Categorized as such:

1: Questions about the Dreamkeepers series.
2: Questions about availability and publishing.
3: Questions about purchases and orders.
4: Questions about the creators.

Dreamkeepers series

*So, what is Dreamkeepers? It's a comic or whatever- what's it about?

The story takes place in the Dreamworld, which is a richly detailed fantasy realm... The concept comes from bits and pieces of various mythologies, from Mesopotamian to Aborigine, to the Native American belief in a person's animalistic spirit guide. It is from that concept that the idea for a personalized Dreamkeeper emerged; Every person here on earth has a persona representing them in the Dreamworld - their Dreamkeeper. Every Dreamkeeper looks different, and has different abilities. Horrific nightmares are constantly trying to destroy the Dreamkeepers - because if your Dreamkeeper dies prematurely, the demons can infiltrate your mind while you sleep. So, that's the basic pretext - the story within the graphic novels begins in the largest Dreamkeeper city, Anduruna - the use of Powers has been outlawed, and the citizens neither remember nor believe in the demonic nightmares of old. However, the demons appear in the lives of an unsuspecting group of young characters - Mace, Whip, Lilith, and Namah - sending them on an unexpected adventure of peril and wonder...

*What's with the style? It looks so cartoony, but then there's violence, and more mature subject matter mixed in... Who's the audience supposed to be?

The audience the book is intended for is, really, me. It's based on what I would like to see happen in a book series - I'm not trying to tailor it towards 'kids' or 'teens' or whatever. I'm just trying to make something as good and true to itself as I can make it - fortunately, based on the feedback I've gotten, it would appear that the series is appealing to kids, teens, adults, and generally anyone interested in cartoons who picks it up. For informational purposes, I would estimate the book's rating level as 'PG-13'. Most of the time.

*DK would make a great cartoon/ video game - do you have any plans to move in that direction?

Actually, Dreamkeepers was originally created as a TV pitch. However, the decision was made to move into comics instead of animation, due to the tendency in Hollywood to spontaneously convert good ideas into bland crap. A cartoon is a definite possibility in the future - and as the graphic novels gain a stronger audience, our ability to leverage creative control in animation ventures will increase.

*What's the difference between your books and the webcomic? Are they both Dreamkeepers, or what?

The graphic novels involve a group of characters having an adventure in our fantasy Dreamworld. Prelude, the webcomic, features those same characters as young children - and shows us their adventures and activities as they grow up. It's all the same story, same setting, and the same characters - the only major difference is that Prelude shows what happens earlier. And the art quality in Prelude is a little more limited than our full-blown graphic novel art. However, the book and Prelude are designed to stand on their own when it comes to entertainment value.

*How many books are going to be in the graphic novel saga?

I don't know the exact count yet - but the story has been written, and the ending is in place. There will be 3 main story arcs to the DK saga - the first story arc includes Volumes 1, 2, 3, and at least another 4 books after that. The series does slowly build to the scale of a full fantasy epic.

*It was so sad in the book when ***** died! Will you bring them back?

Nope - dead is dead. For those who are accustomed to Marvel-style 'plots', this may be a bizarre concept - but it's how things work in our story. If a Dreamkeeper really dies in the book, there's no bringing them back.

*Oh, my! Well, my favorite character is **** -you're not going to have them die, are you?

Maaaaybe... It depends on which character you're asking about. I can't spill the beans - but I will say this. Among the 5 main protagonists, not everyone will survive to the end of the series. And not all the survivors will be whole.

 

Availability and Publishing

*Volume _ is out of stock, are you printing more?

Absolutely! We print the books in short runs, because we don't have the funding to print off a huge order. This means we go out of stock frequently, but the shortages should only last for a month or two at most.

*Who are you guys published by?

By Vivid Publishing - which, technically, is just us - we made the company specifically to publish Dreamkeepers books. Check us out sometime! www.vivid-publishing.com

*Can I find Dreamkeepers in my local comic or bookshop?

As of now, probably not. Our publishing venture is very new, and we can't afford retailer discounts on our books just yet. Aside from the occasional rogue convention dealer, this website is the only place to find Dreamkeepers. We actually had some books in a few indy bookstores locally, but we had to pull them to fill our online demand.

*Why don't you go with a larger publisher?

Well, lots of reasons... That's what we opted for originally -we were going with an established publisher, but after hearing that the series was to be fashioned for appealing to children, and needed changes, we chose to go our own route instead. The primary reason for going independent is creative control. Fronting our own work is the only way to guarantee some editor doesn't decide to water it down for wider appeal. And additionally, there are some ulterior business goals I have with Vivid...

