitive…
Critics have certainly enjoyed this horror classic:
“White Fell is a powerful, independent woman, a fur-slinging, axe-wielding huntress descended straight from Hyperborea, [and] Housman shuns all of the werewolf traditions so dully repeated in many tales written before and after. White Fell is either a revenant from Valhalla or maybe just a good girl gone lupine.”—The Scream Factory
“For Housman, the female werewolf is a vehicle for her to present a strong feminist-inspired female character…. It is possible that Housman was telling the world that women had a hidden strength and that men should beware of their own hidden nature.”—The Nuke Mars Journal of Speculative Fiction
White Fell: The Werewolf is available for download from the SWC webstore, so visit its product page for ordering information.
Richard C. White is the bestselling author of the licensed fantasy novel Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, and a popular writer of fantasy, science fiction, and crime tales, including Star Trek: Starfleet Corps of Engineers: Echoes of Coventry andThe Dark Leopard: Mouse Trap.
But if you’ve been paying attention to his works, you’ll notice Rich has been building quite the backlist here at StarWarp Concepts, and all the books are still very much in print and readily available for order from the SWC webstore, or even through your local bookshop, not to mention online retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble. With the fall and winter holidays coming up, and books being an awesome gift to give (and receive!), let’s take a stroll through the fantasy worlds of the esteemed Mr. White!
Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase is Rich’s collection of fantasy-noir, pulp-detective tales starring a private eye working the supernatural beat in the city of Calasia, and whose clientele is of a definitely paranormal persuasion. Think The Maltese Falcon crossed with Constantine and you’ve got a pretty good idea of Theron Chase’s workload. From a sexy chanteuse who literally turns into a beast when the moon is full to a string of pearls that kills its owners, and from the ghost of a dead woman seeking justice to the Grim Reaper’s little girl seeking her stolen chicken, Chase certainly has his hands full—of danger, death, and dames!
Harbinger of Darkness is an original novel that’s perfect for book lovers. It stars Perrin, the daughter of a bookstore owner in a land of magic and adventure. Quiet and unassuming, Perrin harbors a special secret: with the aid of a mystical talisman, she can transform into Raven, a swashbuckling thief who’s number one on the king’s list of most-wanted criminals. But with thugs and fellow thieves and the king’s assassins hot on her trail, Perrin finds just staying alive is becoming a full-time occupation! It’s sword-swinging adventure at its finest!
The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special is a digital pirate-fantasy comic created and written by Rich, drawn by Bill Bryan (artist of Caliber Press’ Dark Oz and DC Comics’ House of Mystery), and features cover art and color by Eliseu Gouveia (SWC’s The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual). It’s 48 pages of high-seas adventure perfect for fans of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise, as well as classics like The Crimson Pirate, Against All Flags, Captain Blood, and The Sea Hawk—and it’s available for download for just 99¢!
For a Few Gold Pieces More is a collection of ten critically acclaimed short stories that star a Rogue With No Name who travels a world of epic-fantasy adventure, looking for treasure—and revenge against the woman who sent him to prison for a crime he didn’t commit (but she did). Think Lord of the Ringsmeets the “spaghetti Westerns” of director Sergio Leone (A Fistful of Dollars; The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly), with a healthy dose of monsters, magic, and swordplay mixed in.
Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is our most popular book, and a reference book for writers and RPG game masters. In it, Rich takes you through the step-by-step process of constructing a world for your characters, from societies and governments to currency and religion. As a bonus, there’s an interview with New York Times bestselling author Tracy Hickman (Dragonlance) that discusses his methods of world building, as well as his creative experiences during his time as a designer for gaming company TSR, the original home of Dungeons & Dragons.
Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings is a general readers’ graphic novel about a group of supernatural-superheroes-for-hire taking on their first case. The team consists of a wizard, a female ninja, a sorceress, a werewolf, and a rock ’n’ roll lighting designer wearing high-tech armor. Sure, they might not be on a power level with the Avengers or Justice League of America—they’re more like superpowered Ghostbusters—but they get the job done. The graphic novel is written by Rich and his wife, Joni M. White, and illustrated by Reggie Golden and Randy Zimmerman.
Chasing Danger, Harbinger of Darkness, For a Few Gold Pieces More, Terra Incognito, and Troubleshooters Incorporated are available in print and digital formats. Chronicles of the Sea Dragon is a digital exclusive. Visit their respective product pages for ordering information.
According to the National Day Calendar, National Love Your Red Hair Day was created in 2015 by Adrienne and Stephanie Vendetti, cofounders of the beauty site How to be a Redhead, and it’s “a day to celebrate the beauty of those gorgeous red tresses.”
What’s the best way to observe this special holiday? Well, around here at ’Warp Central, we celebrate it by honoring our favorite redhead: the flame-haired, soul-stealing succubus Lorelei, StarWarp Concepts’ first lady of horror, who stars in three comic titles that we offer.
Lorelei: Sects and the City is Lori’s critically acclaimed graphic novel adventure, in which she battles a cult of Elder God worshipers who are trying to unleash their monstrous masters on the world. It’s a tribute of sorts to classic 1970s horror comics and movies, from writer Steven A. Roman (that’s me!) and artists Eliseu Gouveia, (The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1, Beware the Witch’s Shadow), Steve Geiger (Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Kraven’s Last Hunt, Incredible Hulk Epic Collection: Going Gray), and Neil Vokes (Tom Holland’s Fright Night). Cover art is provided by Esteban Maroto (Vampirella, Zatanna: Come Together), plus there’s additional art from two more legendary artists from the Warren Publishing era: a frontispiece by original Vampirella artist Tom Sutton (Werewolf by Night, Ghost Rider) and a history of succubi illustrated by Ernie Colon (Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld).
Lorelei Presents: House Macabre is Lori’s first outing as the hostess of a horror comic anthology, in this one-shot special that contains four tales of horror, behind eye-catching cover art by fan-favorite artist Louis Small Jr. (Vampirella, Vampirella Strikes). “The Old, Dark Manse” is written by me, penciled by Uriel Caton (JSA Annual, Heartstopper: The Legend of La Bella Tenebrosa), and inked by “Chainsaw” Chuck Majewski (Harvey Kurtzman’s New Two-Fisted Tales), and has Lori welcoming readers to this special. “All in Color for a Crime” is another tale from me, with art by Lou Manna (T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, Young All-Stars). Two comic book collectors clash over a rare back issue—and only one of them will be adding it to their long boxes! “The Basilisk,” from me and artist John Pierard (Graphic Classics: Horror Classics, My Teacher Fried My Brains), is a “Lori’s Feary Tale” that examines the history of a supernatural creature that’s a cross between a deadly snake and a…chicken?! Wrapping up the special is “Requiem for Bravo 6,” by New York Times bestselling author and comic writer Dwight Jon Zimmerman (She-Hulk, Steve McQueen: Full-Throttle Cool) and artist Juan Carlos Abraldes Rendo (Bloke’s Terrible Tomb of Terror). A special-ops team goes on a life-or-death mission…but will they be prepared for what awaits them at mission’s end?
And Lorelei: Genesis is a 24-page, one-shot comic that collects the original small-press Lori stories that I wrote and drew back in the late eighties and early nineties. Behind a brand-new cover drawing by yours truly (and colored by Eliseu Gouveia), you’ll find a pair of stories: “Lorelei” is an 8-pager from 1991 in which Lori journeys through the streets of New York on an important mission: to pick up her dry-cleaning! It’s followed by “In the Midnight Hour,” the 1989 story that introduced horror-comic fans to our favorite redheaded succubus, who steps in to rescue a couple being menaced by a street gang. If you’re curious about Lori’s early days as a horror heroine, then be sure to order yourself a copy!
