Poured Over: Rachel Smythe on Lore, Olympus: Volume 1
“Making connections with people has often been quite difficult for me, you know, this can be really isolating, but it’s so incredible to make this book that so many people are interested in reading and enjoying, and they look at it, and they’re like, Oh, this feels really relatable.” More than 5.4 million people follow Rachel Smythe’s Lore Olympus on Webtoons, and now she’s adapted the first 25 chapters of her retelling of the myth of Persephone into a fabulous book. Rachel joins us on the show to talk about the inspiration behind her relatable story and unforgettable art; her favorite books and writers, including The Odyssey translated by Emily Wilson, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett; color theory and the joys of brainstorming, and more. (She even shares a little advice for comics creators at the start of their career.) Produces/hosted by Miwa Messer and engineered by Harry Liang.
Poured Over is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Books mentioned in this episode:
Lore Olympus: Volume One by Rachel Smythe
The Odyssey, translated by Emily WIlson
Neil Gaiman’s novels, especially the Sandman series
The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
The Asterix comics
Full transcript for this episode:
B&N: Rachel Smythe, most folks at this point know you from Lore Olympus, which is your webcomic. We’re delighted to say we have a Barnes and Noble Exclusive Edition of Lore Olympus: Volume One, and volume one contains episodes one through 25 of this amazing webcomic that has 5.4 million subscribers, you’re up to your 180th episode as of early November, which is really exciting. So the books are catching up with the work itself. But can we go back to the start of everything in 2017? When you’re just deciding to create what becomes Lore Olympus? What made you choose comics as your medium?
Rachel Smythe: This is a good question. And an interesting time, I have always like dabbled in drawing when I was small. I come from a reading family. But I struggled with learning how to read for a very long time for a variety of reasons. One, like my eyesight was quite bad. And no one realized this until a bit later. And then also the various issues with dyslexia and things like that. So, I think it was easier for me to draw a picture of things than read them. Like if I wanted to communicate. When I was younger, I could just be like, Oh, I don’t know, specifically how to write the phone that I would like to write, however, I can do a drawing and people will look at this and be like, Oh, that’s the gist of what you mean. So I think illustration has always been like, a form of communication for me that I had. And also, I think, again, when I was small, I would like look at picture books and be like, I can’t read this. But I can look at the illustrations. And you know, imagine what might be happening. So I think a lot of my urge to draw comes from that. I have never considered myself a writer up until now. I’m like, oh, okay, I guess I’m a writer. Yeah, that happened. Wishes, you know, it kind of fell into it. You know, I thought perhaps like earlier in life, like my early 20s. I was like, perhaps this could be a job question mark. But also, you know, when I finished my design degree, it was sort of the full recession. So there’s not a lot of paid work for people who illustration for a living. And especially because it you know, I live in New Zealand and there is like, not as many, you know, opportunities to do drawing for a living. So there was that I focused on my job as a graphic designer, things like that. And then I think in 2017, I think at the time, I was like, oh, you know, I had stumbled across Webtoon as a website and had been partaking in the stories on there, and thought, Oh, I could you know, have a go at this because I don’t know how many people know this. But there is two sections to the website, there’s like the canvas and originals and canvases society where you know, anyone can use it, it’s available for anyone who was like, I’d like to make a comic and I’d like to upload it and share it with people. And I thought, oh, you know, I can see these people over here on the other section of the website and they appear to be like updating every week, which is absolutely insane to be like I said, I’ve always liked it in and out of drawing and you know, done some illustration work. But you know, there was still a lot of fundamentally that wasn’t there and I was like I guess I can like challenge myself and have a car and it would be really nice if I could like update something different weights with it doesn’t have to be whole story or anything like that, but I can just have a go at the stage I had no following like I think maybe I had like 20 followers on Twitter or something. This is very much like a story that I wrote specifically, like, you know, when you’re talking to like authors or what have you like later into their career, and they’re making something and generally kind of have this sense of like, Who is this for? Who is your audience? So specifically, I’m making Lore Olympus at the time or the pilot. I was like, this is for me, and I can’t imagine anyone else reading it. This is pretty much like just a personal project for fun, you know, to challenge myself and I just can’t imagine other people partaking in it. And I remember I like I was probably going to come up and like few interviews, but I think I did like my first chapter which was, I believe six panels, and I put it up and I was like nice and I went out I think I went for a drive with my partner somewhere and I came back I had six comments, like six comments. Yeah. People read this and liked it enough to leave a comment and like yeah, the rest is kind of history.
