INTRODUCING
ASTRA CROMPTON
Hi Astra!
You do art commissions! So cool!
1. What's the strangest thing someone has requested?
2. What would you call your art style?
1. I mostly get asked to do peoples' OCs and sometimes
fan-art. At one point I had a request for a Kingdom Hearts
2 fan-pairing of both male characters pregnant. The anatomy
and capturing the art style made it a challenging one.
2. My art style was originally anime (like most kids from
my generation) but as I started trying to draw more of my
fantasy world races, I found anime too limiting to capture
different facial structures, body types, and non-human
characters, etc. So I developed a fantasy line-art style
that enabled me to bridge the gap.
An example of my style.
Such talent!
And cosplay. Where do you wear your pieces?
I used to go to a lot more conventions than I do these
days, but I still got to 1 to 2 conventions a year, and
usually wear a different costume each day. I also do
photoshoots with local photographers for new costumes
As for my daily wizard outfits, I tend to wear them
any chance I get, often to work, or to head into town.
How fun!
Do you make your characters' cosplays?
I have for a few of the characters! I don't suit most of
their appearances, but for the few that I can capture, I
have. I've also been lucky enough to have had a few
folks cosplay my characters too!
*Check out a photo of Astra's design-to-cosplay at the end*
What is your day job?
I work in self-publishing: coaching authors through
the process, aiding in cover design, illustrations, and design.
How wonderful to work in a field which you enjoy.
Thank you for taking the time to answer these
questions. I really enjoyed getting to know you!
My pleasure! Thanks so much for taking the time
to speak with me!
STANDARD TWEEP TATTLER INTERVIEW
1) Where do you live?
Victoria, Canada
Victoria, Canada
2) What is the first thing you remember writing?
I wrote a children’s book and illustrated it when I was seven. It was about different possible dream scapes.
I wrote a children’s book and illustrated it when I was seven. It was about different possible dream scapes.
3) Why do you write?
I’m full of worlds and use them to explore different ways societies and cultures can be constructed. I want to make a point of representation, especially for LGBT and POC folks.
I’m full of worlds and use them to explore different ways societies and cultures can be constructed. I want to make a point of representation, especially for LGBT and POC folks.
4) Have you published any of your work?
Thus far I’ve done 5 volumes of graphic novels, an illustrated collection of short stories, a stand-alone fantasy novel; my work has also been published in the Blood Moon Rising and Anthology for a Green Planet anthologies, the Unity RPG, and by various blogs.
Thus far I’ve done 5 volumes of graphic novels, an illustrated collection of short stories, a stand-alone fantasy novel; my work has also been published in the Blood Moon Rising and Anthology for a Green Planet anthologies, the Unity RPG, and by various blogs.
5) What are you currently writing? I’m currently working on an epic fantasy trilogy, a stand-alone queer romance fantasy, and a paranormal mystery.
6) Are you currently querying?
I am! I’m currently querying the first book of my epic trilogy, Legend of the Quill, and my queer romance fantasy, Briar & Thorn.
I am! I’m currently querying the first book of my epic trilogy, Legend of the Quill, and my queer romance fantasy, Briar & Thorn.
7) Finish this sentence (three lines or less):
IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT… when the sky rent open and the Beast peered through. We had been waiting for the Day of Liberation, when the confines of our world would finally be expanded, when things older and wiser would reveal themselves and we would know truth. Now that the heavens had cracked, we finally could be freed from our sphere, allowed to rise ever higher into the limitless aether.
8) Which activities do you like to participate in, in the Twitter writing community (VSS365, etc.)? I’m terribly inconsistent with Twitter games and typically play piecemeal for the questions that intrigue me, like Worldbuilders, SensationalWIP, and LGBTwrimos
9) Do you have any formal training/education for writing?
I have a certificate in script writing for animation, and have done a number of workshops, but otherwise I’m self-taught.
I have a certificate in script writing for animation, and have done a number of workshops, but otherwise I’m self-taught.
10) Do the people in your life know that you write?
Yes, though I usually recede into my writing cave to work on projects and emerge a year later with a string of new projects. I need to get better about continuing to share my work, even after I’ve started the next thing.
Yes, though I usually recede into my writing cave to work on projects and emerge a year later with a string of new projects. I need to get better about continuing to share my work, even after I’ve started the next thing.
11) Tell me about the people in your life. Family? Pets?
I live with my partner and our two cats. My books are my children.
I live with my partner and our two cats. My books are my children.
12) Where do you wish your writing to take you?
My dream is to work with an agent, get published, and sell well enough that I get to write through the 30-plus books in my head. I have an endless arsenal of ideas I could write about, but I’d like help to reach a wider audience and to hopefully branch out into other mediums, like comics, television, or film.
My dream is to work with an agent, get published, and sell well enough that I get to write through the 30-plus books in my head. I have an endless arsenal of ideas I could write about, but I’d like help to reach a wider audience and to hopefully branch out into other mediums, like comics, television, or film.
13) What did you expect when you joined the Twitter writing community? Did it turn out as expected?
I joined the Twitter community to learn about pitching to agents and the current state of traditional publishing. It’s been hugely supportive and has done wonders to demystify the process of querying. Submitting used to be overwhelming and exhausting for me, but I feel like I’m getting more comfortable with it.
I joined the Twitter community to learn about pitching to agents and the current state of traditional publishing. It’s been hugely supportive and has done wonders to demystify the process of querying. Submitting used to be overwhelming and exhausting for me, but I feel like I’m getting more comfortable with it.
14) Where do you write? I write mostly from home, or on my lunch breaks at my day job.
15) How much time do you dedicate to writing, weekly?
I get about half an hour before work, half an hour on my lunch break, and then between 1 to 6 hours after work/on the weekends. I also do commissions for artwork, so I have to balance my writing time with my other obligations.
I get about half an hour before work, half an hour on my lunch break, and then between 1 to 6 hours after work/on the weekends. I also do commissions for artwork, so I have to balance my writing time with my other obligations.
16) Do you have other talents? My friends would likely say my sewing (I make period costumes, “daily wizard” clothes for myself, and cosplay), my cooking, and art.
17) CHOOSE ONE:
- I do not mind when other writers ask for advice. = I love helping writers bust down their writer’s block, or to give feedback on queries/synopses. I don’t have a huge amount of time, so I try to pitch in whenever I can to give back.
- I’d rather keep to myself!
Astra Crompton is a queer writer focusing on diverse casts with nuanced character development, bringing her passion to Adult and YA fantasy, and LGBT literature. Her work has been published in Anthology for a Green Planet, Blood Moon Rising, and Unity RPG. Her self-published works can be found at www.astracrompton.com.Twitter @ulzaorit
Facebook @cosmoscollective
Patreon @AstraCromptonCheck out how Astra's character sketch became reality in Cosplay:
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