Monday, June 21, 2010

IMAGARAMA

Over at Newsarama, Zack Smith conducts a fairly in-depth interview with yours truly focusing on the imminent (next Tuesday!) release of Imaginalis.  I feel like there's some cosmic drum-roll playing in the background as I sit waiting, not very patiently, for the book to hit the stores.  Here's hoping I don't drive my family crazy till then.

20 comments:

  1. Thanks for the link. I'll keep playing that drum-roll here at my end, and in keeping with my overly strict NO SPOILERS!!! obsession, I only skimmed the interview, but it'll be read in full some day after I finish reading Imaginalis.

    Happy New Novel Release Day to You (a week early)!

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  2. Deep thanks, Tim. I may have to start drinking just so I can pop a bottle of champagne next week. On second thought, an imaginary bottle and an imaginary cork will be far more appropriate!

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  3. IMAGINALIS all the people...

    Waiting for next Tuesday!

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  4. "IMAGINALIS all the people"? That's a great one, David!

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  5. I am a little curious, do you feel more nervous about books than comic books? If so, do you think it is because comics come out periodically, while the book comes out all in one chunk? Maybe the book feels more personal because you are the only creator, while the comic has at least one other important creative force.
    Good luck with the book. I'll read the pages you have linked here and if I like them, I'll make sure to buy the book. I think I would like the book, given that I like the sort of things you write on this blog.

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  6. That's a potential title that popped in my head for a future review on my blog...glad you like it!

    Oh, and major congrats, JMD.

    And I hope you DO drive your family (a little) crazy till then. It's part of the Story (and the Fun), you know--we should ALL have moments where we become like children waiting for Christmas again.

    It's a wonderful thing to think about how IMAGINALIS will be moving around on shelves next to the CHRONICLES OF NARNIA and HARRY POTTER.

    Here's to new books, new frontiers, and that most wondrous of all star systems, the Dewey Decimal!

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  7. The reason I'm more anxious about the book, Quique, is that it's something new. I've been doing comics for so long that I have a little more faith in the process, in the stories finding their audience. Oh, sure, when a project like ABADAZAD or SAVIOR 28 comes out, I hear that drum roll in the background and I wonder and worry, but the world of books is something new to me. Factor in the residual disappointment from when the ABADAZAD books went down the rabbit hole and you've got a writer filled with anticipation that is both wildly joyful and wildly anxious.

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  8. "...on shelves next to the CHRONICLES OF NARNIA and HARRY POTTER." You bring up another factor in the Anxiety Sweepstakes, David (see my reply to Quique): my reverence for books, for the magic between two hard covers. To be walking through that land where Charles Dickens rubs shoulders with Henry Miller and L. Frank Baum is a wonderful, intimidating thing. (Do I romanticize? Of course I do. That's why I'm a writer.)

    As I said in the Newsarama interview, my very love of books almost got in the way of writing IMAGINALIS. I was so awed by the idea that I froze up at first.

    But, in the end, a story is a story, whether it's between the covers of a novel or in the colorful pages of a comic book or on a TV or movie screen. The story's the thing. Here's hoping people enjoy this one.

    Back to driving my family crazy. (Actually, I'm not...at least not more than usual. I've got too many deadlines keeping me busy.)

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  9. Hello Mr. DeMatteis,

    I am so happy to find your blog. Last we spoke was at...WonderCon in 2006? My memory is vague because my son was born soon after and life has been a joyous blur since then. At the time, I was working at Dark Horse and was lucky enough to have a chance (though all too brief) to talk with you. I am a huge fan of your more personal works. Moonshadow, Brooklyn Dreams, and the short-lived Seekers Into the Mystery. I very much enjoyed the Abadazad books and was extremely disappointed that I don't get to see anything beyond book two. Any chance that Boom! or IDW might give the book new life in comic form? I missed out on the comic the first go around but will NEVER miss a chance to drool over the gorgeous work of Mike Ploog.

    I noticed you have a new book coming out and have had it on order since the day I found the listing on Amazon. I'm very much looking forward to Imaginalis, based on nothing more than your previous writings. The title sounds like it should be right up your ally! I'm only disappointed to see it is under 300 pages, since I'm one of those people who loves reading huge books.

    Best of luck on this new venture. As an avid reader, I look forward to enjoying more of your work for many, many years to come!

