We did it! Yesterday evening, Rosarium Publishing (the publisher for my comic, Chadhiyana) reached the goal for their IndieGoGo campaign, the funds of which are, in part, going toward print runs for a number of upcoming books, including the first Chadhiyana trade!

     So, thank you all who have contributed to the campaign. I look forward to bringing you the first Chadhiyana graphic novel, and many more in the future. As a show of thanks, I put this special illustration together today (at the indirect suggestion of one of my fellow Rosarians). It’s likely one of the only times you’ll see Chadhiyana looking this serene.

     For those who missed out on the campaign (and the exclusive Chadhiyana comic that comes with the trade), oddly enough, the campaign still seems to be open. I’m not sure for how long that will last, but if you’d still like to show your support for Chadhiyana, Rosarium and diversity in publishing (plus help push them closer to those stretch goals), just visit the link below. Scroll down to Chadhiyana (in the $20 perk range), click and put in your payment information. Then wait for the release in January!

     Cheers! And thank you all, so much, again!

indiegogo.com/projects/rosarium-publishing-the-next-level#/

This is a final reminder that the Rosarium Publishing IndieGoGo campaign (publisher of my comic, Chadhiyana) ends during the day on Wednesday, May 4th: http://bit.ly/rosariumpub. Thus, this is also your final chance to pre-order Chadhiyana volume 1 (collecting issues 1 - 6) and get the exclusive 8-page mini comic that comes with it (see my blog post last week on jmdesantis.com for more information on the comic).

Chadhiyana has consistently been one of the top-claimed perks since the beginning of the campaign, and honestly, I’d love for as many people to read that exclusive comic as possible. So, if you haven’t contributed yet and want to support Chadhiyana’s growth and my own, please do so soon. Simply click on the Chadhiyana perk and it will bring you to a page to complete your pre-order. Time is running out: http://bit.ly/rosariumpub

     Also, there are a few other Chadhiyana-related things which have been happening of late. First, if you want to continue reading the series while you wait for the trade, Chadhiyana #4 released last week on comiXology (comixology.com/Chadhiyana-4/digital-comic/367781) and Amazon (amazon.com/Chadhiyana-Company-Shadows-J-M-DeSantis-ebook/dp/B01EBDKY34/).

Also, Chadhiyana has been appearing for the last few weeks on my other comic’s site, gentlemancthulhu.com. There’s something of a battle of wills going on between the female assassin and the web-comic’s title character. Two more comics will post over the next two weeks, so be sure to check those out.

     Last, a new, one-page Chadhiyana comic posted on chadhiyana.com today. Chadhiyana: Vampyre Hunter was a practice page I did for fun about a month ago and decided to post for people’s enjoyment. I’d say it’s loosely cannon, but it has certainly opened up some possibilities and ideas for the series, so be sure to check that out as well: chadhiyana.com/webcomics/chadhiyana-vampyre-hunter/.

     Otherwise, keep posting, liking and re-posting about #Chadhiyana and #rosariumpub on social media, and please, again, support the campaign if you haven’t already: http://bit.ly/rosariumpub

     Thank you all for the support!

In just 10 short days, the Rosarium Publishing IndieGoGo campaign will come to a close, and so will your chance to get the exclusive Chadhiyana mini-comic that comes with pre-orders of Chadhiyana volume 1 (my first graphic novel, due out in January 2017)!

For those of you not in the know about Chadhiyana or Rosarium (the latter of which was trending on Twitter a few times last week), Chadhiyana is, in short, a fantasy series about a female assassin’s personal struggle to deal a dark past she’s trying to run from. It takes place in a world based on medieval India. As for Rosarium Publishing, they are dedicated to true diversity in publishing (both authors and subject matter).

Tomorrow on my blog (jmdesantis.com), I’m going to highlight the mini-comic that comes with the $20 Chadhiyana perk. If you still need some convincing to order Chadhiyana volume 1, visit jmdesantis.com tomorrow and read about it. Otherwise, if you’re already planning to contribute to the campaign, do so soon. It ends May 4th: http://bit.ly/rosariumpub

That said, whether you’re able to contribute to the campaign or not, if you have even a remote interest in my work, Rosarium or just the idea of Indian female heroines and diversity in publishing, I do ask that you help spread the word by posting about the campaign on social media and interacting with any posts you see about Chadhiyana or Rosarium.

