Day 31: ZOMBIE INCIDENTS
![IMG_2730[1]](https://scryptcomics.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/img_27301-e1572541878792.png?w=422)
Final day of #scrypthalloween 2019 looks at my first #graphicnovel turned #book. Here are some facts: 1) it was published as a comic book back on February 2, 2012 and later became a text version. 2) I’d sworn to only create one #zombie novel but when readers began sending me letters to expand upon that threat I decided to do this spinoff. 3) When @dpipito and I began discussing how we could do it in #art form he suggested bringing nine artists plus himself on to do the work. We recruited from Craigslist and this was the official start of sCrypt Publishing. 4) the cover was a photo we took of severed rubber limbs and leftovers in a refrigerator. Then Dan took the image through a Saran Wrap filter and added a retro horror feel to resemble a creepy Hannibal Lecter type movie poster. 5) the undead circus in the book was Dan’s idea because he wanted to illustrate freaky and deformed zombies. It was a creative element that I couldn’t pass up and features a strong female lead that ends up in my novels later on. What are your favorite zombie stories or comics? #authorsofinstagram #book #spinoff
Day 27: A LITTLE BOY IN THE LAND OF THE HICCUPS
![IMG_2709[1]](https://scryptcomics.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/img_27091-e1572266265523.png?w=590)
Day 27 of #sCrypt Halloween is a #bedtimestory with my children’s book A LITTLE BOY IN THE LAND OF THE SLEEPLESS KNIGHTS. Here are some facts: 1) it was first published on June 5, 2017. 2) @dpipito of @pintsizedpages not only did the outstanding #art for the cover and interior, but he helped me finalize the concept for the Sleepless Knight characters. 3) the book was written for my son, Tony, who had many a “sleepless nights” unless he had a good story before bed. 4) the dinosaur shown is the Cranky King. A T-Rex was chosen because Tony was obsessed with dinosaurs at the time and I wanted something to connect with him before bedtime. 5) the book exists in the same universe as my other works even though it is not involved or appears in any way in that continuity. What are your favorite children’s books? #authorsofinstagram #book
On the 11th Day of Christmas…
ON THE ELEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME… 11 hic-hic-hiccups…
10 time travelers, 9 Aliens, 8 conspiracies, 7 super heroes, 6 corrupt files, 5 Demon Spawns! 4 lost souls, 3 werewolves, 2 vampires, and zombies in a story.
I’m secure enough to admit that I really enjoy the classic fairy tales. Disney did a great job of bringing family friendly versions of them to life, and whether dark or happy, the stories are timeless. When my daughter was born I wrote a children’s book for her called A LITTLE GIRL IN THE LAND OF THE HICCUPS. I was heavily inspired by things like Baum’s Oz stories and Carroll’s Wonderland. After finding success with my first children’s book I went back and began rereading some of the ones that inspired me and they are still enjoyable to this day. Depicted here is a rare find called the OZ/Wonderland War. It was a 4 issue mini-series that places both realms in the same reality, and although a little goofy is an enjoyable comic if just to see the characters unite and interact. What is your favorite fairy tale type story?
You can order my children’s books or any of my novels on Amazon.com and Lulu.com in digital and print respectively. Feel free to inbox me (rickpipito@hotmail.com) for personalized copies.
Day 26 – A Little Boy In The Land of The Sleepless Knights
Day 26 of #scrypthalloween looks at my children’s book A LITTLE BOY IN THE LAND OF THE SLEEPLESS KNIGHTS. @dpipito returns with more awesome artwork for a tale I wrote for my son. My goal was to write a bedtime story that made children realize that they can go on many adventures in their dreams.
It’s available in print and digital at Lulu.com, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble…
official description: When a young boy refuses to sleep he finds himself trapped in the Land of Sleepless Knights. This is where all children go when they don’t get enough rest. Can he figure out how to escape in time or will he turn into one of the Knights and be consumed by the Cranky King?
Day 25 – A Little Girl In The Land Of The Hiccups
Day 25 of #scrypthalloween shows my first children’s book A LITTLE GIRL IN THE LAND OF THE HICCUPS. I wrote this story for my daughter, Lana, and it quickly became a reader favorite. With outstanding watercolor artwork by @dpipito it brought my writing into a whole new genre.
