The 'lost' cover for #21

 Gentlemen (and maybe even ladies), I present this limited edition comic cover for Betty Brant, the Sensational Spider-Girl #21... umm, a little late.

Issue #21 cover: click to enlarge!

Late last year, when for a brief shining moment I thought I was about to be able to start releasing issues regularly again (Ha!), I commissioned DeviantArt user Poserhobbit to create this custom image of Betty. As you might guess from his name, the image was created using Poser 3D.

Poserhobbit was very helpful in letting me get exactly the pose and style of image I wanted, which was really a 'classic comic cover' look. This image is actually cropped a little from the original, which you can see here. I added the cover flash and so on.

And why didn't I post this along with issue #21...? Er, honestly, I just forgot!

New release: Spider-Girl, issue #22

Weeks have passed since Betty Brant's return to her own dimension, and to New York City. As she settles into her new life - one where she is no longer a passive secretary at the Daily Bugle, but a reporter in her own right - new potential threats are appearing from unexpected quarters…

Issue #22: Illusory Enemies

Download from Maskingwriter (Yahoo! Group)

First of all, apologies for the completely unintended delay to the issue. First I had some major personal issues crop up in my life (now, thankfully, resolved), which threw me way off-kilter for a few weeks. Then when I finally got back to looking at the issue, I decided to... well, change the entire arc in a way that won't be obvious until it's actually over.

Suffice to say, this issue was a nightmare. Well, kind of. It wasn't that the issue itself was a nightmare, it was that the endless plotting, re-plotting, editing, re-editing and on and on and on... it just never seemed to end. To give you an idea, several of the sections in here were either conceived or first written in 2008. The bulk was written in 2009... but some pieces were finished, literally, today. (I can't count how many times I wrote and re-wrote that first scene, by the way. That was finally nailed a month ago.)

This is what happens when you let things stew for too long, people. You get more ideas and you think they're better than the initial ones, and then you try to cram everything in and it explodes in your face.

Anyway. I'm now pretty much happy with this issue and with the entire re-jigged arc. I had to make one major change which you probably won't even notice, but when the whole thing is told, hopefully you'll go "Ahhh, I missed that, but there it was, all along." And yeah, sometimes when I've been tearing out my hair over this, I do wonder if anyone cares! So tell me you do!!

To recap on the overall arc again; right now it's probably going to finish in issue #25, it might stretch to #26... I'm not too sure. Issue #23 is done bar some rewriting to accommodate the changes mentioned above. #24 is also pretty much done. #25 is plotted, loosely. I'll probably feel comfortable releasing #23 inside a couple of weeks; at the end of that issue the whole plot takes a serious right-turn....

As I said before... after that we might go on a semi-permanent series hiatus, but never say never. I have some very interesting stuff warming up here, and keep making notes on post-arc stuff... it might just be too fun to ignore. But who knows.

If you've not read the rest of the series I highly recommend you try it via Maskingwriter (membership required). Just like real Marvel Comics I now have far too much continuity for you to jump in 'new'... but I expect you'll enjoy the ride.

And if you do enjoy, please do leave a comment below, and click on an ad - thank you!

New release: Spider-Girl, issue #21

Betty has finally returned from Gotham City, having helped cage the Chameleon once more. In her absence, Susan Storm, AKA the Invisible Girl, 'kept up appearances' as Spider-Girl - and in the process, may have gotten Betty into more trouble than she'd like....

Issue #21: Imaginary Friends

Download from Maskingwriter (Yahoo! Group)

Unbelievable! A new issue! Only two years after the last one! This is getting to be like real comics with these delays! Seriously, for the one or two of you who still care... thank you for waiting!

The good news for you stalwart fans is that this arc is seriously advanced, with about two, almost three more issues in the can. (It's hard to tell just how many as I'm juggling what goes where right now. Aiming for it to be three more issues but it might stretch to four.) So I'm hoping to release following issues, probably once a fortnight, until this arc is done.

After that - I warn you in advance - the series is probably going to go on hiatus again as I try and switch focus back to my novel-in-progress. This was just an itch I had to scratch and hopefully this will scratch it, at least for a while.