B&N: I think that’s amazing because I learned very cool thing about you while I was researching this, you ended up with 1000 followers in the first month and Webtoons turned around and said, Would you like to become a paid creator with us?
Rachel Smythe: I did get like around 1000 Follow was an amount that is for us, like on vacation somewhere, I got like a little, like we’ve tuned, we’ll send you out a little bit that says, Congratulations, you’ve got 1000 followers on vacation at the time. And I was like 1000 followers. And I think you know, from that point on, I was like, Okay, I’m gonna keep plugging away at it. And yeah, I think it was probably like, I believe I began it in like, April of 2017. And I think in November, so roughly around this time of year, I got an email that was like, Hey, pal, do you want to do this officially for the website? And I was like, yes. Yes, please. So about the 1000 subscribers in like, a month or so that is roughly true. Yes. But they weren’t quite ready to be like, hop aboard right away. Took like, half a year or so.
B&N: Was I’m glad they asked. And I’m glad you said yes. But of all the gods. You’re writing about Persephone and Hades, but mostly Persephone. Why did you choose her?
Rachel Smythe: Like, you know, when you’re a kid, and you just like something? Yeah. And you don’t have the language skills? Why have you need to articulate why you like something? You just come across something in your tweens and you’re like, this resonates with me so much Oh, my God. And I don’t think that’s ever left me. Like I don’t even have a concrete answer at this point. I think in some ways, especially at this stage of my life, and kind of look at Persephone and you’re like, I use the millennial because she’s one of the early goddesses that goes through sort of like a job change, if you will, like a lot of other like deities that you look at. They’re like, this is the thing that I do. I was born into it. I’m doing it. Like I’m not saying it’s totally here, but there are a fair very few deities of mythology who I had one job and then I had another job, they switched careers. So I’ve like yeah, she’s like our Millennial for sure.
B&N: I also feel like she’s a bit of the audience stand in. I mean, she’s learning about Olympus when she first shows up.
Rachel Smythe: Oh, yeah, um, she like in terms of like Lore Olympus. And we’re talking like with, like, my book, things she assumptions. It’s kind of like our fish out of water character. So the other characters can explain to her what was going on. You can be like, as a reader look at it and be like, Oh, this is the world building. Thank you so much.
B&N: I think the modern updates are fun though. The gods carry cell phones. Everyone’s got flashy cars. You know, Zeus is in a suit. It’s fun. And we’re going to get more in depth with the illustrations. Can we talk about Persephone’s hair for a second, this is the most excellent touch this idea that you’ve done with her hair and how it represents her emotional states.
RS: I believe like a million years ago, back when I was like a teen something I think I like written another like little story for myself originally, but hit like a character that also had this very, like mood changing hair. And I was like, this was a good idea. Like as an adult, I look back on it. And I was like, this is a good idea, I’m going to just reincorporate this storytelling mechanism into my comic, just as like a great visual cue for people to look at and be like, Oh, she’s in distress. And like, I personally have a super short attention span, like a tiny little PPE sized tissues. I need to like draw a variety of different things. And anyone who like makes a comic or you know, works in any type of illustration, knows what I mean, when it’s like, you have to like that to something and you have to draw that thing relatively the same. And I’m like, I’ve got to spice it up, I’ve got to have something different to draw otherwise, I will not commit to this whole project and I will not be able to like withstand the length of time that is taking me to do it. So it is good to have like some visual variety. And also like she’s got like her mood changing flower crown, which I really enjoy. And like these, you know, visual metaphors can also be applied to other characters. So we’ve got like Hades and he goes on like, starry sky at nighttime sky when he is pissed off, like I know we’re trying to like keep to this one book, but like there are some scenes where Zeus looks like one of those balls that you see at the Science Center and they’ve got like the Steadicam inside the bone when you touch it. I don’t know what it’s called. I forgotten but he is based on one of those. I don’t know what it is. I have to look it up. But I’m like, you know when he’s doing his special I’m like, yeah, he looks like one those balls that you touch and the static goes to your hair. And I know everyone’s gonna be like, Rachel, this is what you’re talking about. But I’m drawing a blank right now.
