Help us out, you lazy rapscallions

[Alex F. Vance]

Dear Rabid Fanbase,

 

As you know, despite our best efforts, we weren't able to produce the third Heathen City book in time for Anthrocon this year, and have been working hard to complete and polish the book and plan a new publication date. We're taking the time to do it right, and we're making damn certain that Joker to the Thief will be worth the wait.

 

But we (which is to say, yours F. truly) are spread a bit thin as a consequence, and I want to mobilize you, my Army of Lovers, to help us out a little bit. So here are a few areas where we could use your assistance, and where you could actually play a part in making HC better.

 

• Wiki presence: The HC entries on WikiFur and Wikipedia are a bit out of date and don't fully comply with the wiki style guides. There's a smattering of related articles on characters and locations on WikiFur, but we could definitely use some help bringing the information up to date and expanding the range of ancillary material. If you could take a look, make an update or edit here or there, or even add an article about a character, location or allusion in the books, that would be fantastic.
• Reviews: Heathen City is sold by our friends at FurPlanet, Amazon.com and now also the boys at Rabbit Valley Comics. All of these support customer reviews, but even on your own blog or journal, posting your thoughts on the books is a help to us. HC gets a bit more exposure, but it also helps me understand more about the audience reaction to the storylines, characters and themes.
• Questions: the HC mailing list was intended as a two-way channel for the artists and myself to interact with the audience, though I'm looking into other options, such as a separate discussion list or a forum on the website. HC is rife with long-term continuity, subtle thematic undertones and intimations of intricate interconnections.
  Curious about the workflows that let the HC production team work together despite being spread across a half-dozen countries, with most of us never having met face to face? Want to know why Malloy wears a torc, or what became of Allard Bellamy after the Caulfields coldly cancelled his insurance when he needed it most? HC is a mystery story first and foremost so you'll more than likely be rebuffed, but there may be a juicy hint or two in even the most stonewalled of answers.
• Fanart & fiction: I've been remiss in posting fanart to the website or this list (such as this splendid wet-shirt shot of Malloy by Linkin Monroe), in which I aim to do better. If you've been inspired by the story, characters and artwork of Heathen City, there's no cooler way to show your appreciation than to draw your favorite hero, villain or wet dream -- or to write a story of your own. Good artists borrow, great artists steal :)

I'm really proud of everyone I've had the privilege of working with over the last few years -- artists, distributors, critics, fans -- and I can't wait to show you all the results of the last year's work. I hope to be able to make an announcement about the HC3 release date in the next week or two.

 

Peace out!

 

- Alex Fucking Vance