Completed Rainbow Orchid, interview with Garen Ewing

Interview with author and comic book creator
GAREN EWING

A conversation about the completing of Garen's adventure book
'The Rainbow Orchid' and his continued Adventures of Julius Chancer

With Table Chat host, Linda Wada

I'm very excited to share with you my second interview with Garen Ewing, the creator of Julius Chancer and his Rainbow Orchid comic book.

In our first interview in April 2009 (Imagination to Print), we talked about the creation and history of The Rainbow Orchid, just before Garen saw his first printed book from Egmont UK.

In this January 2013 interview, we pick-up where we left off. We talk about finishing the book, the promoting, foreign editions, special research projects, comic workshops and the future of Julius Chancer.

This interview is 1 hour and 9 minutes. So grab your favorite beverage, and have a listen. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have, as we continued the Adventures of Julius Chancer!

A heartily thanks to Garen, for sharing his valuable time with us today, as he shares his 'adventures' in the comic book creating.  LINK TO AUDIO INTERVIEW

The Rainbow Orchid Volume 3 by Garen Ewing

Congratulations GAREN! 
The Rainbow Orchid - Volume 3

Officially Released

APRIL 2, 2012

published by Egmont UK

creator and author

Garen Ewing

Garen Ewing's

The Adventures of Julius Chancer

After the cliffhanging ending of Rainbow Orchid Volume 2, the exciting conclusion about the search for The Rainbow Orchid has been released April 2, 2012, in Volume 3!  Set in the golden era of the late 1920s, Rainbow Orchid is a beautifully illustrated and detailed story about the search for the mysterious flower that takes the reader from the streets of England to high mountain passes, deep into the unknown. It's an adventure that will keep you looking over your shoulder to who may be following you next.

Garen's engaging ensemble of characters, surround Julius Chancer, as he takes silent film star, Lily Lawrence and others, on a quest to find the mysterious orchid to help save Lily's father from total ruin from the evil Urkaz Grope. But we learn, Grope isn't the only one interested in this rare wonder. And with Grope's evil and determined assistant, Evelyn Crow, anything is bound to happen.

Since it's release, The Rainbow Orchid has been a favorite with young and old alike, with fans around the world. It has also been added to many library collections, as well. Garen Ewing's intense research adds depth and dimensions to his story, you don't find in every comic or graphic novel.

If you love big adventure, filled with travel, steeped in history and intrigue, you should check out The Rainbow Orchid today at Garen's official Rainbow Orchid site.  Volumes 1, 2 and 3 are available at many online shops under graphic novels and/or comics, some with free shipping worldwide. Special signed and sketched editions can be bought directly from Garen Ewing at The Rainbow Orchid.

For more about The Rainbow Orchid visit Garen's official Rainbow Orchid site. Also, check out my extensive interview with Garen, with The Rainbow Orchid fan page, complete with links covering RO since the release of Volume One.

Here is a ten minute video from the one hour plus auto interview.

UPDATE: If you like to get The Rainbow Orchid in the USA and not pay shipping fees, the best place to order is from Book Depository. They ship worldwide for free. Excellent deal. Currently under $10.

Updated Note April 10th: Where can I buy The Rainbow Orchid? Especially from the USA? Amazon USA has just removed The Rainbow Orchid books from current sell, after having them available since their UK release in 2009. NOW, they have placed the books into regular Amazon shopping carts and posted  that The Rainbow Orchid Volume 1, 2 and 3 will not be available at AMAZON USA until October 2012! All three books are available at Garen's Rainbow Orchid shop, with special signed and sketched editions. If you just want to get the books, The Book Depository has The Rainbow Orchid Volume 3 (Vol. 1 and 2 are not available there) and Amazon UK has all three volumes, available. Otherwise, you will have to check ebay, for possible online purchases from varies sellers.

UPDATE - April 12, 2012 - Just received The Rainbow Orchid Volume 3 in the post this week! Beautiful publication. I can't give anything away, but it's a well paced, action filled adventure, beautifully illustrated, with some big surprises. Looking forward to getting my signed and sketched editions now! Excellent work, Garen!

UPDATE: June has been a GREAT month for The Rainbow Orchid, with a successful launch of The Rainbow Orchid Volume 3 and boxset at Stripdagen, and two excellent reviews in London The Observer, including one from comic actor and stage comic, Rhys Darby (best known as Murray Hewitt, in HBO's very funny, Flight of the Conchords.

Also, catch Garen's latest artwork for the weekly UK comic, The Phoenix. The four part series, The Bald Boy and the Dervish, with story by Ben Haggarty, appears in this week's issue #23.

Thanks to our 450+ Garen Ewing interview listeners!

I want to send a special thanks to the 450+ listeners to Garen Ewing's interview this last week. Being Garen's first audio recording and my first podcast, I was very pleased to see the response and really appreciated hearing back from some of you, as well. It makes all the effort in presenting this even more special.

According to stats (and it varies each day), we had listeners from around the world, with Europe and the UK with about 55-60% of the listening audience, most of the time. But the United States came in with nearly 40% to 45% or more, during the week (depending on the day). Canada came in next with about 20% tops for the week, and Japan and scattering of other countries worldwide, sharing about 5-15% of our listening audience.