A crowdfunding campaign’s success often depends upon the amount of people talking about it. So please post using either the short link or full link (listed below) and tag #Chadhiyana and #RosariumPublishing or #rosariumpub.

Most especially, thank you all for the support! Cheers.

Short Link = http://bit.ly/rosariumpub

Full Link = https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/rosarium-publishing-the-next-level#/

Early this morning, Rosarium Publishing, the publisher for Chadhiyana (my medieval Indian assassin comic) and many other diverse books, launched its first major crowdfunding campaign. Appropriately named Rosarium Publishing: The Next Level (indiegogo.com/projects/rosarium-publishing-the-next-level) through the campaign, Rosarium Publishing is hoping to move out of the print-on-demand market and into a position to make small print runs of their books (Chadhiyana included). Not only that, but they’re also hoping to invest more money into marketing and promotion (which Rosarium as a whole has already done a pretty effective job at through word of mouth, social media and conventions).

     Of course, on a personal level, I’m really hoping the campaign succeeds because Chadhiyana: In the Company of Shadows - Book I (which will collect the first six issues of Chadhiyana) is one of the many books this campaign concerns. Though aside from my personal interests, I really like what Rosarium is doing as a publisher, which is why I’m so happy to be under their masthead.

You can check out more about the campaign at indiegogo.com/projects/rosarium-publishing-the-next-level and if you’re a Chadhiyana fan, you can even put in your pre-order for volume 1 now (which will earn you an extra 4-page mini-comic by yours truly!). Though I would suggest you take a look at what other books Rosarium is offering through their perks, especially if you’re looking for diversity in both subject matter and creators--though that’s not to say you shouldn’t pre-order Chadhiyana volume 1 as well.

     Also, for you Chadhiyana fans, the fourth issue has been given a release date of April 27th--that’s less than a month away! Though, if you’re a NetGalley member, you can get the issue already (s2.netgalley.com/catalog/book/86874).

     Thank you all in advance for the support!

The wait is finally over! The third installment of the In the Company of Shadows storyline is available in Chadhiyana #3. For those who don’t know, Chadhiyana is my medieval Indian fantasy series published through Rosarium Publishing, and this next installment promises to be a good one. Just read this blurb from the publisher:

Strange things happen and people die as the witch has appeared to escape. Now, the Tal-Ifatiir order is terrified, and they are starting to blame Chadhiyana for all their supernatural misfortunes.

You can find the latest issue on comiXology (comixology.com/Chadhiyana-3/digital-comic/327690) and Amazon (amazon.com/Chadhiyana-Company-Shadows-JM-DeSantis-ebook/dp/B01B11RNT2/). Or, if you’re new to the series, simply visit chadhiyana.com and click on the Comics heading for links to purchase the first two issues.

And if you’re not keeping up with my blog, I did hint at some new things which I’m planning for this year. So keep an eye out for some additional announcements in following months as well as more Chadhiyana and Gentleman Cthulhu (gentlemancthulhu.com). Happy reading all!

Cheers!

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

I wanted to make sure I wished you all a happy holiday season. May it be one filled with joy, and hopefully we all get a little time to rest as the New Year approaches. And as we round off the year, I have a couple of things to turn your attention to.

Last week I wrote my annual reflection post and it turns out 2015 was quite a spectacular year. If you want to read about it, just visit: jmdesantis.com/2015/12/reflections-on-2015/.

Don’t forget that commissions are open until the end of next month. It’s a little late for getting them in time for Christmas, but you can still order them for as post-Holiday gift or an I-survived-the-Holiday-Season gift to yourself. Just visit jmdesantis.com/commission-requests/ for information on commission requests.

Otherwise, for my Chadhiyana fans, the release date for the long-awaited Chadhiyana #3 has been chosen. I won’t announce the date until the New Year, but suffice to say it will be here soon enough. So check chadhiyana.com and jmdesantis.com for the official announcement right around the first Tuesday (my usual blog day) of the 2016.

In the meanwhile, hopefully some of you are reading my fairly newish weekly web-comic, Gentleman Cthulhu: Emeritus Moribus Monstrum (on gentlemancthulhu.com). It’s a light-hearted way to tide you over for the next installment of Chadhiyana’s story. Also check out my convention schedule for 2016 (jmdesantis.com/events/). I’m already starting to add a few events to it, and some of them will be here before you know it.

