Here we have an exclusive interview with the owner and head publisher of RainTown Press, Cory Freeman.

How did you discover Visibility?

The first time I saw Visibility was on a table for Bowler Hat Comics, a great Portland indie comic publisher, at Wordstock, Portland’s big literary festival. Bowler Hat was in the process of restructuring their organization, and the owner, Bo Johnson, knew about RainTown Press, and asked me if I was interested in taking over the management of Visibility. We were just wrapping up production on our first book, Spartacus and the Circus of Shadows, and were looking for a second book to add to our list of titles. Since our focus is on middle grade and young adult literature, it seemed like a natural fit for our press. The themes of the book were also intriguing. I mean, what’s not cool about a teenage girl with super powers? It was kind of an easy decision. 

With this publication of Visibility, what changes did you make? 

The physical book, designed by Bowler Hat Comics, is very cool looking, and the illustrations are well done. It’s sort of a hybrid between a traditional novel and a graphic novel. However, since we already have the remainder of the originals (which are available on our website, by the way), we decided to take a whole new approach with our electronic  version. We felt the story was strong enough to stand on its own, without the illustrations. We gave it a more modern cover, more in line with what you might see on bookshelves today.

The physical book is still a great companion piece to the electronic version. We even have a few left in stock that are autographed by the author, in case people are interested in that aspect of owning a physical book. As a promotion, I would like to extend an offer to readers: present us with proof that you purchased the e-book of Visibility, and we’ll send a copy of the original book for just $5 plus shipping ($8 total).

What a bargain! So tell us, what other books can we expect from RainTown this year?

We’re very excited about the books we have coming out. In October we have Wax, by Phil Duncan, which is sort of a middle-grade Frankenstein story (don’t call him a zombie, he hates that). Then in January we have Danielle Myers’ futuristic stand-alone, The Last Burning of New London, which is about a gang of rebels trying to bring down a corrupt government.

In Spring we’ll be bringing you Artemis Dreamt, by Crystal Beran, which is a contemporary novel with a hint of magical realism. And finally, next Summer will see the release of Devil’s Fire, by Kiersi Burkhart, the first in a YA paranormal trilogy. After that, well, I’m not at liberty to say…yet.

Sounds intriguing!

Now for something a little different…Growing up, who was your favorite super hero, and why?

Well, I don’t want to age myself here, but when I first made the transition from reading Huey, Dewey & Louie (as well as the Archie comics), the next series of comics I got into were The Fantastic Four. I loved the idea of a group of superheroes, and  Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, Thing, and the Human Torch satisfied that need. My favorites of the bunch were the Human Torch, and Thing; probably more so because of the sheer raw power of the character. He as just this massive, powerful hulk of rock. I thought that was cool.

If you could be a super villain, what would your master plan be?

I would be an altruistic anti super villain. I would take down corrupt governments and organizations. On the surface, I would appear to be the bad guy to the people I was trying to take down, but my ultimate mission would be to make the world a better place
Reminds me of a certain Horrible villian and a certain sing-along blog…

So, what super power would you have?

I’ve thought about this a million times since I was a kid. I have a Top Three:

1) I would have the ability to become invisible so I could be unseen in any environment or situation (maybe this is why Visibility spoke to me).

2) I would be fluent in every language so I could travel anywhere, fit in with the people, and be able to infiltrate any evil group.

3) I would like to have the ability to read peoples minds, so I would always know what they really thought, even though they may say something different. This would enable me to never be deceived, because I can’t stand being lied to.

Sounds like you’d be an asset to any superhero team! Thanks for talking with us today, Cory!

Check back later today for a cover reveal!

Cory is the owner, founder, and head publisher at RainTown Press. He even dabbles in design, and has been known to do some writing in his spare time. His favorite book is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and he’s always in search of the next Youth in Revolt.