Available at lulu.com, Amazon, and B&N in print and digital…
official description: When a little girl finds herself a long way from home, she must help her new Eskimo friends to rid their land of the Hiccups, miniscule little creatures that are more of an annoyance than anything. From award winning author, Rick Pipito, the story is aimed for a young female audience, but can be enjoyed by all. With art by Dan Pipito, this heart warming tale will inspire young readers to never give up hope and put their best thoughts forward.
Trailer – A Little Boy in The Land of the Sleepless Knights
Check out the trailer for my new children’s book A LITTLE BOY IN THE LAND OF THE SLEEPLESS KNIGHTS, available now with art by Dan Pipito
A Little Boy in The Land of the Sleepless Knights
Today is new release day for A LITTLE BOY IN THE LAND OF THE SLEEPLESS KNIGHTS!!!! My second children’s book (which exists in the same universe as A LITTLE GIRL IN THE LAND OF THE HICCUPS) is now available in print. Grab your copy today at http://www.lulu.com. It will also be available in other markets soon, but why wait, when you can get a first edition printing, and add on any of my prior books as well?
A LITTLE BOY IN THE LAND OF THE SLEEPLESS KNIGHTS was written for my son nearly two years ago. It took a while to get it right, but it was worth the wait. It’s got fantastic artwork by my brother, Dan Pipito, and a heart warming story with a lesson.
When a young boy refuses to sleep he finds himself trapped in the Land of Sleepless Knights. This is where all children go when they don’t get enough rest. Can he figure out how to escape in time or will he turn into one of the Knights and be consumed by the Cranky King?
Beyond Human Trilogy
The BEYOND HUMAN Trilogy is available now at lulu.com in print, on Amazon in digital, and Barnes and Noble (in the next 2 weeks). It contains the novels: GENETIC MORSELS, PLANET ATE, and DEVOURED UNIVERSE, plus the short stories: EVOLVED MUTATIONS, ALIEN ENCOUNTERS, and COSMIC ORBITS, and a teaser of what will be coming soon.
Day 3 #authorlifemonth – art
Here’s a design Dan Pipito came up with for the trilogy release cover, on which I’m working. It is obviously a take on DaVinci’s Vetruvian Man, but really captures what is going on in the Beyond Human Trilogy.
Day 29 – Looking at a past release
Okay, so I got away easily with this post in doing something similar to yesterday’s. Since time travel is the topic for today I decided to do a little of it myself. Just a year ago I released my first children’s book, A LITTLE GIRL IN THE LAND OF THE HICCUPS.
While the sequel has hit some road bumps, it will be here sooner than we know it. When my daughter was in the womb, I read to her mother’s belly every night. I knew somehow that she’d be a girl, even before we found out by the doctors. As a fan of Baum’s Oz books, and Alice’s adventures in wonderland, I read those to her first. I remember her moving to the sounds of my voice as I told her all about Dorothy’s journey to see a wizard, and her adventures afterwards. By the time she was born she’d already heard four and a half full length novels!
As a writer I came up with an idea for her own children’s book. One of the things she used to do, other than twirl around in circles in the belly, was to send jolts of excitement. These came in the form of hiccups. It dawned on me then. A story about a girl who is lost in a land with some strange creatures by the same name. There would be a certain degree of education in the book, while keeping it fun for kids and have an underlying moral to the story.
While we wait for its sequel A LITTLE BOY IN THE LAND OF SLEEPLESS KNIGHTS, we can always go back and share a fun reading with our little ladies. Here’s the description of A LITTLE GIRL IN THE LAND OF THE SLEEPLESS KNIGHTS: When a little girl finds herself a long way from home, she must help her new Eskimo friends to rid their land of the Hiccups, miniscule little creatures that are more of an annoyance than anything. From award winning author, Rick Pipito, the story is aimed for a young female audience, but can be enjoyed by all. With art by Dan Pipito, this heart warming tale will inspire young readers to never give up hope and put their best thoughts forward.
What are some of your favorite memories of the past? Do you have a favorite children’s book? Make sure to use the hashtag #scrypthalloween when commenting, and you may win a copy of one of my novels. You can find this book and more of mine in print at Lulu.com, and on Amazon in digital.