B&N: I think it’s something to do with Tesla. I should know, too, but I can’t remember either. But they’re fun. I mean, I do remember having fun with them. I really am looking forward, though, to talking to you about your art, because you have a lot of fans at BNN, obviously, but the art is spectacular. It’s so bold and color saturated. But also it reminds me a lot of sort of this mid century modern illustration style. So I’m talking about sort of the 1950s in the early 1960s. What was the inspiration behind the art for you?
RS: I do really like Mary Blair. And for those who don’t know, she was like a concept artist for Disney. I think my favorite concept that she did was like for Cinderella and stuff. And all the characters are very blocky and very distinct. So she is a huge inspiration, obviously, like manga and anime. Disney does a mix of a lot of things. I think my style, but I have currently was definitely, I don’t mean to sound like self deprecating when I say this, but it was kind of born from like, what I didn’t know how to draw. Because obviously, I don’t consider myself to be like the most what would you say have got like a fantastic fundamental base to work with. I kind of do try to think more on like silhouette and feeling rather than like having a fantastic grasp of anatomy, if that makes sense. If I can do like a really bold shape, that invokes a feeling and somebody, maybe the arms are too long, or maybe the legs are too long, or the head is too big. But people will look at it and be like, Oh yeah, I get this feeling. I know you’re you’re trying to say when I look at this Hurray. So a lot of it is born from just you know, trying to do a very distinct or like dynamic shape. That translates well to people.
B&N: It’s very cool to because obviously, Hades takes on much deeper, darker tones in color, there’s a lot more black, a lot more dark purple. And then when you’re in Olympus, everything gets a little lighter and a little brighter.
RS: Yeah, I think I’m designing the characters and choosing what colors they are. Some of them are based like on color theory. So you’ve got Hades and Persephone. And just those two colors like really pop together. So if you’re going to have like Persephone in the underworld, she’s going to be like very vibrant pink color. And she’s going to you know, really stand out on like those really dark like navy blues and things. And you know, vice versa for Hades when he’s an Olympus he’s going to be, there’s going to be like high contrast there. And when you’re looking at some of the characters like Aries again, like Sorry, let me just turn to the first novel, try really hard, but he’s meant to be like a rusty sword color. So his color choices more thematic, rather than you know, to do with color theory, if that makes sense.
B&N: You’re also doing your art on the computer. And to me, it looks all hand drawn, how did you end up doing the work on the computer?
RS: I use a digital screen called a Cintiq. And basically, all of my drawings are done in Photoshop. And I use like a lot of brushes that look, you know, like a natural paint. I really like using those brushes, because when I was growing up, and you know, getting used to doing digital art, I think a lot of people will know what I mean, when they hear this podcast, they’ll be like, oh, yeah, I know, I know what you’re getting at. But digital art used to be really like, the popular thing to do at the time was to do very smooth lines, very, like a particular type of shading and treatment to the work, which was fine. Like, you know, it’s fine. It’s just what’s trendy at the time. But now I feel like there’s been a lot of like development and what you can have with like a Photoshop brush, for example, like my line is not fantastic. Like, I can’t do very, very, very smooth lines. So I use a pencil brush, and it looks like more natural for the style of how I draw is a lot more forgiving. You know, it’s pretty much the same as like how you would draw on paper, but you just do it on a big screen instead.
