Painting Part 4 - Custom FUNKO POPS!

Are you familiar with Funko Pops? They're little vinyl figures with giant heads (sometimes bobbleheads) made in the likeness of various pop culture characters and personalities. Virtually every fandom has Funko Pops: movies, tv shows, video games, musicians, anime, athletes, the list goes on and on. They're fun little collectibles for your favourite pop culture content, and a rather large collectible industry has grown up around them. Some rare figures can sell for hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

So, combining my love of making custom presents (see Christmas books) and painting small things, this year I've started making custom Funko Pops as birthday presents for my family. My digital sculpting skills aren't that great yet so I don't design them from scratch, but there are many websites where you can buy custom Funko Pop components. I mash them together, print them on my 3D printer, and paint away!

This is the first one I did, for my father-in-law. He's a handy guy and he's worked as a carpenter for years, so he got a little hammer. He told me I gave him too much hair.

This is my wife. I liked this one for the detail on her tattoo, which of course you can't see in this picture. She loves to bake cakes (you can see her cakes in the background of several of these picture). This is one of the first models I had to physically re-sculpt, because her classes didn't come out properly. I had to use clay to repair the glasses frames and her hair, and I was pretty happy with the results:

This one's my daughter. It's not in the official Funko Pop style, but this one fit her perfectly. She loves the devil horns and demon wings. And at least she got to have details on her eyes.

This is my sister in law. She loves band t-shirts, and David Bowie is her favourite artist, so she got a little "Bowie" logo on her shirt.

Everyone loves the dog the most, of course. I had to repaint it, because I originally used a photo of her as a puppy, then saw her in person and realized her colours had darkened and changed. 

This is my older niece. This one is actually a repainted version of a character from the old Dungeons & Dragons cartoon. I painted her as her D&D character (she loves cloaks), but her hair really is electric blue. She also got the nicest base so far.

This is my brother-in-law, and it's my favourite one so far. The logo on the hat was some of the first free hand painting I did at this scale, and I think it turned out pretty good. I was really proud of the stitches on the baseball and glove, but of course you can't see them in this picture. There's also a really nice salt-and-pepper effect on his hair and beard. 

So that leaves my mother-in-law, son and my youngest niece (and me of course, if I feel like making one of myself). I've started work on my niece, her birthday is the end of this month. I may do my son and mother-in-law for Christmas, though realistically I'll probably do them for their birthdays early in the new year.

Anyway, back to work/painting/writing/preparing for the Annual Halloween Haunted House.

Hugs & kisses,

-CDGK

The Webber (#IWSG October 2024)

October Question - Ghost stories fit right in during this month. What's your favorite classic ghostly tale? Tell us about it and why it sends chills up your spine.

My favourite ghost story is one you're probably never heard of, as it's specific to the area of my hometown of Stephenville, Newfoundland. It's a variation on "The Hook" horror story of the killer chasing a couple of canoodling kids on a dark highway. Campers love to tell it at Camp Ashanti, the old Boy Scout camp, gathered around the fire, or while trying to sleep in their bunks on a cold and snowy evening.

In the lake besides the camp lives The Webber. It's a creature with webbed feet and long, claw-like-fingers. People say it was once a human, born with a hideous deformity and abandoned to live in the wilderness. It has grown hateful and insane during its long isolation, and so when humans stay in the camp near its home, sometimes it creeps up out of the lake to take revenge. It sneaks up to the cabins and murders unwary campers while they sleep.

So, kinda like this? But not really.

There are variations of course, about where the monster comes from and how it kills. Some storytellers like to add embellishments like it leaving wet, webbed footprints on the cabin deck or floors, or scratching at the doors and windows with its claws. Particularly creative (or cruel) older campers will sometimes sneak around the back of the cabin while someone is telling the story to younger campers, and then tap on the windows and walls to see how far the kids will jump.

I mean, it really is kinda this.

I'm pretty sure the story started in the 70s and 80s, inspired by popular slasher films of the time. I had thought the story was particular to my corner of the island, but in recent years I've learned that it's spread to other parts of Newfoundland as well. It's still used to scare kids at summer camps around the province. I may have to use The Webber as inspiration for a Gale Harbour book one of these days.

Oh, and if the question literally meant a "classic" ghost story, then I vote for A Christmas Carol. 

Scary stuff.

Hugs & kisses,
-CDGK

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Writers post their thoughts on their blogs, talking about their doubts and the fears they have conquered. It's a chance for writers to commiserate and offer a word of encouragement to each other. Check out the group at http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/

GUEST BLOG: Bubba and Squirt Book 5 RELEASE DAY!

