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A New Blog Post Series – Artists & Writing: Interview with Valentin Romero, Illustrator & Graphic Designer

Artists & Writing, Interviews, My Projects August 4, 2021 Leave a comment

Introduction

Hello, lovely folks!

So, today I bring you a new series of blog posts: Artists & Writing. I want to focus on the artists, to elevate the stunning and inspiring work they do, and to link all kinds of inspiration and art with writing. Because in my own view, writing is art, too.

As for the artists, I welcome all kinds, whether they're illustrators, home interior designers, fashion designers, animators, film producers… I want to expand people's view and understand of art. And to perceive its connection to writing and words and imagination overall.

I hope this series touches you in some way or perhaps inspires you.

My first guest?

Please welcome the amazing illustrator & graphic designer, Valentin Romero! He was kind enough to agree to this interview when I contacted him. I thought he would be a great person and artist to feature on my blog as he seemed to like my idea for this series and he is quite inspiring. His work is just jaw-dropping.

Enjoy the interview, loves!

Mighty Thor / Jane Foster by Valentin Romero, @valentinromeroart, 2021.

Interview with an Artist: Valentin Romero

1- What is your greatest achievement and why?

I remember that my greatest achievement was going to my 1st Convention, it was in 2019. It was in a big city that was about 100 km from my hometown. At the time I was on the other side of the country, due to university, but I was free at the time, so I took a plane there. It was great, I met a lot of my fans, talked to them and more. I had a nice time. Some of my friends came to congratulate me, and family members too. I had many other invitations to other conventions, but due to Covid they were canceled, so it's a shame, but safety comes first so we'll have to wait.

2- How did you come to work on Mortal Kombat, and what exactly was your main task?

It was an incredible opportunity, since I was a kid I played Mortal Kombat so it was a great moment to be able to officially collaborate. Mortal Kombat had collaborated with rapper Megan Thee Stallion, which I adore so it was a great opportunity. Megan was going to do a streaming video playing MK and she had also done a cosplay of the character of Mileena. My task was to design a poster of Megan as Mileena to transmit during streaming. Megan's reaction was so sweet so thanks to Megan and all the Mortal Kombat people who trusted me.

3- When did you start illustrating and graphic design as a hobby, and what attracted you to it?

I started illustrating digitally at the same time that I opened my Instagram account, about 2 years ago. All as a hobby since I recently graduated from high school. What brought me to this world was seeing that there were more possibilities to make art separate from the traditional. Being a cinematographer and artist, the movie posters, the concept art, the effects, the color palettes, etc., caught my attention. So I started using Photoshop from scratch and no one ever taught me anything, it was learning curiosity and investigating each function. Over time I got some digital tablets and that improved my techniques

4- What made you realize art was what you wanted to do as your career?

I was always an artist so more less I always knew that I was going to end up doing something related to art. I am currently studying Graphic Design, they do not teach me things related to programs or Morphology. The market is updating every day so I think the university should do it too. But if I'm honest with you, it would really be a dream come true to be able to play Wiccan in the MCU, I have studied acting apart from design, I am the right age and I am physically perished to the actor Julian who played him in his child version and also in the version adult from comics. Besides being gay, I would love to be able to give an excellent representation in this world of superheroes.

5- What is your professional journey?

My professional career was always based on commissions and these collaborations like Mortal Kombat. My followers ask me to transform them into a character and I love it, it is a good way to get out of the ordinary. I was also in a design studio for a few months learning about machines and it was a good experience.

6- As an illustrator and graphic designer working online as well, do you find it easier to find jobs online or in person, for example via conventions?

In my case, I live in a relatively small city so in person I don't see it as a viable option. The internet has given me more possibilities by having a greater exposure and I am always open to job proposals either in Argentina or abroad. One platform that has served me a lot was LinkedIn and obviously Instagram.

7- What made you choose digital art over traditional art?

