Dear Fellow Readers:
I am so excited (and also a bit sad) to share with you a trilogy that I've worked on with Howard for the past several years that is finally completed with Hockey Karma, the final book. First, I was emailed by him in 2012 to review Stereotypical Freaks, which I loved, and then he asked me to be his editor for the next two books, The Hockey Saint and Hockey Karma. Previous to Howard, I had little experience with editing for graphical novels and it was such a fun process! I did a lot of background research and read some other graphical novels to get a basic idea. Then, for these two novels, I got to work with characters that I already knew and loved, and then in the final book, Hockey Karma, had the privilege of bringing back characters from the first book. Working with Howard was a creative and super fun process as he was very open to all sorts of ideas and allowed me a lot of freedom to buff up the story. Howard has done a stupendous job putting the story together and then integrating the art with the story. I am so proud of what he has accomplished and am glad to share these books with you now!
The Stereotypical Freaks Goodreads Book Description: Four disparate high
school seniors come together to compete in their school's battle of the
bands. Sharing a love for playing rock and roll, the members name the
band "The Stereotypical Freaks" because they feel stereotyped by their
classmates - smart kid, geek, star athlete and quiet weirdo… when in
fact they know they are much more than those labels that have been
placed on them.
When one member reveals life altering news, winning the competition takes on more of a meaning to each member. Scared and angry, upset and yet still with a lot of resolve they set out to win one for the good guys… will they?
The Hockey Saint Goodreads Book description: Twenty-one year old
Jeremiah Jacobson is the world's best hockey player, but he wasn't
prepared for the frenzy and scrutiny that came with that title. Tom
Leonard is an average college sophomore... just a guy trying to find his
place in the world as he sorts through issues that are both very real
and seemingly insurmountable.
Through a chance meeting, these two strike up an unlikely friendship. Their bond is tested when Tom discovers that his idol isn't as perfect up close as he seems from afar. With Jeremiah living a little too much in the moment and with his past catching up to him, will Tom be able to help him before it's too late?
Hockey Karma Goodreads Book description: The legendary Jeremiah
“Jake” Jacobson, now thirty two, has been the world’s best hockey player
over his fourteen year career because of his out of this world talent
level and his smart play. But he can’t stay on top forever, and when he
starts making mistakes on the ice, his career and family life start to
crumble.
At the same time, Tom Leonard, his agent and best friend, is completely overwhelmed by a project that he and Jake were supposed to be working on together. A project that could have a huge impact on people throughout their city in need of a helping hand. As Jake sinks deeper into a funk over his lost status due to his deteriorating play and the emergence of teammate and rookie phenom Barclay Pedersen, Tom realizes he’s on his own. At the same time he rediscovers someone from his past who he never thought he’d see again. In that burgeoning relationship, Tom discovers the importance of taking chances and starts to believe in himself.
Can Jake break out of his downward spiral and Tom finally find the courage to step out of Jake’s shadow?
The Stereotypical Freaks was his debut Graphic Novel
came out in November, 2012 and his most recent GN is The Hockey Saint which came out in October, 2014. Both GN’s have won awards including (TSF)
Best Graphic Novel of 2012 at the Indie Spirit Awards and (THS) IndieReader
2014 Best Graphic Novel. The final part
of the trilogy, Hockey Karma, will be
released in Novemberber, 2016.
Interview
I am so excited (and also a bit sad) to share with you a trilogy that I've worked on with Howard for the past several years that is finally completed with Hockey Karma, the final book. First, I was emailed by him in 2012 to review Stereotypical Freaks, which I loved, and then he asked me to be his editor for the next two books, The Hockey Saint and Hockey Karma. Previous to Howard, I had little experience with editing for graphical novels and it was such a fun process! I did a lot of background research and read some other graphical novels to get a basic idea. Then, for these two novels, I got to work with characters that I already knew and loved, and then in the final book, Hockey Karma, had the privilege of bringing back characters from the first book. Working with Howard was a creative and super fun process as he was very open to all sorts of ideas and allowed me a lot of freedom to buff up the story. Howard has done a stupendous job putting the story together and then integrating the art with the story. I am so proud of what he has accomplished and am glad to share these books with you now!
