ADULTS ONLY POST! More Than Words: An Interview with erotic romance graphic novelist A. R. Norman

MORE THAN WORDS

An interview with erotic romance graphic novelist A. R. Norman.

by Kenya Wright



Tabietha the Queen of Shades by A. R. Norman



Everyone I want to introduce you to an author that is taking the erotic romance world by storm. 

A. R. Norman!

Norman is gifting readers with the ancient love story of Persephone and Death, through sensual narrative voice and a visual buffet of stunning images.  

Lucky for me, she took time out of her hectic schedule to discuss her new graphic novels Heart of Death (Acts 1-3).

Don't forget to ENTER THE GIVEAWAY at the end of the article!!!!!!!!!

Let's begin!

Tell me about these amazing graphic novels. How many are in the series? 

Right now Heart of Death is a Book One trilogy split into three acts. I am now working on Beyond Redemption (Book Two in Heart of Death trilogy), which will also be split into three acts. 



Book One



Book Two



Book Three



                

 Do all three Acts have the same characters?

The primary characters remain the same throughout the series, namely Persephone, Lady Abigail, Death-Thanos, Morpheus, Tabietha the Queen of Shades and father figure male servant, Thurgood.

Still, secondary characters will play major roles as the tale unwinds.  For example, the incomparable Venus and the beautiful sprite Menthe are introduced in the second installment. 

Menthe was Deaths only mentioned lover in popular mythological literature. The poor thing meets a not so glamorous end when a vengeful Persi turns her into fragrant plant. Not sure if I will actually go this course in the chronicles, suffice it to say I have to give Thanos a bit of mental release.



Death and Menthe



I mean, poor Death remained as faithful as he could to the  rightfully angered Persephone, who took every opportunity she could to let dude know she was not happy with how things unfolded….

Barely veiled affairs ensued.

Wow! I love these images. They are really captivating. In regards to the erotica, how hot does the book get??

I am firm believer that erotic and sensual elements are just as important as full on nudity.  This is why there are places when my work will get a bit raw but others where I want to explore themes that are artistically erotic. 

I want people to know this so 

that if there is an expectation  

for something more hardcore 

early on in the tale that they  

won’t be disappointed. 

That said, as the relationship between Death-Thanos and Persephone grows progressively darker, so does their sex…

So you have my interests peaked about Mr. Death-Thanos! Is he suppose to represent Hades?

I know that some unenlightened souls think Hades is the devil and the underworld is hell—this is just not the case.  Satan is Lucifer and the

Death-Thanos



underworld was simply the land of the  dead for centuries before it got warped into its current interpretations….

So, to avoid confusion, I fashioned Hades into the underworld king of renown mixed with a Thanatos style character.  Those versed in Greek Mythology know Thanatos is the literal manifestation of death.  By merging the two, Death-Thanos was born.

 

Heart of Death is based on Greek mythology. Do you love that topic?

Imagine a knock-kneed 8 year-old kid skipping over the Dick and Jane’s to grab the anthology on Greek mythology in elementary school.  That is what I did and it was one of those moments in time that was a defining point.

I fell in love with the stories and carried them with me well into adolescence and adulthood.  Of particular note of course, were the romantic dark tales of derring-do, but of them all, the Persephone and Hades storyline stuck out to me. I cannot say why it did. 

As Death-Thanos tells Persephone “Desires just are…” 

Why did you decide to write Heart of Death?

I always promised myself that if I ever had an opportunity I would tell the story of Persephone and Hades and try to do so with the love and passion that I felt for it as a young girl (but with sexy, adult moxy tossed in).

Persephone and Death

 

So is this your first time tackling the story of Persephone and Hades?

Initially, Heart of Death was a screenplay I wrote in 1998 entitled LA PETITE MORT that I entered into a couple of festivals and contests.  In 1999, my work placed in the top 10 percent at the Austin Film Festival in the screenplay division.  I was stoked and thereafter tried to shop the idea—got quite a few bites out of it but no real takers. 

The issue was that while most loved the storyline, studios were unwilling to do a period piece (very expensive to produce) with an unknown.  I got the “you are talented but we cannot take the risk” letter over and over again.

 In 2010, an agent called me up out of the blue and asked if I would consider animating the film.  Seemed reasonable and would be less expensive to produce. 

We contacted a few animation houses but couldn’t find one that understood our goals.

Why did you decide to animate the film yourself?

My hubby suggested that I consider animating the film myself.  After a few hours of laughter, it dawned on me that doing the film myself could be a great idea. 

Sure, I barely had the techie ability to set up my own yahoo email account when I first started surfing the web, but this did not mean I could not learn the complex technical aspects necessary for animation, right?

I soon realized that I could be my own writer, director, and production company. With that goal in mind, I searched out numerous programs until I found one I liked. With a lot of crying, coffee chugging, psychological break downs and pep talks, I eventually learned how to make the visions in my head come to life.  Man, let me tell you, it was very freeing.

And shoot—nobody could tell me nothing after that!

To date, I couldn’t even imagine my life without this process. The term addicted comes to mind.

What is Luv Multimedia?

Luv Multimedia was birthed as a way to promote my animation projects but soon expanded as I learned techniques to create erotic trading cards and other styles of CGI indie works.





Tabietha Trading Card



Spirit Gum Luv FREE web animation series



     

Tell me about Krishtina Mayers. She is credited as the author of those cool graphic novels we are giving away. How did you both link up to work on this project?

Krishtina is a doll in this respect. She captured my attention after writing a fan fiction based on my HEART OF DEATH character.

And boy could this girlie write.

She is also a young thing, 22 years old and attending college (majoring, appropriately in Literature).  Her voice is fresh and youthful which gives me a dose of alternate perspective when needed.

Earlier, you mentioned your husband, Michael D. Roach as being a part of Luv Multimedia. Did he also collaborate on the graphic novels with Krishtina and you?

Michael D. Roach, the hubby, lent his creativity and logical deductive mind to the project as well.  Anyone who has dealt with a writer/artist knows that a stern and level headed business partner is a near necessity—(pause for self deprecating laughter…)

  

Are you a self-taught artist or did you go to art school?

I am largely self taught although I did buy books and peruse YOUTUBE tutorials for the stuff I did not know…very useful tools!

 What's next for A. R. Norman?

The hubby and I plan to release a set of mature audience horror Sci Fi graphic novels entitled SPLITTERZ relatively soon. 

Think TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE, OUTER LIMITS or CREEP SHOW in graphic novel form.  The slant will be on showcasing age old ideas in vibrant and unique way.  The first issue release is a tale called DARKLINGS which is going to be billed as a zombie romance! 

Stay tuned mah lovelies!


Thanks so much A. R. Norman for hanging out with the Fantasy Floozies! I wish you continued sucess and hope to see you on here again!!!

FLOOZIES and FLOOZERS, don't forget to enter the GIVEAWAY!

For more exploration into A.R. NORMAN'S captivating world, PRESS on all of her links below:

A. R. Norman's FREE Animation Series (Erotic Paranormal Romance)

Heart Of Death Movie Official Site

Heart Of Death Movie: Amazon Purchase Link

Heart Of Death: Book One - Amazon Purchase Link

a Rafflecopter giveaway