I think that what led me to choose digital was the fact of realism. As I told you, I really like posters and photography and being able to combine it with a design software like Photoshop that gives you infinite possibilities is a great advantage. But in the same way I always sketch some ideas before starting a design in photoshop.

8- I watched your videos on your YouTube channel where you transform an actual picture into posters or other versions of the characters. Can you tell us what motivates you to do that and keep improving?

What always motivates me is to continue creating everything I imagine and to be able to give life to projects or ideas that I have in my mind and I would like to see them realized. Also give my followers constant content. But whenever I have a good idea and it motivates me, I put all my attention on making it as perfect as possible. I always practice new techniques "off camera" so I can apply them later. I have to buy better equipment, I always wanted to be a youtuber and have my content, but I don't have to have time to edit. Also as I mentioned I do a lot of practice outside the camera but I would also like to do something more of the lifestyle channel or something like that but I am locked up a lot so I do not know. There are days that I want to do everything and other days I just want to be with myself. But I would really like to do it, really.

9- What does a typical day look like for you as an artist?

Well, as we are in a pandemic there is not much to do, but I live in a relatively small city so we have a little more freedom. I am studying my first year in a virtual way at the university. I do not like it very much since I miss meeting new people or going to campus, so now I take classes 3 times a week via webcam but that alone so the process is quite boring and slow. But since I have most of my free time, I like to draw sketches all day. It is always good to practice. I also play Valorant online, it is a game that I discovered in this pandemic and I love it so I always play. I live 5 minutes away from the Atlantic ocean so I always go by bike for some long walks, on the other side of the city is full of mountains so it is also good to go for a walk. I also take my time every day to respond to comments or messages and check my networks a bit.

10- What advice would you give artists to break into the art world?

Artists who are just starting out in the networks always ask me what advice I could give them, or how I learned, etc. I think the best I can tell you is not to be ashamed to upload your art, out there they think that it is not so good to publish it but not all of us are born learning so there is no need to be ashamed of anything. After consistency is something important, always be practicing to improve and in the long run you will see the results .. And finally, publish what you want, do not pigeonhole into a single topic because otherwise you will get bored quickly.

11- Do you have specific study methods to improve your skills?

I think not, basically I am drawing all day, perfecting anatomy, postures, expressions etc. As for photoshop, I'm always trying new techniques or seeing how I combine my images and bringing my ideas to life. I always keep in mind details like lights, color palettes. The key for me is consistency and daily practice. That's it.

12- What are your favorite learning resources?

I love Pinterest, there are many ideas out there. I took some online courses at Domestika but they were mostly to perfect little things. YouTube always has some advice to implement but I don't like to copy the tutorials exactly as I like to develop my style. My last design class was one given by the designer Gina DeDomenico, she is a conceptual artist and did work for "Titans" "Stargirl" "The Boys" among others

13- Has any book inspired you, or is there any book you found helpful, whether fiction or non-fiction?

I have always read a lot since I was a kid. My dad was always giving me books, some were "Pride and Prejudice" "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" "Martin Fierro" "The Little Prince" "To Kill a Mockingbird" among others. These books always gave me a lot of imagination and opened my mind. Then I started reading the comics and one of the ones I read recently and I liked a lot was "young avengers by gillen & mckelvie" the truth is that I loved that style of illustration too much, along with the colors and the characters so it is one of my marvel favorites.

14- What are your thoughts on the different types of art? Do you feel inspired by movies, tv shows, books, crafting…?

Yes, of course. I find a lot of inspiration in movies, series, music videos, comics, etc. I really like to experiment with textures or colors that I see for example in music videos. Doja Cat is one of the artists who puts the most style in her videos in terms of art, so I really like talking about her videos, for example. I really like "Avengers Assemble" , the animation I liked a lot when I saw it. I also like the simple sketches, I think that not everything has to be complex to be beautiful. I love crafting, I used to make bracelets when I was 14 I remember with some rubber bands in school.

