Sleeping Wizards: Author Rusty Marcum on Grief and Genre Mashups

Host Tanya Roundy interviews writer Rusty Marcum who shares his background, love of mixed genres, and how grief shapes much of his work. He describes his award-winning pilot/spec script “Jasper,” about a family grieving a son’s suicide who move to a haunted Colorado town where once-friendly ghosts turn dangerous, and notes early Netflix interest faded. Rusty discusses inspirations from short stories and classic films, plus a sci-fi/fantasy concept sparked by a hiking experience and a dream. He explains how “Sleeping Wizards” evolved into a graphic novel after industry feedback, finding artist Joanna Taylor, and selling the pitch to publisher Iron Circus; a Kickstarter (Feb 16–Mar 18) seeks $18,000 with digital, print, and D&D one-shot options. He closes with advice to writers to be easy on themselves.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ironspike/sleeping-wizards?ref=3q00iz
https://www.facebook.com/johannamation
https://ironcircus.com/

00:00 Show Intro and Guest
00:29 Rusty Background and Writing
01:39 Grief Themes and Projects
02:48 Godzilla Genre Talk
05:25 Jasper Series Breakdown
08:03 Volcano Dream Story Idea
11:04 Reading and Writing Influences
13:54 Sleeping Wizards Origins
16:49 From Screenplay to Comic
18:24 Finding the Right Artist
19:51 Pitch Pages and Publisher Deal
20:59 How to Read Graphic Novels
23:18 Artist Details and Visual Language
25:10 Kickstarter Rewards and Trailer
27:42 Other Publications and Community
29:10 Short Stories and Open Endings
30:23 Be Easy on Yourself
32:05 Final Thanks and Wrap Up

In a world full of uncertainty, how does one cope with unbearable loss and pain? A Christmas tragedy finds Steve and Maria struggling to find hope. With the love and support of family and friends, will they find peace as they walk through the fire of Uncertainty?

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