Getting back to this issue; this picks up right where the 'Crossover' arc left off, so if you haven't read that in a while (say, two years) you might want to refresh your memory before diving back in. This issue ties up a few things but also sets the stage for the introduction of a classic villain... you'll see exactly who at the end of the issue.

As usual, all the back issues are available at Maskingwriter (membership required). Going forward I'm not going to be using steekr - I never got any feedback on it, and I have other methods in the works to get the issues to you outside of Yahoo!. (BTW if you've tried to sign up to Maskingwriter and got rejected, it was by me. I assure you it only happens if your age isn't displayed in your profile.)

Last but not least - if you enjoy, please do leave a comment below, and click on an ad - thank you!

Now on Tumblr

Blogger's a little cumbersome for quick and easy "I found this" posts, so I set myself up on Tumblr.

See you there maybe?

Messin' with the blog

I came home ready to write tonight, but for some reason when I hit the keyboard, it wasn't coming. It's not writer's block - I'll get back to it later - but it was a good excuse to spring-clean the blog here, which I'd been meaning to do for a while.

Apart from re-arranging, cleaning out the clutter on the right hand side and giving the whole thing a damn good thrashing (ahem) I added yet another exciting way for you to interact with me here. Under every post now you'll see something called 'Reactions' where you can check a box and leave an opinion on the post. It doesn't require a login or anything, it's totally anonymous... so for all you lurkers, here's a chance to say something. Without... saying something.

Of course, I always love to hear from people via email (ghostlywriter AT g mail DOT com) and in comments - but here's a new alternative. So tick those boxes! (And also let me know if you want alternative... reactions. Like, say, 'Meh'.)

Right, back to the real work.

Fave Betty bits?

I'm writing issue #23 of BBSSG* right now, and for reasons I won't go into for fear of spoiling it, I'm referring to a lot of the previous issues to make sure I get details right.

One of the pleasures for me of having, well, quite a lot of issues behind me is that I get to revisit favorite pieces of writing and, usually to my surprise, find they don't suck. I've written so much of this stuff I genuinely forget whole scenes.

Got me to wondering: what are some of your fave bits of the series? (This is of course, assuming you've even read it. If for some strange reason you tuned in during the last two years - which we'll refer to as the Great GW Drought from now on - then this might not make any sense. And if you do intend to read the series over at Maskingwriter, well, huge spoilers below.)

Some of mine?

• The Chameleon becoming Betty, in issue #1
• Betty and Susan getting it on for the first time in issue #3
• Betty's gradual transformation into Gwen, as she seduces Peter, in issue #6
• Betty and Susan getting it on for the second time in issue #7
• The Green Goblin's defeat in issue #8
• Betty becoming Gwen full-time in issue #9
• Betty becoming her brother, Bennett, in issue #11
• Betty invoking the Chameleon in issue #12
• The Chameleon becoming Catwoman in issue #15
• Betty becoming Batgirl in issue #17
• Catwoman's seduction of Barbara Wayne in issue #18

... and as they say on the commercials, many, many more. Any of these ring bells? Any other scenes you particularly enjoyed?

* BBSSG = Betty Brant, the Sensational Spider-Girl. I'm careful in referring to the series by acronym, mostly, because frankly I don't need the Google traffic.

Two random cuttings

I was hit by inspiration on Spider-Girl a couple of weeks ago, so Babysitter is currently on hold while I try and finish this arc. As I've said before this arc has been a merciless bitch to plot, so I'm really glad it's coming together (and even more glad that I'm getting to include all of the kinky shit I wanted to...).

Anyway here are two pieces of random text that have been cut from the final issues - ie, these scenes won't be in the final version. First one is from issue #22, which is finished, and the second is from issue #23, which I'm about two-thirds done with.

Just so you know, both of these excerpts contain fairly major spoilers - even though these pieces won't be in the final issues, they still contain plot details. So if you don't want to be spoiled... stop reading!

Psych

As I said earlier, two years is a bloody long time to go without releasing anything new, so I've dug around and came up with a short I'll call 'Psych'. You can get it on the Yahoo! Maskingwriter group - here's the link to the folder:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/maskingwriter/files/GhostlyWriter/Misc/

You'll obviously need to be a group member to get it.