Lorelei: Sects and the City and Lorelei Presents: House Macabre are available in print and digital formats; Lorelei: Genesis is a digital exclusive. Visit their respective product pages for ordering information.
Halloween’s over for this year, in the U.S. we’re gearing up to turn the clocks back an hour as Daylight Savings Time ends on November 7, and the chill of fall is fully upon us. And with that comes the annual event called National Novel Writing Month. To explain what it is, I’ll let this quote from the organization’s website provide you with some background:
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to creative writing. On November 1, participants begin working towards the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel by 11:59 PM on November 30. Valuing enthusiasm, determination, and a deadline, NaNoWriMo is for anyonewho has ever thought about writing a novel.
And what do you know? It just so happens that StarWarp Concepts has a book that’s perfect for writers working on their novels!
Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is our popular how-to book for writers (and RPG game masters) in which bestselling fantasy author Richard C. White (Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase, For a Few Gold Pieces More, Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special, Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings) takes you through the step-by-step process of constructing a world for your characters, from societies and governments to currency and religion. A bonus feature is an interview with New York Times bestselling author Tracy Hickman (Dragonlance) that discusses his methods of world building, as well as his creative experiences during his time as a designer for gaming company TSR, the original home of Dungeons & Dragons.
What you’ll find in its pages is information that’s vital for just about any writer, especially when it comes to world building, and Rich shows you how to do it:
Avoiding the pitfalls of naming characters, regions, and countries
Applying the technique of “outside in” to develop and then refine ideas for your world
Creating a world your readers can relate to, regardless of its technological levels
Identify how to create backstories and conflict by observing how your world comes together
Adding details to make your story richer without overwhelming your readers
Identifying useful resources for research
From its first publication, the book has been a hit with not just fantasy writers, but role-playing gamers as well. When it debuted in October 2015 at the e-book distributor DriveThru Fiction and its sister sites DriveThru RPG and RPGNow, it immediately shot to the #1 position on all three as their top-selling title, and then remained for weeks as DriveThru Fiction’s #1 Hottest Nonfiction Book and #1 Hottest How-To for Writers! If you’re a writer or gamer, you might just want to check it out. In fact, it’s currently being used as a textbook in the Interactive Media & Game Development program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worchester, Massachusetts!
“I think Terra Incognito is a solid introduction to the subject of world building. The book succeeds in helping the aspiring writer in creating a skeletal framework for which to hang the moving parts required of a believable fictional setting.”—The Gaming Gang
It’s time to celebrate the Spooky Season—with e-books and digital comics! E-book distributors DriveThru Comics and DriveThru Fiction—along with sister site DriveThru RPG—are currently running their annual Halloween sale, during which you can purchase thousands of horror-themed digital books and comics at special prices! It runs until November 1—and yes, you’ll need to set up an account (it’s free) to take advantage of this promotion.
Included among the many participating publishers is StarWarp Concepts (of course), which means you can get the following titles (to name just a few) at lower prices:
From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures by Steven A. Roman (that’s me!) is a nonfiction history of the queen of the comic book bad girls. In its pages you’ll find a breakdown of every Vampirella story that appeared during her Warren Publishing days from July 1969 to December 1982 (plus a list of the modern-day books that reprinted them); a checklist of every Warren Era appearance she made; a look at the six-book novelization series written by sci-fi and pulp-adventure author Ron Goulart and published by Warner Books in the 1970s; an examination of the awful 1996 movie that starred Talisa Soto of the Mortal Kombat movies as Vampi and featured a scenery-gulping performance from rock-god Roger Daltrey as Dracula; and a pretty extensive look at the history of Hammer Films’ Vampirella movie, announced in 1975 with model/actress Barbara Leigh and Hammer legend Peter Cushing as its stars, but which was never produced. Plus little-seen photos and other material pulled straight from the vaults of the Ackermonster by the Official Vampirella Historian, Sean Fernald, who also wrote the foreword.
Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1 is my young adult novel that introduces readers to Pandora Zwieback, a 16-year-old Goth girl who’s spent the last decade being treated for mental health problems because she can see monsters. It’s only after she meets professional monster hunter Sebastienne “Annie” Mazarin that Pan discovers she’s never been ill—her so-called “monstervision” is actually a supernatural gift that allows her to see into Gothopolis, the not-so-mythical shadow world that exists right alongside the human world. In Blood Feud, Pan, her parents and friends, and Annie are drawn into a conflict among warring vampire clans searching for the key to an ultimate weapon (or so the legend goes)—a key that just so happens to have been delivered to the horror-themed museum owned by Pan’s father. It’s a character-driven action-fest that leads immediately into the second novel, Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2.
The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1 is a 56-page, full-color comic special that features cover art by award-winning artist Henar Torinos (Mala Estrella) and contains three original stories. In “Song of the Siren,” by writer Steven A. Roman and artist Eliseu Gouveia (Vengeance of the Mummy, Lady Death), the teenaged Goth adventuress matches wits with a man-stealing enchantress who’s set her sights on Pan’s boyfriend, Javier. It’s followed by “After Hours,” by writer Sholly Fisch (The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries), and comic-art legend Ernie Colon (Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld), in which a demon walks into a bar to unwind after a long day of scarifying. And rounding out the issue is “Shopping Maul,” a short story by Roman with title-page art by Elizabeth Watasin (Charm School), in which Pan and Annie, along with Javier and Pan’s best friend, Sheena, run into a group of Gothic Lolita vampires out to do more than a little window shopping.
Lorelei: Sects and the City is a Mature Readers graphic novel in which Lorelei Munro—a fiery-haired, soul-stealing succubus whose supernatural appetites are firmly set on devouring the life-forces of bad guys—battles a cult of Elder God worshipers attempting to unleash hell on Earth. Basically a love letter to 1970s horror comics like Vampirella, Tomb of Dracula, and Ghost Rider, it’s written by yours truly, and illustrated by Eliseu Gouveia, Steve Geiger (Web of Spider-Man, Incredible Hulk), and Neil Vokes (Flesh and Blood, Tom Holland’s Fright Night). It also features a cover by legendary artist Esteban Maroto (Vampirella, Zatanna, Lady Rawhide: Other People’s Blood), a history of succubi illustrated by Ernie Colon (Grim Ghost), and a frontispiece by original Vampirella artist Tom Sutton (Ghost Rider, Man-Thing, Werewolf by Night).
Lorelei: Genesis is a 24-page, one-shot digital-exclusive comic that collects the original small-press Lori stories that I wrote and drew back in the late eighties and early nineties. Behind a brand-new cover drawing by yours truly (and colored by Eliseu Gouveia), you’ll find a pair of stories: “Lorelei” is an 8-pager from 1991 in which Lori journeys through the streets of New York on an important mission: to pick up her dry-cleaning! It’s followed by “In the Midnight Hour,” the 1989 story that introduced horror-comic fans to our favorite redheaded succubus, who steps in to rescue a couple being menaced by a street gang. If you’re curious about Lori’s early days as a horror heroine, then be sure to order yourself a copy!
Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings is a general readers’ graphic novel about a group of supernatural-superheroes-for-hire taking on their first case. The team consists of a wizard, a female ninja, a sorceress, a werewolf, and a rock ’n’ roll lighting designer wearing high-tech armor. Sure, they might not be on a power level with the Avengers or Justice League of America—they’re more like superpowered Ghostbusters—but they get the job done. The graphic novel is written by the husband-and-white team of Richard C. White (Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase, Harbinger of Darkness) and Joni M. White, and illustrated by Reggie Golden and Randy Zimmerman.
Again, the Halloween sale runs through November 1 (the Day of the Dead!), so head over to the StarWarp Concepts publisher pages at DriveThru Comics and DriveThru Fiction and start shopping!
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