Life at Devinquest®

Melbourne Crime Story - A Screenplay

2011-10-31T22:40:00.001+11:00

I'm planning to write a screenplay soon. I've already titled it, and bought the domain name. Will the investment spur me on to completing it? Usually I'm a 'stream of conscious' style writer, but this time I will be using Syd Field's The Screenwriter's Workbook to guide me through. Three act structure; here I come!

Melbourne Crime Story

A Question of Promise #11

2011-07-17T21:03:00.001+10:00

Production Date: May 21th 2011
Genre: Comedy
Story and Art by: Thuyen Nguyen
Format: 24 pages, B&W w/ colour covers
Synopsis: Determined to take Eden on a great weekend away, Eric is hampered by continuing bad weather. Dice convinces him to take a chance and just go, though Eve is suspicious of his intentions. With a fast car, the couple head for the coast. Will the “perfect” weekend be perfect after all?

Open publication - Free publishing - More australian

Note to Self on Amazon Kindle

2011-05-04T15:42:00.001+10:00

Got a Kindle?

Then get Note to Self direct from your device!

Go to Amazon or search for it on your fancy ebook-reading thing.

AQP on Graphic.ly

2011-04-29T15:23:00.001+10:00

Online comics reader and community Graphic.ly will soon be hosting A Question of Promise! Yet another place where you can get your AQP groove on. ~~Will let you know when it's up.~~

In the meantime, check it out and read some comics that are already there - it's free!

http://graphic.ly/

UPDATE: Now available! http://graphicly.com/devinquestcom/a-question-of-promise

AQP #11 Started!

2011-04-18T11:43:00.002+10:00

Four pages done, twenty to go... Anyone want a preview?

You Slack Bastard

2011-04-12T15:28:00.000+10:00

I know. I know. Where is A Question of Promise #11, you ask?

It'll be done next month.

Yes, I realise it's been almost twelve months since the previous issue. I've been slack, but to slightly redeem myself, I've taken my time with AQP #11 as I want to do a good job. Issues #9 and #10 weren't that great and I need to pick up my game.

And if it helps, I have an idea for AQP #12 too, so I won't be sitting around for months trying to come up with something.

A Plug for Friends

2011-04-04T10:10:00.001+10:00

Two friends of mine, Jim Batt and Michelle Hughes, are fundraising for their film projects - a stop-motion animation and a feature film respectively. As I no longer have much time for filmmaking, I will live vicariously through them. Put in a couple of bucks, will ya?

Read an Ebook Week - 25% off my book

2011-03-07T11:05:00.000+11:00

March 6-12 is Read an Ebook Week, and what better way to celebrate than to get my book at 25% off?

Get it from Smashwords and use the code RAE25 - thanks!

Note to Self - The New Novel by Thuyen Nguyen

2011-02-02T20:50:00.002+11:00

I am proud to announce that my debut novel Note to Self is now available! Note to Self is a story about an average guy and the girls who made him.

"Tim Newman's spent most of his life trying to understand the opposite sex to no avail. From childhood crushes to random one-nighters, surely there's a way to learn from his mistakes so that the next one doesn't get away? Indeed, every guy out there can learn a thing or two from Tim's encounters - no matter how awkward or embarrassing."

Sound like fun? Sure! It's available in both ebook and dead tree form from the following places:

Soft cover

Lulu
Amazon

Ebook

Smashwords (for Kindle, Sony Reader, Palm Doc and other ebook readers)
iBooks (for iPhone/iPad) - just search for "note to self" in the app

Previews are available at most of the sites above - the first taste is always free! Special thanks to David Nguyen for designing the cover.

A Question of Promise #3 Digital Edition for iPad

2011-01-10T16:09:00.000+11:00

Issue #3 is now available! Can't say much more than that, so get it!

A Question of Promise #2 Digital Edition for iPad

2010-11-25T14:25:00.000+11:00

It's on the iTunes App Store now for free! Get it!

A Question of Promise #1 Digital Edition for iPad

2010-10-29T16:16:00.002+11:00

A Question of Promise #1 Digital Edition for iPad is now available on the iTunes App Store! It's free! Get it now!

Coming Soon... A Question of Promise for iPad!

2010-10-09T08:22:00.000+11:00

It's coming! I've put A Question of Promise onto iPad. It's currently in Apple submission. Hope to see it on the App Store next week.

A Question of Promise #10

2010-07-20T22:38:00.001+10:00

Production Date: July 20th 2010
Genre: Comedy
Story and Art by: Thuyen Nguyen
Format: 24 pages, B&W w/ colour covers
Synopsis: Counsellor Eliza's assessment session with Eric reveals private details of homelife with Dice. Afterwards, Eric tries to distract Eden in a most classical way and then goes home to deliver a requested, yet curious, gift. What does Dice need with a metronome?

Buy from Indyplanet

A Question of Promise Vol. 1

2010-05-04T19:51:00.003+10:00

I am pleased to announce A Question of Promise Volume 1. This trade paperback collects the first eight issues of A Question of Promise in graphic novel format. 220 pages of Eric, Eden, and Dice!