*I'm a dealer/ retailer/ guy who likes to sell stuff. Can I purchase books from you to distribute and re-sell?

Yes - visit our publishing site, and in the retailers page should be all the information you need to get started. www.vivid-publishing.com

 

Purchases and orders

*Are commissions open?

Sometimes! But for a definitive answer, check the commissions page in the store - there is now a nifty open/closed status box that will tell you. *Commissions are closed - when do they open? Um, I don't know. Soon? If commissions are closed, it means that I'm in a work - focus period on completing something book-related, and I can't afford to take a break. When they're open, they're open for everyone - I don't have a roster that fills up or gets maxed out, I just do 'em all. SO there's not a limitation on the number of commissions I can do - it's just a matter of if I'm currently doing them or not. If commissions are closed and you'd like to see what I'm up to, my blog should have a relatively current picture of what I'm occupied with. One exception - whenever I'm at a convention, commissions are open for attendees, even if they're closed on the website.

*I ordered a book, and it hasn't come yet. When will it get here?

We're based in the US - if you're overseas, shipping will take between 2 and 4 weeks. We usually get out to the post office at least once a week, and if you're in the continental US, your book should arrive a week or two after that. If it has been longer than this, please e-mail me at dreamkeeperscomic@gmail.com. We'll make sure your book arrives!

*I don't have Paypal - can I still get a book?

Sure! The Paypal buttons in the store will accept some credit cards. Also, you can mail us a check or money order for your book. Don't mail cash - it can get stolen by Wonkles the mail gnome. Mail stuff to our PO Box, the info should be on any purchase pages in the store. No time-bombs, please - we'd miss out, we only check it once every week or two.

*My order came in the mail, but the mailman crushed it into a cube.

Yeah, they do that sometimes. If you receive any order in damaged condition, e-mail me and let me know. If you send it back, I'll replace it and cover your shipping - and I'll send the replacement with a zillion dollars of insurance on it, so if they bust it, we can split the payoff and retire.

 

The Creators

*So, who exactly are the creators? Who does what?

The creators are David and Liz Lillie. We work very closely together on everything, it's a bit hard to drop down concrete categories - story we create together, from concept to finished dialogue. I do the rough layout and pencils, and Liz will lay in the colors on scenes, and spotlight any mistakes and consistency errors. Then I drop in shadows and lighting, and we critique the pages together until they're finished. It's a very integrated process, we basically tag-team throughout the entire series. Tweaks on writing and dialogue are generally discussed all the way through to a page's finishing touches.

*Your art style reminds me of _____! Did they influence you?

Heh, I always hear this, and every time there's a different thing filling the blank - everything from anime, to Bone, to Invader Zim. There are a lot of good sources out there that have influenced my art style - I'll name a few here, but this is by no means a complete list... Tracy Butler - Lackadaisy. Some of the best cartoon work I've ever seen, anywhere, hands down, writing and art and layout. Pazow. Jhonen Vasquez - JTHM, Zim, Happy Noodle Boy -well, not Happy Noodle Boy... But his humor and graphic style are fantastically unique. Bill Watterson - I never did get much into comics, until I came across Calvin and Hobbes. One of the finest comics ever made, in my eyes. Tim Burton - Nightmare Before Christmas, other stuff. Geiger - greatest monster designer ever, his creepy sensibilities are dead on. Katsuhiro Otomo - the Akira manga, all those detailed renderings! Toriyama - I was a DBZ fan in highschool, and I loved the imaginative scale of his battle scenes. Brad Bird - the story work he did in The Incredibles was, well, Incr... good. Disney - the expressive quality of some of their animated characters. The 80's - I don't know what it is, but my childhood was in the 80's, and there seems to be some ingrained retro sensibility in DK... Especially influential was the quality traditional animation back then. Compare Tiny Toons (Yes, wrong decade-silence you) to the flat crappy flash they manufacture these days... Oh, did I say 'crappy'? I must have meant 'stylized'. Getting off topic, though... There's a slew of inspirations I'm forgetting, not to mention all the great unpublished talent online in the art accounts, but this is all I can remember off the top of my head.

*So, what else do you and Liz do besides Dreamkeepers? Do you have hobbies, or jobs, or what?

For these additional info about the creators, allow me to direct you to the 'About the Creators' page!