Strandline by Nancy Brauer. Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/devlyn/1860433769/

Strandline is a web serial and possibly a novel about the new subspecies Homo sapiens nictans. Why am I not sure if it’s a novel? Because I’m writing the story by the seat of my pants and looking to the readers for direction. It may end up as a novella or three, or a series of short stories. New episodes are posted every Monday and Friday.

Strandline is also a bit of an experiment. I’ve released it under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license, which means that derivative works like fan fiction are a-okay. I hope that some readers enjoy the story enough to play in the Strandline sandbox.

 
The background image “Untitled – Inside Jacket” by hummingcrow is used under a Creative Commons license.

The advertising department of supermarket chain Kroger hired me to create two signs. Kroger supplied the text and the logo.

Print dimensions: 22 in. x 28 in.

Print dimensions: 24 in. x 18 in.

“The TV is watching you” graphic by Jarl Lyng

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Cover art for MCM’s 1,000 Stories collection, based on a Creative Commons-licensed photo by Autum Loverin.

Tori’s Row

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Cover art for Tori’s Row by Nancy Brauer and MCM. Background photo of Boston by Mike Folden.

Addergoole minibook

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Cover art for a minibook promoting Addergoole by Lyn Thorne-Alder. The Addergoole crest was created by Elizabeth McLaren. See the Addergoole website for the original version of the crest.

Tori McNulty has problems. As she’s putting her life back together, she’s attacked in Boston’s South End. She doesn’t remember much: mostly blood-drenched pavement and the crumpled body of her assailant. The good news is that she’s uninjured and not a murder suspect. The bad news is the obnoxious young man in 18th century dress shadowing her and confusing, violent flashbacks. Tori must figure out what happened that night before her stalker gets to her or she goes completely mad.

Read Tori’s Row for free at 1889 Labs. New chapters are released Monday and Friday.

Cover art by Nancy Brauer. Background photo of Boston by Mike Folden.

Two readers were kind enough to check out the first eight chapters of Tori’s Row and write spoiler-free reviews.

Her Thoughts Were Red Thoughts: Tori’s Row by Alphabete

review: Tori’s Row on 1889 Labs by A.M. Harte

Act I trailer by MCM

Strange Little Band is the ongoing story of Addison and Shane, two self-centered, amoral psychics who work for the cut-throat Triptych Corporation. Their insular, comfortable lives are disrupted when, due to Triptych’s machinations, they become unlikely parents. How can they raise a child when they can’t trust each other?

New installments are posted on Tuesday. If you’d like to start at the beginning, read the prologue. Several reviews are available on the SLB Web Fiction Guide page.

Illustration of the main characters by the talented Brian Goff

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In 2009 I colored a few pages of the first issue of “Starring Sonya Devereaux.” The comic is written by Todd Livingston. Pencils and inks are by Brendon and Brian Fraim.

“Starborn” graphic novel

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A few years ago I hired the insanely talented Astrid Vohwinkel to pencil a graphic novel. I wrote and digitally inked, colored, and lettered the pages.

Strange Little Band chibis

I hired artist and fellow writer Charissa Cotrill to pencil and ink cute, cartoonish versions of characters from my and Vanessa Brooks’ serial Strange Little Band. Then I colored them.

The Scarlet Lemming lemming

MCM and I hired illustrator extraordinaire Brian Goff to pencil and ink a deliberately silly rodent for MCM’s livewritten comedy/crime noir The Scarlet Lemming. It makes slightly more sense if you read the blurb. Anyway, I did the colors.

“After a reforming burglar discovers he can move between parallel worlds, he and an overachieving security expert must work together to mend a deadly tear between realities.”

There’s no corresponding site for this project, so here are a few excerpts from the treatment.

Elliot lets himself into Serendip’s outer lab. He’s surprised to find the door to the inner lab wide open. Inside, the shivering containment field dimly lights the room. Elliot stares, awed, then moves around the perimeter of the room, giving the energy field a wide berth. He pads to the computer in the room, pulls a small electronic device from his backpack, gives the field another wary look, then reaches behind the computer with the device in one hand. As he wrestles with the wires plugged into the back of the computer, the unstable energy field twists toward Elliot. A glowing pseudopod lurches toward him, touching his back. Elliot vanishes!
…
Tara and Dennis stare at the empty city from the top floor of the Serendip building. Behind them is a generic office cubical farm. The view outside shows no pedestrian or vehicular traffic. No panhandlers or homeless people. The only movement is birds and wind-blown trash. Dennis is unnerved by the sight. How do a million people vanish overnight?
…
The van hits a pothole, thumping Elliot against the side of the vehicle. The Home Again worker in the passenger seat twists around, spots Elliot, and pulls a gun! Alarmed, Elliot involuntarily shifts back to our universe and continues hurtling through the air at 25 mph! Frost-covered Elliot barely dodges oncoming traffic.

After crawling to the sidewalk, dripping wet Elliot fishes his cell phone from his pocket. His hands shake from the effort of working the keypad. Manny’s disgruntled, digitized voice sounds from the speaker. Elliot gives the first three letters of the SUV’s license plate through chattering teeth. He relays the nearest cross streets, the entire license plate, and that “they” have Tara and Dennis before blacking out.

Spider web photo by luc.viatour