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Phoenician writes...
So here's my entry into the Rain of the Ghosts typo contest -- In Chapter 12 "The Storm," on page 114, in the first full paragraph, we have Rain studying the familiar faces of the Eight. In the middle of the paragraph we read the sentence, "She looked at young Joey C. Wounded but smiling--and now so obviously good Old Joe."
But what I think happened was that period was taken as the end of a sentence and not part of an initial of a last name. So there after the 'Joey C.' I think was supposed to be a dash with a lower-case 'wounded' instead of just the upper-case 'Wounded.'
For example: "She looked at young Joey C.--wounded but smiling--and now so obviously good Old Joe."
Whether it's an actual typo or not, know that I only noticed it while I was rereading the first book in anticipation for Spirits of Ash and Foam! :)
Greg responds...
I see what you're saying, but no. That was intentional. The period after Joey C doubles as both the period after the initial and the end of the sentence.
Nice try though!
Phoenician writes...
This is definitely overdue, but better late than never!
I picked up Rain of the Ghosts the day it came out with the simple struggle in figuring out just how fast I wanted to turn the page to know what happened next when I quickly realized that I would eventually have to wait a fair heap of time for the next installment, thanks to the knowledge previously revealed on AskGreg that Rain was intended to be a series. In short, I wanted to cherish the ride that I had been waiting to get on. But now that the ride has finally started, I can finally say I don't ever want to get off!
Without getting into the details that makes most of these reviews sound all too similar (and to minimize any spoilers), let me just take the time to point out some of the strongest (and/or favorite) aspects of the story that stood out to me. As someone who has enjoyed a lifetime of reading books (and well aware I've not read enough) and watching more than a few shows with Greg Weisman at the helm, this book almost felt like the long awaited cosmic alignment that I've only just realized I should have been anticipating, lol.
Moments I liked (***POTENTIAL SPOILERS!!!***):
-- This was brought up at CONvergence for Gargoyles and Young Justice (ConJournals on the way I promise!), but I LOVE that Rain of the Ghosts is also dedicated to the realism so as to make the fantastic pop . . . from the Spanish to the slow track of time, it really does flesh it out. Such attention to detail - detail that's far more engaging than encyclopedic - makes the first novel feel like a diary for the entire Ghost Keys (at the least, the personal diary of the native omniscient narrator).
-- 'Bastian's nickname for Rain, and happy we'll be hearing it for at least a little longer :)
-- I enjoyed the magicked-scenes where Rain and Charlie (and whoever else) sees and hears different things. Especially since we actually get a lot of detail on what the folks who don't see *are* in fact seeing. If it played on television, I'd imagine it'd feel very familiar to the Weird Sisters in "City of Stone."
-- I was actually lulled into a false sense of security when Rain had snuck out of Callahan's window . . . not so much that I didn't think Callahan was clever enough to put two and two together (I do think I give him a touch more credit than Rain currently does), but I guess I didn't anticipate them having a row with each other so soon.
-- Appreciate the subtle and conscious effort to demonstrate how Rain's parents handled raising a kid with guests. Even when things got heated, there was a delicate approach to show how Alonso and Iris needed to check Rain's antics, taking her skeleton key but giving her a break. Tough - but fair.
-- I enjoyed the notable paces set by the various uses of commas, ands, and ellipses (among other tools in the syntax) in the exposition . . . whenever I noticed a pattern, or even a notable pause, it got me visualizing not only the scene but also the theoretical direction and use of the camera (transitions and cuts and everything), which, now that I'm thinking about it, would be (more often than not) from the point of view from Opie, right?
-- On that note, I remembered reading a line when a character paused for nine seconds (it even emphasizes that it was exactly nine seconds). Lines like those had me going back and trying to read the sentence in the allotted time. With the nine seconds line, I do remember its length and beat actually made it quite feasible. :)
-- Oddly enough, all the mouth wordplay . . . Alonso pushing his tongue against his cheeks, Charlie biting his cheeks, Old Joe licking his lips, Rain sticking her tongue out at Charlie . . . the visuals just seem like signatures for each character, lol.
-- And of course, finally meeting our native omniscient narrator, Opie, lol.
Overall, it's a great story with a ton of heart (Rain's experience with a death in the family is so relatable that you absolutely feel for her the minute she realizes she's pushed away the ghost she most desperately wants to see), with probably a ton more other stories to tease out. Needless to say I'm looking forward to each and every one of them!