No one likes a case of the Hiccups. Here’s one of those tiny pesky creatures. Art in the book is by Dan Pipito
A Little Girl in: The Land of the Hiccups – trailer
We are approaching the long overdue release of my next children’s book, so it’s only fitting that a trailer be shown for the previous one. A Little Girl in The Land of the Hiccups is a favorite among young girls and parents.
Written by Rick Pipito
Art by Dan Pipito
available in print and digital at Amazon and Lulu.com
Day 19 of #authorlifemonth – critique partners
Day 19 of #authorlifemonth – my critique partners. These 3 tell me when my ideas will work or need to be altered. They are the 1st to see every novel I write and I couldn’t imagine it any other way. Thank you to Roberta for her amazingly and sometimes brutally honest thoughts, Charlene (mom) for your editing and feedback (yes I’ll keep that sex scene in but I’ll change it a little ), and Dan for your artwork on the covers and brainstorming.
Day 14 of #authorlifemonth fave cover
Day 14 of #authorlifemonth is my favorite of my book covers. While each one holds special meaning to me, the cover for A LITTLE GIRL IN THE LAND OF THE HICCUPS is my favorite. @dpipito did the art and design for it
Day 5 of #authorlifemonth: Comp covers
A comp cover is a design or concept for a book cover that didn’t make the final cut. Fortunately I haven’t had many that were rejected. For my novel BLOOD, THE SECOND HELPING, my brother, Dan Pipito originally came up with this design.
While the artwork certainly matches the theme well, and is an amazing piece of work, we decided to go with something a little more involved for the final product. Here is the original concept revealed!
![IMG_4019[1]](https://scryptcomics.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/img_40191.png?w=314&h=557)
Interview: A LITTLE GIRL IN THE LAND OF THE HICCUPS
Here are some of the questions I received after public readings of my first children’s book, A LITTLE GIRL IN THE LAND OF THE HICCUPS. Feel free to ask any questions you may have in the comments below and I’ll answer them as well. Enjoy!
Q: This sounds like a cute but interesting name for a children’s book. What gave you this idea?
Rick: When my wife was pregnant with my daughter I’d read every night to her belly. My little girl would always react to hearing my voice and toward the end of each chapter I’d read, she’d predictably respond by hiccupping. It was such a bonding thing for me and the little lady that would be, so I wanted to write her more than just a song. I wanted a children’s book. The title came from that experience.
Q: Does your daughter like to read now?
Rick: Most certainly. Bedtime is her favorite because she knows its story time. Now that she is reading on her own (she’s 6 years old), we can take turns reading to each other, and I love every second of it.
Q: How did she react to finding out you wrote it for her?
Rick: She was overjoyed with emotion. Not only did her daddy write her a story, but her uncle (my brother, Dan Pipito) did the watercolor art for it. It holds a special place in all of our hearts.
Q: How did your son react?
Rick: He loved it too, and of course asked when I was going to write a story for him. His is already written actually, I just need to sit down with my brother and work out a schedule and approach to the art. The goal is to have it released in early 2016.
Q: The title of this book seems to be aimed at a young female audience. I’m assuming the opposite will be the audience for the book you’re writing for your son?
Rick: In reality they can be enjoyed by both boys and girls, but yes that’s the goal. They will exist in the same universe as one another, and the main character for the boy’s book will be the Little Girl’s brother.
Q: What will you call the sequel?
Rick: Based on my son having been a semi-restless child I named it A LITTLE BOY IN THE LAND OF SLEEPLESS KNIGHTS. Now that he’s a little bit older, thankfully he sleeps very well, and I hope this will be something he can read to his children one day.
Q: How is audience reaction to A Little Girl In the Land of The Hiccups thus far?
Rick: Overwhelmingly positive. I was asked to read at a school for a Kindergarten class, and be involved in a Q and A session as inspiration for future writers. For the younger attendees they seemed to love it, and for the older ones (ranging in age from 5th grade to adult) they not only enjoyed it but were ecstatic that I was there. It was a hit during the holiday season and I hope it will be again next year, because it really is a great read for young girls especially.
Q: How many children’s books will you do?