B&N: So we know there’s a streaming show coming from the Jim Henson Company, we don’t know yet where it’s going to air but we do you have the book? What’s that experience like for you to see your work laid out in a new way?
RS: Well, it’s good. It’s very exciting. I think like when I first was, you know, making Lore Olympus in the vertical scrolling format, people will be like, Oh, this is great. Do you think I’d be able to have it as like a comic book like a traditional one? And like I mentioned before, I have worked as a graphic designer. And so I know in my bones that that is a very difficult undertaking, it is not easy to, like re-lay out, you know, something like a comic, just because both print and vertical scroll have a really distinct storytelling flow to them. Like if you are working on like a traditional comic, like, you know, for the most part, like if you need to have like a certain flow of your panels as they work from like, left to right or right to left, depending on where you are in the world. And like how they go down the page and how you use your spreads like this definitely like a language and an approach to that. I haven’t really made any printbase with someone, you know, I’m not no one handed it I don’t know, I do understand how to do it for vertical scrolling, which a lot of it has to do with the power of the reveals. So yeah, when I was approached for books and things I’d be like, I don’t know if I could do this task. But luckily, you know, my publisher was like, we will provide someone who will do this, who’s awesome at it. And I was like, Yeah, because if I did this, we wouldn’t have a book yet. We’d still be waiting. And all very frustrated. So I’m very glad that someone else did it for me. And he isn’t wizard. I’m pretty sure.
B&N: So when you’re sitting down to plan an episode of Lore Olympus on Webtoon, do you start with an image? Or you starting with a combination of word and image? Or are you just starting with words?
RS: It depends on I find personally, it really helps to hit the script first. But I’m not like married to the script I don’t like this is the script. And this is how it must be. But I’ll sit down, I’ll write a script and be like, Yep, this is good. And then I basically have a bunch of files, which I would refer to as pages. But there’s a very loose term when you’re dealing with vertical scrolling format. And each of those pages has about five or six panels on it. And I basically go through and lay out my script on my canvas, if you will, and do a rough draft sketch of the whole thing first, before like colors and x and y are done.
B&N: Our exclusive edition of Lore Olympus has an image of Persephone and Hades on the cover that’s really striking. And it’s from the interior. It’s really terrific, though, how did you decide that was the image you wanted to use for our edition?
RS: When I thought about like doing the cover, I’ll generally like approach my publisher with a handful of concepts. I’ll do like three to six ideas for cover and be like, What do you think which one do you like? So the one that ended up going cuz this was like, obviously, when I first did this, for the first volume, this was not an opportunity, which had yet become apparent. You know what I mean? It sounds like he has a lot. And the one that is actually on the on the Barnes and Noble cover is my favorite concept. Anyone who works with the creative industry owner, the circle of when you like God, like a bunch of concepts, and you’re like, this one’s the best one in my heart, and I love it so much. And I know 100% that everyone’s gonna pick this one, and then you hand them in, and then they don’t pick it and you’re like what?! How could you not go with this one? But I love the combo. So it turned out great. Now I’m working this position where I feel like saying one cover is better than the other. But they both my children and I love them equally. There we go. But I think that they both have different strokes like the one that is like the standard one, really like encapsulates the vibe of like the whole series. Well, I feel like the Barnes and Noble cover is really striking and catches a certain intimacy that the other one doesn’t. But they’re both good. I love them equally.
B&N: And that brings me to another question I have about your editing process, though. There is a previously unpublished comic at the end of Lore Olympus, and it’s about Hera, and her coat, and I’m just going to leave it at that for folks who know, you know, and for folks who are going to discover that story, it’s really fun. You should read it. But how much work do you end up cutting in the process of just creating your weekly episodes?