**POTENTIAL SPOILERS END***
Greg responds...
Thanks! All the things you mentioned were quite intentional, so I'm glad they registered - as long as they didn't interfere with experiencing the story.
Hope by now you've also read SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM and are looking forward to the AudioPlay version of RAIN.
And I'm told positive reviews on Amazon help a lot!
Harlan of the Ghosts writes...
A few questions about Spirits of Ash and Foam (which I loved, by the way).
1. Who were the two characters who demanded a bigger presence as you were writing Spirits of Ash and Foam?
2. Ghosts have a similar affinity for the night that gargoyles do (in that day is pretty much a no go for them). Do you have your own affinity for the night, or do you see a bit of thematic overlap between ghosts and gargoyles?
Greg responds...
1. SLIGHT SPOILER AHEAD:
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Renée and Cash. (Did you guess this? Was it who you thought?)
2. I am nocturnal, but otherwise, I think this is mostly coincidental. The gargoyles night/day thing came from us extrapolating on the (very limited) legends associated with gargoyles, and in any case we came up with it years before Rain was even a glimmer in my eye. The ghost night/day thing in Rain and Spirits comes directly from Taino mythology, which had very specific rules for ghosts that I'm trying to honor in these stories.
Quindar writes...
At CONvergence, you mentioned that you have a written list of things to keep in mind while writing scenes for Rain of the Ghosts: what music Rain is hearing, what's the light source, what's the weather, etc. Would you mind posting the complete list?
Greg responds...
The "Cheat Sheet" for Rain of the Ghosts wound up being about 27 pages long, by the time I was done.
In contrast, the "Cheat Sheet" for the third novel in the series, "Masque of Bones" is already 98 pages long, and I've barely scratched the surface in terms of research and planning.
I don't have the Cheat Sheet for Spirits of Ash and Foam handy, but I have a vague memory it was about 180+ pages.
Anyway, I'm not going to post a 27 page document here. But I will cut and paste the first page, which (in extra large font) I kept right in front of me to keep things in mind as I wrote:
CHEAT SHEET
What all characters look like:
--Skin color,
--Hair length, style and color.
--eye color, eye shape?
--Build, height, weight. Etc.
--CLOTHES -- LOCAL COLOR t-shirt
--Weather or PENDING weather. MOON status.
Sights. Smells.
Sounds. Soundtrack.
Motion.
Plant Life Animal Life
Anonymous writes...
I recently began to compile a shelf of the best books I have ever read. Rain of the Ghosts was the 8th book on that shelf, preceded only by the exploits of a certain Mr. Potter. She is joined by the likes of the Pevensie siblings, the gods of Greek myth, and Sherlock Holmes. Thank you for creating a fantastic new series. And know that there is a spot reserved for Spirits of Ash and Foam, Masque of Bone, and the other six books yet to come.
Greg responds...
Thank you! That's pretty august company! I hope by now (13 months later), you've had a chance to read Spirits of Ash and Foam!
MomoCon 2015
I leave tomorrow for MomoCon 2015. More information on it can be found at their website: http://www.momocon.com/
But here's MY schedule for the weekend:
FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2015
BREAKING INTO ANIM 12:30pm - 01:30pm
Main "Villains" Room Omni-International
w/Floyd County Productions
SIGNING 03:30pm - 05:30pm
Autograph Area
YOUNG JUSTICE 08:00pm - 09:00pm
Main "Villains" Omni-International
w/Crispin Freeman
SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2015
SIGNING 11:00am - 12:30pm
Autograph Area
ANIM CREATORS 02:00pm - 03:00pm
"Underdog" A-313
w/Ben Mangum, Mike Reiss
SIGNING 05:30pm - 07:00pm
Autograph Area
SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2015
SIGNING 11:30am - 01:00pm
Autograph Area
GARGOYLES 02:00pm - 03:00pm
Main "Villains" Omni-International
w/Keith David
That's right! Both Keith "Goliath" David and Crispin "Red Arrow" Freeman will also be at MomoCon!
