Article and Photography by ALICE MARY HERDEN
Since the age of ten, Cortney Cameron was always interested in anime and animated cartoons. Her new comic book, Catians started as a game she invented and played with her sister and their cousin in the rural area of Hays, North Carolina.
“We took advantage of the natural terrain by developing this fantasy world where we could go out and run around and pretend that we were these superheroes, super-powered characters.”
Ten years ago, Cortney was dealing with a lot of changes in her life, from the passing of her father as well as dealing with local flooding in her hometown. She was able to handle the hardships by focusing on writing. It was a way for her to heal.
“At that time I was going through a lot of changes in my life, my father had passed away not so long ago, and there were a lot of floods going on, I started writing the story I think as a way to cope with that.”
Soon the imaginative game she invented as a young child would become one of her proudest achievements.
Her original idea began as a novel. However, the feedback from editors directed her differently. The editors explained to Cortney that the way she was writing her novel was geared more towards serialized story format or comic book style.
In 2016 Cortney began converting her novel into her very first published comic book and in March of 2019 the first chapter Catians: Resurrection was published.
Cameron with illustrator/artist Luyi Bennett to bring the storyline to life. “One of the special considerations with comic books is that I’ve written the story and scripted it, but I work with an artist to do the art. So I need to make sure that my vision is so clear that when someone else reads it, they can draw what I see in my head,” Cameron explained.
Catians introduces the readers into the mythological strength of cats, and the comic book showcases heroic situations and life transitions. In upcoming chapters, Cortney brings more characters together as they develop specific abilities through the divine powers of felines.
“My hope is that other readers who see it and are going through difficult times in their lives will find inspiration to persevere through whatever troubles they are struggling with,” Cortney remarked.
Cortney Cameron by day is a Hydrogeologist with Southwest Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) in Brooksville. Two of her favorite fans, are her cats Vash and Knives.
Her comic book signing debut took place at U.S. 41 Book Store in Spring Hill on June 29.
Read more on her website: https://catians.com/
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Comic Book Author set for book signing Aug 2-4, 2019.
If you missed this comic book signing, Cortney Cameron will be at the Tampa Bay Comic Convention August 2-4 at the Tampa Convention Center.
