Your plastic pal who's fun to be with

 

Got the new Jonah Hex figure from McFarlane Toys in the mail last week, so I decided to shoot my very first unboxing video!  It's nearly 25 minutes of me talking Hex and cracking little jokes.  Hope you enjoy it, and if you want your very own plastic bounty hunter, go to the McFarlane Toys online store and order your own while you still can!

Refugee from the Round File

 I put up a post recently on the Swords & Sixguns Facebook page that contained a quote from actor/composer Paul Williams, wherein he said, "Be careful about throwing something in the round file as garbage" because what you view as a failure might lead to something spectacular down the line.  I admitted in my repost that I had thrown out tons of stuff over the years, though I try to do so less often these days.  I have a box in my office labeled as an "archive" that contains various drafts of the book, along with flyers and convention lanyards and such.  I also keep on my desk the original black looseleaf binder that held all of my work from the moment I first sat down to write my novel exactly 30 years ago today.  It still holds drawings and notes and other little things going all the way back to those early days.  I could put it in the box, but it sat on my desk for so long, it doesn't seem right to tuck it away.

This sentimentality is a huge change from how I treated my work 30+ years ago.  I have no idea how many pieces of paper I ripped up and tossed way back then, but it was a lot.  Not just writing, mind you, but art pieces as well.  I would get into "I suck so bad" moods and just chuck things that I hated at that moment.  This is why I tell people that the 400-page first draft that I wrote longhand was my "final" first draft: all the drafts before it were never finished, they'd just get destroyed or cannibalized for the next iteration that would also get destroyed and cannibalized for the iteration after that, and so on and so on.  If my husband hadn't challenged me to "Just keep writing" and crank out 100 pages before the year 2000, I'd likely still be in that same destructive cycle here in 2024.

But there are bits of those earliest drafts that remain intact in the black binder I mentioned.  Things that never made it into the published version, yet can't be inserted into a hypothetical "expanded edition" because there's no place to plug them in.  So, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of me taking a week off of my paying job to start writing this crazy idea I had in my head, here's eight pages written by early-20s me, with commentary by 50-year-old me interspersed.

The first thing that likely jumps out for you folks is J'nath saying "you" instead of "thou".  I don't recall when I began having him and Pietruvek talk with "all them 'thees' and 'thous' and shit" (as Richard would put it in published version of Chapter 5), but it's not present at all in these pages, so it obviously didn't surface for a while.  You'll also notice a line at the bottom of the page that not only says that there are nine countries in Arkhein -- as opposed to the "Seven Known Lands" H'landa refers to a couple of chapters later -- but the Kana-Semeth are referred to simply as Guardsmen, a holdover from the very first version of Arkhein which I discussed in a post about 10 years ago.  However, a variation on the middle section did make it into the published version, as did the "dine-of-might" gag (changed to "die-of-might" and uttered instead by H'landa near the climax of the book).

A few different things here: J'nath hasn't seen what a gun can do yet (the slip-up in the snow didn't exist in the earliest drafts), there's talk of a war about 65 years prior (a throwaway line, no real intent behind it), and Nina's eyes are described as hazel instead of "too blue" (Richard's words for the vibrant blue eyes many Arkans have).  You may also notice that, while Nina is present for the gun demonstration, Pietruvek is not.  In the earliest drafts, the youngest Bannen had been sent to the capital city to collect the only known remaining piece of the Heart of Avisar (that wasn't embedded in a Crossroad, that is).  While I never got far enough in the earliest drafts to write the scene, Pietruvek's return would've brought with him Lieutenant (not Lermekt) H'landa as well as news that the aforementioned piece of the Heart hadn't survived the centuries, officially stranding Richard in Arkhein.

Stuff like this is why I kept these pages instead of tossing them away like I did the 45 pages the preceded it.  I was happy with the staging of the scene and the descriptions I'd made, but it didn't fit well with what became the final first draft.  Richard here is fairly relaxed, he's making jokes, and most importantly, he thinks he's going to be able to leave Arkhein.  The attitude he has in the published version of Chapter 5 doesn't match how he acts here, so it had to be put aside.  Luckily, as you've seen already and will continue to see, I was able to utilize parts of these pages later on in different ways...

