Guest Post - J Corsentino - Time of the Faeries

Guest Blog - The Beauty of Revision

Revise, revise, revise. A novel is only as good as its last revision, so make it count.

This lesson really hits home with me during the writing process for Time of the Faeries: Afterlight, End of the World, the first in a four part graphic novel series.

I have a thorough outline for all four books in the series and completed the first draft for End of the World long before I started doing the photoshoots and photo-illustrations for it. I thought I would save time by concurrently shooting and revising End of the World. It turned out I was very, very wrong.

After completing dozens of photoshoots, and several revisions, it became clear that the graphic novel, still true to my vision, had gained unexpected depth and details. Many of the photoshoots were no longer relevant and that I needed entirely new photo-illustrations for the completely revised and improved End of the World. The phrase “counting chickens” come to mind. We lost several weeks going back to re-shoot.

For the second book in the Time of the Faeries: Afterlight series, Last Gleaming, I will not plan a single photoshoot until I have the final revision in hand.

For most novelists, the writing process is much more straightforward, not requiring any photoshoots, but revisions remain an integral key to making the novel good.

My suggestions? Do a pass by yourself. Stick the novel in a drawer for a couple of weeks while your brain refreshes itself. Take it out again to revise once more. If your novel is only readable on a computer monitor, print it out. Seeing it in a different form (which you can highlight and scribble all over) is incredibly helpful. Invite trusted friends and family, and fellow writers if possible, to read over your novel and give you insight. We call these guys “Beta readers”. Then, put it away again for another couple of weeks before going through the entire process again. The more time you do this, the better your novel will get.

Title: Afterlight: End of the World
Author J. Corsentino
ISBN 978-0-578-08548-7
Size 98 pages
Genre: Full color fantasy art novel

Part 1 Time of the Fairies

Time of the Faeries: Afterlight is a four-part graphic novel series that explore the origins of the Faeries, the evolution of Angels and Vampires from a common Fae ancestor, and their own unique adaptations to the modern world. It follows the alliances and tensions that develop between these three species as they struggle to protect human civilization or shape it to their will. The Afterlight follows several lines of cause and effect, revealing possible versions of the Apocalypse at the hands of all three species.

In the first book, Afterlight, End of the World, we begin at the end with the Angel Apocalypse: a dying Earth, ravaged by war, now hosts only a few scattered pockets of humanity. These last survivors are being hunted to extinction by starving Angels, their energy consumed so that the Angels might live. Below ground, a small band of shape-shifting male faeries called the Phelans struggle to protect the last collection of human life in Los Angeles and a mysterious young girl who may hold the key to their survival. Above ground, as the winged forces amass to complete their genocide, a lone Angel named Halyon struggles to understand what went wrong, and why her race now hunts the very people they were charged to protect. 

Excerpt

The 8 page Prologue is available at http://www.freado.com/read/10047/time-of-the-faeries-afterlight-end-of-the-world in digital book form.

Links

http://www.timeofthefaeries.com (official website)

http://www.facebook.com/timeofthefaeries (fan page)

http://www.twitter.com/timeofthefaerie <----no trailing S at the end (Twitter)

http://www.timeofthefaeries.com/store (online store)

http://ow.ly/5WzGZ (Order The Afterlight on Amazon.com)

Praise for Afterlight:
“Love Afterlight! Every image is amazing.” – Rhonda Nolan, Facebook
“Having been a fan of J. Corsentino for several years, I knew the photographs would be visually stunning. What I did not count on was the story being so engrossing. His vision of a dystopian world is unique and engaging.” - Karen Mercer, Amazon.com
“Well, it blew me away how wonderful it turned out to be! Great storyline and plot points and gorgeously re-mastered photographs left a taste of blood for more.” – Wildcat, Amazon.com
“I found myself jumping from the words to the fantastic images, going back and forth through the pages like a hungry wolf wanting more; and yet in the end...I smiled with a certain pleasure you only get when you’re fed the very soul of the pages within. It is an amazing and fantastical journey you will truly enjoy!” - Rhonda R. Napoleon, Beyond Fantasy Magazine

Artist/Author

Joseph Corsentino is a storyteller at heart who chooses photography as his medium.  He took his passion for Science Fiction and Fantasy to Los Angeles where he began Time of the Faeries, an epic retelling of the faerie mythology.  His stunning, ethereal, and realistic faeries, angels, and vampires can be seen in private collections and magazines all over the world.  His first book, published by Imaginosis Publishing, is a prologue into the Time of the Faeries universe.  Joseph is currently completing the four-part Afterlight graphic novel series and making appearances at conventions such as Dragon*con.

Some Career Highlights

2007 Time of the Faeries published by Imaginosis Publishing

2007-2011 Artist Guest and Artist Guest of Honor at Faerieworlds Festival

2009-2011 Artist Guest and Artist Guest of Honor at Faeriecon

2008 Artist Guest of Honor at I-Con New York

2008-2009 Artist Guest of Honor at Xanadu Las Vegas

2010 Best Photography Dragon*con Artshow