This is the first time I’ve ever heard of an indie author putting together a production of this size to organize a photoshoot promoting their characters. Can you share a little about this process?
The fundamental idea was to bring the characters to life through photography. I worked with Richard and special effects makeup artists like Sandra Wheatle, Matthew Dewilde, and Sheilagh McGrory, that have worked on motion pictures and TV shows. Sandra has recently worked on Suits and The Boys, for example. They are are all amazing, talented artists. Then I hired between 30 and 40 actors, and handmade many of the costumes. My dad is a tailor, so I was able to get him to stitch some of the costumes for me, and then went and ravaged the Goodwill to try to find different items to put the costumes together, sometimes using old hockey equipment, and all sorts of other stuff to bring all of these fantastical creatures to life. It pushed me to figure out how to do all of this because I had no experience in this sort of artistic space. Then I directed the photoshoots with Richard at his studio, he was phenomenal. Sometimes there would be upwards of 10 people on set, it was massive. Finally, I taught myself how to use photoshop and put together all the artwork.
With all the interesting photography and the book being a dark fantasy novel, I imagine it’s quite effective at getting the attention of readers at book signings.
Yes. I’ve primarily exhibited at comicons and similar conventions because my book is a modern-day fantasy epic, and I have all this artwork, as well as trading cards. I can fit within that world. In fact, this world is made for that world. Very few people can say their characters have been brought to life. You can literally see my characters, it’s just different. When I’m at the events, people walk by my booth, and I get a lot of different looks. I get people approaching, wondering what it’s all about, and that pulls people in. I come from a comic book background, so I’m familiar with how artists display their works, and how interested people are in their artwork, and how it tells a story. I can literally show people what these fantastical, magical characters look like, and then I give them my elevator pitch.
What would you say growing up were some of your bigger inspirations?
There were certain shows that were broadcast prior to school at eight o’clock in the morning, Japanese anime cartoons like Space Battleship Yamato/Star Blazers. This was in this early 1980s, and the animation and story just drew me in. It’s not your typical cartoon that you would expect for children. There was so much drama and tension that I was compelled to watch it every morning. It was one of my favourites as a kid, but also the superhero shows and comic books. I just loved the ideas of superheroes. It drew me in and sparked my own creativity. I started creating my own characters and my own stories. From that point on, I always wanted to create and draw. It made me appreciate the artists, illustrators, and writers, and pushed me to want to create and develop those skills. Throughout my teens, university, and law school, I’ve always written and created. In 2001, Of Myth and Men: The White Night came to me. I had a “Big Bang” moment, and everything flowed from that point on. Visualizing it influenced my writing style. I literally saw the characters coming to life in my mind. In 2003, I started to put ideas to paper and typing out the manuscript. But I was working full time, so all of this was being done on the side. From 2003 to 2018, I was piecemealing it all together. In 2012, I completed the first draft and had all the photography done. There has been so many wonderful things and bad things that have happened along the way, but I’m at a point now where I have a tangible item that I can show people – here’s my story, my novel, and here’s my artwork, and here’s what I’ve accomplished.
This book was a project many years in the making with a significant amount of time and resources dedicated to the artwork and creation of the draft. I imagine you placed similar efforts into the editing phases of the book.
I would not have attached my name to the novel unless I had worked with amazing editors. I had three. First, I had my substantive editor, Monica Kuebler. Monica was simply phenomenal. The process to complete the substantive edit took years. Then I hired a copy editor, Allister Thompson, copy editor and former senior editor of Dundurn Press. He was great to work with. Then I hired a proofreader, Britainie Wilson, to go through it one more time. When I’m attending events and speaking to people, I make it abundantly clear I’m not some guy who went on ChatGPT, typed in a prompt, and then spat out a book. I worked with professional artists and editors to craft this tale, because I’m attaching my name to it. I’m not going to attach my name unless I think it’s quality work. Whenever I speak to someone that is interested in publishing, I tell them they need to find an editor. You need fresh eyes to look at your work and critique it. Another lesson that I share with new authors is to “embrace the bloodbath,” meaning, when you get your edits, there are going to be changes. When I first started and saw that Monica used track changes and red slashes throughout my pages, I was excited and happy to see that. She was improving my work. I can’t thank Monica enough for the work that she did, because it was just tremendous.
Do you have a particular goal you’re hoping to achieve with this novel?
My dream is to see this book become a movie, to have my photos move. When writing this book, thinking about the characters and the story itself, how it flowed, it felt like it was made to become a motion picture.
Do you have any advice you would like to share with new authors?
One piece of advice I share with young and new authors is that you have to distinguish yourself. You need to set yourself apart somehow.
To learn more about Francesco Coscarella and Of Myth and Men: The White Night, visit: https://ofmythandmen.com.