15- Do you think an art type can feed the other art types and vice versa? How does this affect you?

I think so. For example, I'm a lot of sketching poses, faces, costumes all day, and then I like to use markers to finish that drawing. I do this many times before starting a piece in digital. Since I don't like doing sketches in digital so much, I got used to pencil and paper. So I am always combining these techniques in my creative process. I also took painting classes for 3 years and I really like it, so it helped me a lot with environments and painting techniques, some of them I apply in digital with some digital brushes, maybe for environment, clothes, skin texture, etc.

Valentin Romero

As a final word, I really hope you enjoyed this exclusive interview with this incredible and friendly artist. He was a joy to work with! If you'd like to be featured on my blog as an artist, please do reach me at catherinegv.writertranslator@gmail.com with an example and description of what you do! If you're not an artist in a "traditionally known way" (such as architects, and so on) but think it might count as art, I highly encourage you to contact me as well so we can discuss your idea! I think the more art types are known, the better we'll be for it.

Let's spread art, woohoo!

Thank you for being with me on this adventure, darlings, and see you next post!

Guest Post: Author Warren Rochelle

Blog Tours November 13, 2020 Leave a comment

When I saw Other Worlds Ink offering a blog tour for Warren Rochelle’s The Wicked Stepbrother and Other Stories, I immediately felt compelled to sign up to help spread the word about an LGBTQ fairy tale retelling short story collection! I hope you'll do just the same.

Missed the book review? Click here!

Today I've got something special for you, dears. An interview between the author, Warren Rochelle, and one of his characters, His Majesty, Aidan IV, King of Joria and Prince of New Roesk.

Now, that's exciting! I always had a fondness for character interviews, so this delights me, too!

Ready? Have fun reading like I have! (And read until the bottom of the page: there's an Amazon giveaway!)

WR: Your Majesty, Thank you for talking with me today. We had a character interview with Calum. He loves you.

ADN: I know. I love him, too.

WR: He said you were the center of his heart. True? You don’t talk much. Why is this?

ADN: Well, the story is called “The Wicked Stepbrother,” and so Calum is the story’s heart—and his love for me and mine for him, are what drives him, makes him take action. Of course, we talk all the time, as would most married couples. But not all conversations need to be told. Yes, I am the center of his heart and he is the center of mine. No one closer. When I was prisoner in the tower in the Tallwood, in that hardtree grove, I knew he would come for me.

WR: Calum likes men from the very beginning. Did you know this about yourself?

ADN: Like Calum, I figured out my sexuality as a teenager. I had to keep it a secret from my parents and from everyone in court. The laws in effect then were not kind to people like us. But I was protected by my position as crown prince. So, there were men, but in the shadows, they were secrets, and I never approached them—I mean, I was the heir to the throne. I arranged for men to come to me. But that isn’t how it was with Calum. I know he told you he was unattractive, and no, he is not conventional handsome. But when we met at the Birthday Ball, I knew I had to talk to him. He sent me doves. I saw a beautiful man.

WR: You gave up your throne for him, at least for eight years.

ADN: I did. I decided to be happy.

WR: He also told me he has done terrible things—wicked things.

ADN: He told me all those things the wicked stepbrother has done. He doesn’t do such things anymore. He changed for me, and more importantly, for himself. We promised each other no secrets.

WR: When you became king, you changed the laws on gender and sexuality back to what they had been before the Interruption. Some people are not happy with you for making such a sweeping change so quickly. The Gradualists, I think they are called, are saying too soon, too fast. Will it be hard to enforce these laws?

ADN: (Nods his head, runs fingers through his hair.) I know. But this doesn’t affect opposite-sex couples at all. It merely restores rights that once were for all Jorians. I know Jorian history and what happened with the conservative religious movement during and after the Big Interruption. But they seem to have forgotten theirs, and some tried to hide the stories of the gods and their opposite and same-sex pairings, their group marriages, and—you know how sexually fluid the gods are. That truth will no longer be hidden. No one is expected to change their beliefs, just not impose them on others. Besides, I promised Calum.