As usual, at my autograph sessions, I will happily sign anything you bring along with you for free. But I will also be signing and selling copies of my two novels RAIN OF THE GHOSTS and SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM. ($10 per book, cash only.) If you purchase both books (signed and personalized for $20 cash total), you get a FREE art surprise. I will also be signing and selling copies of my animation and radio play scripts (from GARGOYLES, MEN IN BLACK, STARSHIP TROOPERS, TEAM ATLANTIS, W.I.T.C.H., THE BATMAN, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN, DC SHOWCASE: GREEN ARROW, BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN MEETS GARGOYLES, YOUNG JUSTICE, BEWARE THE BATMAN, GARGOYLES MEETS THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN MEETS YOUNG JUSTICE and KIM POSSIBLE). Each signed and personalized script is $20 cash. I'll also be giving away #RainoftheGhosts AudioPlay postcards for free!
So please stop by and say hello!
Brittany Uomoleale
Brittany Uomoleale, the voice of Rain Cacique in the Rain of the Ghosts AudioPlay is interviewed here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2eI7DDklMY
WONDERCON 2015
I am fortunate enough to have been invited to be a spotlight guest at WonderCon this year at the Anaheim Convention Center in California from Friday April 03 - Sunday April 05. Here's my schedule for WonderCon 2015:
FRIDAY, APRIL 03, 2015
SIGNING
ARTISTS ALLEY - Table A-31, 11:30am - 12:30pm.
As usual, I will sign anything you bring for free. But I will also be signing and selling copies of my two novels RAIN OF THE GHOSTS and SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM. ($10 per book, cash only.) If you purchase both books (signed and personalized for $20 cash total), you get a FREE copy of Kuni Tomita's original development artwork designs from when we developed RAIN as an animated series back at DreamWorks in the '90s. I will also be signing and selling copies of my animation and radio play scripts (from GARGOYLES, MEN IN BLACK, STARSHIP TROOPERS, TEAM ATLANTIS, W.I.T.C.H., THE BATMAN, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN, DC SHOWCASE: GREEN ARROW, BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN MEETS GARGOYLES, YOUNG JUSTICE, BEWARE THE BATMAN, GARGOYLES MEETS THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN MEETS YOUNG JUSTICE and KIM POSSIBLE). Each signed and personalized script is $20 cash. I'll also be giving away #RainoftheGhosts AudioPlay postcards for free!
WORKING IN THE STAR WARS UNIVERSE
Room 207 04:00pm - 05:00pm
I'm moderating this panel with panelists: Kevin J. Anderson, Sam de La Rosa, Braden Lamb, Mike Mayhew, Rebecca Moesta & John Ostrander.
SIGNING
ARTISTS ALLEY - Table A-31, 5:30pm - 07:00pm.
SATURDAY, APRIL 04, 2015
SPOTLIGHT ON GREG WEISMAN
Room 213, 11:30am - 12:30pm
Gary Mierianu interviews me about Gargoyles, Young Justice, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars Kanan: the Last Padawan, Rain of the Ghosts (novels and AudioPlay) and more. Plus we'll open it up to an audience Q&A at the end.
SIGNING
ARTISTS ALLEY - Table A-31, 1:00pm - 02:30pm.
SIGNING
Mysterious Galaxy Booth 908, 03:00pm - 03:45pm.
MARVEL: NEXT BIG THING
Room 300AB 04:00pm - 05:00pm
I'll be talking about Star Wars Kanan: The Last Padawan, but other panelists will include Sam Humphries, Will Moss & Rick Remender, talking about their stuff.
SIGNING
ARTISTS ALLEY - Table A-31, 5:30pm - 07:00pm.
SUNDAY, APRIL 05, 2015
WARNER ARCHIVE MORE THAN SIDEKICKS!
Room 300AB 01:00pm - 02:00pm
I'll be talking Young Justice and other sidekick stuff with J.M. DeMatteis, D.W. Ferranti, Loren Lester, Gary Mierianu & Matthew Patterson.
SIGNING
ARTISTS ALLEY - Table A-31, 2:30pm - 05:00pm.
That's it. If you're in the area, stop by and say hello!!!
Gallifrey One 2015
My next convention appearance is at GALLIFREY ONE 2015, a Doctor Who Convention in Los Angeles.
What does Greg Weisman have to do with Doctor Who, you ask?
Well, nothing really, unless you count being a fan myself as having something to do with it, but I will be doing a number of things while I'm there that aren't Doctor Who related, because, well, because as my friend Chris Jones says, "They keep letting us."