Today is the release of the fifth and final book in Sherry Ellis’ Bubba and Squirt series, a middle grade chapter book series with historical aspects published by our friends at Dancing Lemer Press. A five-book series is something to celebrate, so here are the details!

Bubba and Squirt’s Legend of the Lost Pearls
By Sherry Ellis

Journey to the past!

Bubba and Squirt embark on their most dangerous quest yet. Whisked away through the vortex to Japan, they must find two fabled pearls that hold the key to saving their father.

To top it off, they must go back and change the events of the past. As they race against time, the fate of their father, and their own lives, hang in the balance.

Will they outwit the cunning creatures that stand in their way or face their own demise trying to save their father?

Release date – October 1, 2024

Print ISBN 9798988625124 $8.95/ eBook ISBN 9798988625131 $3.99

eBook $3.99 in all formats

Juvenile Fiction - Action Adventure / Fantasy & Magic / Legends, Myths, Fables – Asian

Sherry Ellis’ Bubba and Squirt’s Big Dig to China won the Reader’s Favorites Silver Medal for the Children's Grades 4-6 category.

Sherry Ellis is an award-winning author and professional musician who plays and teaches the violin, viola, and piano. When she is not writing or engaged in musical activities, she can be found doing household chores, hiking, or exploring the world. Ellis lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

https://www.sherryellis.org/
https://www.bubbaandsquirt.org/
https://www.facebook.com/sherryellisbooksandmusic
https://twitter.com/513sherrye

Links:

Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CTWN8PSS
iTunes - https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id6477321103
Barnes & Noble - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940167677777
Kobo - https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/Search?Query=9798988625131
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/206994546-bubba-and-squirt-s-legend-of-the-lost-pearls

Miniature Painting Part 3

Wow, it's been a year and a half since my last post about mini-painting. If any of you were following me for that, you must be gravely disappointed.

For those who don't remember, about two years ago I started a new hobby - painting gaming miniatures. I don't play Warhammer, but I do a lot of roleplaying game minis (Dungeons & Dragons, Star Wars, etc) and I'm branching out to some other things. I did a whole series of posts about painting and modelling for the 2023 A-to-Z Blog Challenge. I meant to continue using this blog as a place to share some of my creations, but I've been really irregular about it. 

So anyway, let's get back to it. For reference, I think this batch are all models I painted about a year ago.

It's nice to see how far you've progressed. Below are two models. The one on the left is one of the very first I painted, well over twenty years ago. The one on the right is a new one. I think I've doing pretty good.

These are from the first painting contest I ever entered last summer. The character, the "Red Scribe," is from an actual play podcast set in the Lord of the Rings universe, featuring a bunch of notable gaming folks, such as Reggie Watts, Deborah Ann Woll and Luke Gygax (Gary Gygax's son). It also featured Sala Baker, an actor and stuntman who played Sauron in the Lord of the Rings movies (he was the guy inside the sharp pointy armour), as well as numerous orcs and other monsters, and an appearance by Elijah Wood. It was in support of Children's Miracle Network, and anyway there was an associated painting competition. The scene I depicted was when the heroes encountered the new villain at the Grey Havens (years after most of the elves had gone West over the sea). 

I did not win anything, but I thought my entry was pretty good and I was happy with how it turned out. It was fun to have a set goal and a deadline, as usually my painting is pretty laissez-faire. 

Here are some random baddies I made for nothing in particular, just because they would be useful for any D&D game. I used mostly Army Painter Speedpaints (I talked about these last time), which makes it very quick and easy to get a decent outcome, but I continue to notice how bad I am at taking photos. 

Here are some minis that were inspired by a specific game. I was playing D&D with my kids and nieces, and somehow the bad guys ended up as this organization that destroyed forests just for the fun of it - they called them the "Anti-Environmental League." So I made some models to match, with even a some custom-painted coat-of-arms. These bad guys were also featured in the yearly Christmas book last year, which I'll probably talk about at some point.

Finally, I'm quite proud of these models of Rincewind and Death from Terry Pratchett's Discworld. They're a little larger than the miniatures I usually paint (about 10cm tall), so on the one hand it was easier to paint some of the detail. On the other hand, there was also MORE detail than usual, so it took a lot longer as well. 