When one member reveals life altering news, winning the competition takes on more of a meaning to each member. Scared and angry, upset and yet still with a lot of resolve they set out to win one for the good guys… will they?
The Hockey Saint Goodreads Book description: Twenty-one year old
Jeremiah Jacobson is the world's best hockey player, but he wasn't
prepared for the frenzy and scrutiny that came with that title. Tom
Leonard is an average college sophomore... just a guy trying to find his
place in the world as he sorts through issues that are both very real
and seemingly insurmountable. Through a chance meeting, these two strike up an unlikely friendship. Their bond is tested when Tom discovers that his idol isn't as perfect up close as he seems from afar. With Jeremiah living a little too much in the moment and with his past catching up to him, will Tom be able to help him before it's too late?
Hockey Karma Goodreads Book description: The legendary Jeremiah
“Jake” Jacobson, now thirty two, has been the world’s best hockey player
over his fourteen year career because of his out of this world talent
level and his smart play. But he can’t stay on top forever, and when he
starts making mistakes on the ice, his career and family life start to
crumble.At the same time, Tom Leonard, his agent and best friend, is completely overwhelmed by a project that he and Jake were supposed to be working on together. A project that could have a huge impact on people throughout their city in need of a helping hand. As Jake sinks deeper into a funk over his lost status due to his deteriorating play and the emergence of teammate and rookie phenom Barclay Pedersen, Tom realizes he’s on his own. At the same time he rediscovers someone from his past who he never thought he’d see again. In that burgeoning relationship, Tom discovers the importance of taking chances and starts to believe in himself.
Can Jake break out of his downward spiral and Tom finally find the courage to step out of Jake’s shadow?
Author Blurb:
HOWARD
SHAPIRO lives in Moon Township, PA with his wife and two sons. The Controller
for the Pittsburgh-based Visual Effects firm, Animal Inc., he has also written four
children’s books and two graphic novels (part of the Forever Friends Trilogy.)
The Stereotypical Freaks was his debut Graphic Novel
came out in November, 2012 and his most recent GN is The Hockey Saint which came out in October, 2014. Both GN’s have won awards including (TSF)
Best Graphic Novel of 2012 at the Indie Spirit Awards and (THS) IndieReader
2014 Best Graphic Novel. The final part
of the trilogy, Hockey Karma, will be
released in Novemberber, 2016.
His 2008 book,
Hockey Player for Life, has been the
#1 downloaded children’s hockey e-book on Amazon’s Kindle chart since its
arrival as an e-book in November of 2011. His Hockey
Days book was the only book featured in the December 2007 Sporting News
Annual Gift Guide as a Best Buy Gift for Children. Through a corporate sponsorship program he
set up (and maintains), since the 2010-11 season, both of his children’s hockey
books have been given to NHL teams (over 2,500 copies to date) for use in their
community and educational initiatives.
Since 2006 his annual charity raffle, which he matches dollar for dollar
donated, has raised funds for several hockey-related charities including the
Mario Lemieux Foundation, Hockey Fights Cancer and the Keith and Lisa Primeau
Scholarship Fund.
For more information, please log on to
howardshapiro(dot)net or send an email to hockeyplayer4life@gmail.com
Interview
1.
It's been so fun working on this trilogy for you, and I'm sad that it's
over! Can you tell us a little about the experience of completing the
trilogy: the good, the bad, and the ugly?
