We recently connected with Hector Miray and have shared our conversation below.

Hector, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I was frequenting comic cons and hanging around in crowded convention centers filled with geeks of all fandoms. Seeing booth after booth of artists that had created their own stories and products, and were taking the chance to put them out there. But after 3 years of visiting shows I never saw anything like what was in my mind or heart. So I decided no one was going to fill that void but me. So I set a goal to write and create the book that I was looking for but never saw. I left that comic con that day with the determination that when the show returned 1 year later, that I would be among those with booths selling my own writing. I began writing, and when tables opened up to purchase, I still had 3 months of writing to go. So I was paying a heavy investment for a book that didn’t exist yet. Invest in myself and my writing.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

9 years ago I started writing books of essays on faith and geek culture. Focusing on moments in video games, comics, movies, and pop culture in general that echo biblical principals, and using them as ways to be encouragement. An encouragement to believers who were also geeks, and to geeks who were curious about faith. It was my goal and practice to write a new book each year and to tour them around roughly 20 comic cons per year. At the cons I would run a booth that not only sold my books but also served as a safe harbor for people to stop by and have discussions and interactions when they had thoughts, doubts, or questions. In some respects almost like becoming a chaplain for the shows themselves. Several shows having me regularly do church services or discussion panels. This lead to podcasts of the same vein, apparel, merchandise etc. It also allowed me to have a stint as a screenwriter, and to write for some of the comic book artists I met along the way.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me the most rewarding thing is finding people that connect with your art on a personal level. It may not be the biggest number of people, or the loudest, but what i’ve found is there is an audience for every art. When you find that audience, it feels like they have found something they were missing, and something that was birthed from you has found a home.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Most of my book sales and movement centered around the comic con experience. Online sales existed, but were always scarce beyond initial book launch. When the pandemic hit and I was faced with no longer having that outlet to rely on, I still wanted to make my work available to people, even if it wasn’t profitable. So I launched a website, where each individual chapter is posted for free as a blog. If my goal was truly to be an encouragement to people, I needed to be open to giving my work away when needed. Even now that cons have reopened, I still point people to the website if they aren’t interested in buying a book, or if i know it could benefit them.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.faithandfandom.org
• Instagram: @faithandfandom
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/faithandfandom
• Twitter: @faithandfandom
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUJCjVIfE5p2rrPgfNq_0XQ
• Other: Podcast: www.faithandfandom.podbean.com Tiktok: afluffyhobbit