On the 3rd Day of Christmas…
ON THE THIRD DAY OF CHRISTMAS MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME, 3 WEREWOLVES…
2 vampires, and zombies in a story.
One of the hardest novels I had to write was BONES AT BREAKFAST. There’s only so much lore to lycans that leave little ground for creative freedom and uniqueness. Thankfully, I managed to pull it off once I got past the little obstacles. The novel and its spinoff IN CASE OF WEREWOLF are perfect gifts for the holidays and beyond. The picture at the left was done by Dan Pipito for the graphic novel version of the spinoff.
Order a copy for yourself or a friend. If you want personalized copies then shoot me an email (Rickpipito@hotmail.com), otherwise they can be purchased in print or digital at Lulu.com or on Amazon.
Day 21 – Eden’s Order Trilogy
Day 21 of #scrypthalloween shows the cover of my EDEN’S ORDER TRILOGY sans text. @dpipito did the art which depicts a tree that represents the tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden, but has hints of skin, blood, and bones to signify each novel within. This collection consists of the novels: FLESH AND LEFTOVERS, BLOOD THE SECOND HELPING, and BONES AT BREAKFAST. It also contains the spinoff short stories: ZOMBIE INCIDENTS, LEGENDS OF VAMPIRE, and IN CASE OF WEREWOLF, as well as a timeline of events.
It is available in print at lulu.com and Barnes and Noble sites, as well as in digital at Amazon…
Official description: In FLESH AND LEFTOVERS Gordon Lightcap and Moira Donatelli recruit survivors of #zombie incidents in preparation for something much more sinister.
BLOOD, THE SECOND HELPING takes the two on separate paths. Gordon seeks answers, assisted by an old flame. As they scour the globe in search of #vampire legends, Moira has aligned herself with Cain, but her goals are in question. BONES AT BREAKFAST places Gordon and Moira reluctantly working for the Russian military. Cases of #werewolf activity become obstacles in stopping Cain from finding the Garden of Eden.
Day 5 – Bones At Breakfast
Day 5 of #scrypthalloween takes a look at my novel BONES AT BREAKFAST. This book proved to be more of a challenge to write than the prior two because I felt limited by the subject. I thought it was difficult to make it feel grounded, but then decided that by explaining the origins of mythology and fairy tales I could make it work. It became my easiest book to write. @dpipito did this cover art (sans text) to keep with the theme of the trilogy…….
official description: Gordon Lightcap and his team are caught in an uneasy alliance. By working alongside Russian General, Alexander Putski, they hope to stop the forces that Cain left in his wake. Unbeknownst to them however, is the fact that Cain is still alive. In his new form, he is an even greater threat than before and one step closer to his goal. #werewolf #werewolves #novel #novels #eternalhungersaga #scryptpublishing #book
Day 7 – Bones At Breakfast
Werewolves are the focus for the next 3 days in #scrypthalloween. So, for today I’m taking a look back at my third novel BONES AT BREAKFAST.
Gordon Lightcap and his allies are forced to work with a Russian government, who has their own agenda. Their common goal is to end the goals of a madman once and for all, but the threat has taken a deadlier form. Backed by an army of werewolves, their target Cain employs a plan to uncover the lost Garden of Eden. But at what cost? In a frantic race across the globe, can Lightcap and his team stop Cain from unveiling something humanity was banished from long ago? There are reasons the truth remains buried…
BONES AT BREAKFAST is available in print at lulu.com and in digital form on Amazon.com
Make sure to post your favorite werewolf related things and tag #scrypthalloween for a chance to win one of my books. You can enter as many times as you’d like through the month of October. Below is a list of the topics for each date.
Eden’s Order Trilogy trailer
Zombies, Vampires, & Werewolves are the three threats in the Eden’s Order Trilogy. Here’s a trailer I did for the collection, which is available on Lulu and Amazon.
The Trilogy contains the novels: FLESH AND LEFTOVERS, BLOOD THE SECOND HELPING, BONES AT BREAKFAST… plus the graphic novel stories from: ZOMBIE INCIDENTS, LEGENDS OF VAMPIRE, and IN CASE OF WEREWOLF.
There’s also bonus content including 3 extra short stories in the same universe & a timeline.
Bones At Breakfast – Trailer
My werewolf novel gets the trailer treatment. Let me know what you think. What are your favorite werewolf stories and lore?