Anyway, that's an update about where I'm at with my painting (or where I was about a year ago). Maybe next time I'll show some of the larger pieces I've done, or maybe something about the terrain you see in the backgrounds (all those pretty trees and stone walls). 

Hopefully I'll see you sooner than 18 months this time!

Hugs & Kisses,
-CDGK

So You Want to Be A Writer? (#IWSG September 2024)

September Question

Since it's back to school time, let's talk English class. What's a writing rule you learned in school that messed you up as a writer?

God, that's so long ago. There are plenty of rules I've learned since then that have been nightmare (seriously, for any advice you can find about writing/publishing, I guarantee you can also find the opposite advice out there somewhere, too), but in school?

I was pretty lucky that my teachers always gave me freedom to write what and how I wanted. I read a lot as a kid, and my writing reflected that. It was quite common for my teachers to have me read my stories out loud in class. There were a few times they had to call home to tell my parents about the blood and violence in my stories (I read a lot of Stephen King as a kid) but that's neither here nor there.

I guess if there was something that messed me up, it was how supportive everyone was. Parents, teachers, classmates, everyone were always full of encouragement: You're a great writer! You should get your stories published! You could be an author!

Ha.

Ha.

Ha.

It ain't easy being a published writer. I mean, with Amazon KDP it is, technically, easy to publish, but it's very hard to be a good or successful published writer. I've got a shoebox full of rejection letters, tons of unfinished/unpublished manuscripts, and handful of self-published novels that aren't exactly lighting the Amazon bestseller lists on fire. I haven't made a dime. Again, technically, I have sold a few books, but ten years into doing this, my lifetime revenue is only just starting to match what I've put into it.

Last week I went to a store in my hometown that had been carrying some of my books. It's been two years since I was there, and they'd only sold one book in that time. The owner wanted me to take the rest of them back. That was a kick in the teeth, let me tell you, and a long way from my school teachers and classmates telling me I should be a writer when I grow up.

So how did school mess up your writing?

Hugs & kisses,
-CDGK

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Writers post their thoughts on their blogs, talking about their doubts and the fears they have conquered. It's a chance for writers to commiserate and offer a word of encouragement to each other. Check out the group at http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/

By Your Command (#IWSG August 2024)

August IWSG Question - Do you use AI in your writing and if so how? Do you use it for your posts? Incorporate it into your stories? Use it for research? Audio?

I use it for spell and grammar check. Sometimes I use it for autocomplete - as I type the software will suggest the words it thinks I might be trying to enter. Do these things count? Should I click the box on Amazon KDP that asks "Was any AI used in the creation of your book?" Those things are all technically a type of AI. They all scan your document, analyze what you're trying to say, then make suggestions of things to change. 

And don't get me started on using photo manipulation software. Making a cover for your book? All those brushes and filters in Photoshop are a type of AI as well. It processes your image, then makes changes to it, trying to shift it closer to what it "thinks" you want. Do we need to check the AI box for that?

I don't use AI to generate story content, or to create images "from scratch." I would love to use it to write blurbs for my back cover, but I've refrained so far. It's only going to become more prevalent in all types of artistic - especially commercial - entertainment. If people can save time and money, of course they're going to employ tools to maximize their profits. It will happen more and more in big budget movies (those scripts are already pretty formulaic) as well as genre fiction. 

It already happens in pop music - music studios use algorithms to study popular songs and trends in music, in order to suggest the best beats and rhythms to create more popular songs. Most singers also use AI-powered autotune to make their voice sound a certain way. If you used AI to write the lyrics, then poof! Instant Top-40 music with limited human input! 

Maybe if I feel bad about using AI to create fiction, I should switch and use it to make music instead. 

How's your summer going?

Hugs & kisses,
-CDGK

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Writers post their thoughts on their blogs, talking about their doubts and the fears they have conquered. It's a chance for writers to commiserate and offer a word of encouragement to each other. Check out the group at http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/

Gale Harbour Book Three Update (#IWSG June 2024)

At long last, I finally typed "THE END" on Gale Harbour Book 3. I "finished" the first draft a few months ago, but it needed a bunch of revising to put it all together, and I only just wrote the epilogue a couple of days ago. This will be the longest book in the series by far, and my longest published work to date,  and that's after I cut numerous chapters and side plots. I'm still worried it's too long - it's come a long way from the fast, adventure-romp of the first book. I guess we'll see what the proofreaders say.

After the proofreaders/beta readers, it's off to the editor. I really hope to release the book before the end of the year, which should be possible if I focus on ironing out all the edits that come back.

