“Right now writers have more opportunities than ever in the history of publishing!”

This is a line that Kobo Writing Life Director Mark Lefebvre often enjoys sharing with writers when speaking with them. Digital writing and publishing options have opened up an entire new world for writers. They can by-pass the traditional gatekeepers that prevent readers from being able to discover their writing. And they can explore a multitude of options available to carve their own unique and custom publishing paths.

But digital has also opened up so many options for so many other creators.

And sometimes those options lead BACK to the writers themselves.

Such is the case in a recently released series of videos created by fan and talented videographer, Ecila (Alice) Artex inspired by the best-selling Yesterday’s Gone series of novels by Sean Platt and David Wright which seem to be ideal for fans of Stephen King’s The Stand or the television program Lost.

In the series, one morning the majority of humanity goes missing and a handful of survivors scattered in numerous locations wake to find the world empty of friends, family, and neighbors. In the absence of civilization, the only hope is for these strangers to unite before they fall prey to a new threat that emerges out of the stillness; a new threat that waits and watches, preying on their weakness.

Platt and Wright created and released the series in a serialized format, among the very first authors to find success in releasing weekly episodes that were later compiled into seasons. Yesterday’s Gone wrapped up after 6 seasons and the authors have not only continued to release other series books as well as stand-alone novels, but also sold the rights to French publisher (Outre Fleuve) who have released the series in French.

Super-fan Alice Artex created short stop-action videos featuring dolls moving through intricate and detailed sets in an adaptation of the series in French. (For English folks, the series does include English sub-titles)

You can read Season One: Episode One for FREE on Kobo in both ENGLISH and FRENCH

Ecila (Alice) Artex, from Belgium, is not only a huge fan of the series, but is also an artist who works in all sorts of mediums: photography, film, music, and drawing. Artex says that she enjoyed the series so much that she wanted to produce a video adaption of it.

Author David Wright recently shared his enthusiasm for this adaptation in a newsletter, and, when asked further about the project, had the following to say:

“One of the coolest things about the digital age is that someone you don’t even know, a fan on the other side of the globe reading a foreign translation of your work no less, can take what you did, interpret it through their own artistic sense, and create something altogether new. And with social media, it was so easy for Alice to reach out and share her work with us. This is such an amazing time to be a creator.” – David Wright, co-author of YESTERDAY’S GONE.

And just a quick caution that Season 01 Episode 02 opens with a very “adult” situation involving a pair of unclothed dolls. (Don’t say we didn’t warn you that some content in the following video might not be appropriate for all audiences)

We applaud David and Sean and Ecilia for exploring the options that digital has made available for creators and sharing their storytelling talents with the world.

Sean and Dave were guests on the Kobo Writing Life Podcast back in 2013 in Episode 3. You can hear from them there, or (with their pal Johnny B. Truant) on their weekly Self-Publishing Podcast (which, we should caution you, is even more “not safe for work” than the opening scene of the dolls “being intimate” in Season 01 Episode 02) and read more about them and their Collective Inkwell brand at Sterling & Stone.