What does a collecting hobby have to do with a writer trying to pitch his mystery and fantasy novels along with his comic books?
Not a darn thing, other than it’s another avenue to talk about things I feel passionate about that doesn’t involve the normal day-to-day routine. Also, I’ve been itching to try out the concept of podcasts to discover and learn from people with similar collecting interests.
To start this endeavor off correctly, here’s a bit about myself and my interests. I’ve always enjoyed collecting things with fond memories of gathering rocks with fossils as a child. Growing up on a farm in Kansas, I learned about the interesting rock formations where we would go to collect Paleozoic ammonoids (an ancient seashell) in the layers of limestone in the area. I even had thoughts of becoming a paleologist at that time.
Over the years, I picked up things that I thought were interesting like pocket watches and wristwatches (plus plenty of other things) until I had so many that it became unmanageable and no collection had a rhyme or reason. It was the same with interesting clocks for a while. I mean, how many clocks to you need in your house? For the record, I have over 30 Telechron antique electric clocks. I’ve yet to fully convince my son that I’m not a hoarder over those.
After culling the watch collection down to a handful that I continue to use where, I stumbled upon a set of lobby cards (Dangerously They Live and Flying Leathernecks) that I thought would look great in the media room (well, a good flatscreen and audio). Soon, that collection grew too large for the room. However, interesting one sheet posters made before 1950 become a passion for me and I still collect the posters. However, my requirements are now established that I must have seen AND liked the movie and the poster must show interesting illustration art. This restriction helps me to focus on just a few every year. I found this collection something to keep going with despite the occasional hassle of storage/display.
When I started working to publish Creepsi Twisted Tales, I picked up some of the old comics I recalled from my childhood as refresher/reference material.
That might have been a mistake for now I’ve taken on collecting comic books. That’s where we’ll begin the podcasts.