It's been a lot of fun and even though it took seven years, it seems like the time has flown by! There's so much more good then bad and/or ugly! I'd say the number one thing that has been good (truly great, in fact) has been the collaborative nature of whole thing. I've had such an amazing time working with the illustrators, letterers and most of all my fabulous and amazing editor! To see how the books have started out and to see them finished and literally come to life, that has been an experience that I will cherish the rest of my life. One other thing that I say to anyone who has been kind enough to read my books, is that I am incredibly appreciative of having the opportunity to share my books with them. I started out doing self published books, I did four of them, and when you self publish you are your own marketing, sales and publicity person and so you send out hundred and hundreds of emails hoping someone will give you a chance and either review, publicize or buy your book. You count every mention and every sale as this amazing thing and so even to this day, I'm so thankful to each and every person who reads any of my books. I never, ever take that for granted and I never will. As far as the bad, I'd say with the trilogy its been the long period of time it takes to complete the books. That's a byproduct of doing a graphic novel because in a good week, the illustrator can get three pages done. That's if everything goes the right way! So, the process is a slow one but the end result is magical, for sure! The ugly is easy, the business side of publishing. There are parts of the business side that I love such as the marketing and publicity side but with the first book I went through, in order, a terrible literary agent who caused me an incredible amount of hardship, both mentally and financially. A small publisher who ended up going out of business before the book was published and then another publisher who offered a contract but wanted total creative control which included changing the ending of the book. I told them that if the ending is changed, I basically have to re-write the whole story and they were OK with that. But it all worked out as it should because I'm with a great publisher now who has a great distributor and team behind the books!
It's been a lot of fun and even though it took seven years, it seems like the time has flown by! There's so much more good then bad and/or ugly! I'd say the number one thing that has been good (truly great, in fact) has been the collaborative nature of whole thing. I've had such an amazing time working with the illustrators, letterers and most of all my fabulous and amazing editor! To see how the books have started out and to see them finished and literally come to life, that has been an experience that I will cherish the rest of my life. One other thing that I say to anyone who has been kind enough to read my books, is that I am incredibly appreciative of having the opportunity to share my books with them. I started out doing self published books, I did four of them, and when you self publish you are your own marketing, sales and publicity person and so you send out hundred and hundreds of emails hoping someone will give you a chance and either review, publicize or buy your book. You count every mention and every sale as this amazing thing and so even to this day, I'm so thankful to each and every person who reads any of my books. I never, ever take that for granted and I never will. As far as the bad, I'd say with the trilogy its been the long period of time it takes to complete the books. That's a byproduct of doing a graphic novel because in a good week, the illustrator can get three pages done. That's if everything goes the right way! So, the process is a slow one but the end result is magical, for sure! The ugly is easy, the business side of publishing. There are parts of the business side that I love such as the marketing and publicity side but with the first book I went through, in order, a terrible literary agent who caused me an incredible amount of hardship, both mentally and financially. A small publisher who ended up going out of business before the book was published and then another publisher who offered a contract but wanted total creative control which included changing the ending of the book. I told them that if the ending is changed, I basically have to re-write the whole story and they were OK with that. But it all worked out as it should because I'm with a great publisher now who has a great distributor and team behind the books!
2. There are
several great characters throughout these novels, some that we just meet
in the third. Are there any characters in particular that it's hard to
say goodbye to? For me, it's definitely Tom, who we've seen grow up through three books and he's come so far. He will always have a special place in my heart. The other character is Jaelithe, as she was really fleshed out in this book and brought out the best in Tom. How about you?
Two characters in particular. Tom and Jake but both for different reasons. Tom has been, more or less, my doppelganger throughout the seven fictional books I've done. It didn't start out that way but starting with my first book when the character was ten and on through all of the books, through Tom I've been able to express myself and my feelings and emotions. Writing him has been an amazing amount of fun. Jake has also been a lot of fun to write because he's such a flawed, yet goodhearted character. I compare writing him to what an actor must feel like playing a bad guy, you always hear them say playing the bad guy is much better then playing the hero. It's the same with writing a character like Jake who can't get out of his own way even though he's trying really hard to do that!