Day 4: Eden’s Order
Cover Art for “F&L: Eden’s Order Trilogy” the novel. Concept and art by Dan Pipito
31 Days of Halloween: Day 4 is here and we bring the best of all three previous days together.
THE EDEN’S ORDER TRILOGY contains FLESH AND LEFTOVERS, BLOOD THE SECOND HELPING, & the BONES AT BREAKFAST novels. Like a boxed set, I wanted to include some extras, so also within are the novelized versions (without pictures) of the comic book spinoffs: ZOMBIE INCIDENTS, LEGENDS OF VAMPIRE, & IN CASE OF WEREWOLF.
So why is it called that name? Well without giving too much away, the Garden of Eden becomes the central focus of what this trilogy is building to. The antagonist, Cain, believes that finding this lost place will bring his type of order to the planet, while the protagonists feel that the unknown is too risky.
The Garden of Eden was supposed to have been a place of pure nirvana. We didn’t have to work for our food, and life was eternal. Our mistake banned us from there, but what happened to Eden? It had to be somewhere on earth right? And if we found it again, then would the peace and order become ours again?
A problem that is often found with the “truth” is that often the facts lead to more questions, so regardless of what happens as a result of such an action, there would be more that comes with it. Zombies, vampires and werewolves are the focus of the first three novels, but the underlying plot as a whole all boils down to this place. It puts in question everything we know and think we know. Getting people to think of the “what ifs” regardless of their beliefs or lack thereof, was my goal.
Open your mind with THE EDEN’S ORDER TRILOGY, available through links on the right of this page. *Note: on Amazon, the kindle version ONLY contains the extras that you wouldn’t get from buying the novels separately. I did this for those fans who had already purchased the books but wanted the whole saga without rebuying them.
Day 3: Ancient Tales influence BONES AT BREAKFAST
Cover art for “Bones At Breakfast” The novel. Concept and art by Dan Pipito
31 Days of Halloween continue with day #3. Here, I talk about the miscellaneous folk lore, fairy tales, mythology, and urban legends that proved to be wonderful material to expand my world of werewolves in my third novel.
1) Classic Fairy tales are entertaining for any boy or girl growing up. Being as they are some of the first stories we ever know as children, they tend to stick with us for a long time. There have been a million takes on them, but what if they really happened, just more reality based? For instance: maybe the 3 little pigs weren’t pigs. Maybe they were chauvenistic men who were womanizing slobs. That’s the approach I took on the classics: The 3 Little Pigs, Peter And The Wolf, Little Red Riding Hood, & Beauty And The Beast.
2) Following that line of thinking, by the time I was in 6th grade (which at this point is almost legendary as well) I was fascinated with Greek Mythology. I remember watching Lou Ferrigno as Hercules and enjoying those horribly good cheesy movies and stories. I’m a firm believer that every myth is somewhat based in fact. Something made those stories and beliefs stir. In BAB, I made sure one of the stories follows a very human group of people who were intuitive for their day. These people (Herakles, Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, & Cerberus) may have been so ahead of their time that people perceived them as gods.
3) Gypsies always freaked me out. I have this stereotypical vision of a withery old lady casting curses on someone. Since they are often tied in to werewolf lore, it made sense. But I also wanted it to be in a time that made more sense, so the Civil War era seemed a likely place to plot one of the story arcs.
4) Sasquatch aka Bigfoot, is one of those urban tales that could be believed even by the most skeptic of people. Why then have we never found definitive proof? Is it because the trail goes suddenly cold? Or could the creature actually be something else entirely? I decided with this to create an entirely new take on werewolves by reversing the thought process of the standard idea.
5) Native American Indians are known for many things. Spirit Animals are one of them. I knew I wanted to do a story in this setting, but wanted to respect the source material as well. Like I did with the fairy tale idea, I delved into endless hours of reading Native American tall tales. What did those people in the pre-United States days believe in? What stories were well known throughout their tribes? So, I found a few that really caught my eye, and amalgamated them into something unique.
6) The moon has obviously been the center of many werewolf stories, but for BAB I decided to focus a bit more on the phases of the celestial object, and the power of the moon as believed in ancient times, and even a bit in conspiracy theories today.
7) The story of the Garden of Eden is as well known today as it was thousands of years ago. Something with that much staying power must be of a higher power. Using Eden as a plot device and setting felt right. I mean after all, what ever did happen to the Garden after humanity was cast out? BAB takes that under its wings.
8) Like the second bullet point, I did the same with Norse mythology. Loki, Fenrir, Odin and more have a real human story that inspired the Nors to believe them as gods.
9) Although this was actually a real battle in the American Revolutionary War, there is little known about it. In itself, it is a very unique happening. The battle to which I refer is called the “Moonlight Battle,” and in BAB werewolves are involved in explaining that.
