(Entertainment-NewsWire.com, March 07, 2014 ) Salt Lake City, UT -- William H. Coles is trying out a new format for his most recent collection of short stories. Instead of the standard issue, printed pages with a few illustrations, Coles is opting to distribute the stories as a “graphic novel.”
What is a graphic novel? It’s basically a full-length comic book for adults. Coles is merging his skill as an author with the illustrations of Peter Healy to make the fiction come alive in colorful imagery.
“We’ve combined the strength of a literary story with the visual achievement of a talented artist,” explains Coles, a Salt Lake City author who has written and published 26 short stories and four novels.
This novel, Three Stories About Love, includes works by Coles that have been previously available only as online and printed text. The stories have won nine awards and have been read by hundreds of thousands of fiction fans. Now they will be offered in a way that engages readers intellectually, emotionally and visually.
All three short stories are about love in various forms: romantic love where mistakes are made, platonic caring between a child sex slave and her handler, and a one-way attraction between a murderer on death row and the woman of his dreams.
“Using graphic arts to tell a story will provide new avenues for readers,” says Coles, who also owns and runs Story In Literary Fiction, a resource site for writers. “We’re also helping to promote this concept for writers and provide opportunities for graphic artists to develop talents and recognition.”
The project is more than half completed and online distribution is projected for this May. Print publication is expected in mid-summer – but only if the necessary funds can be raised. Coles needs $7,500 to pay for print-on-demand and distribution.
He is using a KickStarter campaign to raise money for this project. Those interested in supporting Three Stories About Love can visit his Kickstarter page and make a donation of any amount.
Depending on their donation level, backers can receive online and printed copies of this new work, other stories by Coles, posters, and a special acknowledgment in the book.
The graphic novel is not a new concept. Although the term was not applied until 1964, this type of format was first used in the 1700s. It gained a measure of popularity in the 1970s and has developed into a niche market. Coles is hoping that this collection of short stories will open some new doors. “This medium provides unlimited potential for telling stories,” he says.
For further information about this project or to make a donation, visit his Kickstarter site. Coles can be reached at whcoles@aol.com.