Rick: Definitely a minimum of three. That’s all I have conceptualized at this point but I’m sure there will be more. I have the goal of A LITTLE GIRL… for girls, A LITTLE BOY… for the boys, and a third book in the series that will team the brother and sister up in a new scenario and appease to both sexes.
Q: How does writing a children’s book differ from what you do to write a novel, from concept to final product?
Rick: It’s unique in that there is a lot less time involved on my part. For my novel writing there is research involved, making the characters believable and their situations. When writing the children’s book it was simpler. The idea and character were already set. Putting her in a fantastic situation didn’t need to be entirely believable because of the audience. Kids tend to disassociate themselves from the real world on multiple levels. An active imagination can be very healthy, and I encourage children to have fun with their make believe before they have to go out into the real world and face the difficulties of being an adult. I enjoyed playing into that “make believe” with writing this and at the same time I wanted a moral to the story to be accompanied by a certain degree of education. Making it a fun experience while teaching a lesson is what it is all about in a child’s book.
Q: The style of art selected is authentic and really balances well with the story. Tell us about the artist.
Rick: Dan (Pipito) is my younger brother. He and I have always done well working together especially when it comes to combining my writing with his artistic talents. He’s proficient in many mediums, but watercolor is my favorite of his styles. Dan took my story and brought it to life. He asked for my final approval and I had no issues with what he’d done. My kids love what he did, and I think that says a lot. He managed to captivate not just the adult author’s approval, but also the child reader’s.
Q: Where can anyone get a copy of “A LITTLE GIRL IN THE LAND OF THE HICCUPS”?
Rick: www.lulu.com is selling print copies at reasonable rates, so spread the word.
Interview: PANDORA’S CHAOS TRILOGY
The following is a compilation of some of the most frequently asked questions I’ve received from people in reference to my PANDORA’S CHAOS TRILOGY. I figured it was time to post them up as the next book will be ready soon. Enjoy and feel free to ask any additional questions in the comments below. 🙂
Q: How does this trilogy stand out from the last?
Rick: Like the Star Wars saga, I tend to think of this as a starting point for newcomers to my work. Books 4-6 are really well written in comparison to the original three because of what there was to work with. It is a lot easier to be more creative with ghosts, demons and technology (the focuses of the novels in Pandora’s Chaos), than it is with zombies, vampires and werewolves (books 1-3 in the Eden’s order trilogy). I wrote it in a way that anyone can jump in from this as a starting point and when it grabs their attention there would be two reactions. If the reader enjoys what they see here, then it will not only compel them to want to see what happens in the next trilogy, but also what happened before book 4 that established this world.
Q: Are you always writing in trilogies?
Rick: I think that is the most logical approach, yes. I’ve always loved a good series. The problem is finding a part for people to start. Someone might get turned off if they find out there are multiple books and they’re already 6 novels behind. The purpose of trilogy writing is multiple… I can focus on a new antagonist throughout, and have separate threats that are secondary antagonists in each novel. Sure you can read just any individual novel of it, but it really feels fuller with all three. I won’t always write in trilogies, but for this it seems fair.
Q: Where will the next trilogy take us then?
Rick: Into the future. There is a twenty five year gap between books 6 and 7 in order to introduce a mostly new cast. The past novels have happened and there will be references, but only when necessary. GENETIC MORSELS is going to enable me to do more creatively while building on an already existing world, and yet keeping it fresh and new.
Q: What is your take on Pandora’s Box and the whole Atlantis angle you’ve included?
Rick: Without giving too much away Atlantis has always been fascinating to me. There is so much that we don’t know about the history of mankind and I wanted to touch on that. I believe that every legend begins with a certain truth. My own ideas for stories are based on realistic things that have occurred in my own lifetimes, so incorporating that with the past really gives me a lot of working room. There had to be something opposite to the order established with the Garden of Eden in the first three novels, so when I wanted a source for chaos I immediately knew Pandora’s Box would be the thing to do just that. My take on it is completely unique to those prior, but still keeping true to what the original idea was.
Q: With your next trilogy taking place in the near future, what will you call it? What will it focus upon?
Rick: I have a few ideas about what to call the trilogy as a whole, but nothing definitive at the moment. I currently have the rights to my ideas in book 7 and book 8 which will focus on the next step in human evolution and aliens respectively.