Here's my schedule for Valentine's Day, i.e. Saturday, February 14, 2015:
Autographs - Saturday, February 15, 1:00pm-2:00pm, Autograph Alley
Kaffeeklatsch - Saturday, February 15, 3:00pm-4:00pm, Board Room
A Day in the Life of a TV Writer/Producer - Saturday, February 15, 4:00pm-5:00pm, Program D
Women of Young Justice - Saturday, February 15, 6:00pm-7:00pm, Program D
Young Justice Meet-Up - Saturday, February 15, 7:00pm-8:00pm, Program D
The Women of Young Justice is likely to be a real treat. There's more info (and a terrific graphic) on Chris' Tumbler here:
http://christopherjonesart.tumblr.com/post/110749267743/so-some-of-you-know-greg-weisman-and-i-have-been
But to sum up, we've got:
Stephanie Lemelin - Voice of Artemis
Kelly Hu - Voice of Cheshire
Vanessa Marshall - Voice of Black Canary
Masasa Moyo - Voice of Bumblebee
Lolita Ritmanis - Composer
Greg Weisman - Writer/Producer
Christopher Jones - Comic Book Artist
After the panel, we'll have a more informal meet-up where folks can get a picture taken, an autograph or just chat with Chris and myself (and maybe a couple of the other guests).
As you can see, earlier in the day (and maybe at the Meet-Up), I'll be signing (for free) and selling signed copies of my novels RAIN OF THE GHOSTS and SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM and copies of selected animations teleplays (including GARGOYLES and YOUNG JUSTICE). Scripts are $20 cash. The novels are $10 each, but if you purchase both, I'll throw in signed copies of the original RAIN OF THE GHOSTS development artwork by artist Kuni Tomita for free, as well.
Hope to see a few of you there!
Magic City Comic Con
I'm leaving in a few minutes for Magic City Comic Con in MIAMI at the Miami Airport Convention Center!!
Here's my schedule:
FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 2015
SPOTLIGHT Q&A 02:30pm - 03:20pm
Ballroom 1.
ADAPTING MEDIA FRANCHISES FOR COMIC BOOKS 04:00pm - 05:00pm
Ballroom 2 w/Mike W. Barr, Terry Cronin, Dan Slott.
SIGNING 05:00pm - 06:00pm
Booth #???? - 900 Aisle
AUTOGRAPH SESSION 06:30pm - 08:00pm
Celebrity Autograph Area,
West Hall - Exhibition Room.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 17, 2015
SIGNING 10:30am - 11:30am
Booth #???? - 900 Aisle
GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER AND WRITE YOUR
FIRST NOVEL 11:45am - 12:45pm
Ballroom 2 w/Mike W. Barr, Terry Cronin, Philip Lee McCall II.
AUTOGRAPH SESSION 01:45pm - 03:00pm
Celebrity Autograph Area,
West Hall - Exhibition Room.
WRITING SPIDER-MAN 03:15pm - 04:15pm
Room 210 w/Dan Slott.
WRITING: FROM TV TO COMIC BOOKS
Room 202 05:15pm - 06:15pm
w/Mike W. Barr, Terry Cronin.
SIGNING 07:00pm - 08:00pm
Booth #???? - 900 Aisle
SUNDAY, JANUARY 18, 2015
SIGNING 10:30am - 11:20am
Booth #???? - 900 Aisle
LEGACY OF GARGOYLES 11:30am - 12:30pm
Room 210
WRITING BATMAN 01:45pm - 02:45pm
Room 210 w/Mike W. Barr, Francis Manapul.
AUTOGRAPH SESSION 03:15pm - 04:30pm
Celebrity Autograph Area,
West Hall - Exhibition Room.
THE BUSINESS OF ANIMATION
Room 210 05:30pm - 06:30pm
w/Christy Karacas, Chris Prynowski, Melissa Warrenburg.
I will be selling personalized signed copies of my two novels RAIN OF THE GHOSTS and SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM for $10 in cash each. If you buy both books, you get signed copies of the original development artwork by Kuni Tomita from when we attempted to sell RAIN as an animated television series back in the 90s.
I'm also selling signed copies of my animation scripts for $20 in cash each from series including GARGOYLES, THE BATMAN, BEWARE THE BATMAN, ROUGHNECKS, MEN IN BLACK, TEAM ATLANTIS, KIM POSSIBLE, DC SHOWCASE GREEN ARROW, W.I.T.C.H., THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN, YOUNG JUSTICE and more - including scripts from a couple of convention radio plays.
Autographs from me and photos of or with me are always free.
If you're in the Miami area, I urge you to stop by and check it out!
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