Before I begin, I need to congratulate my long time friend Jiba Molei Anderson for selling his popular comic The Four Horsemen to the legendary animation company Roc Bottom Studios. The series will be produced by the world renowned production company, Man of Action Studios. Those last two studios are responsible for some of the world’s most famous animated series. Having been a fan of The Four Horsemen for longer than I’ve been writing sci-fi, I am happier for him than I would be for myself.
For the record, none of my stuff is on any of their desks, nor do I think I’d be a good fit. So, this is what it is. Me celebrating a friend’s success.
In related animation news, I had something funny happen concerning The Brittle Riders. Long story short, whenever I submit to a foreign company I always make a note, placed prominently near the top of my submission, that I’ll need a translator. Even if I speak a language to some degree, I’m sure I don’t speak it well enough to understand local legal nuances and so on.
So far, so good.
The other day my phone rang around 3:00 PM, central time. The man on the phone was chatting amiably in Japanese. I do not speak Japanese. However, I heard my name and the name of my book, so I tried to interrupt him and explain Watashi wa nihongo o hanasemasen. Yes, I used Google to get that. Keeping in mind that this nice man was calling at 3:00 AM his time, I was slightly surprised when a woman got on the phone, spoke English better than I, and sorted things out. She started by reading the cover letter I’d sent, which contained the request for a translator, and realized no one had told the nice man that part.
She also realized that a phone call, with her as an intermediary, was not going to be the best way to get anything done. It seems the man – her boss, husband, father? – had questions that would require answers before the next questions could be formed. Instead, we worked out an arrangement wherein they would email me a question, I would answer it as fully as possible, and then we’d move on. I’ll admit it’s tedious, but it’s also kind of fun. At no point has he said “Screw this, let’s do Dragon Ball Z” or anything similar. As long as there’s interest, I will do everything in my power to help.
If you have any questions, you can ask me directly as I’ll be appearing at the Kankakee Fantasy Con. This was one of my favorite cons and I was bummed when COVID killed it. But, they’re back up and running and I’m going to be like a kid in a candy shop. Drop by Saturday, March 9th, from 10 AM until 2 PM and see what all the fuss is about.
Until next time, stay safe and sane. Or, at least, do the best you can.