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Q: Is it impossible to tie up every loose end? There are a few characters who I wonder about their fates.
Rick: Nothing is impossible, but in order to keep new novels fresh I don’t like to include every little thing that may have gone untouched. Take the fate of Cain. I like to leave that open to the reader to have their own thoughts. It isn’t necessary for me to go back to a place I’ve already been without having really good reason. I try to eliminate the reader question of “what if?” as often as I can. Mostly there are no loose ends. Each trilogy ties it up fairly well. For those things I left open, well I reserve them for the comic book spinoffs.
Q: In the Eden’s Order Trilogy there was a timeline and the graphic novel spinoff stories as bonus content. What are the extras included in this trilogy?
Rick: As I did in EDEN, I included the novelized stories that are and will be in the comic book spinoffs, plus three new additional stories. They are all short and are just meant to be supplemental material. Instead of a timeline with this one, I included a “document” that drops a hint as to what the main antagonist (I won’t say who here) is trying to do in book 7.
Q: I understand that you won some awards for this trilogy. What was that like?
Rick: I was blown away. I received extremely positive reviews on SOULS 4 SUPPER and it took the trilogy to new heights. It moved me from non placement on the independent author chart into the top 100… then two weeks later I had been moved into the top 25 of authors. I’m still on an adrenaline rush and am so thankful for all of the feedback and people who made this possible through support and word of mouth.
Q: What is the symbolism behind the cover art?
Rick: When I approached my brother (Dan Pipito) to do the cover art, we discussed how we could represent all three book themes as well as the underlying plot of it all. The look of an ancient sculpture came to mind, with modifications. In its chest you can see what is my version of Pandora’s Box. Emanating from that is a greenish mist that represents the souls within it. If you look at the wings behind the statue one is feathered and one more like a dragonfly. This is to represent the angels and demons. Finally, the sculpture itself is very mechanical looking with seams and rivets in places, which is where the technology is represented. It is a simple piece with many complexities hidden within (much like the mysteries revealed within the books).
Q: Where can we get PANDORA’S CHAOS TRILOGY?
Rick: The trilogy as a whole can be found in print at www.lulu.com, as well as the three novels that are included in the trilogy as separate entities. You can download SOULS 4 SUPPER, DEVIL’S DESSERT, and TECHNO FEAST for the Kindle on www.amazon.com
A Little Girl In: The Land Of The Hiccups
Follow the adventures of a little girl as she finds herself lost in a village of Eskimos. As she searches for her way home, she uses a bit of intuition to help the villagers rid themselves of annoying little creatures called “the hiccups.”
This is Rick Pipito’s first children’s book with all of the art done by Dan Pipito. It’s the perfect gift for any little girl or anyone who enjoys a timeless tale.
You can purchase a copy on Amazon or here: http://www.lulu.com/shop/rick-pipito/a-little-girl-in-the-land-of-the-hiccups/paperback/product-21910133.html
There are always discount codes available as well, so feel free to contact me for them.
Day 27: Another teaser from upcoming children’s book
Here’s another teaser image from my upcoming children’s book A LITTLE GIRL IN THE LAND OF THE HICCUPS.
This art, done by Dan Pipito, is just one of many images in the book. The creature represented is one of the antagonist “Hiccups” that have taken over an entire village.
The book will be available in November of 2014. Stay tuned because it’s just in time for holiday shopping.
Day 16: A Children’s Book
When my wife was pregnant with my gorgeous little girl, I wanted to write a story specifically for my angel. It strayed from my horror roots, but fit in well with vivid imagination. I remember the doctor telling us that the shakes that we could feel were because my daughter was hiccuping in the womb. This went on for months before she was born.
Then the idea came to me. A LITTLE GIRL IN THE LAND OF THE HIC-CUPS was written. The hic-cups are these funny little creatures that cause sudden shakes and there is only one way to defeat them, so our hero girl is thrust into a situation where she’s got to use her common sense to save a small village from these creatures.
Now it is six years later and that book is finally going to be released! Dan Pipito has almost finished the artwork and is going for his classic water color style in doing so. It will be released just in time for holiday shopping this year (2014), so stay tuned.
