At Long Last...

A lot of publishers are turning novels, especially Paranormals/Urban Fantasy, into comic books. 

I am pleased to offer an example of my own... the first "officially" completed page of the BLACK DOG AND REBEL ROSE graphic novel. 


More to come...enjoy. :-)

Rebel Rose

"Rebel Rose"

An in-the-works character illustration of our heroine...

Work continues on the Black Dog and Rebel Rose comic book; the walls of my studio space abound with character sketches, as well as the thumbnail pages for the first 10 panels of the book; a gritty and graphic scene where Rose tortures and kills a True Native demon as she tries to gather information on who might have killed her mother so many years before. It has been an interesting road to travel down thus far, as a comic book makes other demands on me (specifically, visual demands) that a novel of the written word obviously did not. While the story remains very much the same, I have had to whittle certain conversations, actions, and even entire scenes down to accomodate the requirements of illustrated storytelling. And then there is the "erotica question": how much graphic sex should be portrayed in the comic book? Naturally, this particular GN will be targeted at a mature audience by myself and the publisher and will NOT be for children. Still, fretting over whether or not dicks, clits and pussies (to be plainly blunt) should be included is something that I am still struggling to figure out. Perhaps the fans will have something to say about this? I'll have to wait and see.

Despite these challenges, I am finding that the tale of Skriker and Rose's chance meeting fits the graphic novel medium like a hand to a glove. This story has all the action, blood splatter, adventure, and, yes, romance that an entertaining adult comic should offer, and that has made the translation fairly easy.

I am working on setting up the new character art website, http://www.angeldemonart.com/, which will include character bios, tons of art, and eventually the first few complete pages of the actual GN itself. I hope that my fans and readers will enjoy visiting the site periodically after launch, watching to see what pops up.

For now, it's back to the drawing board...literally.

The Sanctuary: where another dream is being born...

"Honestly, the first thing that drew me to this novel was the cover. Yes, I know the rule “Never judge a book by the cover”. I’m one of those readers where the cover is, usually, what draws me to the book. Ms. Smith’s cover reminded me of a well drawn tattoo—one with silken fingers that enticed the viewer to come closer…look at me…touch me….



The characters in Black Dog and Rebel Rose whispered from that cover, and there isn’t enough praise I can pass out for this novel. Black Dog and Rebel Rose is a tantalizing tale of good vs. evil, and their presence is just as cloying as that seductive cover.


I’ll be honest, all girls have a deep passion for the bad boy, and Skyker is just that. Fiendishly handsome, he’s drawn toward one woman who men would sell their soul for, the half angel Rose. When demons meet angels, the world is certainly fiery! Ms. Smith’s tale is a blazing paranormal romance fill with lust, heartbreak, blood, and fire! As a reader, I was drawn into the tale and couldn’t stop reading. Demons, vampires, lust, and graphic passion blast from the pages with exquisitely written world.


Exciting, thrilling, I can’t issue enough praise for this amazing paranormal romance. Black Dog and Rebel Rose was so wickedly HOT I felt my computer screen was ready to explode!


My only complaint—-I wanted more! "

The fantastic above review came courtesy of the lovely Tamela Quijas, a paranormal erotica book reviewer and bestselling author. This wonderful review came to me on the day that my husband set up my new art studio for me...called "The Sanctuary" this little corner of my abode is the very space where I am in the process of creating the graphic novel version of Black Dog and Rebel Rose.

I snapped the above photo before resuming work on the thumbnail sketch phase of the project--essentially the quick sketches of what will eventually be transfered to full 14 x 17 pencil panels once I have these ideas solidified on 8.5 x 11 cheap-as-shit computer paper. As I read Tamela's review of the story that I now slave to commit to visual language, I could not help feeling a warmth for the struggle itself. Since starting work on the graphic novel, I have hit all kinds of speed bumps, including fretting terribly over how to set up these comic-style panels and character poses in convincing, explosive ways that will suck comic book readers in the way...well, the way that Tamela says she was sucked in by the story in novel form. As frustrating as it all has been, it will be a struggle worth going through.

Pregnancy is very much the same, I find. I am now 3.5 months pregnant with my first child, a daughter named Iona, who in December will become the light of my life, as well as her father's. My journey with Iona has been less than easy--indeed, complications in the first trimester were frequent and downright terrifying, and there were times  when we were sure we wouldn't make it. And yet, taped to the wall next to all the sketches of Skriker and Rose above my workspace, there are loads of ultrasound pics showing how "here" Iona is...and it is just so freakin' cool to see these two different creations coming to fruition, side by side.

I am thankful for the journey.