...like the majority of this page, for example.  This exchange was repurposed nearly word-for-word in Chapter 9, with H'landa speaking J'nath's lines as he makes ready to release Richard from jail.  Speaking of which, you'll notice at the bottom of the page that J'nath refers to him by his proper name, not "Reshard"!  That gag didn't start up until I began working on the Arkan language in earnest -- it's barely present in these pages aside from a couple of words -- and decided that there was no letter C in Arkan, which meant I'd either have to invent a symbol to represent the "ch" sound in Richard's name or just have everybody mispronounce it.  The latter was funnier, so I went with it.

Pretty much from the beginning, I'd decided on there being a language barrier between Richard and nearly everyone in Arkhein, but since I had barely started work on the Arkan language yet, Nina has zero lines in these pages.  Rereading them now, it looks awful that I have her in these scenes saying literally nothing -- the closest I have is Richard's narrative comment about her and J'nath "talking about something".  In my author talks, I tell new writers that they need to avoid the "sexy lamp", which is a woman who's just there, not contributing anything to the plot/conversation...and I see now that my earliest draft was super-guilty of doing that to Nina throughout.

More shitty writing towards Nina.  Insulting her cooking, making a semi-lewd comment that she can't understand but her husband definitely can...gah, this is awful!  And yeah, Richard still hasn't properly met the doc yet.  While I don't remember exactly I wrote in the previous chapters of the earliest drafts, I do recall rushing through scenes a lot, and that they were much shorter than what you see in the published version.  Richard's shock over waking up in Arkhein was a rather quick thing, no real disbelief or arguing.  I hadn't yet learned that conflict is a good thing in a story, nor did I understand how to let a scene breathe, so to speak, and just let the characters do their thing.

While the Feast of Halitova did exist in the earliest drafts, it wouldn't have been the first time Richard went to town.  Again, I was rushing, which in this case meant I wasn't thinking about story structure.  What's the big deal about Richard being at the party if everyone has seen him already?  So in the published version, he's more-or-less confined to the Bannen household until Halitova, with only a couple of people seeing him beforehand.  It gives him time to acclimate and learn some of the language, not to mention heal up from all the wounds I'd inflicted on him.

 Our last page, and our last repurposed scene.  You'll recognize the gist of it from the end of Chapter 9, but the impetus and attitude is totally different.  In the earliest draft here, Richard just gives up his guns to put J'nath at ease...and looking back at it, this doesn't really fit with who he is at this point in the story.  It's the first sign that he can change his outlaw ways, but it's not earned yet, it just happens.  In the published version, this happens after he's screwed up multiple times and been tossed in jail by Lermekt H'landa for a while, leading up to him realizing that he's going to ruin this new life as badly as the old one if he doesn't get his shit together.  Now the change is earned, now voluntarily giving up his guns means something, and I'm much happier with how it plays out.

I don't recall exactly what I'd written after these pages, but knowing how awful I usually felt about my work just days or weeks after writing it, I likely didn't get much further before the tearing of pages began.  There are other bits of scenes I still have tucked away in that binder, so if you like what you read here, let me know and maybe I'll do another stroll down memory lane around this time next year.

I hate [most] Westerns, Part 2 (guest post)

 

*NOTE: All the posts this month will be written my by husband, Jamin Hillwig, as I do my darnedest to make headway on the published version of my Hex history project.  Enjoy!

Last week, I mentioned that the Young Guns movies are among the few Westerns I like, and I think I know why that is. It’s an ensemble piece and very action packed. But sadly, even these movies aren’t perfect.  Nowhere in them do they state that this is “Based in true events” because it’s not. It’s way the fuck off! For example:

- John Tunstall was not old and didn’t look like General Zod. He was only 24 years old when he was murdered, just 5-6 years older than Billy.

- There was no Dirty Steve Stephens. There WAS a Dirty Dave Rutabaugh who was called “Arkansas” Dave Rutabaugh in Young Guns 2.

- Dick Brewer was shot in the face, not the gut… that was probably more MPAA than anything.

- Charlie Bowdre survived the attack on Alex McSween’s house and died at the shoot out at Stinking Springs. Billy and company escaped the burning house during the night.

- Billy the Kid did not shoot L.G. Murphy in the head or anywhere for that matter. Murphy was living in Florida at the time.

- The were a lot more Lincoln County Regulators than the 6 guys in the movie. It was more like 10-20 men.

- Doc Scurlock was never a teacher in New York City and was not killed at the gun fight at Stinking Springs. He lived to be an old man married to a Mexican (not an Asian) and refused to talk to anybody about Billy the Kid or the Lincoln County War.

