Author Michelle Czajkowski talks about massively successful Kickstarter for Ava’s Demon webcomic

Author Michelle Czajkowski discusses the wildly successful Kickstarter for Ava’s Demon, as well as the LGBTQIA+ representation it holds.

Ava’s Demon is a very lengthy webcomic created by Michelle Czajkowski. It is a story revolving around a young woman named Ava who is haunted by a demon. It is a very beautifully illustrated comic that will have readers up late hours of the night, lost in art and outrageous story. Ava’s Demon already has thousands of fans and is gaining more by the minute.

At the time of this lovely interview with the amazing author Michelle Czajkowski, the Kickstarter for Ava’s Demon had surpassed its goal of $25,000 by over $300,000. Now, it has surpassed by over $440,000, and has claimed the title of the most funded webcomic project of all time! This certainly is not a story or Kickstarter readers want to pass up.

This Kickstarter has already amassed 5,000 backers and counting. It is a mere $30,000 away from its last goal, which adds a cute fox plushie into the mix of already stunning add on’s! The interview below has been edited for clarity and length, thank you to Skybound for the opportunity.

Finding success within a pandemic

Culturess: What has it been like to exceed your Kickstarter goal for Ava’s Demon by such a massive amount?

Michelle Czajkowski: Great! I have done two before, so the initial shock has worn away a bit but it’s really awesome. I’m honestly so thankful that it was funded, that is what I’m mainly happy about.

Culturess: The pandemic has changed the world a significant amount. Since Ava’s Demon is a webcomic, has anything changed about your process or regarding the official release?

Czajkowski: Well it does suck not being able to go to actual conventions. I have missed going out and being able to participate in actual events. Other than that, my life hasn’t really changed much. I am worried about the economy because art is a bit of a luxury item, it’s something you spend “spending money” on. If nobody is able to go out, or work and spend money then the art industry really takes a hit, because you can’t really ask people to spend money they need for necessities. My life hasn’t changed much though because I work from home. I am somewhat happy stores are open so that when the book is released in stores I can go see it.

Culturess: You’ve spoken in the past about drawing inspiration from films like Alien and The 5th Element for your projects, but what are some small daily things that keep you going, especially with the current atmosphere?

Czajkowski: I started dealing with everything going on by reading history. I’ve learned that everything we are experiencing has happened before, there are always disasters throughout history, and people keep going and find a way to persevere. So history helps, stuff on the 1920s and 30’s as well as Rome and Eygpt!

LGBTQ+ Representation

Culturess: Something I have adored about Ava’s Demon is the amount of LGBTQ+ representation. Was representation something you knew from the start you wanted to include, and does it come from a personal place?

Czajkowski: Yeah! I’ve been non-binary my whole life, and my husband is bi-sexual. I’m trying to write something I would have appreciated growing up. I’m mostly trying to write it for myself and my husband so it’s coming from a genuine point of view. We are part of the LGBTQ+ community so that’s really where it comes from.

About Ava’s Demon

Culturess: What would you say to someone who has never read Ava’s Demon to get them intrigued to start?

Czajkowski: If you’re the type of person who likes getting lost in a universe and just escape, it would be a very long and nice read. Or even if you’ve fantasized about leaving the planet, I believe you would enjoy it.

Culturess: Who is your favorite character to story write for in Ava’s Demon?

Czajkowski: That’s a very hard question. I love all of the characters so much and I write them for specific reasons. I really enjoy them all. If I had to pick, I guess Ava since so much revolves around her.

Fun things and takeaways!

Culturess: What has it been like working with Skybound? Have they made the process easier or more fun?

Czajkowski: Oh it’s been so awesome! They are such a big help, because before I was doing everything by myself with my husband and it really took a toll on us. So we decided we wouldn’t do another Kickstarter unless we could find someone to help and Skybound has been god-send. I keep telling them that. They are amazing and I’m so happy to work with them.

Culturess: I do believe I know the answer to this, but out of all the items on your Kickstarter, what is your favorite?

Czajkowski: BIG SIGH Odin’s fox plushie but I don’t think we are going to make it!

Culturess: No! We have to keep up hope, the plushie WILL HAPPEN!

Czajkowski: I know! I’m crossing my fingers. I do really hope! If it isn’t the plush, it would have to be the D&D cards. That was really cool. They prompted me for that and came up with the idea. I had never had that kind of request before so it was really fun creating those.

Culturess: Is there anything left that you’d like to say about the series or any future endeavors?

Czajkowski: I really just hope I can take it as far as it can go, otherwise I’m just happy that people read it and I hope I can write it as long as possible!

Our interview with Michelle Czajkowski got very deep a couple of times, and one of them is when it came to LGBTQ+ representation. Czajkowski and I talked about growing up in places where identity wasn’t an accepting conversation. Personally, I feel if I read a webcomic like Ava’s Demon growing up I would have felt better about myself and explored my feelings more thoroughly and Czajkowski agreed.

In the above interview when Michelle Czajkowski said, “I’m trying to write something I would have appreciated growing up” that statement couldn’t be any more true after diving in the conversation further. Czajkowski was very genuine and vulnerable in this conversation. One thing they mentioned was starting with your tribe. Our two lives would be massively different if JUST our households were different.

Czajkowski mentioned that with the state of things right now, being an LGBTQ+ youth must be hard with the atmosphere. Escaping is a must for your mental well-being, tune out, recharge, and working locally is a very positive thing. Don’t carry the weight of the world on your shoulders.

Personally, I agree and I believe reading Ava’s Demon is the perfect way to tune out and create your own safe haven of acceptance while the troubles of society melt away if even just for a couple of hours a night. There is certainly a reason Ava’s Demon has broken so many Kickstarter records so hop into Ava’s world and get the journey started!

Have you already backed Ava’s Demon on Kickstarter? Is there a certain add-on you are hoping to receive? Tweet me your thoughts @Mamadeadhead on Twitter!