10) Yeti and the Abominable Snowman are distant cousins in a way to the story of Sasquatch. In the spinoff comic, we follow the diary of Admiral Richard Byrd, who in real life was an explorer in pursuit of the creature.
11) Taking the urban legends of Jack the Ripper and adding a few elements from literature, a new tale is incorporated into werewolf lore.
That’s all for this installment. Tomorrow will bring us more 31 Days of halloween with a new article. Stay tuned. BONES AT BREAKFAST and its graphic novel comic spinoff, IN CASE OF WEREWOLF, are available for purchase in multiple formats on the right side of this page.
Writing and Learning from your mistakes
Cover art for “Flesh And Leftovers” The novel – Art by Dan Pipito
I’ll be the first to admit, that while I’m extremely proud of the things I’ve done, I always look back and say, “Wow, I’m a better writer than I used to be.” That’s because I try to learn from my mistakes. I started off on this journey with writing, as a fan. I was a fan of other people’s works. I knew how good it felt to read stories, and I loved when people would enjoy my music. It made me want to transition from music and expand to fiction. If others enjoyed my songs, then why not let them enjoy the multitude of ideas I have in my head?
So my journey began. I looked into independent publishing for my first project FLESH AND LEFTOVERS and have stayed with it ever since. Would I like a major publishing deal? Of course. What passionate author wouldn’t, but I believe that things happen for a reason. The aforementioned novel began as a joke of sorts. I love zombies. I love the many takes on zombie lore. What I wanted to do was to combine them all, and that is why I went with multiple stories tying into one overall plot.
Cover art for “Blood The Second Helping” The novel
It wasn’t until halfway through the book that I decided to go on with vampires for the following novel. I decided right away that I didn’t want to be stereotyped into writing one thing. I didn’t want to be the “zombie guy”. It’s been done too many times. I knew that I could write sequels and make each one focus on something different, while continuing with the characters I love and keeping it something fresh and new.
Upon finishing the first novel, I began immediately writing BLOOD, THE SECOND HELPING, and mapping out more in the series. My mind was set. Then the reviews started coming in… There were an unbelieveable amount of outstanding reviews and feedback. It became overwhelming to the point of people wanting more zombie stories. I was adamant (still am) about doing more of the same in book form. This is where sCrypt comics came in with my brother. I could do spinoffs and appease that audience, while not
Cover art for “Bones At Breakfast” The novel
placing myself in a repetetive place.
Of course this is where my learning came in as well. I wrote book one hastily, and while it is certainly one of the best zombie novels out there (yes I’m biased haha), it has its flaws. Storywise it is fine, but I had no editor, so there are mistakes I made in writing. Plus, there is only so much that can be done creatively with a zombie story. I had a few messages telling me they found typos or that they didn’t like what I did in certain parts. The cool thing about the latter is that as you write a series, you can correct or attone for certain things. (I do want the audience to be happy too). The down side is that I now have six novels completed in the series, and while each one works as a stand alone device, my weakest book is the one that 
starts it all.
So what is a writer to do? Well, I realized this by the time I was finished writing BONES AT BREAKFAST (my werewolf novel). Then I decided, that if I write the series in trilogy format, I could have people really start with book 4 and then maybe want to go back and read the earlier novels.
Is this a good strategy? Part of me believes so. It makes marketing both easier and more complicated. As a series it becomes easier to sell the installments, but as a whole, the impression of amateur writing in my earlier installments compared to that of what I’d consider professional writing now can be difficult.
While writing novels has taken up much of my free time I have become limited to the amount of time I have to actually read. Now I’m hooked on books on tape of unabridged works. I tend to lean towards my influences on how to properly execute delivery of a concept. Anyone who has read my books can see the historical and mythical influences. I’m fascinated with legends and the unexplained. Writing allows me to curb this need to know by explaining it fictitiously. Point in case… the author, Bob Mayer, takes an amazing approach to explaining where things such as the Pyramids of Egypt came from and so much more. He’s been one of my influences who I feel has taught me (just through reading) what it truly takes to be a successful author.
Everyone mentions Dean Koontz or Stephen King, and while they are also major influences of mine, I tend to think they are oft referenced by too many authors. It is almost Cliche’. While I learn from these great people, I also learn from writers who I find are downright appaling. I could say names, but I won’t because I don’t condone trash talking, but there are 
writers who have had their books made into films, and honestly it seems as if a ninth grader has written their stories. I don’t care if a novel is geared towards a younger audience, literature shouldn’t be “dumbed down.”
