I Found a Darkling was born from a single line, dashed down in a text file in 2012. “Today, I found a Darkling.” Finding it years later, Geneva was inspired to write a story to change the expectation of what might be hiding in the shadows. No monsters, instead a friendly, playful shadow creature called the Darkling, brought to life by Marcus’s striking black and white illustrations. As parents to three children, the soothing of nighttime fears is quite relevant to both Geneva and Marcus, and this gentle story aims to do so in a subtle, peaceful way.
Geneva Clawson’s previous works include short stories of many genres and regular participation in NaNoWriMo (check it out, it’s fun!). Marcus Clawson is best known for his graphic novel Mallow Man: The Sweet Taste of Justice, in addition to other comic work, illustration, and board game creation. After ten years together, filled with individual projects, they finally have the opportunity to collaborate. The Clawsons are passionate about independent creators and the community that can be built when creators share their knowledge, so part of their goal in this project is to document and share the process, every step of the way. They want to share what they learn, what they experience, what goes right and what falls flat, in the hopes that other creators can learn from the journey.