Is the book any good? Yeesh, that's a hard question I can't answer right now. So let's answer the IWSG question instead: 

JUNE QUESTION

In this constantly evolving industry, what kind of offering/service do you think the IWSG should consider offering to members?

This is an excellent question and I'm not sure if I know the answer. Just the network of like-minded writers is and has always been it's main draw. Finding more specific offerings and services is tricky because everyone is at different points in their writing journey; some are traditionally-published, some are self-published, some are trying to finish their first manuscript, some are bloggers, some write things they have no intention of sharing with others. 

For me, personally, I would love some sort of interview or review swapping, to help boost visibility. I know this happens unofficially now, but I was in another writing group where they had a dedicated, organized schedule where 12 writers would each post 12 interviews per year on their blog - you would appear on 12 other blogs and you would host each person on your own. It was a great success.

Another thing I would like to see would be updated versions of the Writers' guides that IWSG put out years ago, and perhaps to update the resources on the "Self-Publishing" tab of the website. Again, these are things I would like to see for myself, but I'm sure it would helps others, too.

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Writers post their thoughts on their blogs, talking about their doubts and the fears they have conquered. It's a chance for writers to commiserate and offer a word of encouragement to each other. Check out the group at http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/

GUEST POST: A Quick Test Release!

Did you know friend of the blog, Patricia Josephine Lynne, has a new book out this week? It's true! Patricia always writes fun, imaginative stories no matter what the style, so do yourself a favour and check it out:

A Quick Test

A Quick Tale #4

BLURB:

Aliens
Outer Space
Experiments

These mysteries fascinate our minds.

Explore the unknown in this exciting collection of tales. Each story is told in exactly 200 words and
designed to stimulate your brain no matter how busy your day is.

THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE.

BUY:

https://amzn.to/3I4SDmk

AUTHOR BIO:

If you asked Patricia J.L. to describe herself, she’d tell you, “Too creative for my own good.”

A paranormal and fantasy junkee, she loves to craft fantasy and paranormal stories about vampires, mermaids, angels, demons, zombies, and other mythical creatures. Aliens might even appear in her stories. No matter what mythical beast you crave. Patricia J.L. has a fantasy for every imagination.

Patricia J.L. officially started writing in 2012. She was bored and since she was always day dreaming
fantastic stories, she thought, “Why not write them down and share them with people?” She's still deciding if that was a mistake or not. Since then, she has finished a dozen stories and has no plans to stop.

When she’s not lost writing in fantasy worlds, she relaxes with knitting, drawing and art, and jigsaw puzzles. And of course, good paranormal fantasy books. Patricia J.L. currently lives with her husband in Upper Michigan. One day, they both hope to have enough pets to resemble a petting zoo. (Until then, can she pet your cat or dog?)

FOLLOW:

Newsletter: twistingmyths.substack.com
X/Twitter: twitter.com/twistingmyths
Pinterest: pinterest.com/twistingmyths
Blue Sky: twistingmyths.bsky.social

Still Blogging (#IWSG April 2024)

Busy, busy, busy... It's the craziest week of the year at my day job, so I have to keep this short. Which is too bad, since I actually had a story cooking about the monthly question.

Writing and revision have been slow due to how busy it's been at work, but it is plodding along slowly. Hopefully when I'm over that hump I can jump back into it and finally put Gale Harbour 3 to bed (or at least off to the editor).

April Question - How long have you been blogging?

My first blogging experience wasn't with this blog, but with a tabletop gaming blog called RuleoftheDice.com. I wrote about role-playing games and tried way too hard to be edgy - some of the early posts are particularly cringy. 

I won't go into too much detail, but suffice to say I do miss the community. The RPG community at the time was very vibrant, and despite the arguments between "Old school" and modern games, there were a lot of great conversations to be had. A lot of it took place on the now-defunct Google+ social media platform, which I also kinda miss because I never found those same groups again. I mean there are also gaming groups on Facebook but OH MY GOD those people are obnoxious.

How about you? Anyone else lament to the changes to blogging and social media over the years?

Hugs & Kisses,
-CDGK

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Writers post their thoughts on their blogs, talking about their doubts and the fears they have conquered. It's a chance for writers to commiserate and offer a word of encouragement to each other. Check out the group at http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/

Spring is Coming (#IWSG March 2024)

I'm sorry about my mopey and depressed post from last month. Not sure if was the winter blues or what, but I'm feeling much better now. More positive, more energy. It probably won't last, but I'll make the most of it while I can.