See you all in the New Year! Happy Holidays, again, and Happy New Year.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope the coming holiday finds you and yours in the best of spirits (providing, of course, you celebrate it). Besides the holiday wishes, I wanted to take the time to point out three major things you may have missed.

     First, if you did not know already, Chadhiyana #2 published last month (the third comic my medieval Indian fantasy series; I had previously self-published an issue 0). Not only that, but the issue earned a 10/10 review on SequentialTart.com and was mentioned yet again on The ComiXologist podcast. If you’re interested, issue 2 (and #1, for that matter) is available on comiXology.com, Amazon.com and PeepGameComix.com.

Additionally, I was recently approached by SequentialTart.com for an in-depth interview. It covered my process, Chadhiyana (mostly) and even how I began working in comics. So, if you find this of interest, visit sequentialtart.com/article.php?id=2822 to read the full thing.

Also this month, I have officially opened up commission requests for the first time ever! Typically I only offer these at conventions, but with a number of requests coming in after and around NYCC, and the usual break I take a break from the convention circuit during the winter, I decided to give this a shot.

So, from now until January 31, 2016, I will be taking and fulfilling commissions. You can find price guides and other information (including for my new writing commissions) at jmdesantis.com/commission-requests/. Space is limited, as I’ll only be able to fulfill about two requests per week, so get on the list now, before it fills up completely.

I try to keep these short, so I’ll leave you with that. As always, you can get more by reading my weekly blog on jmdesantis.com. See you next month.

     Cheers!

The Works of J. M. DeSantis
The Official Website of J. M. DeSantis. See samples of work and read his monthly blog on jmdesantis.com!

Chadhiyana
A medieval Indian fantasy series with a strong female lead. Now a regular comic series from Rosarium Publishing. Learn more on chadhiyana.com!

Gentleman Cthulhu: Moribus Emeritus Monstrum
J. M. DeSantis’ bizarre Lovecraft-inspired humorous web-comic. Read it weekly on gentlemancthulhu.com!

Want regular J. M. DeSantis updates in your e-mail? Join the mailing list: eepurl.com/bw2cIP

This next month is going to be a big one for me as not only does Halloween fall in October (my favourite holiday), but before that both the New York Comic Con will be held and Chadhiyana #2 will be released! Two major events in one month!

First up is the New York Comic Con (October 8–11). This will be my sixth consecutive year exhibiting at the show, this time in the exact same spot as last year: Booth 1259 in the Small Press area. If you’re attending NYCC, make sure you take note of booth 1259’s location (the show is big and it’s easy to get lost). Just note, I’m not in Artist Alley, so please remember not to look for my there.

Next, on October 27th, Rosarium Publishing is scheduled to release the second issue of Chadhiyana (my medieval Indian fantasy series)! Issue one (released in July) already received some great reviews and it’s only the very beginning of the Company of Shadows story arc. So if you’re interested in something different, check out Chadhiyana #1 and the upcoming issue 2.

Other than that, I just started a mailing list, so if you’re interested in having updates e-mailed to you regularly concerning Chadhiyana, Gentleman Cthulhu (my new weekly web-comic on gentlemancthulhu.com) or any of my other work, be sure to sign up for the list (by clicking here). I promise I won’t spam your inbox with nonsense.

Cheers!

J. M. DeSantis

The Works of J. M. DeSantis
The Official Website of J. M. DeSantis. See samples of work and read his monthly blog on jmdesantis.com!

Chadhiyana
A medieval Indian fantasy series with a strong female lead. Now a regular comic series from Rosarium Publishing. Learn more on chadhiyana.com!

Gentleman Cthulhu: Moribus Emeritus Monstrum
J. M. DeSantis’ bizarre Lovecraft-inspired humorous web-comic. Read it weekly on gentlemancthulhu.com!

Want regular J. M. DeSantis updates in your e-mail? Join the mailing list!

The wait is finally over! It’s time to celebrate! Today is the official release date for issue one of Chadhiyana: In the Company of Shadows!

     Of course, if you follow my blog (jmdesantis.com) and my social media posts, you know that the book has been out for ten days already (on IndyPlanet.com and Amazon.com). Hopefully you’ve already purchased, read and enjoyed it. If you haven’t, today’s blog post is especially for you.