Two characters in particular. Tom and Jake but both for different reasons. Tom has been, more or less, my doppelganger throughout the seven fictional books I've done. It didn't start out that way but starting with my first book when the character was ten and on through all of the books, through Tom I've been able to express myself and my feelings and emotions. Writing him has been an amazing amount of fun. Jake has also been a lot of fun to write because he's such a flawed, yet goodhearted character. I compare writing him to what an actor must feel like playing a bad guy, you always hear them say playing the bad guy is much better then playing the hero. It's the same with writing a character like Jake who can't get out of his own way even though he's trying really hard to do that!
3. What characters if any ended up surprising you? For me, there were a couple of characters. Jaelithe was one-- I love how she is a single mom doing the best for her kid and putting him first, but also a rock star reporter! There is another skill up her sleeve, which I will not give away here. There is another character that also surprised me that also was a transplant from the first book-- didn't realize he would end up where he was! How about you?
I'd have to say Tom. In "Hockey Karma" he is thirty years old and as most thirty year olds do, he starts to see life differently. He's single and he's wondering if he will ever meet the right girl and start a family, all things he wants to do. But he also wants to make his mark on society and in the book he gets to a crossroad and he realizes what he has to sacrifice for ambition. And so the question is, can he do it?
I'd have to say Tom. In "Hockey Karma" he is thirty years old and as most thirty year olds do, he starts to see life differently. He's single and he's wondering if he will ever meet the right girl and start a family, all things he wants to do. But he also wants to make his mark on society and in the book he gets to a crossroad and he realizes what he has to sacrifice for ambition. And so the question is, can he do it?
4. If Tom and Jake were sorted into Hogwarts houses, which ones would they be sorted into and why?
Excellent, excellent question!! In my humble opinion Tom would be sorted into Gryffindor because I think the hat would sense his bravery and leadership although it may be under the surface. For Jake, I think the hat would choose Slytherin because of his ambition and desire to be the best at what he does.
Yes! I was right! I think Jaelithe would be Ravenclaw, because she is awfully clever.
Excellent, excellent question!! In my humble opinion Tom would be sorted into Gryffindor because I think the hat would sense his bravery and leadership although it may be under the surface. For Jake, I think the hat would choose Slytherin because of his ambition and desire to be the best at what he does.
Yes! I was right! I think Jaelithe would be Ravenclaw, because she is awfully clever.
5. If you
could go anywhere in the world for a write-cation, to get inspiration
for your next sets of books, where would it be and why?
Actually it's not one specific place but the mode of transportation to get there. I haven't been on a plane in almost twenty years so I end up travelling a lot in trains. I really love taking the train even though the trips tend to be long. But that works out for the best because I get so, so much writing done while I am on the train. It's a combination of looking out the window and being inspired by the scenery and the lack of distractions, its the perfect mixture!!
Actually it's not one specific place but the mode of transportation to get there. I haven't been on a plane in almost twenty years so I end up travelling a lot in trains. I really love taking the train even though the trips tend to be long. But that works out for the best because I get so, so much writing done while I am on the train. It's a combination of looking out the window and being inspired by the scenery and the lack of distractions, its the perfect mixture!!
6.
Tell us why you decided to focus on hockey in this trilogy and
secondly, why music plays such a large role in all three books.
Hockey and music are two of my favorite things and I go back to the old adage about writing about things or subjects that you like. Listen to music really inspires my writing which is why in large part I list the "Recommended Listening" songs at the beginning of each chapter. I learned so much about life from playing hockey, it really taught me the value of hard work and dedication. I wasn't a very good player so I couldn't rely on my skill, I learned I had to outwork the opposition or my own teammates if I wanted to be even the slightest bit successful. And so I've brought that work ethic into everything I do.
Hockey and music are two of my favorite things and I go back to the old adage about writing about things or subjects that you like. Listen to music really inspires my writing which is why in large part I list the "Recommended Listening" songs at the beginning of each chapter. I learned so much about life from playing hockey, it really taught me the value of hard work and dedication. I wasn't a very good player so I couldn't rely on my skill, I learned I had to outwork the opposition or my own teammates if I wanted to be even the slightest bit successful. And so I've brought that work ethic into everything I do.