In the end I strive for a few things. 1) I want to constantly evolve, and for my audience to see that. It’s not a pride thing. I do it for me sure, but I want to have people come back for more. If I don’t write on a level that I’m proud with, then how could the audience be entertained? 2) Helping others achieve their goals is important as well. Look, I may not be a NY Times bestseller (here’s to hoping one day), but I can guide others who are starting out or looking to learn. Artists, musicians, writers… I’ve been all three, and want to share my mistakes as to help others get past them. 3) I have a desire to entertain. While music will always do it for me, I don’t think it works on the same level. I have what I like to call “voices” in my head. These are my ideas. I literally have a dozen more books mapped out in my head. I just need the time to write, while juggling a full time job. 4) and finally, what this article is all about…. Learning. As much as my “pride” may be hurt by negative comments or reviews, I realize that there is no such thing as negative feedback. I’m a person who likes to take the negativity and turn it into something positive. So criticism is a wonderful thing, and having positive feedback with it is equal. They are the yin and yang of writing.
What are your thoughts? Are you a writer? If so, how do you approach your ideas? Please comment below. I’d love to hear how you work and learn. As always, I’d also like to throw a thank you out to my brother, Dan Pipito, for the artwork on the covers, as well as my wife, Roberta, who not only feeds my mind with amazing food, but also tells me when my ideas are good or bad.
short story – In Case Of Werewolf
These are stories that expand upon the novel “Bones At Breakfast.”
Do your bones ache? Does your instinct sometimes prevail over rational thought? When night descends, do you feel “different”? If any of these are your symptoms, then you are not alone. You may have contracted lycanthropy, and when the moon rises, your inner beast will emerge. This is the third graphic installment in the world of “Flesh And Leftovers,” where cases of werewolves will shatter your bones. Ten talented artists bring one author’s stories to life in this spinoff of the novel “Bones At Breakfast.
** UPDATE: This is now available as a text short story in print at lulu.com or in digital form as part of the Eden’s Order Trilogy Extras at Amazon
Written by Rick Pipito, with featured art by: Dan Pipito, Joe Parisi, Scott Modrzynski, Ivy Duffy, Kristie Vanderzee, Ken Hensley, Michael Coppolecchia, Jacob Greenawalt, Sakura Jones, and Kelly Swann.
Artist Story Details:
Joe Parisi returns as a sCrypt veteran artist, and this time, he is illustrating the journal of a man in search of the Abominable Snowman. He soon finds out that this creature is not what most people think it is.
Scott Modrzynski takes photography and art to a whole new level in a truly Beautiful and Beastly tale.
Ivy Duffy brings her talent to this issue by showing how animal instincts can take over a man in order to survive being shipwrecked on an island.
Dan Pipito’s watercolor takes us to an alternate future in a dilapidated Philadelphia, where a Lycan queen is hunted by human resistance.
Kristie Vanderzee takes us on a journey through Russia’s underground subways as a rogue soldier gives in to his new werewolf appetite.
Ken Hensley shows us the true story of the historical “Moonlight Battle.” An ancient wolfman turns the tides of this revolutionary event.
Michael Coppolecchia, a veteran Marvel Comics artist, truly channels a native American Indian’s animal spirit as he attempts to interfere with the white man’s plans to build on his people’s ground.
Jacob Greenawalt adds his style to a story where a man cursed with changing into a wolfman during the cycles of the moon, pilots a craft to the lunar body to see why the moon has these powers over him. What would happen to a werewolf on the moon? One man is about to find out.
Sakura Jones enters the Garden Of Eden with us, and what happened once man found it again. Zombies, vampires and werewolves are cured in a healing wave that sweeps the planet.
Kelly Swann tackles Norse mythology and the story of Loki’s half human half wolf son, Fenrir.
Bones At Breakfast: In Case Of Werewolf TM and © Rick Pipito. All rights reserved.
sCrypt Comics Teams up with Foogos
If you are unfamiliar with the work of Scott Modrzynski, then you need to check out what you are missing. A while back he contacted me saying he was interested in being a part of sCrypt Comics’ third graphic novel “Bones At Breakfast: In Case Of Werewolf.” I checked out his artwork (all done with food mind you) and thought to myself, “How the hell is he going to do this in a graphic novel?” Damn did it look cool.
He chose the story of “Annabelle and the Prince.” It is my take on the classic Beauty and the Beast story, and we decided that it would play out over seven pages. The food part of it won’t be included in the graphic novel, as it would prove too expensive to create, but Scott is doing his work another way. By combining digital art with photography, he has posted on his blog his progress. Check it out at the link below, and be sure to get your copy of the graphic novel (which includes many more artists) when it comes out this fall.
http://foo-gos.com/2012/06/26/annabelle-the-prince-pages-1-2/#comment-1873
sCrypt Publishing 