Day 15: Mission sCrypt
In 2010 Rick Pipito’s novel FLESH AND LEFTOVERS was published. It was fan reaction to this novel that gave birth to sCrypt Comics. Rick began receiving hundreds of emails asking him to write more zombie stories. They’d loved what they had read. The problem was that Rick didn’t want to do the same thing twice. He was done with zombies at that point and the series would continue on, featuring a new threat with each new novel.
In order to appease the fans, Rick contacted his brother, Dan Pipito. Here’s how the conversation went over the phone:
RICK: Dan, you aren’t going to believe this, but people really want me to do more zombie stories.
DAN: That’s great. So do it then.
RICK: I think I will, but I’m done with writing it in novel form.
DAN: What did you have in mind?
RICK: Let’s do a comic book spinoff.
DAN: …………. Who?
RICK: You and I. We start a comic company. I don’t know what we’ll call it. But we aim to make horror comics. They will be spinoff stories and kind of fill in parts for my books.
DAN: Okay, but you do realize that there is no way we can do this just the two of us.
RICK: I know. So I’ve been thinking about it. You know what it is like to get your art out there and make a name for yourself… I know the same deal with music. What if we have other artists do the stories with us?
DAN: Um. Money is a major issue.
RICK: Tell me about it. That’s why we do it for exposure. Let’s get the artists to come in and we will promote their names in the comics and any press or social media we do. We can even do an artist of the month and start a site that I’ll run. Of course we also give them a copy of the final product.
DAN: Lots of artists will want pay, but I’m sure we can get people who will want to get exposure and add something to their portfolio.
So this is how the conversation went, and thus the idea was born. Rick went to work on writing the spinoffs, and Dan came up with the name and logo. sCrypt is a play on words. Rick writes the script and the crypt signifies the horror angle. Rick’s primary job is to find the talent and write the stories. Dan is art direction and design. Both of them lay out storyboards and discuss ideas to allow as much creative freedom for each artist involved. They want it to be their stories but through other people’s eyes, so each artist is allowed to use any medium or color format that they want for their individual task.
Each comic is a long tedious process for both Rick and Dan, but they’ve gotten to work with some amazing people. Many more ideas are being developed for future releases and the goal is to expand and learn with each new project. Check out the available comic books via the link on the right, and click on the artist of the month tab to see some of the great people they’ve worked with.
Day 12: More ADVENTURES OF MUNCHIES AND DEEDOOS
Since it is a Sunday I figured I’d repost this little strip that Dan and I worked on. The Adventures of Munchies and Deedoos was meant to be a sunday funny type of comic strip. We’ve got more plans to release these free little stories down the line. The concept was simple. Munchies is based on my daughter, Deedoos on my son.
With Munchies, we wanted her big brown eyes and curly hair to be a part of the character. With Deedoos we wanted a machine that eats everything and is kind of just all around fun. So, Munchies ended up being an alien with wavy hair like it has a mind of its own; and deedoos ended up being a robot with a pajama butt flap that when it falls you can see his gears.
The idea behind this first story is about the BEASTER BUNNY. I remember my daughter called the Easter Bunny that when she was real young. I immediately had this concept for a children’s horror tale. The Beaster Bunny is all about what a child’s perspective would be in a candy eating frenzy. From the Belly aches of too much candy, to the thought of what the “Easter Bunny” really is. Enjoy and stay tuned for further adventures.
Day 9: The Story Behind the Art
While the stories to the books written by Rick Pipito are the main content, a good cover to the book is what catches the eye. Let’s take a few moments to talk about the ideas behind each cover and the art that Dan Pipito brought to life.
FLESH AND LEFTOVERS has a cover that come into mind over the phone. I pitched my idea for the first book to Dan and he immediately said, “Zombies? Okay, I’ve got it. The cover is a set of teeth tearing into a raw hunk of meat.” He felt that it matched the title of horror and food amalgamation.
For the spinoff comic ZOMBIE INCIDENTS, the concept was mine. I had access to various fake body parts that looked and felt real. In my mind I thought, “What would Hannibal Lecter keep in his fridge?” We set up my spare refrigerator with a bowl of bloody leftovers, through in the fake body parts and snapped a picture. Then Dan put the whole thing through a celophane like filter to give it that artistic touch (after all, leftovers ARE often found wrapped in plastic).
