Sample Sunday: "The Wonderful WonderWoods"

The Wonderful WonderWoods, the fifth and final part of the "TOONS" series, is now available on Amazon. Here's a sample:

At that moment, the president stepped through the curtain and onto the stage. His footsteps echoed across the raised, wooden platform, drowned out by the thunderous applause of his executive staff. The elves in trench coats remained silent.

Where's Part 5 of "TOONS?"

P.T. Dilloway asked me on Twitter, and you may be wondering as well, where's the final book of TOONS? As I've said before, it's a five-part series and it's actually done. I sent him an advance copy already. Set in the cartoon world of fairy tales and fantasy, The Wonderful WonderWoods brings the anthros to their final battle to confront the Masked Executive and save the world. They also get thrown into the world of magic and fairy godmothers as well.

Its status is kind of complicated. I was going to release it on its own, but I've always intended to release TOONS as a single volume. An omnibus, "full season," collection, whatever you want to call it. I've gone back and forth on whether to release WonderWoods on its own or just release the full collection with it. I guess I'll do two releases, after all.

I'll be releasing WonderWoods on July 16th, 2017. TOONS: The Complete Series should be released two weeks later on August 1, 2017. Stay tuned for more details.

"My name is Timothy McGill, and I'm a time travel addict..." Time Junkie, now available in paperback and ebook formats!

Sample Sunday: "Toons Part 5 - The Wonderful Wonderwoods"

Today, I'll be running a sample for my as-yet unpublished fifth and final book in the TOONS series, The Wonderful WonderWoods. Set in the cartoon world of fantasy and fairy tales, Crafty Wolf finds himself lost in the forest while trying to find the Apex Factory on Sneeka Peak. Along the way, Crafty finds a frog who turns out to be an enchanted princess with some very non-traditional ideas...

Crafty asked, "So you do a lot of this sort of thing?"

The frog looked like she was about to spit at something, but stopped to look at him. "What sort of thing?"

"Well, this hanging around, all enchanted and such."

New Release: "TOONS 4 - The Anime Way"

With all my recent releases out of the way, I finally had time to edit and release the next book in the TOONS series, The Anime Way. In this installment, Crafty Wolf, Bizzy Beaver, Lucky Elf, and their new buddy Meany Wolf journey to the anime-inspired world of Neo-Neeyo.

When the gang lands in the futuristic city, they stumble across the Cybotech Five, a misfit team of Japanese warriors who use their giant robot to fight an evil alien empire. It's a world of martial arts, robots, and people talking without moving their lips. But when the Cybotech Five's leader goes down for the count, it's up to Bizzy and the crew to save the city.

Download The Anime Way today at the special introductory price of only 99-cents today! If you're new to the series, I've also dropped the price on the first installment, Living in Looneyville. And stay tuned for the final installment in the epic showdown, The Wonderful WonderWoods!

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Excerpts From the TOONS Apex Catalog

The third book in my TOONS series, Friendly Forest, is now available for download. To celebrate, I present these pages from the never-before-seen Apex Corporation catalog.

In my series, TOONS, the Apex Corporation has furnished active Looneyville citizens with the the latest gadgets and accessories to wreak havoc or enhance their lives. Here's are some sample listings from the 2014 Apex catalog...

Item #8463 - Apex Feather Suit

How many times has this happened to you: you set up a bomb to blow up your worst enemy when suddenly it goes off by "accident." Now you've been reduced to nothing but a smoldering cinder, which wouldn't be so bad, except you've burned off all your feathers! And we know how long those take to grow back.

Well, now you don't have to wait for them to grow back! Just order an Apex Feather Suit. It's available in a wide variety of colors and styles to match your specific plumage. Just pull it on, zip it up, and you're ready for a night on the town. And for the active bird, they're also available in six-packs.

Publishing Nightmares: A Brief History of TOONS Pt 3

My comedy series TOONS has a particularly complicated past, so I thought you might like to hear its journey. I'll be discussing how I came up with it, the path of writing, the problems I faced trying to get it published through traditional publishing, and how it ended up self-published. Part one was about how I came up with the idea. Part two, the struggle for publication and complications from Roger Rabbit. Part three, the closest I ever got to selling the book to a traditional publisher.