Along with the comic itself, you'll find an afterword by my good friend Andy Symons, and a foreword by Al Lowe, creator of Leisure Suit Larry!

So what are you waiting for? Buy A Question of Promise Volume 1 from one of these fine online retailers:

IndyPlanet

Lulu

Amazon

Or go to your local bookshop and order it! The ISBN is 978-1-4452-9382-0.

Collective Noun Filmworks at Vimeo

2010-04-27T19:54:00.003+10:00

I've uploaded all of the Collective Noun Filmworks films onto Vimeo at high quality, as we are going to close down the CNF blog (which we never used anyway). Check them out here!

A Question of Promise #9

2010-04-04T08:45:00.004+10:00

Production Date: April 4th 2010
Genre: Comedy
Story and Art by: Thuyen Nguyen
Format: 24 pages, B&W w/ colour covers
Synopsis: Erin’s career is on the up and up. She’s now the subject of rumour, gossip, and unwanted attention. Meanwhile, Eric and Eve’s days and nights together is making him more and more uncomfortable. How do you gently tell someone to back off?

Buy at IndyPlanet

A Question of Promise on Facebook

2010-03-31T16:03:00.000+11:00

Like my comic? Sure you do! Then become a fan on Facebook!

Oh, and #9 is coming this weekend - thanks for your patience :)

Now on Facebook

2010-03-24T15:08:00.000+11:00

I've finally relented and joined the rest of the online world on Facebook. Feel free to look me up if:

You are my friend
You want to be my friend
We met randomly sometime in the past

... Yet another website for me to not update :)

"Junai no Crescendo" - AKB48

2010-03-23T13:28:00.001+11:00

I'm currently going through an AKB48 phase. Their new album comes out next month, but on the same day as when the in-laws fly out :(

I discovered this song while watching their JCB Shuffle Concert, and I love it. Can't find a proper version without the crowd singing along though.

UPDATE: Fixed video link - it's the SKE48 version, but just as good.

A Question of Promise - Lifetime Download Stats

2010-03-15T16:13:00.000+11:00

In the lead-up to the release of A Question of Promise #9 and the A Question of Promise Volume 1 trade paperback, I thought I'd share some statistics from one indie comic creator to another. I know sales/download figures for games are hard to come by, so I assume that it would be similar in the comics world.

Anyhow, the numbers are in the chart above, as reported by my server request logs. These numbers are for downloads only - I've only ever actually sold like 5 real copies. Leading the pack is the Nintendo DS version of AQP, which got a bump in promotion from various DS homebrew sites - in contrast, AQP has not had a single mention on any comic site :(

The other interesting number is that issue #3 has had the most downloads. I would have thought that the first issue would be the most downloaded. Regardless, the trend line is as expected though, with downloads decreasing with later issues (partially due to the shorter length of time that they've been available for).

Are these numbers any good? I have no idea, but I am happy that someone out there is downloading my work. As to whether or not they're reading them is an entirely different story... :)

Three-Month Old Hard Drive Dying

2010-03-12T16:38:00.000+11:00

After booting my computer last night, Windows told me it had detected a hard disk problem. It suggested I backup critical data. I thought it might have been a bit overzealous (as Windows has been known to say things it doesn't really mean), so I downloaded the Seagate tools to do some tests.

The two basic tests in Seagate tools failed. It immediately popped up a window with warranty information. That was enough to accept that this 3-month old Seagate 7200.12 500GB hard drive was dying. I took it out and today went back to the shop I got it from to return it. Apparently they'll send it off for repair, which could take 3-6 weeks...

I ended up buying another hard drive, because I can't wait that long. I can always use the repaired one as a second drive. Perhaps tempting fate, I bought another Seagate.

Long Weekend

2010-03-09T15:54:00.000+11:00

Not much to report these past couple of days. We had a long weekend in Melbourne, but I was sick for all of it. Felt (still feel) quite lethargic and fatigued. We went to the zoo on Saturday morning and got home before the massive hailstorm hit. No damage to our house or car, which was good.

On Sunday, we had lunch at the Station Hotel in Footscray where I ordered the steak and mushroom pie and the wife got the wagyu steak. I think the pie was too big for me, and would have been even if I wasn't sick. The steak was good though, but not Kobe beef good :)

Jason McElwain - Autistic Basketball Player

2010-03-04T13:49:00.000+11:00

I've watched this clip several times over the years and it never ceases to impress me. When given the chance, humans can do some remarkable things, and its a good thing that the Internet is here to capture it.

Of course, the Internet also records the absolute worst that humanity has to offer too, but today's not the day for that.

Son Sleeps 13 Hours

2010-03-03T12:20:00.000+11:00

My 19-month old son went to sleep at 5pm yesterday... and slept through until 6am this morning. He had a big day and was obviously exhausted. It's the first time he's done this, and it's the longest he's ever slept for. Unfortunately, I assumed that he was going to wake up in the early hours of the morning, so I went to sleep quite early in preparation. I didn't sleep that well because I was constantly expecting to wake up, so I never got into that good deep sleep state. Maybe next time.