We all enjoy being entertained, and I feel sometimes we get so caught up in the actual story that we lose sight of all those that bring us the content. They say it takes a village, and we’ll bring you someone working tirelessly to bring us the stories we love.
William Samuel Quinton is the writer for 47 Furious Tales and Rayne of Ages but also runs his own publishing company Sinopa Publishing. It recently funded Necroholic. Make sure to grab a copy of Rayne of Ages in the funding phase at the time of this writing.
Do you have a muse?
I derive inspiration from a number of sources, so I can’t really say I have one muse. When I’m tired and need something to motivate me to work a little harder, it’s the thought of leaving something behind for my children that picks me up, dusts me off, and gets me working again.
When did You know You wanted to create comic books?
I was 17 when I first thought I might like to write comics. I didn’t act on that desire until I was 48. You’re never too old to start.
How many hours a week do You spend on your craft?
Between writing, marketing, formatting work, commissioning art, making online appearances, coordinating with printers, and working on crowdfunding efforts, I think I work about 40 hours a week on publishing (comics and role-playing game material). This is in addition to my ‘day job’ with the courts and being a single father with my youngest child living with me. I usually work about 4 to 5 hours a night after she goes to bed (Monday through Friday), then make up the rest of the time on the weekend evenings.
Do you read your own reviews?
Most definitely. I think it’s good to see what people like and dislike about my work. It gives me some level of guidance on how I might improve. I also seek out the opinions of retailers and fellow creatives to get their opinions directly.
What is your proudest creative moment?
When my parents, individually, each told me they were proud of me for putting my books out.
Was there ever a doubt you could do this?
Very often. I shake that thought off, put my head down and my pen to paper, and push past it.
Do you prefer to work on your own IPs or work in other sandboxes?
Definitely prefer working on my own IP though I genuinely enjoyed editing and publishing Necroholic #1 by Brian Lee and look forward to editing and publishing the forthcoming issues.
Are you a morning person or a night owl?
Both? I wake up early and go to bed well past midnight most days.
What are your favorite three things on your desk right now?
My custom coffee mug (it’s beautiful), a certain photograph, and my stack of notes concerning future project concepts to explore. The coffee mug has 47 Furious Tails art on it, the photo is an old one from 1995, and a stack of project concepts represents dozens of future comics and RPG books.
What’s your favorite thing about your job?
My favorite thing about owning and running Sinopa Publishing, writing, and publishing books is that I get to express my creativity while building a business I will one day leave to my children. This provides a great outlet for my creative energies and gives me great hope for the future.
What’s your most challenging?
The most challenging aspect of any small business is working capital. Generating enough money coming in to fund future projects is a constant effort. Over the past three years, we’ve begun direct shipments to retailers, and that has made a tremendous difference in cash position, allowing for funds to be channeled into new projects and accelerating our release schedule. Of course, it has also increased my workload, but like anything in life, it’s an effort to balance time and duties.
Do you have an alter ego when you create?
This really only happens when I free write or occasionally when I am writing fan fiction. Writing from the first person perspective can sometimes feel very much like you’re playing a role, inventing a persona, and narrating through that viewpoint. I find that to be fun and entertaining, but for me, it also means more work for the editor as I have a bad habit of writing in a conversational voice when I do, which leads to a number of errors. Free writing does let the words flow out onto the screen or paper easily, but, WOW, can it lead to a lot of editorial work and re-writes.