Madeleine Holly-Rosing talks about THE BOSTON METAPHYSICAL SOCIETY: GHOSTS AND DEMONS

Madeleine Holly-Rosing joined a collective of 5 Kickstarter campaigns with 5 independent creators banding together to launch on the same day (or within a few days of each other). Their goal is to help promote each other’s campaigns and support each other during the long days of a Kickstarter campaign. Madeleine is launching Boston Metaphysical Society: Ghosts and Demons and she stopped by First Comics News to let our readers know all about the Boston Metaphysical Societ.

First Comics News: When does the Boston Metaphysical Society take place?

Madeleine Holly-Rosin: 1896 Boston. Or rather an alternate history version of Boston, MA.

1^st: What is the world of the Boston Metaphysical Society like?

Madeleine: It is an alternate history of America which is referred to as the Great States of America. Ghosts and demons are a normal part of life. Families known as the Great Houses control the economy while the middle class and lower classes sole purpose are to serve them.

1^st: Who is Caitlin O’Sullivan?

Madeleine: She is a medium and spirit photographer and daughter of Andrew O’Sullivan. (He used to work for Samuel Hunter in that capacity until his death then Caitlin took his place.)

1^st: Who is Alma?

Madeleine: Alma was introduced in The Spirit of Rebellion. She is an amateur scientist who Caitlin met and made friends with while temporarily living in a boarding house in Philadelphia.

1^st: Who is Duncan the ghost?

Madeleine: Duncan MacGuire came from a family of tanners in South Boston who were active in the underground railroad before and during the House Wars (my version of the American Civil War). How he was killed and became a ghost is part of the story of Here Abide Monsters and Ghosts and Demons.

1^st: What happened to Duncan?

Madeleine: OK, that’s a spoiler.

1^st: What is Caitlin’s relationship with Duncan?

Madeleine: He was her best friend growing up in South Boston.

1^st: Who are Samuel Hunter and Granville T. Woods?

Madeleine: Samuel Hunter is an ex-Pinkerton detective who left the agency under a dark cloud. He returned to Boston and worked as a personal security guard before he started the Boston Metaphysical Society. (It is a paranormal detective agency.) Granville T. Woods is a historical figure who lived during that time period. The real Granville was an inventor and engineer who specialized in railroad switching technology among other things. He sold many of his patents to Alexander Graham Bell, and once sued Edison for stealing his patents and won. I found him in my research and decided to make him part of the team.

1^st: How does “Boston Metaphysical Society: Ghosts and Demons” relate to “Here Abide Monsters”?

Madeleine: Here Abide Monsters tells Duncan’s origin story and how he became a ghost. Ghosts and Demons brings back one of the central characters of that short story.

1^st: Boston Metaphysical Society was originally a webcomic, is the Kickstarter a collection of the webcomics or an original graphic novel?

Madeleine: This Kickstarter is to print Ghosts and Demons, our third sequel, and the new coloring book.

Boston Metaphysical Society began as a six-issue mini-series which was (and still is) available online to read for free. We then began printing the individual issues and eventually went to a trade paperback. The entire mini-series and TPB was picked up by Source Point Press in 2018 and the individual issues hit Diamond Distribution in 2019. The TPB will be in PreviewsWorld in early 2020. There are also two standalone sequels (The Scourge of the Mechanical Men and The Spirit of Rebellion.)

1^st: There are also audio-books for the Boston Metaphysical Society, will there be an audio option for the Kickstarter?

Madeleine: No, unfortunately. I wasn’t able to arrange for that. (And FYI, the only audiobook we currently have is for Here Abide Monsters.)

1^st: You are also offering a coloring book. Are they combined in the Kickstarter or is the coloring book an add on?

Madeleine: Both. You can get the coloring book separately or as part of several of the reward tiers. It will also be offered afterward in Backerkit.

1^st: How did you choose Gwynn Tavares to replace Emily Hu?

Madeleine: I had put the word out that Emily had moved on and I was looking for a new artist. A friend suggested Gwynn and when I took a look at her portfolio I thought she would do a great job. She really nailed the position when she turned in her sketches of Tesla and Granville. Her attention to detail is amazing.

1^st: What is the minimum pledge for a digital copy?

Madeleine: $6

1^st: What is the minimum pledge for a print copy?

Madeleine: $10

1^st: What rewards do you have planned?

Madeleine: Lots! The short graphic novel, Ghosts and Demons, a brand new Boston Metaphysical Coloring Book, a new Bowler Hat lapel pin, as well as the original trade paperback, the two previous sequels, and the prequel novel and anthology.

1^st: This is the third issue, the first two were successful, why join the 5 independent creators Kickstarter launch campaign?

Madeleine: I strongly believe that indie creators should support one another. When one rises, we should all rise together.

1^st: What does the multi-launch do to enhance Boston Metaphysical Society: Ghosts and Demons?

Madeleine: It will bring potential new backers who have never seen the project and who might be interested in it.

1^st: For any readers who may have missed the prior issues, will there be a trade paperback or some way for them to catch up?

Madeleine: Absolutely. The trade paperback of the original six-issue mini-series, as well as the two previous sequels, will be available in various reward tiers.

1^st: For any readers still on the fence, what makes the Boston Metaphysical Society: Ghosts and Demons so cool no true comic fan should miss it?

Madeleine: If you love character-driven comics with a mix of paranormal and science fiction then these stories are for you.

Kickstarter Link http:/kck.st/38pVBxU

Social Media:

Website: http://www.bostonmetaphysicalsociety.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BostonMetaphysicalSocietyComic/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mhollyrosing

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/mcholly1

About Author

Rik Offenberger

Rik Offenberger has worked in the comic field as a retailer, distributor, reporter, public relations coordinator, writer and publisher since 1990. He owns and operates the e-mail bases Super Hero News service, and his published works in print can be seen in The Comics Buyers Guide, Comic Retailer, Borderline Magazine, and Comics International. On the internet he has worked as a writer and/or editor for Silver Bullet Comicbooks, Comic Book Resources, Newsarama and First Comics News. He was the Public Relations Coordinator at Archie Comics for a decade. He is currently the Editor-In-Chief at G-Man Comics. For TwoMorrows Publications, Rik co-wrote The MLJ Companion with Paul Castiglia and Jon B. Cooke, charting the history of Archie’s superheroes, and for Gemstone Publishing wrote chapters of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide to Lost Universes.

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