Loading ...
House of the Muses #6, by Pam Harrison on sale now at IndyPlanet.com
Catching Up With Queer Press Grant Recipient Pam Harrison!
by David Stanley, posted September 6th, 2010
[Print-ready Version]
With the deadline fast-approaching for this year’s Queer Press Grant—apply by September 15th!—I caught up with Pam Harrison, who received the QPG for her book, House of the Muses.
DAVID: How are you? How’s your summer been?
PAM: Doing great. This summer I made an interview appearance at Sketch Maven and am scheduled for a follow-up with Brian Cronin, reviewing House of the Muses #4-6 at Comic Book Resources this fall. My Sketch Maven interview is at http://www.sketchmaven.com/cms.php?&content=Pam_Harrison.
DAVID: What’s your latest project? Is it out yet? And where can people see it or get a hold of it?
PAM: Just published the latest issue of the House of the Muses series: House of the Muses #6: Last Child of Herakles, now working on HotM #7, Andromeda’s Pretty Bargain. Also wrapping up the first issue in my new science fiction series, A Deviant Mind. All my books can be found on IndyPlanet.com/ and Wowio. Paperbacks are on Amazon.com worldwide and participating online European booksellers. Find previews for both series at http://houseofthemuses.com.
DAVID: With the demise of gay bookstores and gay newspapers, what new tactics do you use to get your work distributed and publicized? Is this new digital world a curse or a boon?
PAM: The new digital world is a boon for me because I predicted where it would go from the beginning and prepared for it. House of the Muses appeared in ebook format on Amazon.com in 2007 already and went to Wowio in 2009. When the ebook boom arrived, the House of the Muses series was one of the top ebook sellers in May 2010, according to Kristin Ellison of Wowio.
I’m proud to count myself among one of the unsung titans of Independent comics, because my horn hasn’t been tooted nearly as much as it could be. According to a report in Summer 2010, Independent comics selling more than 200 copies were the exception, not the rule. Between ebooks, paperbacks and comic sales I have achieved more than four times that. In this light, I am one of a handful of artists that make a substantial income from webcomics, from sales in the US and worldwide.
DAVID: How do you put everything aside and find the time and space to create? Do you have to banish yourself from everyone and all your gadgets?
PAM: My main gadget is my Toshiba Satellite laptop and I’m rarely far from it. I’m always working on my latest story, whether I’m puzzling over plotlines in my head, jotting notes in a notebook or laying out pages on the computer. My laptop stand is in the living room so I’m always spending as much quality time as possible with my sweetie.
DAVID: Any convention appearances?
PAM: Haven’t been able to manage to make any cons yet! I am scheduled to appear at Mid-Ohio Con with Roy Duncan, creator of The Villain Next Door, Nov 6-7 2010. We’ll see how my first big con appearance goes when we get there!
DAVID: What thing are you excited about at the moment—a song, book, movie, person, app, pastry bag—that everyone else should be excited about?
PAM: I’m pre-pressing A Deviant Mind to go on sale at Wowio on September 1, 2010. I seem to be a publishing automaton or something.
DAVID: Who or what inspired you to become a comics creator?
PAM: I was exposed to comics at a very early age in 1970, when my grandfather bought me my very first comic book: the edition of Adventure Comics #411 featuring Supergirl! I don’t know how many people can remember their very first comic, but I never forgot it. It was a sad little tale of the times about prejudice: a blind black child and an alien become friends, only to have society turn on the alien because it was “obviously” a threat based on society’s perception of aliens. Clearly, some things about our society today haven’t changed much. Anyway, once Grandpa got me hooked, I collected every comic I could get my hands on.
DAVID: What’s up for the future?
PAM: I’m just plodding along. At House of the Muses #7, I have only two more issues in the series to work on, and it’s hard to believe it’s almost finished!!! Initial reader reaction to “A Deviant Mind” has been huge, so I’m predicting it will pick up even more readers for me in months to come. Keep your eye on it.
DAVID: How can people learn about your work, follow you, or contact you?
PAM: I’m always available on http://houseofthemuses.com. You can follow houseofmuses on Twitter or find my Facebook fan page.
DAVID: Thanks, Pam! 
David Stanley is Prism’s Co-President & PR Chair and working on stuff, you’ll see.
Prism Comics promotes the works of the LGBT community in comics. It does not implicitly endorse any other material or products associated with those works. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s).
Return to the Features page