     Chadhiyana: In the Company of Shadows is a graphic novel written and illustrated by yours truly (J. M. DeSantis). It is the third published story in the Chadhiyana series, a medieval Indian fantasy series which I began working on in late 2011 (the first two short stories appeared in Chadhiyana #0; which you can still purchase for a limited time on IndyPlanet.com: indyplanet.com/front/product/87263/).

Though the third story in the series, In the Company of Shadows is set before the events of the first two stories. The graphic novel originally published in weekly installments on chadhiyana.com until it was picked up earlier this year by Rosarium Publishing (rosariumpublishing.com) for serialisation as a bi-monthly comic.

     The story follows the shadowy organisation known as the Tal-Ifatiir on their quest to destroy the demon lord, Aghaal-Paraag. Their leader, the Immortal Raalan ad-Zaliir, sends them into an unknown land to capture the demon lord’s servant: a powerful witch with nefarious goals of her own. However, Chadhiyana, the order’s first female member, holds a horrible secret from her past and is plagued by troubles she’s afraid to reveal. As the company journeys to Aghaal-Paraag’s prison, one misfortune after another befalls them. What can be the source of their troubles? The witch? The demon lord himself? Perhaps it is Chadhiyana or the secret she has sealed behind her closed lips. (modified from the publisher’s description)

     So far the book has garnered positive reviews from Blerds Online (blerdsonline.com/2015/07/comic-review-chadhiyana-1.html) and Comic Books for Colored Folks (darkjeedai.blogspot.com/2015/05/chadhiyana-in-company-of-shadows.html) and is currently available to purchase on both IndyPlanet.com (indyplanet.com/front/product/124832/) and Amazon.com (amazon.com/Chadhiyana-Company-Shadows-JM-DeSantis-ebook/dp/B00Z4M2DKY/). Comixology and PeepGameComix.com are forthcoming (the sites have approved, but not yet listed the first issue). Announcements will be made for those as they become available.

So, for those who are new to Chadhiyana, I hope you’ll pick up a copy of Chadhiyana #1 and start reading her story. I know I’m a little biased, but I promise you won’t be disappointed, especially if you’re looking for something fresh with a female protagonist, to add to it.

For those who are familiar with the Chadhiyana and were reading the book when it was publishing on chadhiyana.com, I hope you’ll show your support and pick up a print or digital copy of the book. It’ll be a good refresher anyway, as there’s still a lot to come in this series. I keep promising that, and I hope you’ll come to agree in time that I made good on that promise.

     Happy Reading!

Purchase Chadhiyana #1 On:

Amazon.com (Kindle Edition)

IndyPlanet.com (print & digital)

Sometimes Christmas comes early, and this year (for me) it has. Little did I know what was going to happen when I woke up today and got in the studio, but you know it’s got to be something big if I’m posting a second blog entry in the same week. A little over an hour ago I got some surprising and exciting news from Chadhiyana’s publisher, Rosarium Publishing...

Chadhiyana: In the Company of Shadows issue 1 is available to buy on IndyPlanet.com starting TODAY!

(Click Here to Purchase Your Copy)

That’s right. Exclamation points, capital letters and all. Not only is this a full ten days before the scheduled release date (July 13th) for Comixology, Peep Game Comix and the Rosarium Publishing store, but the inclusion of IndyPlanet into Rosarium’s distribution sites means something else I did not expect: print copies are available to purchase.

At first, I thought this was going to be a digital-only distribution, but I’m happy to know that Chadhiyana will be in print (I, for one, prefer print to reading on a screen--though I know not everyone feels this way). That means options for you, as well, depending on which you prefer to read your comics.

So, if you’re a Chadhiyana fan, new or old, or just hearing about her for the first time, head over to IndyPlanet.com and get your “early” copy of the first issue of the In the Company of Shadows storyline! I know I’m a bit biased in saying this, but it really is a great book, and I’m immensely proud of it. Don’t believe me? Then download or buy a print copy and read it for yourself. You’ll be glad you did--if not a little disappointed you have to wait two months for issue 2.

Happy Reading! Cheers!

Chadhiyana #1 on IndyPlanet.com

EDIT (just minutes later):
In addition to the “early release” of the book on Indy Planet, the first issue also got another great review: http://www.blerdsonline.com/2015/07/comic-review-chadhiyana-1.html (you know, just in case you need extra convincing to buy a copy...)