Toons vs. Roger Rabbit: A Brief History of TOONS Pt 2

My comedy series TOONS has a particularly complicated past, so I thought you might like to hear its journey. I'll be discussing how I came up with it, the path of writing, the problems I faced trying to get it published through traditional publishing, and how it ended up self-published. Part one was about how I came up with the idea. Part two, the struggle for publication and complications from Roger Rabbit.


I wrote the original manuscript for what would become Toons back in the early eighties. In the original draft, it was just meant to be an introduction to what I thought would be a long series, so it was a fraction of what the series has become. I knew very little about professional writing back then, so I did some weird stuff like putting whole chapters in italics and calling chapters "reels." But I liked it so much, I even wrote two sequels; The Wonderful Wonderwoods set entirely in the fairy tale world, and The Untoonables set entirely in the black-and-white Monochrome Zone. At that point, I decided to hold off on writing the next book and maybe try selling the first one.

I did some research to find my competition, and couldn't find another book like mine. The closest were Krazy Kat by Jay Cantor, a mostly dramatic and philosophical novel about the Krazy Kat comic strip, and Who Censored Roger Rabbit by Gary Wolf. At the time, the movie adaptation didn't exist, so I read it just as a book. Reading Roger Rabbit actually made me feel better. The novel is so much different from the movie: the cartoons are newspaper comic strip characters, not animated characters, and the story is much darker with Roger's decomposing clone trying to solve his own murder. (I'll post a review of the novel later) The point is, I thought, "Great, mine's totally unique."

When I started shopping the book around, I discovered "unique" is a dirty word in publishing. Presenting the novel, I got back rejection letters that sometimes had comments on how confusing it was. I found the real problem when I met with a local member of a writer's collective for advice and faced absolute bewilderment. The conversation went something like this:

Interviewer: "What genre is this?"
Me: "I dunno. Science fiction?"
Interviewer: "But it's a comedy?"
Me: "Yes, it's supposed to be funny. Ever read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?"
Interviewer: "No. Where are all the people?"
Me: "It's a cartoon world. They don't have that many people."
Interviewer: "I'm having trouble imagining what the characters look like."
Me: "They look like cartoons."
Interviewer: "I think you might get sued."
Me: "All the characters are original."
Interviewer: "I'll be honest, I don't know who would buy this."
Me: "Thanks for your help."

At that point, I grew really discouraged. But I kept trying. And then, everything changed.

I remember when I first saw it: a cover story on the scifi magazine Starlog for the new movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit? I thought, "Huh, interesting. They made it into a movie." When I started reading, I discovered they made big changes that made it more like my novel. I read about a movie set in a cartoon world, where the characters interact with human beings. My first thought was that this could be good for my novel, but I worried people would think I ripped off Roger Rabbit. They even used the same word that I used to describe them: "toons."

I saw the movie. I loved it, of course. It captured a lot of the passion for animation that I shared. But when I went back to trying to publish Toons, I had a new problem. I no longer had as much heavy lifting to explain the concept, but the conversations I had with people about the book changed.

Me: "It's about cartoons."
Other: "So it's like Roger Rabbit?"
Me: "No, Roger Rabbit was set in the real world. My story is set in the world of cartoons."
Other: "But it's like Roger Rabbit?"
Me: "No, Roger Rabbit was a murder mystery. My novel is an adventure."
Other: "But it sounds like Roger Rabbit."
Me: "Well, Roger Rabbit was a movie. This is a novel."
Other: "Okay, just saying it sounds like Roger Rabbit."
Me: "Fine. It's like Roger Rabbit."

Almost overnight, Toons went from a concept no one would buy because it was too weird to a concept no one would buy because it was a ripoff. And I admit, I grew bitter that I couldn't escape the shadow of the monumental hit movie. It was a little like trying to sell a TV show set in space, and constantly being compared to Star Trek.

But then one day, I got a call. I finally found a publisher for Toons.

And then the problems really started.

Continued in part three.