Yes, it is (1:14) not by design but by chance, with the main focus on Garen Ewing creating his book and how he went from being a self-publisher to being picked up by a publishing company, Egmont UK. If you are interested in publishing yourself one day, something you should enjoy listening to and learn from. And from the response so far, the audiences are enjoying listening.

Garen's The Rainbow Orchid being picked up and published by Egmont UK didn't happen overnight, but after years of determination and frankly, just plain hard work.

For you silent film fans, Garen even reveals a project he had thoughts of creating before going heavily into Rainbow Orchid, but you will just have to listen to find out what it is.

So if you are thinking about publishing, or someone who likes to listen to a good chat about creating, grab a cup of tea and have a listen to a fine gentleman, who I have had the pleasant in learning about his work over the years and have the pleasure to present to you now. Link to: Garen Ewing Interview

Thank you, everyone...

UPDATE June 18th: For Window users, I've placed up a new page with the audio file on Real Player.

UPDATE Sept. 26, 2009: The Rainbow Orchid is now in the Springfield Library and others.

Happy Birthday, Garen!

Garen Ewing has asked his friends and Rainbow Orchid followers to help celebrate his 40th birthday today, by 'spreading the word' about his upcoming book The Rainbow Orchid (Volume One) being released in August 2009.

Now while I just posted Garen's audio recording (which you can learn more about his love for silent films and how it is a part of his work), I just want to point out to our silent film fans, The Rainbow Orchid would make a great gift for that person on your list who you would like to introduce to silent films. With two of Garen's leading characters in the silent film field, it would be a fun and unique way to do it.

So help a dear and special friend of ours celebrate his 40th Birthday, by spending sometime at The Rainbow Orchid. Have a Very Happy Birthday, Garen! And thanks everyone!

UPDATE June 18th: For Window users, I've placed up a new page with the audio file on Real Player.

Garen Ewing, podcast interview about The Rainbow Orchid

Garen Ewing, the comic artist and creator of The Rainbow Orchid - the Adventures of Julius Chancer, graciously agreed to an audio interview with me (Linda Wada, researcher and founder of ednapurviance.org). I wholeheartedly thank Garen for a most enjoyable chat about his long awaited publication of The Rainbow Orchid.

"Imagination to Print"
Interview with Garen Ewing
Creator of The Rainbow Orchid
podcast host, Linda Wada

I first met Garen in the spring of 2001 and soon learned about the creation of The Rainbow Orchid.

Set in the 1920s, The Rainbow Orchid features adventurous Julius Chancer and silent film star, Lily Lawrence, along with a strong supporting cast of characters including: the devious Evelyn Crow, historical researcher Sir Alfred Catesby-Grey, Lily's publicity agent Nathanial Crumpole, mysterious Urkaz Grope and leading gossip columnist and stirrer of trouble, William Pickle. All of them are involved on an adventure to find the mythical flower last mentioned by the ancient Greek philosopher and botanist, Theophrastus. Julius agrees to help find it to save the estate of Lily's father, Sir Lawrence.

Drawn in the Franco-Belgian school of bande dessinée (a clear line style), the comic has great characters, a complex story and quality artwork. Garen's comic quickly became my favorite and I have been following the development of the story and project ever since.

You never know for sure, but I always had faith it would be picked up by a publisher one day, and that day has finally arrived.

In our interview called Imagination to Print, we start with Garen's childhood background, learning to draw, and the influences that led him to The Rainbow Orchid. We talked about the creation of the comic, development of characters, and the publication history that culminated in publication by Egmont UK.

Garen gives his personal insight on drawing and the world of publishing, (with surprises intermixed). Garen's love of silent films does play a role in the creation of his comic, as you will learn (even Edna Purviance is mentioned).

We hope you will enjoy listening to his story, and maybe gain some valuable insights through his experience in creating his comic and entering the publishing world.

This current file is the audio version of our interview. I am working toward a second version, which will be a visual addition to this audio to be ready later this summer (planning for August 3, night before the book officially releases). Update: I have completed the video version. The 12 minute video has segments from our longer interview talking about Rainbow Orchid with images from his work. You can see at this link. It is as good introduction to our longer program.

The Rainbow Orchid will be released from Egmont UK August 4th, 2009, starting with Volume 1. Volumes 2 and 3 will follow starting in 2010. It is available in the UK now, but can be bought directly from Garen starting August 4th, or via online booksellers and UK bookshops.

So, settle back with a nice cup of tea, and enjoy my conversation with Rainbow Orchid creator Garen Ewing. LINK On the podcast page is a link for information of the order and topics covered.

UPDATE June 18th: For Window users, I've placed up a new page with the audio file on Real Player.

(Self-portrait drawing by Garen Ewing)

Comments:
"...it was a great interview, nice to have such a long one instead of 20 minutes, allowed for a bit more range." - Joe Gordon, Forbidden Planet International, UK

"I am very impressed at this new way of spreading the word on silent films... Keep up the great work!" - Lon Davis, classic and silent film author, USA

"It was a quality interview, you did a really good job! And it's great that someone who knows so much about the Rainbow Orchid could ask the questions." - Sarah McIntyre, Children book Illustrator, DFC Artist - UK

Latest Online chats, interviews and reviews of RO
July 1, 2009 - Now Read This by Win Wiacek
July 2, 2009 - Phantom Zone Talking 'The Rainbow Orchid' by JE Towey
Dec. 23, 2009 - Check out this list of 2009 reviews, interviews and openings for Rainbow Orchid