THE CONVENTION COLLECTIVE: Thank you for joining us in the Spotlight Eric! How did you get into writing and why did you want to become an writer?
Eric Lambson: Thanks for having me! Writing was honestly never something I thought I would get into as a career choice. I grew up reading comics, mainly my Great Grandpa’s, C.C Beck, work. I originally wanted to be an artist like him, and I also wrote a bit as a kid, but my interests were constantly changing when I was young.
I’ve always been driven to create, and have tried to work in professions where I could do that, but it wasn’t until around 2014/2015 that I started writing again. Then 2016 happened. It was one of the toughest years of my life- I lost all my Grandparents, my Father and two friends all in a span of about 6 months. I’m no stranger to death, unfortunately, but going through all those losses in that short amount of time was like the flood gates opening up. Writing became my way of coping with the losses I’ve had in life, and I hope to create stories that reflect these struggles and what it takes to overcome them.
TCC: What genre do you like writing the most?
Eric: I’m not sure if I have a favorite genre to write yet to be honest. I really enjoy stories of survival and things that have a bit more of a look at ‘society’ as a whole. I’ve always been really fascinated at how different societies develop and what people are capable of when all hope seems lost.
Looking at my bookshelf, it would seem that I gravitate towards post-apocalyptic, dystopian fiction, alternate realities, etc. as reading material. These genres allow you to step out of the real world and create brand new ones, while still trying to find themes and messages that feel grounded in our real lives.
TCC: What was the first work you completed, where you stepped back and thought, “Yes, y’know what, I can do this for a living!”?
Eric: I’m still a while away from being able to do this full time, but I’d say it was the moment I got the final PDF file of my anthology, Vanishing Points, from my letterer- Marco Della Verde. Seeing the whole book put together gave me the drive to keep working on new stories.
TCC: Which writers inspire you? And they don’t have to be in the medium you work in, either…
Eric: Rick Remender, Jeff Lemire, James Tynion IV, Brian K. Vaughn, and Frank Gogol have been my biggest inspirations lately. I find myself re-reading their work constantly. They always have a tendency to write about subjects that hit close to home for me.
TCC: Can you tell us your greatest fan moment, interacting with a personal hero of yours where you may have gone a little weak at the knees?
Eric: I’m a DIEHARD Miami Hurricanes (college football) fan, so I would have to say it was when I met Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson when I was a kid at a wrestling event my Dad took my brother and I to. Dwayne was a Hurricane as well, and he quickly became my favorite wrestler of that era.
On the comics side – I haven’t met a ton of comic professionals yet, but I did have the opportunity to meet Ryan Ottley at NY Comic Con in 2018, which was awesome. His and Robert Kirkman’s work on Invincible got me back into superhero comics as a whole.
TCC: What is your favorite fandom? Who is your favorite comic book character/movie/tv character?
Eric: For story ‘universes’- I really like TMNT, The Walking Dead, and Harry Potter. I would LOVE to get a chance to write a comic series in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. That whole universe is full of untold stories.
As for favorite comic characters, that’s an easy one! The original Captain Marvel (now SHAZAM! at DC), and Fatman The Human Flying Saucer. Like I said before, I grew up reading my Great-Grandpa’s comics so these were always my favorites as a kid. I even have the cover art of Fatman #1 tattooed on my leg inside the SHAZAM lightning bolt. I have a photo of it on my Instagram if anyone wants to see it, haha!
Favorite TV character…it’s a toss up between Dwight Schrute and Michael Scott.
TCC: What’s your working routine? Do you work regular set hours and days, keeping certain days free for personal time, or do you find you create any time the muse takes you?
Eric: I’ve been trying to get a more set routine down, but it doesn’t always work. I’ve been a bit of a night owl for as long as I can remember, so I have a tendency to write late at night. Also, living in NYC, I’ve found the subway rides are a great time to work on some stuff in my head.
TCC: When you’re creating, what do you use for background noise? Some creators use music or podcasts, some use a TV show that they just can listen to in the background. What do you use?
Eric: Depends on the mood I’m in. Sometimes it’s complete silence, sometimes it’s music, sometimes it’s The Office (the BEST TV show ever made).
TCC: What was the first comic con that you remember attending? And, indeed, what was the last?
Eric: I want to say my first Con was a really small event somewhere in Virginia while I was in High School. The last Con I attended was NY Comic Con in 2018. I’ve only attended Cons as a fan, but I’m hoping that will change soon!
TCC: What’s your favourite element of a comic convention? And which bits could you easily leave behind?
Eric: My favorite element would have to be the overall atmosphere of it all. There’s a special kind of energy in the air when you have tons of people in one area that all have the same interests. I don’t think I’ve attended enough Cons for anything to leave a sour taste in my mouth (so far, haha).
TCC: At a convention, when you’re not behind your table or doing the things you have to do at a con, which corner of the show would we find you in?
Eric: I’ve only attended Cons as a fan so far, so I would have to say Artist Alley or in line for a panel.
TCC: A lot of creatives are also taking to crowdfunding – such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo – to generate income from their work. What’re your thoughts on that?
Eric: I love the concept of crowdfunding. I self-published my first book, Vanishing Points, on Kickstarter and I really enjoyed the process. Sure, it’s a bit nerve wracking, but the community on these platforms are incredible. Kickstarter and Indiegogo give small-time creators like me a chance to build a name for themselves in a world where there is just SO much content out there. I’ve also noticed that if you reach out to other creators for help, they are almost always willing to lend a hand in some way. Really amazing to see.
TCC: What projects have you recently finished? What are you working on at the moment, what projects are coming up that you can talk about?
Eric: Vanishing Points, my comic anthology was just recently funded on Kickstarter, so I’m getting everything together for the fulfillment side of things on that one. I’m also currently working on an action packed, 48 page One-Shot with artist Chris Maiurro and colorist Ilaria Fella called ‘The Locker: A Davy Jones Legend’ which we hope to bring to Kickstarter by the end of 2021/beginning of 2022. This will be the second book from my new imprint label ‘Best Shot Comics’ that I’ve founded with Chris Maiurro and London, UK based comics creator, G. McDermott. Check us out on Instagram – @bestshotcomics. We plan on focusing on One-Shot stories, and some anthologies!
TCC: How do you stay connected with fans? Do you use a mailing list or newsletters, are you active on social media?
Eric: I’m pretty active on my Instagram (@lambsonwrites), and getting better at Twitter (also @lambsonwrites). We’re currently building out our website for Best Shot Comics, and will have a newsletter set up soon so everyone can keep up to date with all of our future projects!
TCC: Where can people find out more about you and reach out to you?
Eric: Head over to my Instagram or Twitter (both @lambsonwrites), or catch me on Facebook. I’ll be letting everyone know once our website for Best Shot Comics is up and running, along with the newsletter!
TCC: Thanks Eric, for your time!
Eric: Thank you! Appreciate the opportunity to talk to you all!
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