7. Will we ever see Tom or Jake or any of the old cast again?
Wow, I really hope so!! At this time I have another idea in mind for a new trilogy but I've learned to never say never. As much fun as it has been, I feel it's time to move on but I may find a way to work them into the new trilogy if everything falls into place. Maybe not in the first book, but hopefully in the second!!
Wow, I really hope so!! At this time I have another idea in mind for a new trilogy but I've learned to never say never. As much fun as it has been, I feel it's time to move on but I may find a way to work them into the new trilogy if everything falls into place. Maybe not in the first book, but hopefully in the second!!
8. Tell us a bit about the drafting process, combining the writing with the drawings, etc.
The process that works for me is that I like to get a good, solid synopsis in place and that can take a long time. Once I have that I work off of that to come up with the first draft. I write the GN's in a quasi-script form so that the illustrator has as much info as possible to help them draw the pages. I like to have each page have five or six panels. So, once the draft is done I send that to my amazing, incredible editor (cough cough) who comes back with her thoughts and ideas on what works and what doesn't. I then start the editing process and rewrite after rewrite to get it honed down to a 130 or so page story. It all works good for me because I envision each scene or page in my head, I've always written in a visual way so when things are going good, it tends to flow very well.
*blushes* Thank you, Howard! It was a privilege to work on this project with you!
The process that works for me is that I like to get a good, solid synopsis in place and that can take a long time. Once I have that I work off of that to come up with the first draft. I write the GN's in a quasi-script form so that the illustrator has as much info as possible to help them draw the pages. I like to have each page have five or six panels. So, once the draft is done I send that to my amazing, incredible editor (cough cough) who comes back with her thoughts and ideas on what works and what doesn't. I then start the editing process and rewrite after rewrite to get it honed down to a 130 or so page story. It all works good for me because I envision each scene or page in my head, I've always written in a visual way so when things are going good, it tends to flow very well.
*blushes* Thank you, Howard! It was a privilege to work on this project with you!
9. What book should we expect to see next from you? Will you stick with the graphical novel form?
Most definitely I will now and forever be doing graphic novels! I compare GN's to hockey in that I loved playing hockey and I love watching it. I love reading GN's and I love writing them! I have a pretty good idea (I think) for a trilogy that will take place over a person's lifetime, starting in her early 20's. That's all I can say for now!!
10. Tell us a little bit about your upcoming TV sitcom. Most definitely I will now and forever be doing graphic novels! I compare GN's to hockey in that I loved playing hockey and I love watching it. I love reading GN's and I love writing them! I have a pretty good idea (I think) for a trilogy that will take place over a person's lifetime, starting in her early 20's. That's all I can say for now!!
Yes, I work for a company named Animal Inc. and we are a VFX studio and we have sitcom which is a mid season show premiering this late-winter/early-spring on ABC. It's called "Downward Dog" and the premise is, and I will use the description from IMDB - "A lonely dog navigates the complexity of 21st Century relationships." I should also mention that the dog talks to the camera, breaking the 4th wall style. It's really unique and has a great cast so I hope everyone reading this will check it out when it premieres!!
11. Please tell my readers anything else you'd like to say!
Just thank you for reading this and please check out any of the
books in the trilogy. There is a connective thread through them but you
don't have to read the first to know what is going on in the second and
so on. I wanted them to each be, more or less, stand alone books so
that the reader didn't feel the need to buy all of them. The hope is
that you'll like one of them enough to try another and so on.
So,
that and an extra special thank you to Christina for giving me the
chance to reach out to your readers and share some info about my books!
It means a lot and I truly appreciate it!!
****
So thrilled to get to promote Howard's books! They are terrific and he has generously offered up the entire trilogy in an INT giveaway and plus he's putting in a $25 iTunes gift card! Enter away!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I remember you posting about this trilogy before. Well, it wasn't quite a trilogy then, but you know. I really love the covers for these, and I can relate to being the "stereotypical freak" when I was a teen. I was quiet and loved all the opposite things of my peers. So I got teased quite a lot, but I didn't let it get to me.
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