OTHER PROJECTS

LAMBIE-LAND

I've taken a very long hiatus from my current creator-owned comics-format series, "Autumn," to work on my ultimate goal of publishing a novel.  You know, the kind without pictures, filled with words, instead. 

It happened because I started working longer hours at my day-job, which totally helps pay the bills, folks.  Also, I realized I needed to be more "present" at home, with my amazing man, Anthony.  I decided it was no longer cool to disappear for hours on end every day into my studio, and basically ignore my family and their needs.  I was REALLY feeling the pressure of trying to keep up with crazy comic book deadlines, writing AND illustrating, which is absolutely insane for someone who works full-time (plus overtime hours!) and has family and friends, etc. 

"Wonderland" is an awesome opportunity, because I can have fun writing it, but let the incredibly talented Sonny Liew take the joy/burden of illustration.

As much as I truly love drawing, I have discovered that WRITING is something I can do in my head at least half the time!  It's so portable.  I can compose whole chapters in my head while I'm on break at work, or even WHILE I'm working, or driving, or whatever.  It does not take anywhere NEAR the toll on my nerves that long hours of intensely-detailed drawing does.  I could handle the long hours of drawing if I didn't also have to get up at fucking 5:00 a.m. every morning and go to work at my day job for 9 hours.  See what I'm saying?  And I actually LOVE my day job now.  I'm working at a different school, which happens to be a college-prep academy that, although technically a public school, functions kind of like a private school.  It's junior high and high school combined, and I totally fucking love these kids.  They are smart (totally smarter than me), sincere, hard-working, funny, and they love to read!  It's bliss, as far as paying the bills goes.  Seriously.

Sigh.  So here I am, re-assessing my creative focus.  I joined SCBWI (The Society for Children's Book Writers & Illustrators), and joined a bi-weekly critique group in my area.  It has totally changed my life, man!  I fucking LOVE it.  And at SCBWI's "Editor's Day," I won 2nd place for best YA novel, and got a dandy certificate.  Which brings me to "Lambie-Land."

LAMBIE-LAND is my young adult novel-in-progress.  I have completely scrapped it and started re-writing it numerous times already, and I feel that I'm only now starting to learn how to really WRITE.  Writing a novel involves lots and lots of editing, cutting, re-writing, re-structuring, etc.  And there's no deadline because it'll be finished when it's finished, you know?  And when it is, then I'll seriously start looking for a publisher.  I've already submitted it to several publishers and agents in its various forms, and received some really awesome advice and suggestions.  But then, some of them just totally didn't "get" what I was trying to do, and their comments were really fucking stupid.  So those people can suck it. 

So there you go.  I'll put more info here about "Lambie-Land" when I've got some more work done, and feel ready to reveal the plot and tone of it.   

In the meantime, my regular comics publisher, Dan Vado at SLG, asked if I would be interested in doing some bonus material so we could finally put out a SKELEBUNNIES graphic novel, and a re-release in manga-size format of the STITCH graphic novel.  I said hell yeah, because I have plenty of time to do it at my own pace, and it's a manageable amount of work, especially for graphic novels, which can more easily be sold to the big chain bookstores, and on Amazon and stuff.  I feel bad to turn my back on single-issue comics, but uh...  What are you gonna do, right?  Maybe I'll eventually finish the Autumn series as a complete graphic novel.  Either that, or completely re-envision it as an illustrated young adult novel.  The kind with lots of words, and only SOME pictures!  Just a thought.

*TK*

4/13/'08