- Jose Chavez y Chavez died peacefully in his bed at the age of 72-73.

- Billy the Kid was “likely” killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. They probably knew or knew of each other but they were not friends.

- “Brushy” Bill Roberts has been proven by modern science to absolutely not be Billy the Kid. But as a matter of historic fact, many people claimed to be Billy the Kid.

I’m really sorry if you’re all pissed at me now. But this is one of the beautiful things about this movie. When I say I love this movie I mean I REALLY love this movie! It made me want to learn more! So after seeing it, me and my brother went to the library and read anything and everything we could on Billy the Kid. These movies are like the comparison between Gone With the Wind the movie and Gone With the Wind the book. The true history is a hell of a story with a lot more players. I suggest you look in to it.

Anyways, I’ve talked your ears off or read your eyes out (if you prefer). That’s it for me. "Assistant Editors' Month" is over. I hope you all have enjoyed these stories as much as I enjoyed writing them.

I hate [most] Westerns, Part 1 (guest post)

*NOTE: All the posts this month will be written my by husband, Jamin Hillwig, as I do my darnedest to make headway on the published version of my Hex history project.  Enjoy!

I hate Westerns. I do. With a few exceptions. I like the Young Guns movies. I like The Quick & The Dead. I like Two Mules for Sister Sarah and High Plains Drifter. I like The Cowboys and The Shootist with John Wayne. And that’s it. Anything else puts me to sleep. I remember way, way, way back when, when me and Susan were dating we rented The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. We took it back to my mom and stepdad’s place and popped it in the VCR and sat down to watch: me, Susan, and my stepdad. 15 minutes in and I’m out cold. The next thing I remember is opening my eyes to the credits and Susan and my stepdad talking about what a great movie that was. I don’t know about great movie but the experience ranks in the "Top 10 BEST Naps I’ve Had in My Life".

The Cowboys is a whole different story. Lots of stuff goes on in that movie. There are no great expanses of one man riding his horse across the open plains with no dialog. And it’s got John Wayne. For my money, John Wayne and Optimus Prime are the same guy. Sure, the man advocated war when he himself never served, but that’s not the point. Watch the movie. There is a part near the end where all the cowboys (just kids, literal cow BOYS) are gathered around John Wayne and he starts talking about “how proud he is of them” and “how every father wants their children to be better than them. And you are.” If you are a guy…. If you are human, this scene will get at you. The Shootist is kinda the “long form” version of that scene.

Two Mules and The Quick & The Dead are just good action movies. You could change the era and location and it would make little difference. That’s not a slight to the movie or the writers. They’re both movies anybody would like because they are easily relatable.

High Plains Drifter is a ghost story. That’s my wheelhouse. It’s a slow burn, but when it gets good, it gets REAL GOOD. Not gory but creepy as Hell!

Young Guns has a sequel… Just like this post. I’m devoting a whole post to both movies. I’m a huge fan and it’s a lot to unpack.

What's it like having your name in a book? (guest post)

 *NOTE: All the posts this month will be written my by husband, Jamin Hillwig, as I do my darnedest to make headway on the published version of my Hex history project.  Enjoy!

You’re going to laugh but, before Swords & Sixguns came out, my name was already in a book. A famous book. It’s called the Holy Bible. The name "Jamin" is only in there a few times, 6 to be exact throughout the Old Testament, mostly in reference to the Sons of Simeon. My mom thought it was pretty. The fact of the matter is that me and Susan were broken up at the time she decided to name a major character in her book after me… So, I don’t want to hear any nepotism crap, okay?

Here’s a funny story: My older brother got a copy of Susan's book. He was really digging it because he likes the Old West. Anyways, he’s reading and enjoying the story then “Jamin” shows up. He said, (and this is a direct quote) ”I could mentally hear the needle skip across the record.”… Yeah, I know. He’s just jealous.

Actually, seeing my last name "Hillwig" in a comic was pretty cool. It about scared the shit out of me, too. So, there we were years and years ago, sitting on the couch reading our new comics and Susan starts screaming, screaming like she’s dying! “WHAT?! WHAT?! WHAT, DAMMIT?!? ARE YOU OKAY?!? WHAT?!?” , I scream at her. She points at the page in her comic. Then I start screaming like I’m dying. Susan and the authors of the comic book had been corresponding for awhile and I guess they decided to give her a little surprise.

