Valya Dudycz Lupescu

"It was the way that Santa inspires generosity that led me to connect his mythology to that of the ancient Muses. From ancient times, the Muses have helped to direct people toward their creative potential. It seemed to me a perfect pairing: Santa as the spirit of generosity and wonder partnered with a Muse, the personification of encouragement and inspiration." ~Valya Dudycz Lupescu I really enjoyed being interviewed by Ty Whitton for Comic Book Yeti about Mother Christmas, and I'm delighted to share it with you here: https://www.comicbookyeti.com/post/come-discover-the-secret-origin-of-santa-claus-an-interview-with-valya-dudycz-lupescu Here's a sneak peek, but I hope you'll follow the link to read the rest! These[...]

After ringing in the new year with family, I woke up to this beautiful, hazy sunrise on the first morning of 2023:  In the quiet of a house still asleep, I wanted to write. I didn’t post frequently in 2022. Time not spent at the day job was divided between family and working on Mother Christmas. With one teenager already in college and another headed there in the fall, I’m aware of how quickly time is flying and how any time spent with them is a gift. But on January 1, 2023, I first turned to Twitter as I have done every morning[...]

Thanks to The Slings & Arrows Graphic Novel guide for publishing a review of Mother Christmas. Here's a snippet from the review: The secret origin of Santa Claus is a big topic to be taking on, but that’s what Mother Christmas provides, blending the legend of Saint Nicholas with infinite possibilities. You can read the rest of on The Slings & Arrows site: https://theslingsandarrows.com/mother-christmas-vol-1-the-muse/ Reviews help other readers to discover the book!  If you can, please write a review on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Goodreads. Thank you. ❤️[...]

What are you afraid of? In the world of Mother Christmas, creatures called the kobaloi feed off fear. So they seek out places where fear is in abundance: battlefields, prisons, and those spaces where people are persecuted and tortured. The oldest and most clever of the kobaloi will choose a particularly fearful human to attach to and will remain with the human in a parasitic relationship, encouraging them to cultivate more fear around them. Because they want to amplify the message of fear, they look for human beings in positions of power. It is in this way, they try to steer humanity down[...]

If you have not heard of the recent Tumblr phenomenon of Goncharov, you have only to google it to read a breakdown by The Guardian, Variety, and NBCnews. What began a few years ago on Tumblr with a photograph of a pair of boots with a label that read "The greatest mafia movie ever made. Martin Scorsese presents GONCHAROV,” evolved into an online collaborative fan community that is still working to world-build an entire film franchise that never existed.  I learned about it the way I learn about most memes and pop culture, from my teenagers. In the days leading up to[...]