WR: It will be easier for Aileanna.

ADN: Yes.

WR: You won the war. What next?

ADN: An education campaign, a time of healing from Magda’s rule. We will show the people a model of two men who love each other very much—well, not a perfect model, but a human one. Over time, that will make a difference.

WR: Calum says the two of you have thought of going back through the green mists.

ADN: (Laughs). He did, did he? Yes, we have talked about that.

WR: Thank you for talking with me today.

What’s next?

Right now, I am working on completing Fletcher and Sam’s story. Fletcher is in Faerie, now he has to find Sam and bring him back. This task will test Fletcher. I think their story could a novella, but I am not sure. I keep thinking of more things, of more story. The other project, which might be a novella, or at least along story, is a sequel to my first novel, The Wild Boy, and takes place two hundred years later, as humanity is recovering from the Long Nightmare of the Lindauzi conquest. When can you expect these novellas? Next year, I hope. I also want to revisit a novel I have rewritten a few times, The Golden Boy, set in alternate history, in the world of the Columbian Empire. — Warren Rochelle

Excerpt from The Wicked Stepbrother and Other Stories

From “The Wicked Stepbrother.”

“Well. Lord Culver, are we done? Are there no more women to try on the shoe?” Aidan asked as he stood from where he had sat all morning, next to my grandfather’s great tome of a dictionary.

I was about to say no when my stable manager interrupted. “There’s one more, Elena. She’s in the kitchen, washing dishes. I saw her there when I came up.”

Before I could protest, Aidan ordered her brought to the library.

When Elena came in, her hair braided and pulled back to keep it out of the sink, I knew, with a sudden certainty, who had stared at me before running away. She had to have had magical help. She glanced at me before sitting down in the chair facing Aidan and his shoe. A quick flash of triumph.

I hated her.

Of course, the crystal slipper fit. Of course, she had its mate in her apron pocket.

“I have found her—my wife-to-be,” Aidan said as he stood, taking Elena’s hand, and gesturing to the room. Every woman still in line, all the male staff around me, my stable manager, the prince’s entourage, burst into applause. I clapped, too, even though I felt like I was going to throw up.

So much for my half-loaf.

An hour before they left for the capital, after a dove was sent ahead with the news, Aidan took me aside, taking me back to the library. Holding my hand, he sat me down in an overstuffed chair in a reading alcove that overlooked the orchards.

“Cal. It’s going to be all right. I have to marry her, and get her with child, but you are my true love; you’ll be my mistress—my lover. I’ll fix that house for you. Cal?”

“Aidan, that might have worked with any other woman but not Elena. She hates me, and—I’ve not been nice to her. She won’t share.”

There was a knock at the door, and the soft voice of one of his guards: “Your Highness. The Lady Elena has bathed and dressed. Her companion is ready as well. Your car is ready; another dove was sent to the King telling him you and the Lady are due to arrive soon.”

“I will meet everyone at the car in ten minutes,” Aidan shouted back through the door. Then he turned to me. “She’ll share; she’ll have her place and you’ll have yours. Here, in my heart, no one closer. Walk with me to the car.”

I so wanted to believe him, and I did until we walked down the steps. I recognized the companion, who waited by the prince’s car, the little old lady who lived by the river, her old maid. And I smelled her: first folk, a pureblood, a true silver. I clenched my teeth. That old hag had done the magic for Elena. I learned later the old bitch had been with Elena since her birth and with the earl’s family for at least three generations. She had been biding her time in that little house by the river. Now she stared at me, with a triumphant smirk. I sniffed again: she was very powerful and she wasn’t afraid of me.

“Lord Culver.”