I looked around the internet. There are a few noteworthy Hillwigs. One is a doctor, one is an astronomer, and at least one was a Union soldier in the American Civil War. But how many of them can say they have their name in the Bible, a novel, AND a comic book?

The #1 Fan's Opinion (guest post)

*NOTE: All the posts this month will be written my by husband, Jamin Hillwig, as I do my darnedest to make headway on the published version of my Hex history project.  Enjoy!

It’s “Assistant Editors' Month". That means I get the center chair while Susan concentrates more on writing books than posting silly memes and giving us all her two cents. And since I now control the horizontal and the vertical, I’m going to try to post stuff that’s a little different than what you get here. And since I am Susan’s #1 Fan, were going to start by answering this question:

WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE MARRIED TO AN AUTHOR?

Well, since I’ve only been married to one person, I can’t really compare unless I use examples I’ve seen in real life. It’s not all too different from what any of you know. The main difference I can think of is: along with the regular stuff people do, writers write. Yeah, no shit. But really, I mean it. Some days she’s on a streak and she’ll just be plugging away. Other times, she’ll get just a few sentences out. And if you’re a helpful guy like me, this is when you’ll want to help.

Don’t.

Not unless they ask. Because you really don’t know what’s going on in the story. Even if you think you know what’s going on, you don’t. So, I hate to break it to you kids. Don’t expect me to drop in juicy tidbits of what’s coming up in the next book. I only have the vaguest notion…. Though, one time about 10 years ago, I did pin Susan down and make her tell me at least the broad strokes of the story. And I'd  love to tell you all what I know. But I’m certain that’s all changed. Trust me, the original ideas she had from over 25 years ago are wildly different…. I don’t know if that is a writer’s thing or woman’s prerogative.

And that is really the long and short of it. Everything a normal husband or wife does, but they also type, and on rare occasion ask for an opinion on something they totally made up.

The decision is made!

At the end of my last post, I asked y'all to weigh in regarding which project should take priority for 2024: my second novel or the Hex history book.  I got two responses -- one for each project -- so I had to do the tiebreaker myself.  In the end, I decided on the Hex history book, not only because it's closer to completion, but I can also put an ad in the back for Swords & Sixguns at the low rate of absolutely free (the advantages of self-publishing!).

Since making the decision, I've made some progress in multiple areas:

- I've figured out how to scale up the images I need to 300 dpi with minimal fuss.  There's still a ton of work to be done there, but at least I've narrowed it down to a few mouse clicks as opposed to the clunky method I thought I'd be stuck with.

- The Introduction is done, plus I've added three new pages so far to Chapter 1, giving readers a "lay of the land" as to what the comics landscape and Westerns in general looked like at the time of Jonah's creation.  Like I said in my previous post, those first couple chapters are a kinda bare-bones compared to the later ones.  I'm aiming for at least 10 pages per chapter, not counting images.

- While I don't know how long the final book will be, I can tell you it won't exceed 500 pages, because that's the maximum amount I can do through my printer.  Each chapter will have at least two images in it, to be certain, but whether I include more than that -- along with how much extra stuff I can pack at the end beyond the already-written Appendix A and B -- will depend on how much of the page count is taken up by the main text.

- For those curious about dimensions, I'm currently formatting the book at 7x10 inches, since this is as close to "comic size" as my printer offers.  The idea is that, when complete, you can comfortably slip it onto your bookshelf next to your Hex trades and have it blend in fairly well (it might also fit into a comic box with minimal fuss, depending on the type you use).  Both the paperback and hardcover editions will be roughly the same size...and yes, there will be a Kindle version!

- The Afterword is already complete, and it's not written by me!  I asked actor Johnathon Schaech -- who initially spurred me into turning this blog series into a book -- to write some thoughts about playing ol' Jonah, and boy oh boy, did he deliver!  He's also sent me various photos over the years, some of which will end up in the book.  Plus Seth Albano -- grandson of Hex creator John Albano -- has agreed to write the Foreword, and I'm hoping he'll supply some photos as well.

That's about all I have to report at the moment.  Between working on the book and the fast-approaching con season, I likely won't have much time for blogging over the next few months, so in my absence, my husband has volunteered to write a few guest posts in March.  We're referring to it as "Assistant Editors' Month", so expect a bit of shenanigans.  See you then!