I've been writing again, and revisions on Gale Harbour book 3 are coming along well. I've also started thinking long and hard about my next project, and I have several ideas for short stories I want to write in between. It's amazing the impact not being depressed has on your productivity. 

I've also been painting again and I picked up Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. I've only played it for an hour so far but I'm really looking forward to getting into it - there's only so many hours in the day.

I finally finished this guy last week, and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

My day job is still crazy busy as it always is this time of year, and will continue to be for about two months, but once I'm past crunch time I should be able to finish my writing projects and get into Final Fantasy VII. Spring is looking up!

Random Question: I've almost reached the 500 subscribers limit on my free MailChimp account, and I really don't want to pay the $30+ per month to expand the limit. I really don't make that much money off my writing. I want to keep building my mailing list, obviously, but I don't send very emails/newsletters - just when I have a new book or pre-order to announce, really. I'm considering exporting the email addresses, and just using MailChimp to collect new addresses. Does anyone have another solution, or suggestion on what other systems they use?

Oh, and there's still the question of the month...

Have you "played" with AI to write those nasty synopses, or do you refuse to go that route? How do you feel about AI's impact on creative writing?

I have not played with AI for writing synopses, though I really want to because I hate writing them myself. I guess there's a part of me that's afraid of feeding entire manuscripts into the AI's learning algorithm. Not that it couldn't have picked up my text from somewhere else, and I'm sure it's already scanned tons of work way better than mine. Still seems weird to actively do it myself.

I'm also being hypocritical, because while I'm apprehensive about embracing AI-enhanced writing, I use it for producing art all the time (mostly for fun, and not for commercial purposes). Whether it's feeding on my written words or someone's visual art, it's still stealing/borrowing without permission from someone's work. 

I know that AI is going to have an impact on writing and publishing, and fighting against it is a losing battle. It's inevitable, like the lightbulb replacing oil lamps. And algorithms learning from the work of others is not that different from humans being inspired by the writing or art of others - we all borrow elements from our favourite creators. The difference, of course, is that a computer program can process artworks a million times faster than we can, and does not have any discretion on how it uses that information. 

I'm also really paranoid about that "Does your work contain any AI-produced material?" question on the Amazon publishing page. For now I'm steering clear of any AI content, because I don't know what Big Jungle will do to my books if I click "Yes."

Most terrifying form I've had to fill out in awhile.

Wow that's alot this month. Time to go check out some other blogs.

Hugs & Kisses,
-CDGK

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Writers post their thoughts on their blogs, talking about their doubts and the fears they have conquered. It's a chance for writers to commiserate and offer a word of encouragement to each other. Check out the group at http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/

Sigh. (#IWSG February 2024)

I feel like a broken record, but I've been struggling to write lately. I want to, I really do, and I often try, but I never get much out. Life in general has just been a drudgery, from illnesses in the family to constant appointments for ongoing health issues to increasing pressure at work. Even when I get the time to do anything, I just don't have the energy. 

I started to revise Gale Harbour Book 3, which involved going back to read the first two books. You know how sometimes you go back and read something you wrote in the past and go, "Hey, this is pretty good?" Yeah, that didn't happen. I don't know if it's because I'm already depressed, but I did not look back on it with rose-tinted glasses. I am going to keep going, and it will push me to make the next book as good as possible, but it just feels like a mountain that I do not have the ability to climb right now.

Before I get too negative, let's get to the question of the month... which will probably also be negative. Sigh. It is an interesting one, but will likely cause some (hopefully positive) conversations.

February question: What turns you off when visiting an author's website/blog? 

I look forward to hearing everyone else's response on this, to learn things I shouldn't do with my website. I'm sure there LOTS of them.

If I have one pet peeve, it's pop-ups asking me to sign-up for a newsletter. I know, I know, newsletters are important blah, blah, I have my own mailing list, I get it. But asking me to sign-up for a mailing list before I even see anything about you is a big turn-off. If I'm interested enough in your work I will go sign up or buy a book, but I NEVER sign up for something that pops up in my face. It's just a stubborn principle. I refuse to buy anything from solicitors at my door, too (sorry, Girl Guides!).

Well, there's my gloom and grumpiness for this month. How's everyone else doing?

Hugs & kisses,
-CDGK

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Writers post their thoughts on their blogs, talking about their doubts and the fears they have conquered. It's a chance for writers to commiserate and offer a word of encouragement to each other. Check out the group at http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/