    And since I've sort of fallen out of comics (more like guided quietly out the back door), it's a great pleasure to see you writing books.

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  10. Hey, Lloyd—welcome to Creation Point. Glad you found me.

    WonderCon was in 2007, the only time I've been there in recent years: I recall having a very nice, low-key time there.

    I can't thank you enough for ordering IMAGINALIS sight unseen. No, it's not some giant fantasy epic, in fact it's a fairly modest tale as these things go; but, if the book does well, I've got some Big Ideas about where to go from here.

    What were you doing at Dark Horse?

    Thanks again for stopping by. All the very best -- JMD

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  11. It could have been 2007. I remember the Boom! table was pretty quiet and I couldn't believe that people weren't flocked to talk to you. One of the hardest parts of having to work the conventions was not being able to cater to the fan side of me. I collected and read comics for almost 35 years and it was a hard habit to break. Like losing a close friend.

    I worked for the retail side of Dark Horse as Buyer for their chain of stores, Things From Another World. I was also Controller and finally Operations Manager before things went south on me there. (Well, a couple of bad apples made it quite unpleasant to work there and I grew tired of watching others profit from my ideas and hard work.)

    In any case, I don't need your book to be a giant fantasy. I've been burned out on epic fantasy since high school and really only read George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire these days (as far as fantasy goes).

    However, I HAVE been doing a lot of fun "research" in the Young Adult market and have been enjoying reading many novels in that genre. That's how I came across the listing for your book actually. I have some ideas of my own I intend to put to the test. Meanwhile, I'm having a great time trying out new books and think I'm going to be stuck in the YA mode for awhile.

    I wish you all the greatest success with IMAGINALIS!

    Take care and I'll be talking to you soon.

    Lloyd

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  12. The world of Y/A books is a wide, wonderful one, Lloyd: enjoy your journeys. And good luck with developing your own ideas. As you might suspect, I think there are very few things in life more fun than making up stories for a living.

    And, again, thanks for your good wishes re: IMAGINALIS. Deeply appreciated!

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  13. Just to let you know, I'm spreading the word of your book and its release on my Facebook account. (Every little bit counts, right?) :)

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  14. Deep thanks, Lloyd: I can't tell you how much I appreciate that. Every little bit counts indeed -- especially today...which is RELEASE DAY for the book!

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  15. Just got confirmation that my copy of IMAGINALIS has shipped. Small chance I'll have it on Friday, otherwise early next week looks good.

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  16. Thanks for ordering it, Bob: very much appreciated! Once you've read IMAGINALIS, check back and let me know what you thought...yea or nay.

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  17. Posted my thoughts on IMAGINALIS here:

    http://asm149.blogspot.com/2010/07/i-can-only-imaginalis.html

    Great stuff! There's some cool twists that I couldn't talk about because I didn't want to spoil anything. Maybe sometime in the distant future you could make a spoilery post for people who've read it to discuss.

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  18. Heartfelt thanks, David, for that beautiful review. I can't tell you how much it means to me.

    Re: your suggetion. If more folks who've read the book pop in here, I'm sure we can find a way for everyone to discuss it.

    Thanks again, David. You made my day.

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  19. Hi, Mr. DeMatteis,

    I first heard about you back when I was entering high school, four years ago, when I read the first two volumes of Abadazad. I enjoyed them, and I'm sorry that you weren't able to finish that story.

    But I just finished reading 'Imaginalis,' and I just wanted to say that it was one of the best fantasy books I've read in the past few years. It was really inspiring for me, and I liked the characters you created, particularly Uncle Nossyss, and Pralaya was a pretty good villain, in my opinion. :) Anyway, I hope you do well in your future projects (if you ever make another Imaginalis book, I'll be sure to buy it), and here's hoping that, somehow, you'll be able to bring Abadazad back again. :)

    --- Neil

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  20. Very glad you enjoyed the book, Neil...and equally glad it was ABADAZAD that led you to it. As for sequels...

    When I first conceived the IMAGINALIS story, I was determined to keep it self-contained: I didn't want to see another series of mine torpedoed in mid-story. In the past few months, I've come to realize that the first book left many doors open for sequels. I'd love to follow Mehera into a bigger, broader, more epic fantasy-adventure. Time, and sales!, will tell. (So feel free to spread the word about IMAGINALIS.)

    Thanks so much for checking in, Neil...and welcome to Creation Point! All the best -- JMD

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