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The Beginning of TOONS: A Brief History of TOONS Pt 1

I'm always interested when authors talk about the origins of their work. My comedy series TOONS has a particularly complicated past, so I thought you might like to hear its journey. I'll be discussing how I came up with it, the path of writing, the problems I faced trying to get it published through traditional publishing, and how it ended up self-published. Part one, the birth of TOONS.

Sample Sunday: "Friendly Forest"

This week's excerpt is from my work-in-progress, Friendly Forest, book 3 of my TOONS series.

Terrestria nodded to the small dragon standing next to her. "Bring me the sacred scrolls of the prophecy."

The dragon flapped its tiny wings and fluttered up to the castle tower. It came back down carrying a thick leather-bound book.

When the dragon set the book in front of Terrestria, she used her mouth to pry open the cover.

Cardboard shapes unfolded from the inside of the book. A mountainside sprang up, along with a cardboard sun.

Terrestria looked down at it with reverence. "This is our most ancient of texts, passed down for generations among our people, the Cuddlinomicron."

Crafty frowned. "A pop-up book?"

Princess Terrestria pulled on a tab. It made the sun slide back and forth. "The prophecy speaks of the three newcomers who will free Friendly Forest from evil. They will come from outside the forest, they will be strong and brave, and they will be very ugly."

Bizzy grinned at Crafty. "Ugly, huh? Hate to see those--"

Terrestria turned the page. Three cardboard cutouts of three people popped up, all holding hands. They looked exactly like Bizzy Beaver, Crafty Wolf, and Lucky Elf.

Crafty nodded. "Yeah, kinda saw that one coming."

You can catch up with the first book, Living in Looneyville.

May 99-Cent Sale: TOONS

My May 99-Cent Sale continues! Every week of May, I'll be lowering the price on one of my books to 99-cents, starting on Sunday. On the following Sunday, that book will return to its usual $2.99 price, and another book will go down. In addition, in case that's still not enough incentive, I'll be making the sample book free for the first two days. You can read the first part for free, and if you like it, it's only 99-cents for the full book.

New Release: "TOONS: Book 2 - In the Zone"

I'm proud to announce Book 2 of my TOONS series, "In the Zone." It takes our goofy heroes through the black-and-white world of the Monochrome Zone. In case you missed it, here's the summary:

In a world where cartoons are real, Crafty Wolf is kicked out of school for being a bad carnivore. Before he can find a true purpose for his life, that purpose finds him. The all-powerful Apex Corporation that provides everyone with equipment and weaponry has been taken over by a sinister executive. It's up to Crafty, his nihilistic roommate Bizzy Beaver, and a fast-talking elf named Lucky to stop him. Along the way, they'll enter a world of musicals, a land of fairy tales, a country of unbearable cuteness, and more. Get ready to experience a magical and hilarious adventure that will change the way you see cartoons forever. Fans of Roger Rabbit, Douglas Adams, and Terry Pratchett will love this new series.

You can check out "In the Zone" at the US Kindle Store and UK Kindle Store. You can also read Book 1: "Living in Looneyland" or just the first part "Bad Toon Rising" for only 99-cents.

Sample Sunday: "Toons"

 Welcome to Sample Sunday, where we authors give you a taste of our work. Here's an excerpt from my comedy/adventure series, TOONS. 

The gorilla pointed a crooked finger. "The Apex Blimp from the Apex Corporation themselves. Flies that route every day at this time, just like clockwork."

"Oh, yes, it's very nice." Crafty Wolf tried to look interested.

"Ah, good ol' Apex. Why, I remember the days before Apex. In my day, you wanted a stick o' dynamite, you had to send away for it the old-fashioned way. By regular mail. And it cost you a pretty penny. Overnight shipping was the fastest we could get, too, and you were darned glad to have it. Nowadays, you kids with your free orders and instantaneous delivery don't know what you've got."

New Release: TOONS: Living in Looneyville

This week, I have a double release. First, there's Toons 4: Cold Shoulder, the next part of the series that completes their journey in Looneyville, and will lead to the next journey. I'm also releasing all four parts in one book called Living in Looneyville. If you haven't gotten any of the series yet, purchasing the bundled collection is convenient and cheaper.