RS: Good question. I think I have a lot of I don’t want to say fluff because I actually don’t like the word fluff is the description for things. But I haven’t like a lot of like, excess character dialogue, where if I had like, a million years to work on this project, there will be like a lot of like jokes and like nuances that like you know, sometimes I don’t have the time to put in. So it’s mainly little things like that, like, you know, there’ll be like an extended conversation that goes for maybe 10 panels and I’m like this is probably like not the most necessary, either because it doesn’t tell you as a reader anything new, or it’s kind of like a joke that like the reader just doesn’t require, but it’s like a nice to have. So often I’ll do like a script, and I’ll have chunks in it, which will be like, a nice to have, but like not super necessary. Like, if I have time to put it in, that’s great. If I don’t, it’s not the end of the world. And that’s generally my approach. Occasionally, I will write a chapter, it doesn’t happen very often where, you know, my editor will look at it, and be like, this is like, this is not the thing to do. Okay, so that is like, one of the instances where, you know, I have like this chapter with Hera, and I want you to try, I’ll try not to do spoilers, but you know, it’s kind of a chapter with Hera, but it’s not really about Hera as much. And my editor at the time was like, you know, I don’t think the first chapter that features here should be so much about the other characters like that. One is it should be you know more about stuff she’s doing, which is fair.
B&N: You have taken these classic stories of Greek mythology, some of which are problematic. I think anyone who’s had a chance to read Greek mythology knows what we’re referring to. But you’ve created from that problematic source material, a really vibrant world that is yours. And the dialogue is snappy, it’s really sharp. It’s really funny. It’s really smart. It’s also really relatable, and you’ve created relatable characters out of mythological gods, and you’ve created a community of committed fans and the cosplay is fantastic. You publish fan art, on your Instagram and on your Twitter as well. And it’s really fantastic to see, when did you realize you had tapped into this world beyond the world you created?
RS: Such a good question. I think I tried to think of like an exact moment where I was like, Wow, this was really taken off. I think..
B&N: From the outside, it feels like 2019 was sort of the moment where it started to take off.
RS: It’s kind of always been in the process of just growth all the time. If that makes sense. I think like a really good way of putting it is this is succeeded so much more than I ever could have imagined anything I could have made, what succeed. So it’s kind of always like, just pushing past what I could believe that I could do. Like I said, when I first made the first six panels, and I got like a couple of comments, I was like, wow, this is amazing. So you know, that is a milestone for me, or like receiving 1000 followers, that is also, you know, a valid milestone to have. And it’s kind of one of those, how long is a piece of string. So like, I remember because I was still doing my day job for, you know, a relatively long time. And I would like come home, and I just have like, all these emails and things. People being like, this is interesting. Can I please ask this question about it? Or, you know, people would just like send me fan art or tag me in fanart. I remember the first time I brought a fanart and I was like, What is this? Someone took the time out of their day to draw fan art? This is crazy. It definitely took off in a way. Where I was like holy crap. Yeah, probably in 2019. Definitely. When they announced that the show was in production, there was definitely different levels of like, attention that I got. So I think like the first half of 2019 was like a very contained level where I was like, wow, this is cool. Like, you know, there’s always gonna be like a high volume of stuff. And it’s going pretty well. But yeah, definitely when the show was announced in October, I was like, oh, yeah, this is kind of like, not scary. But kind of getting to a level where I was like, This is what the most visibility like I’ve ever had. And I kind of have to like, start approaching the way that I do things differently. Just because like the visibility that I have is like on a next level now, like I cannot just like interact with people the same way that I was before. I’d just be like, oh, yeah, I’m just gonna talk to anybody all the time. And now I’m like, You can’t talk to anybody. It’s not a good idea, or you’re burned out. Or like you can’t learn just go onto Twitter and like post whatever. You know, prior to this, you know, you could just go on to like, whatever social platform and be like today I had a bad day for X, Y, and Z. And I’m like, I can’t really do that anymore. It’s a bit different.
B&N: I want to step away from your book for a second and ask you if you have any favorite books of Greek mythology that you’ve sort of used as reference to your project?