BLOOD, THE SECOND HELPING’s vampire theme is evident in the cover. Dan incorporated a lot of the story elements from the book. The city bathed in blood is symbolic, while the shadowy outline of the antagonist’s face is seen behind the large fangs. A pivotal scene from the book is also shown with a reconstructed body rising from the fountain of youth. It’s a very busy (in a great way) cover that keeps with the theme of the teeth from F&L.
LEGENDS OF VAMPIRE, the BTSH spinoff comic, was another of my ideas. Wanting to keep the real photograph idea of the first comic, this time we had a friend pose for us holding a glass of wine. The closeup shot of her neck with the wine (which is good for your blood of course) was put through an antique filter to give it an oil painting appearance. Dan added the fang marks and highlighted veins to be more pronounced to give it the “I’ve just been bitten by a vampire” paleness.
BONES AT BREAKFAST is the last in the first trilogy, so it made sense to close it out with a similar theme of teeth. This time Dan had the full snout of a wolf prominent in the foreground. You can notice that the jaw is not as pronounced as a normal wolf, giving it that human likeness of a werewolf in front of a very full moon.
The comic spinoff, IN CASE OF WEREWOLF, was another photograph idea. I gave Dan the concept and he took some bones from a medical office skeleton, threw them on a plate with some prop hair, and added a cup of coffee and orange juice to symbolize the bones at breakfast aspect. Again, he passed the photo through a filter before adding text and finalizing the cover.
THE EDEN’S ORDER TRILOGY cover is a simple tree. This is no ordinary tree. Upon second glance, you can see that the bark of the tree is stretched skin like in texture, the branches are in fact shaped like bones, and the red tips where the buds would be is blood. This is to show not just the tree of life from the Garden of Eden (a place we visit in the novels), but also to represent the flesh, blood, and bones from the titles of the included books.
SOULS 4 SUPPER marks the start of a new themed trilogy. Dan went simpler this time. I told him about what my version of Pandora’s Box would look like and that is what we decided for the cover. He added intricate gear and piston layouts, and I told him I wanted souls to be wisping from the top of it like they were escaping. His decision for the textured background and very little color is perfect for focusing on the object depicted.
The comic spinoff, GHOSTLY HAUNTINGS, came as an easier venture. Dan worked in a kitchen at the time, so when I said I had this idea to have ghosts escaping from a pot of stew, he grabbed the biggest deepest pot he could and took a picture of the steaming contents. Then he added ghostly faces into the stew and steam. The even better part of this is that the faces are actually warped and altered photos of famous people and pieces of art. They are altered to the point beyond recognition, but if you look closely, you may just see something you recognize.
DEVIL’S DESSERT has an intriguing cover. The Crown of Thorns, the Spear of Destiny, and the Sword of Eden are all artifacts crucial to the book’s storyline. Those are the items represented in the two tone cover, with a little bit of orangy-yellow fire coming from the blade.
TECHNO FEAST’s cover was another mutual idea. The main threat of this book operates from a satellite. This satellite depicted isn’t necessarily THE antagonist, but it makes sense once you read the novel. Outerspace in the background with the purplish gasses displayed among the deep blue make it a contrast that is eye captivating.
PANDORA’S CHAOS TRILOGY is another combination idea. The Statue is a way of representing the ancient history involved in the story (think roman architecture). It’s one arm has a broken limb. You can see feathers of what is an angel wing, while a dragonfly like demon wing droops to the other side. It’s face is very mechanical looking, while his heart is Pandora’s Box yet again, but with ghostly energy emanating from it. Souls, Demons and angels, & technology (the focus of these 3 books) are represented evenly.
NO, IT’S NOT. YES, IT IS: ARGUMENTS is the only book by me (Rick Pipito) that does not have a cover done by Dan. The idea here was to represent the turmoil of arguing that the non-fiction book’s topic is about. I had wanted to represent the two sides to one’s own psyche. There is a wavering of opinions that often are quite contrasting without facts. So, I had my wife take a picture of me facing one way with my glasses on and a different hairstyle. Then I removed my glasses, and took another shot of me with some facial scruff. By putting the two of them together and filtering them to look like a blueprint of arguments, it seems as if my two selves are in a dispute with each other. It not only symbolizes some of the times that I’ve struggled to decide what is right or wrong, but also gave me the experience of making my own cover for what will eventually be a trilogy of non-fiction.