For a little more background - Psych is a sort-of prequel to The Babysitter, in that it features a very early, proto-version of the main character in Babysitter. After I wrote this I sort of 'got' where I needed to start Babysitter, and things went along from there. However I'd caution you that this shouldn't be taken as the first part of Babysitter, not by a long shot. The story doesn't continue from this point (or even reference this, at least not so far). So it's a sort of stand-alone story that has similar motivations.

Ah whatever, it's something I had lying around that you might enjoy... let's leave it at that.

Right, back to writing so it's not another two years before you see something new!!

Two year anniversary of... nada

I realized, sort of by accident, that tomorrow will be my two year anniversary... of releasing no new writing. The last thing that went public was the last issue of BBSSG, issue #20.

Err, sorry?

I look around at the 'scene' (not that there's much of a scene... more of a Yahoo! Group and a couple of websites where you might get mask fiction... occasionally... by accident) and I wish there was more stuff to read and enjoy, but I guess I'm as guilty of this as anyone else. I have some bloody good excuses for not churning out the words in the past two years, but... whatever, you don't want to hear that.

As I've said before, I'm still hammering away with 'the Babysitter' (and I really must come up with a better title... as it's really not about babysitting any more). It's really all I've been working on, although I have got two-and-a-bit issues of BBSSG done sort of at the same time.

I'd love to tell you I'm mere months from finishing the Babysitter, but I'd be lying. It's got a long road ahead, although I think it'll be worth it.

Still, two years is a long-ass time and I want to reward your patience, somehow. So... come back later this week and I'll try and do... something. I have no idea what. And I need to cook dinner.

Busy in the wrong way

Busy month for me, work wise. Not so busy writing wise.

As I should have always known was going to happen, I got to the end of 'Part I' of Babysitter and wham - hit a wall. I know what happens next (kind of) but I'm debating all sorts of stuff - which PoV to write Part II in, whether I need an interlude between I and II, whether I want the protagonist to tip his hand early, etc etc.

In the meantime I'm scribbling down ideas for scenes in Part II, all of which are very kinky and fun, I assure you. Unfortunately, things aren't moving forward at the rapid clip I hoped for.

It's tough sometimes to strike the balance between scenes that you want to write because they're very sexy in your mind, and scenes that actually advance the plot. Might sound ridiculous, I realize, but I do like to have the characters inhabit a world that sort of makes sense, at least in terms of motivations and so on. We'll all assume the amazing mask thing is a given.

Anyway, someone asked for an update and that's it.

Oh also: try not to play too many videogames when you're supposed to be writing. Also: don't be married. Also: don't have a job. All of these things are just distractions.

Edit: Of course, I've written about this 'striking a balance' thing before. Who knew there was content buried in this thing?

Interested in advice?

I am a conceited ass sometimes. I state this up-front, for those of you who read this and think "Who the hell does this guy think he is?" Let's just be clear: I think I'm full of myself. Sometimes.

With that out of the way...

I've thought for a while that, if people are interested, I could potentially do a series of articles giving out advice for how to write mask fiction. (Or, more specifically - and this is the 'ass' part -how to write better mask fiction.)

Would anyone care? Is anyone even interested in the advice? Is anyone reading who's thinking "I'm interested in writing this stuff but I don't know where to begin?"

If not, no problem. I've got plenty of other things to occupy my time. But if you are interested, speak up....

More progress, and a warning

Here's my thinking. I'm happy to say I'm still marching forward on the Babysitter. It's starting to get into a nice steady rhythm, and that pleases me. Fingers crossed it'll continue as it has been.

I'm now closing in on 45K and the official end of the first part - but really, it's the first half. I have many, many ideas for part two, where the 'action' really gets going and our 'babysitter' takes up residence.

But did you notice the word 'half' in there?

This is pretty much turning into a novel. By the end it'll be a good 200 page story, if we assume standard paperback page sizes. I'd love to tell you that'll be completed next month, or even the month after that, but I don't think it's going to happen. Realistically I can't even guarantee it'll be done this year.

However - despite the fact that I am approaching a perfect point to release Part One as-is, I'm not going to do it. Believe me, I am tempted. I need feedback. I crave it. But I'm scared that if I do that, I'll never finish Part Two. And you want a finished story, right?

