News

Big Things!

/ Christian Laforet / 2 Comments

No Light Tomorrow is coming soon (even sooner than I thought) and we’ve started sitting down (Ben and myself) to work out a promotional schedule for its release.

I’ve managed to do pretty well with my first book, The Space Between Houses, by making lots of connections and hitting up various events, and, most importantly, being available for any opportunity presented to me. It wasn’t easy though. Keeping motivated, doing research on events and staying prominent in the community becomes exhaustive. If it were just me pushing this next book, I would probably be looking at the same amount of success, but I’m not alone. Having a second person involved, who has as much interest in the book as I have, is going to pay off greatly.

The first thing up (for the public anyway) is the launch. Some of the ideas we’ve been throwing around lately have me super excited. I’ve been to a few book launches in the past few months and they have been…lacking. Some have been so poorly attended that once you removed the author’s family from the equation, there was only a few people there. Others had more people in attendance, but the launch itself was so painfully long and boring that the bulk of the crowd high-tailed it as soon as all the speeches and back-patting were over, blowing right past the table of books along the way. Now, it is still a bit early to reveal exactly what we have in store, but I can say that our launch is going to be a hell of a party, with some innovative ideas.

And that’s just the beginning!

We have an aggressive marketing campaign, lots of appearances and a book tour or two scheduled over the next six months.

Plus, besides all that, because of recent developments, we (again me and Ben) have finally decided to do something that we’d talked about for quite some time. This new endeavor will open doors for both us, as well as other talents in the community, and pave the way for any fringe work we produce in the future.

Like the title says, Big Things are on the horizon, so stay tuned!

 

The Comic Book SyndiCon and Twisted Studio

/ Christian Laforet / Leave a comment

The Comic Book Syndicon is coming (Sunday, Aug. 16th, to be precise). It is being held at St. Clair college in conjunction with their own family fun day event. It should be a great day for the whole family (comics, collectables, cosplay and more!). The best part is, it’s free admission!

I’ll be there selling copies of my book, but I won’t be alone. I’ll be sharing a table with comic writer Dave Rocha (The Underground and Tecumseh) from Twisted Studio!

Check out the poster below for the con, and for more on Dave, hit up his website right here: http://www.twistedstudio.ca

11866450_969288773114018_2612997106896475823_n

 

From the Page to the Stage…again

/ Christian Laforet / Leave a comment

A couple months ago (May 12th to be exact) I was privileged enough to have one of my stories, Relict (found here: http://adventureworldsblog.com/2014/08/25/relict/  ), preformed by the theatre group Sho Art, Spirit and Performance. Although people are always reading my stories, it is quite rare to hear one read back to me, especially in a theatrical sort of way, so as you can imagine, it was a real thrill for me.

I guess my twisted tale left an impression on the group as they have decided to tackle another one of my stories. This time, they are doing one of my favorites, Summer’s Friend, which can be found in the Space Between Houses collection.

So if you are free on Tuesday, July 14th at 8pm, then head over to 1078 Drouillard Ave and be entertained. (Also, just an fyi, they serve wine and beer!)10997282_10153232997512556_2357815467399740737_n

Cover Contest!

/ Christian Laforet / 2 Comments

No Light Tomorrow needs a book cover!

From June 17 – Aug 1, 2015, Authors Christian Laforet and Ben Van Dongen will be accepting submissions for the cover art for their newest book, No Light Tomorrow. No Light Tomorrow is a collection of five speculative tales. Space travel, strange visitors, technological nightmares, unexplainable phenomenon and new worlds await within its pages. To Enter:

  • Create an original and interesting image built around the name and ideas of the book. The artwork must be the property of the submitter.
  • Upload a clear picture of your cover art design and send to adventureworldsblog@gmail.com by the deadline date.

The winner will:

  • Have their cover published.
  • Receive explicit acknowledgement in the book.
  • Receive complimentary copies of No Light Tomorrow
  • Win $50 cash

By submitting any design for the cover of the book titled “No Light Tomorrow”, you automatically agree to the following. (Please don’t submit anything if you don’t agree).