In addition to these amazing covers, there is also the few pieces of internal art that work with the stories when they are needed, and then there is of course the comic books which have multiple artists representing the plots. All of the above book covers can be seen in closer view through the novels and comics sections of this site. They are also available through purchase links on the right side of this page.
Be sure to follow Dan on Instagram and twitter @dpipito, as well as myself @rickpipito. Like our facebook page for all the published works http://www.facebook.com/fleshandleftovers.
Day 1: 12 Facts about FLESH AND LEFTOVERS
Cover art for “Flesh And Leftovers” The novel – Art by Dan Pipito
To start off my 31 days of Halloween, I figured I should begin with 12 facts about my first novel, FLESH AND LEFTOVERS.
1) FLESH AND LEFTOVERS is my one and only zombie novel. It is the only book I’ve written where I didn’t have an editor, but the fan feedback was amazing! People demanded more, and since I didn’t want to write any more full length books about zombies, it made me work with Dan Pipito to create sCrypt Comics for spinoff graphic novel stories.
2) The idea to write a zombie book came when the topic of “What would you do if there was an outbreak” scenarios would come up in many a work place conversation. The problem with these scenarios is that everyone had ideas of what a zombie was “supposed” to be like, based on the varying differences in books, movies, etc. So, I wanted to create a book where they could all be in the same story, but have legitimate reasons for them tying together.
3) Causes for zombies: Mutated strain of rabies virus that affects human and animal life, Viral outbreak, Demonic summoning and control, Radioactive meteor, Cannibals worshiping their “god”, Childhood vaccinations, alien parasite, sixth generation offspring of vampires, drug induced hallucinations, and voodoo (macumba).
4) The first chapter in F&L takes place in Jim Thorpe, PA. It is an annual tradition to visit my Uncle and Aunt’s bed and breakfast during Christmas time there. It was during the winter of 2008 that I knew I wanted to base part of my first published novel in that town. The peacefulness and solitude there brings a wide range of emotions that make a perfect setting.
5) Religion and history have always fascinated me, so when I decided to make Cain (from the Cain and Abel story) an antagonist for future books, his origin of what he becomes had to be researched. I found that despite the different beliefs, the Cain and Abel story remains almost completely the same throughout all religions.
6) It wasn’t until halfway through the book that I decided this could work as a series. My goal was to make it flow but to make each book stand on its own as well, and focus on something unique for each plot. (zombies being F&L).
7) My fascination with zombie lore can be blamed on the George A Romero “of the Dead” movies, and the Resident Evil Series of video games.
8) The characters I’ve created are not based on individual people, but rather personalities of people I’ve met. The only exceptions to this rule are Gordon Lightcap and Moira Donatelli. Gordon was based on my own experiences and the overall person I am, and Moira was created as an amalgamation of what I saw as my “perfect woman.”
Cover for the graphic novel (comic) spinoff, ZOMBIE INCIDENTS
9) Although cannibals are not zombies, I felt the need to place them into the story. How would a “normal” unifected human devour another person? Why would they do it? And What would they do with the parts of the corpse left over? All these questions are addressed in the book.
10) It took me over a year to write F&L because I began to flesh out (pun intended) the sequels that would follow it. I had to make sure my origin story for the characters was in place, and where I wanted to go with it. By the time I was finished writing FLESH AND LEFTOVERS, I had six books planned out in the series (each a stand alone installment).
11) Each “chapter” is called an “Incident.” This was done because I wanted people to be able to pick up the book and either read it straight through or just choose one story at a time. The overall plot can’t be followed by just one incident, but I wanted that option for the reader as they stand can work on their own.
12) When I approached Dan to to do the cover art, he instantly came up with the idea of teeth tearing into raw meat. It is still one of my favorite book covers for my novels to date.
There is my post for today. I welcome any questions or comments you may have. Stay tuned tommorrow for another installment in my 31 days of Halloween. FLESH AND LEFTOVERS as well as its graphic comic spinoff ZOMBIE INCIDENTS are available through links on the right side of this page. It will also be available in audiobook format soon.
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.
sCrypt Publishing 