I jerked around to face Elena. She was beautiful, as she had been when she came to Colomendy years ago. So, the hag had hidden her weak eye—some magical disguise. She glanced back quickly to find Aidan, who was at the door, conferring with his head guard and chauffeur, then turned back to me, getting as close as she could without touching.

“You monster. You lose,” she hissed, her breath warmth on my face.

“It’s not over; he’s mine. He wants me, not you,” I hissed back.

“He wants you?” She stared at me, incredulous, then glanced again at Aidan who was still talking to his servants. She laughed. “All the better then, eh?”

Then, in a flurry of commands and good-byes and thank yous (and one furtive squeeze of my hand) they were gone.

***

A month and a half later, on New Year’s Day, they were married.

Now, what about that Amazon giveaway I mentioned at the beginning? It's for a $20 Amazon gift card. Click here to enter, loves!

Warren Rochelle, Author of The Wicked Stepbrother and Other Stories

Warren Rochelle lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, and has just retired from teaching English at the University of Mary Washington. His short fiction and poetry have been published in such journals and anthologies as Icarus, North Carolina Literary Review, Forbidden Lines, Aboriginal Science Fiction, Collective Fallout, Queer Fish 2, Empty Oaks, Quantum Fairy Tales, Migration, The Silver Gryphon, Jaelle Her Book, Colonnades, and Graffiti, as well as the Asheville Poetry Review, GW Magazine, Crucible, The Charlotte Poetry Review, and Romance and Beyond.

His short story, “The Golden Boy,” was a finalist for the 2004 Spectrum Award for Short Fiction. His short story “Mirrors,” was just published in Under A Green Rose, a queering romance anthology, from Cuil Press. “The Latest Thing,” a flash fiction story, is forthcoming in the Queer Sci Fi anthology, Innovation.

Rochelle is also the author of four novels: The Wild Boy (2001), Harvest of Changelings (2007), and The Called (2010), all published by Golden Gryphon Press, and The Werewolf and His Boy, published by Samhain Publishing in September 2016. The Werewolf and His Boy was re-released from JMS Books in August 2020. The Wicked Stepbrother and Other Stories is forthcoming from JMS Books in late September 2020.

Follow his page on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads! You can also add The Wicked Stepbrother and Other Stories to your bookshelves on Goodreads.

The Wicked Stepbrother and Other Stories: A Book Review

Book Reviews November 13, 2020 Leave a comment

By Warren Rochelle

Genre: Fiction, Fairy Tale, Romance, Fairy Tale Retelling, Fantasy, Gay fantasy, Gay romance, Adventure, LGBTQ+

Word count: 76,446

ASIN: B08J6PWLWC

Format: eBook (Kindle, Kobo, Nook)

Publication date: Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Publisher: JMS Books

Type: Book, Short Story Collection

Warnings: violence, one rape (not described)

*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. No compensation has been given and I write this book review willingly. A big thanks to Warren Rochelle and Other Worlds Ink!*

Introduction

When I saw Other Worlds Ink offering a blog tour for Warren Rochelle’s The Wicked Stepbrother and Other Stories, I immediately felt compelled to sign up and review it. Kindly enough, I received an ARC of what felt both a revelation and an exciting event: an LGBTQ fairy tale retelling book by an own voice for us! I. just. couldn’t. resist!

There are so many good sides in this book to explore. Care to do so with me?

Read on, loves!

Blurb

Fairy tales. We all know the traditional stories, right? Prince Charming, the hero, fights evil, wins the princess, happily ever after. Three sons, three wishes, witches, dragons, a quest, and happily ever after.

These stories are part of our cultural fabric. We retell them, over and over, and the stories change in the retellings, to reflect contemporary culture, such as Princess Charming, heroes and heroines as people of colour. It has been only relatively recently that queer folk have found their way into the retellings, as they have here, in this collection of stories, stories that grew out of questions:

What if the prince falls in love with Cinderella’s gay stepbrother?

