they are friends from when I was a kid or people who I know cur- YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THE CHALLENGES OF WRITING
rently. I also feel like I put a lot of myself into all of my characters ABOUT CHILDREN AND ADULTS FACING MORAL DECISIONS OR
as well as my personal experiences from my own life. Adventures OVERCOMING EXTREME CIRCUMSTANCES?
that I had as a kid in my old neighborhood with my brothers and
close friends in the woods next to where we lived, these things all AZ: Thanks for noticing that! As far as the challenges of writing
lend themselves to some of my stories, such as LITTLE SOLDIERS. about children and adults facing moral decisions and/or overcoming extreme circumstances, I personally feel that, when it comes
SP!: THE WEBSITE FEATURES VIDEO TRAILERS FOR ALL OF YOUR to writing about children, there is that inherent innocence that all
TITLES. COULD YOU EXPLAIN THE PROCESS OF CREATING THEM, children possess. We, as adults, did have it at one time, but then
WHO WROTE THEM, DIRECTED THEM, ETC?
there is that one moment that happens and you discover that
your innocence is lost and now you have that edge, that jadedAZ: Yeah, in regard to the video trailers, this is something that we ness. But it’s walking that fine razor’s edge as far as how to balance
wanted to do that we feel is different than what everyone else is that. We all know that conflict is what pushes any story forward,
doing. We wanted to give the readers and people who are inter- so by putting children in situations where they must overcome
ested in our books an immersive experience via a short clip of extreme circumstances or having them make moral decisions,
each project, kind of to better explain the premise of each book. they will ultimately choose differently than an adult would. It’s
I think the video trailer has a certain effect that draws people in, being able to weigh these two different outcomes against each
because we are such an information-overload type of society that other, almost like a puppeteer pulling the strings of the puppet to
we need and want information directly and as quickly
as we can get it. So, instead of having to read a synopsis, we give you a little movie-type trailer that you
can just watch on your computer or mobile device.
It’s fun and different and kind of interactive. As far
as the process of creating them, most of them were
written by me and directed/put together by my business partner on the West Coast.
SP!: WHAT IS YOUR OPINION OF MOTION COMICS?
BASED ON YOUR TRAILERS I CAN SEE POTENTIAL IN
YOUR STORIES BEING PRESENTED THIS WAY.
AZ: I am definitely a fan of motion comics. I like that
aspect of the static panels of a comic book coming
to life, even slightly, with that touch of motion. It is
another layer that raises the overall comic book experience. I definitely agree that, based off of our trailers for
our projects, our books definitely lend themselves to
a motion comic arena. Now, without giving too much
away, this is something that we are working on as well
as working towards. We have some unique things that
we are working on, creating, and moving towards, as
well as some other things that are new, different, and
that I think no other comic book company is currently
doing. Keep your eyes on Inkwerk Studios; you don’t
want to miss anything! The future is now!
S P !: YO U R T I T L E S H AV E T H E M E S A B O U T
CHOICES, OBLIGATIONS, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND
CONSEQUENCES, AS SEEN THROUGH THE EYES
OF CHILDREN (WISH, CHERUBS), YOUNG ADULTS
(JIN HU), AND MATURE, EDUCATED MEN. CAN
SELF PUBLISHER MAGAZINE 2015
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