Mark Todd, Mark Murphy, Joel Nakamura and Tim Mantoani deliver three 24 page mini zines that are sure to inspire your inner artist. Each zine is printed on heavy cover stock, full-color, 4 1/4″ x 6″ and packaged together for one low price. Order yours today.

I LOVE GEEKS: TKDANewsletter feature 35

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I LOVE GEEKS

Do you?  Carrie Tucker and Keva do. They go way back, they attracted geeks at Whittier College in LA. Carrie has been on TKDA radar ever since, from Paul Frank to Alternative Press Magazine, now Carrie brings you I Love Geeks: The Official Handbook.  Love your nerd but don’t get the appeal of Fallout 3 or Doctor Who?  That’s cool, Carrie’s got you covered.  I Love Geeks will guide you through the uncharted territory of Nerd-dom, one interest at a time.

What is the most interesting part of writing a book?

Being completely and utterly absorbed with your subject.  When I was writing Geeks, I could barely hold a conversation beyond, “So, what video games you playing right now?  Really?  Oh, by the way, there’s four for $20.00 manga at Forbidden Planet right now!”

Did you dedicate the book to anyone in particular?

Gary Gygax, R.I.P. – the co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons.  Thanks to him, I learned to Summon Monster IX and Time Stop at a very young age.

What do you hope readers will take with them from your book?

I hope it inspires someone to do something they’ve never done before – pick up a copy of Sandman, delve into The Handmaid’s Tale, go beyond Guitar Hero…and realize that geeks are pretty hot.

Why did you write this book?

I thought it was time to give geeks and nerds their due!  Lots of women (and men, of course – even though my book was written from a women’s perspective, it’s applicable to the opposite sex as well) happen to think that dudes with high IQ’s who are passionate about their often unconventional interests are, well, hot – but they’re unfamiliar with the land of nerd-dom.  That’s where my book comes in.  It’s a guide through what are stereotypically thought of as “geeky” interests: video games, comics, anime, science fiction, etc., and making them a little more accessible to the person who isn’t already a fan.

What inspired the idea?

Hearing a lot of women say things like, “I just don’t get why he plays video games ALL NIGHT LONG!”  and then having them ask a couple weeks later, “So, um…what video games WOULD I like?”

What is the best thing about writing a book?

In this instance, it was being able to use my creativity to (I hope) inspire other women to grow and learn new things…and maybe to laugh, just a little.

What is the worst thing about writing a book?

Honestly?  Nothing!  Sure, it gets frustrating sometimes, but how can I complain?  I’m incredibly fortunate to have these opportunities.  Although, sometimes when I get on a roll, certain things fall by the wayside…um, like washing my hair, enjoying a meal that doesn’t consist of frozen pizza and Red Bull, actually leaving the apartment…

Who did your illustrations?

Originally, I’d been talking to a few friends about helping out with illustrations, but unfortunately due to my insane deadlines we weren’t able to make it happen.  An in-house team came up with some general old-school pixel-esque images that worked in the context of the book.

What is the coolest thing about your book?

Well, technically speaking, my book isn’t “cool” at all – it’s about geeks and nerds!  And it doesn’t try to be cool.  It doesn’t care about being cool – it just wants you to learn, like any good nerd.

What did you do to promote your book?

I did a few signings, one of them at BEA (Book Expo America – as Comic Con is to comic nerds, BEA is to literary nerds), which generated some early press.  I have a strong marketing background, but promoting a book is a full-time job in and of itself.  So I had a great publicist – Piney Kahn – who was beyond on-board with the book and secured awesome stories with all the right people.

How long did it take you to write the book?

Five weeks!  I seriously could write a book on how to write a book in five weeks.

What brought you to the love of nerdy geeky things?

My parents are brilliant individuals, and they encouraged me to learn and supported me in the weird things I did (like bring a book to read at the dinner table).  My father has a PhD and is what’s known in marketing-speak as an “early adopter” – we had a Commodore computer that was as big as I was, and in the mid-80s he opened a computer store where I received my first lessons in DOS and, er, RPGs (that’s “role playing games” for the uninitiated.)

Do you consider yourself a geek?

I guess so, but probably not in a typical sense – despite my past as an ex-Goth.  I mean, I’m into Marc Jacobs and Gossip Girl as much as I am Neil Gaiman and Miike’s re-make of Yatterman.

Who is currently reading your book?

I get emails all the time from girls letting me know that they love and can totally identify with my book – and in many cases, their boyfriend has actually bought it for them in an effort to draw them into their nerd-iverse a little bit more.

What book are you currently reading?

I’m a little late to the game with this, but I’m about a quarter of the way into Bolano’s 2666, and just finished Junot Diaz’s short story collection, Drown.  Oh, and Flannery O’Connor’s biography.  Before these two, I picked up David Moody’s Hater, about a mysterious disease – very apocalyptic, right up my nerdy alley.  It originally was an online self-published novel that generated so much interest it received a hard publication, and Guillermo del Toro just bought the film rights.  What a success story!

Any advise to future authors?

Find yourself a support system!  I think there are far too few resources available for first-time authors who aren’t in the literary “scene” that’s so prevalent here in NYC.  Writing can be a frustrating and lonely business at times, and it helps to commiserate with others who are going through the same thing.  Take classes at your local college, even if you graduated many years ago (like I did.)  Not only will it help you with new ideas and new ways of looking at your writing, but you can find a support system there.  Or you can just email me.  I’ll dork out about writing as much as you’d like.  =)

pre-register now.
see + buy the book.

While @ Comic-Con visit booth # 4833
Featuring Murphy Art Books by Mark Murphy and Jeff Soto

What to expect @ the booth:
original artwork by Jeff Soto and Mark Murphy will be made available and high-quality art books featuring: Ray Caesar, Jeff Soto, Kathie Olivas, Bob Dob, Mark Murphy, Martha Rich, Jonathan Viner and more.

More from Mark Murphy here, follow it, we do.