I've decided not to continue releasing the series as short stories, so the next book in the series will be about the same length as Looneyville, and collect their adventures in the black-and-white world of the Monochrome Zone. It will be called Color Blind. Or Fifty Shades of Gray. I haven't decided yet.

7 Things You Didn't Know About Bugs Bunny

Image Source: Wikipedia

As you might have guessed from my cartoon comedy series TOONS, I love animated cartoons. One of the characters that inspired me is Bugs Bunny. He's been around for decades, but there may be a few bits of trivia you didn't about the wisecracking rabbit. Here are seven of them.

1. How Bugs' Bunny Became Bugs Bunny - The character who became known as Bugs Bunny first appeared in Porky's Hare Hunt in 1938, but had no name. Over time, the rabbit made several appearances in cartoons directed by Ben Hardaway, whose nickname was "Bugs." On the model sheet, they wrote "Bugs' Bunny." In Elmer's Pet Rabbit, when they included a title card to officially name the character, they just removed the apostrophe. That's how the character officially became Bugs Bunny.

Sample Sunday: "Toons"

Welcome to Sample Sunday, where we authors give you a taste of our work. Here's another excerpt from my comedy series, TOONS. This section discusses how "anthros" (animal cartoon characters) handle sugar.

Anthros respond to glucose in the same way that humans respond to alcohol. In other words, they get drunk on sugar. This explains a wide variety of abnormal behaviors, including the almost obsessive loyalty some anthros have to certain breakfast cereals and snack cakes. These products are banned in Looneyville, but as in most societies, illegal substances still manage to slip through the cracks. Complex criminal organizations have formed to exploit the weaknesses of anthros.

In response, a full-scale sugar prevention program has been mounted under the slogan, "Just Say No To A Complete Breakfast." Cereal enforcement teams work twenty-four hours a day with billions of bucks at their disposal, equipped with highly-trained officers and the latest technology in order to cripple the sugar industry in no way whatsoever.

If you'd like to read the rest of it, you can get the first part at the Amazon Kindle Store.

New Release: "TOONS - Parts 1 & 2"

I'm proud to announce that TOONS is now live. I've released Part 1 (Bad Toon Rising) and Part 2 (Get Lucky) of the series in the Amazon Kindle Store, each only .99-cents. Here's a summary:

In a world where cartoons are real, and each genre exists as a country on a single world, Crafty Wolf is kicked out of college for being a bad carnivore. He finds himself without direction, but before he can find a purpose for his life, that purpose finds him. The all-powerful Apex Corporation that provides all of Looneyland with equipment and weaponry has been taken over by a sinister executive. It's up to Crafty, his nihilistic roommate Bizzy Beaver, and a fast-talking elf named Lucky to save the day. Together, they'll cross their world and genres in a magical and hilarious adventure. Get ready to experience the world of cartoons like you'll never seen before in TOONS.

TOONS is an irreverent and wacky story told in a series format for fans of Roger Rabbit, Douglas Adams, Monty Python, and cartoons. Stay tuned for future installments coming soon!

Upcoming Release: TOONS

After much wrestling with old manuscripts and soul searching, I've decided my next release will be TOONS. I'll talk more about this novel in the future, because it has a long and tortured history. It's one of the first novels I ever wrote, and one I'm most proud of, but also the novel least likely to get published by conventional means. TOONS has been described as Roger Rabbit meets Douglas Adams. It's set in the world of animated cartoons, where each genre exists as a nation on a single world, and what happens when they start to cross borders. Here's a brief description:

When Crafty Wolf is kicked out of college for failing to be a good carnivore, he finds himself without direction. But before he can find a purpose for his life, that purpose finds him. The Apex Corporation that provides all of Looneyland with equipment and weaponry has been taken over by a sinister Masked Executive. It's up to Crafty, his nihilistic roommate Bizzy Beaver, and a fast-talking elf named Lucky to save the day. Together, they'll cross their world and genres in an epic and hilarious adventure. Get ready to experience the world of cartoons like you'll never seen before in TOONS.

I'll be releasing the book as a series with the first installment on March. Stay tuned for more details.