RS: Okay, um, this is super, like, if I’m most like boring, I’ll say I really like the Odyssey, they did a translation for the oddest thing. I’m really I have to remember this woman’s name.
B&N: Emily Wilson. Emily Wilson is the name of the woman you’re looking for.
RS: Yes! She did a translation of this book. And I love that book. I’m like, the energy of like, it’s just, it’s one of my favorite books. Like, in general, I love The Odyssey, mainly because it’s kind of, like, I mean, what it’s like a big part of storytelling, and, like a lot of like, and in general, like a lot of like, you know, Greek stories, like the backbone of like storytelling from, you know, predominantly from Western culture. So there’s like, so much there, that this is why we write, this is why we tell stories, the way that we do is because of these stories, a lot of the time. Also, I should say with a grain of salt. It’s such a great story, these elements from a modern lens that we may not understand. And working out what they might mean to people back then is so exciting. Like, I really enjoy it. But there’s a bit that I remember, you know, reading previously, where Odysseus is basically like, I think it’s like on his last weeks before he goes home, and he goes to the fishing village, and I do like sports. Description, and he starts crying because he’s very tired. And he’s not good at the sports. And for a long time, I thought it was hilarious. And I was like, He’s crying because he’s not good at sports. But then I listened to election. And I found out he was crying because people don’t recognize him as a hero anymore. And his name is not widely known. So he’s, like, sacrificed all his stuff. And basically, for lack of a better description, his street cred is not there. So that’s why he’s upset. And it’s just so you know, interesting finding that sort of stuff out about the stories that you love.
B&N: Language changes over time, and translations evolve. I mean, that’s part of the importance of the Emily Wilson translation is she just went back and fixed a lot of the word choices that earlier translators had used, not all of which were accurate, and some were more about the time in which the translation was being done and less about the original text.
RS: Yes. So good. And she has such a good description. Like about why she did what she did before story starts and I just live for it. I just love it so much.
B&N: I’m so glad you like it as much as I do, I think.
RS: Yeah, like she’s got like theories on their wishes. Like, potentially the story could have been written in patches by a woman because it’s like, so favorable towards women. I’m like, yeah, that is true. It is really favorable towards women. Like, she’s a boss. She’s fantastic.
B&N: Can we talk about some of the other writers and artists and mythologies beyond the Greek that have influenced you as a writer and an artist?
RS: Oh, goodness. Oh, okay. I, I really like Neil Gaiman. But I feel like that’s the case for a lot of people, particularly the Sandman series, like that was very much a staple of my household growing up. Like I said, I did come from a reading family and you know, we would go to the library, like at least once a week to get books out. We constantly got books, we didn’t really like watch that much TV when I was a kid. So just like books all the time. So I mean, predominantly, I personally learned to read from comic books mainly like that was super helpful for me. I really liked Asterix. I read a lot of Asterix as a kid. I do not remember specifics of what was in it. I have not read it in a long time, but I do remember enjoying it immensely as a kid. Um, what else? Terry Pratchett. Definitely a Terry Pratchett family. Really loved Terry Pratchett. When I was a kid I had like a really weird obsession with the Hunchback of Notre DOM like Victor Victor Hugo one. Yeah, and I was like, Yeah, this is a weird thing for a child to be into but there you go. I’m just like, Yeah, and I’m like trying to go to like primary school and convince my peers to read it. What else? Oh, it was something else. Sorry. I’m like digging in the memory barrel.
B&N: And Neil Gaiman has that very cool Norse Myth retelling, that he did.
RS: He just knows how to do it, man. Yeah, well, I think he’s in my country is Well, I keep wanting to be like, I think he just like quarantined here and I want to be like, can we just talk? Like, I know, everyone wants to talk to you, but like, you know, call me but he’s probably really busy. Ah, yeah, he just has such a fantastic approach to like writing, because modifications as a whole, like, he just knows how to do it. And he has, like, I don’t know, his approach. His work has so much empathy and kindness, which I think is really what carries it throughout the years
B&N: Is Asterix what made you a reader as a kid? What was the thing that grabbed you and, you know, made you say, I want to be part of this, I want nothing but books.