In the meantime though, I'll be sharing it with some very select people...

... and maybe they'll share their thoughts.

Progress on Babysitter

So in the last week my creative dam has burst a bit on The Babysitter, and I've added close to 10K words to it (in fact, I'm close to 39K now).

I really appreciate everyone's comments on my previous post. Apart from the fact that it proves to my fragile ego that there are a few people out there who'll at least take the time to give me an opinion, it also gave me some incentive to get writing again.

Well, that and waking up at 6AM in a hotel room with not much else to do than add 3K worth of words to the thing, and to get past a scene that had always felt a bit dull in my mind (but which is quickly followed by some kinkiness, so don't worry).

Anyway, for right now I intend to at least forge forward with this, although I am rapidly approaching a point which I'm now labeling as the end of 'Act One'. Hopefully I'll roll straight into Act Two, where things get real interesting....

One interesting, nerdy writer thing on this project has been seeing how the characters have been 'acting up' in a few different ways. In the last 10K I've had at least one surprising moment in a scene (for me) as I suddenly realized "Hey, he should totally kiss him right now" and another huge surprise ended up adding a whole new subplot. Said subplot was actually loosely based on a relationship I had myself, but I won't detail too much for fear of incriminating myself.

Suffice to say, married women having affairs can be fucking crazy, people. Fair warning.

Anyway I wanted to let you know things are moving forward a bit. Night all.

Anyone there? If so, here's a question

I address this to my theoretical Reader.

I know a few of you are out there, of course. You're the guys I keep up with on a semi-regular basis, who I email and I occasionally IM. You guys are basically a given.

I'm talking to the other Reader. (Or can I be brave and assume a plural Readers?) The silent majority.

I need to hear from you.

Not entirely to stroke my own ego (although yes, I'll admit that's part of it.) I actually want to get your opinion.

Y'see, right now, in another window, I have the beginning of Betty's latest issue in the works. Issue 23, if you're counting. And it's easy stuff. It's familiar, it's comfortable. It's not hard. Sure, the plotting can be an absolute bitch sometimes (as I'm pretty sure I've said before, trying to write a coherent narrative while also trying to ensure you get in as much disguise material as possible is basically like trying to write porno that makes sense) but I'm used to that now.

The point is, I have done this before. A lot. I have something like almost 250K words written that chronicle the adventures of Betty and her friends, and while I'm happy to write a lot more, I'll be honest with you... I think I'm almost done. Not so much with Betty, but with mask fiction in general.

I know, I know. Those of you who've been 'with me' a while know I say this periodically. I think this time it might be true.

Why? Well, it's a lot of different things. I'm probably going to be a father in the next few years, God willing, and I hear kids take up some time! My career is also in pretty good shape, but demands a lot of time. And also - and frankly, I see this as the big one - I'm getting older. Believe it or not! And I know now, unlike when I was a callow youth of 25 or so (when I really, seriously started writing mask fiction with Beneath the Veil) that I've only got a limited number of years left in me.

Do I really want to spend them writing this fiction, with no reward, little recognition, and no way I can even share it with close (real life) friends?

I've been writing in other areas recently, thinking about other projects and getting some stuff done. It's enticing. It's appealing. So I'm thinking I might walk away from this for a bit, and see what happens when I do.

However. (Here comes the good news.) I don't want to walk away unfinished.

I have a number of large, major projects 'in the works'. (It's a terrible habit, but then so's writing erotica - oh, wait....) And here's The Question:

What do you want me to finish... first?

As usual, there's no guarantee I'll actually do what you suggest. But I'd love to hear opinions.

So in the spirit of a new(ish) decade, and transparency and new journalism and all that bollocks, here's what's on the block. No cute codenames, just what I've got here and how near-complete it is. In no particular order:

Option 1: BBSSG

... is of course the continuing adventures of Betty, Spider-Girl. Issues 21 and 22 are done. 23 is started. The current arc would possibly end in that issue, maybe 24. These issues involve Mysterio, a Spider-Girl impersonator, lots of identity switching and even Batgirl.