What if Rumpelstiltskin doesn’t really want the Queen’s child? He wants his old boyfriend back, the King.

What if Beauty and the Beast were two men?

As fairy tales do, these stories explore the human condition, human experience, through the metaphors of magic and the magical, exploring what it means to be human. After all, all fairy tales are true. But this time, with a gay perspective.

In these tales, retellings and original ones, readers are asked to consider what price must be paid for happily ever after—which is not guaranteed. Love, on the other hand, without a doubt. These tales are love stories.

Duty or love? Is love worth great sacrifice?

So… once upon a time…

The Positive Sides

First, these stories are so poignant, they grabbed my heart and never let go. They’re beautiful, emotional, and intense and true. I swear, I would go about my day and think about the stories and the characters’ feelings or woes at work! Doing the dishes. Cooking up lunch. That doesn’t happen with all the books I read, but this one, it burrowed itself a den in my heart. And you know what? I’m happy it’s there.

Funny enough, the stories are interrelated!! They have references to the others embedded in them! So clever. I am pleasantly surprised and impressed as I wasn’t expecting this—I figured they were all standalones in their own little world. But oh, was I wrong. The stories also touch on deep important matters in the LGBTQ+ reality, like cultural divides, hope, acceptance, what’s expected of you, and so on. It was very poignant and much needed.

On a side note, I particularly enjoyed how amusing and foreign he made another language feel and how he wrote it out. As a polyglot myself, it was fun to see! Because I felt this on a personal level, haha. The author used a clever way to visualize not understanding another language, or at least its foreignness, like the pronunciation and how hard we try to associate it with the sounds we know.

As for the stories themselves, Rumpelstiltskin’s (the first one) made me cry with belonging and feels. I thought there was no princess like me ever even in a gay fairy tale retelling, but hey! I was proven wrong (again! Notice a pattern, here?). From the bottom of my heart: thank you. She was great and lovely. And the story itself with the fey and the long-lost love was perfect, so emotional. I still think about it spontaneously during the day.

I love that the Beast’s house is in-between worlds and states of mind… It explains all the magic and mystery surrounding it and how some people can find it and not others and when they do so. Nice! There’s also an invisible in-between crew (which is quite funny and hot-headed!) in the Beast’s house. And it’s the first time an author made me relate to the beast on a deep level, what with his insecurities and sadness and longing.

Can I say this too many times: I looooove the emotions, angst, and sheer love of all types (whether it be romantic, platonic, family, friends, etc.) in these stories! I don’t think this book will let my heart go anytime soon, if ever.

(This quotation comes from my favorite story in the collection, which happens to be the very first one!)

The Negative Sides

I should really say “the negative side” here and not “sides”, but oh well. There’s way too much telling in the The Wicked Stepbrother and Other Stories. While I don’t mind it much, I felt the stories were sometimes lacking in terms of connecting with the characters or “discovery” (at least from a reader’s perspective). Nevertheless, it didn’t ruin my experience but I’m pretty sure that’s because I find telling to be okay. Though I think it might be an issue with other readers, hence my mentioning it.

In Conclusion

All in all, it was lovely and touching to finally read about LGBTQ fairy tales. It was high time someone did this, by us, for us. I give this beautiful and poignant book, The Wicked Stepbrother and Other Stories, a rating of 4.5 out of 5. I had a pleasant time every time while settling into bed with my Kobo to read these enchanting stories of love, acceptance, struggles, and flawed but lovable characters. Please, give this book a read! Not only will you feel attached to the stories, their situations and characters, but you’ll also help to spread own voices LGBTQ fairy tale retelling fiction, which we’re in great need of. I recommend it to anyone with an open mind, a desire to travel into pages of a book and find themselves, and those looking to broaden their horizons.

If you want to learn more about the author, you can visit his Facebook author page, you can also follow him on Twitter and Goodreads. You can also add The Wicked Stepbrother and Other Stories to your bookshelves on Goodreads.