RS: That was kind of the first comic that I had access to. And, like, I don’t know, if it’s about like being like, Oh, this is some content that I specifically selected for myself. But it was, you know, what was around and at home. And, you know, you looked at it a lot, I think probably like the way that women were drawn when I was a little kid, I was like, Yes, this is very nice. This is drawn very well. It’s hard with stuff as a kid because you like things, and you can’t remember why you’d like to end. It’s like this very vague memory. And I’m like, did I like this because I liked it? Or did I just like to like it, because it exists in my heart, and I just had access to it. Yeah, I think the drawings are so bold, and expressive and distinct from what I can remember, as well as very vibrant, too. It’s like, it’s just a fun comic, from what I remember.
B&N: What’s your favorite part of creating Lore Olympus?
RS: Um, definitely brainstorming. I love the bit where you’re trying to come up with something new, and you’re either in the shower, because that’s the only place with no internet, no, I will not be getting a waterproof phone, because it will just be the worst thing to do ever. Or just going for a walk in, you’re brainstorming and you’re kind of coming up with like ideas or ways to resolve plotlines. And it’s all very exciting and new. And I like when, you know, parts of the story are resolved, or like, you know, something dramatic is happening and getting to see readers reactions to that. I also like, because they’re talking about, like, the community and stuff before and how strong it is. And I really enjoy like, you know, seeing community growth and how people make friends with each other, and how people, you know, start creating together and like doing all the span work. And like, that’s very touching. I mentioned before, I’m like, not fantastic with communicating with other people as a whole. Like, I often feel verbally quiet, I guess, like shy, I suppose. So like making connections with people has often been quite difficult for me, you know, this can be like really isolating, but it’s so incredible to you know, make this book that so many people are interested in reading and enjoying and they look at it, they’re like, Oh, this feels really relatable. And, you know, I kind of feel at this point, that’s a really nice way of having, you know, some sort of like being recognized or having validation. And it may not be like in a one on one conversation with someone but you know, I feel like more understood people out there like enjoying my book.
B&N: That’s so great. Do you have any advice for comics creators who are just starting out now?
RS: I do, like advice is kind of dangerous, because I hate being like, here’s the recipe for success, because I kind of feel like, it’s really just buck wild, what can happen, you never know. And it’s kind of insane. But I think when creating anything, even if you’re just drawing or you’re just writing or you’re making a comic, you should really do what you really want to do. This is the thing that you should do. And you’ll find that people will probably be like, Oh, I really liked this thing too. And I think the other thing, in terms of if you’re wanting to think more commercially, you should keep an eye out for trends and storytelling, like in terms of, you know, how people are partaking in stories now. And you should keep an eye out for all those different advances in publishing, because I feel like specifically, there’s so many talented people out there, it’s amidst what’s out there. And a lot of it is about gaining their visibility or their foothold and it can often be very difficult and like I know this because it took me some kind of like 10 years to like, make any sort of a dent, like get recognized so we’ll feel like a bit of a struggle. But you know, I was lucky enough to stumble upon, we have turned which was relatively new at the time. And you know, gain a position there quite early on. So I think it is good to keep looking out for like how things are changing and take advantage of that. If you find that the publishing avenue that you’re looking at may not be working for you, obviously still keep trying but you know, try to think outside of the box if you can.
B&N: Sounds really good. We’ve stayed away from some story points because for the readers who don’t know the world of Lore Olympus, we want them to be surprised and delighted and touched. Rachel Smythe, thank you so much for joining us on Poured Over. Lore Olympus :Volume One is out now. Volume Two lands in July 2022. So go ahead and preorder those copies. Thank you again for joining us.
RS: No problem. Thank you for having me. It’s been super fun.