I have loads of other ideas for the series. Honestly, I'd say another 15 to 25 issues is possible. How long would that take? Possibly forever. I leave this as an option, though, because for some it might be what you want.

For those who aren't up to date with the series, it features a lot of F2F masking and disguise, with a little M2F (so far: there's a LOT more to come) and even the occasional F2M outing. It's heavy on the superheroines, costumes, that sort of thing. Oh, and it's pretty much PG-13 rated; sex is suggested more than shown. If you don't like comic-based stuff you won't like this, but then you can read what it's been like up until now and make up your own mind.

Option 2: The Babysitter

This is your typical boy-meets-girl, boy discovers girl has a secret, boy and girl decide to do naughty things together story. In other words it's a heavy M2F story from another (male) perspective. So far, disguises in this have mostly been 'off-stage', as the perspective doesn't allow for that. Even so, I think it's pretty strong, I can see some fun stuff coming before the end.

It's got a definite 'strong woman' vibe, although don't think 'bondage', more just... well, a strong woman. (Albeit a woman who's a man. You know what I mean.) If the idea of an English schoolteacher looking over her glasses at you with a glint in her eye appeals, then you'll probably like this. Oh, and it's definitely X-rated.

25K words written on this; I would say it's maybe a third finished. I know the plot just about all the way to the end, though.

Option 3: Teya

This one's been in the works for quite a long time - in fact, it's a bit distressing to note that I've pretty much not made any progress on it for over two years. That said, what I have works for me, and I'm sure I could get back into it.

It's another M2F story (in fact it uses PJ Wright's Nu-Gen tech idea) where the main protagonist is observing the actual disguises happening. Unlike the Babysitter though, this is much more about two friends discovering... interesting things together. I think the main character is very relatable, as is the situation. Essentially it's a story that answers the question "What would you do if your best friend could be a woman at will?" The Babysitter is more of a thriller... assuming your 'thrills' are very specific!

49K words down on this, and I think it's actually about two-thirds, maybe three-quarters finished... again, I know the plot to the end. Also, X-rated.

Option 4: Housesitting

This is a real oldie, to be honest. The original version of this was started God-knows-when, and really, it was never supposed to be much more than a little romp.

However, I include it here because I did re-plot it a couple of years ago, and if I pursue that plot, it'll have a lot more interesting twists and turns. Also, frankly it'd probably be shorter than the others... and also it's M2F, but with the protagonist being very much at the centre of the action. In other words, if you want to imagine you're 'M' becoming the 'F', then this is your choice.

Now, frankly, I know that many of you will just pick this because of that... so I have to caution you. While this thing is plotted out, I have less interest in telling this story than any of the other three options. SG is easy, albeit it's a bit repetitive; Babysitter has, well, two of the most interesting characters I've written; Teya is a really good, intimate look at two people. This one... well, it started as a simple fantasy and it grew from there.

But, there are 15K words done on it, it could probably be done in 40K, so honestly it could get done quick. And yes, X-rated.

That's it. Let me know what you want. We'll see what happens.

Eye candy: Mary Jane as Spidey

For some reason - well, apart from the obvious - I've been looking for images of Mary Jane dressed in Spider-Man's costume recently. This is the image that started my search:

That one's by Steve Rude, I believe, and here's another more recent one he did - both, I'd guess, were convention sketches:

No idea who the artist is on this one, but it's fun anyway:

Looking for these, I think, was probably inspired by this classic cover - Amazing Spider-Man annual 19:

Yep, I certainly remember buying that book in great excitement... and getting very disappointed that there's no scene like it inside. (Some mad scientist thinks Mary Jane is Spider-Man. It's all very silly. Although there was some interesting discussion of 'exoskeletons' to allow a female to fake a male form, which is on file somewhere in the back of my mind for a potential future Betty plot.)

Anyway, just thought I'd share. Seen anything similar? Cross-gender comic imagery is always fun.

Chameleon as Jean DeWolff..

.. in Amazing Spider-Man 620, which I think was on sale last week, or this week, not sure. Here's the relevant bit:

I'm pretty sure this was just a one-off gag for this issue - it may have been someone that Mysterio was going to 'resurrect' to torment Spidey with - but still, fun.