  • I acknowledge that there may be many cover designs submitted, and that the final choice may be similar to that which I submitted.
  • I acknowledge that the final book cover may include concepts that appear similar to those that I submit.
  • I acknowledge and accept that if my design is chosen, the authors can use the design in any way in the promotion and sales of the book.
  • I acknowledge that my image (if selected) may be altered to better fit the needs of the cover.
  • I acknowledge that even if my image is selected, it may not end up being used as the final cover for the book. In this instance, I will still receive the cash prize of $50
  • I waive any claims that I may have against Christian Laforet and Ben Van Dongen with regard to the design I have submitted to illustrate the cover of the book “No Light Tomorrow”, including any claims of invasion of privacy, violation of right of publicity, libel or copyright infringement.

From the Page to the Stage

/ Christian Laforet / Leave a comment

I’m happy to announce that my short story, Relict, has been chosen as one of the featured stories to be preformed by the theatre group Sho Art, Spirit and Performance this coming Tuesday (May 12) at 8pm.

Besides my own work, there’ll be stories from other writers as well. I’ve meet most of these other writers and believe me, they’re fantastic.

So if you’re in the Windsor area that night, make sure to head over and check it out!

10997282_10153232997512556_2357815467399740737_n

Free Comic Books (and The Space Between Houses)!

/ Christian Laforet / Leave a comment

10995554_841651595871368_5942655430413683926_nMay 2nd is Free Comic Book Day. If you’re not familiar with this extraordinary day, let me fill you in.

Free comic book day is the second Saturday of every May and is exactly what it sounds like, Free Comics! Every major comic publisher sends promotional comics to the shops which are then handed out for free.

This year, I’ve been asked to be a part of Paper Heroes Comic Book Lounge’s Free Comic Book Day event. So, not only will you get free comics, you can also get your copy of The Space Between Houses signed!

Check out their blurb below for all the fun they have in store.

Free Comics!! Free Comics!! Free Comics!!
Special events throughout the day including:
BBQ ( 11am – 3pm ) with proceeds going to Muscular Dystrophy Canada
A magic show by “Dr. What?” at noon

Special guests including:
Paul Reaume and Dave Rocha, creators of Windsors “The Underground” comic.

Christian Laforet, author of “The Space Between Houses”

Jason Fabok, artist of Detective Comics, Batman: Eternal and the Justice League

Jason Uszynski from Incredible Creature Designs

The creativity of Heather Thibert

Other activities include:
face painting, cosplay, in-store promotions and a raffle for a chance to win a prize package valued at $145 that includes an Iron Man Artfx statue, 1 $50 Moxies GC and 3 $10 Cineplex Odeon GC.
Be a part of Paper Heroes Free Comic Book Day 2015 with over 40+ free titles to choose from ( limit of 3 per person ).
A great day for fans, family and friends

Paper Heroes is located at 2857 Howard Ave, Windsor, Ontario N8X 3Y4

Hey, I’m Writing a Novel! (pt.2)

/ Christian Laforet / 2 Comments

Baby Steps.

So…I can say that my novel has started off with a whimper. I had all sorts of intentions of pounding away at it in the last few weeks but stuff got in the way. Not bad stuff mind you (well, I guess some of it was bad), but stuff.

Like most writers, I don’t make a living writing. That means that I work a 9-5 job. I won’t bore you with just exactly what my job is, just know it is the kind that you are not meant to have for more than a couple of years, and certainly not the kind a person would strive for. But, the reality is, I gotta go to work when they schedule me, even if it conflicts with ideal writing times.

Next, I got kids. Two beautiful little girls (Lelaina and Delilah) and they demand a lot of attention. I don’t mind that, and in fact, love playing with them, but, it does eat up valuable time. Usually, I get very welcomed reprieves when my mom takes one, or both of them for the day, but, due to the fact that my step-dad recently broke both of his arms (!), my mom is pretty busy.

And lastly, I’m neck deep into the second/third draft a collection of short stories I’ve been working on for a year now, with fellow writer Ben Van Dongen. This has been a wildly tiring process and has been my main focus recently in an attempt to get it done by summer.

These things have converged into a perfect storm of novel killing proportions.

I am happy to report however that I have made some progress on the novel though. It isn’t much, but it’s something. So all hope is not lost. And further more, with some changes to my writing schedule (basically, less sleep) and an upcoming writers’ weekend with the above mentioned Mr. Van Dongen and our good buddy Justin, I should be able to take a major bite out of the novel. Only time will tell, but until then, I’m gonna keep on taking baby steps.

Novel: Untitled

Words: 1725

Chapters: 1