Summer Vibes
It's summer. It just begun and I feel like it's already the end of the month.
Hello friends!
What is time? It moves so swiftly. Even on hot these very hot, slow days, it’s morning and then time to start again. Perhaps it’s that I’m deep in revisions on my new graphic novel and so time moves differently when in the creative zone or when wrestling with it. The point is, time is a mystery.
I just got back from the ALA (American Library Association) conference last week and I love that show so much. It’s all about books. And let’s face it, librarians are the best. They are currently on the front lines for us all and I salute and pledge allegiance to them. Go use your library card this summer. You won’t regret it.
I was there at the conference with Dark Horse Comics and my books SHIFTING EARTH and Star Wars Hyperspace REBELS AND RESISTANCE (out July 12th! co-written with Amanda Deibert and Michael Morecei!) and it was great to let librarians know about these two new books.
One thing that meant so much to me was that many librarians came my signing to talk about what THE PLAIN JANES meant to them, and it was great to delight them with the news that Jim Rugg and I had made a third book and that it was released as an omnibus on Little, Brown. Anyways, ALA was inspiring as always and it was great to catch up with a whole slew of friends from both the comics world and the YA world.
I am off to San Diego Comic Con in two weeks. I wasn’t sure I was going to go this year, but as the fates would have it I’m on 8 panels. (Yes, you read that right, EIGHT panels) and three signings. I would announce them all right now, but they’ve only shared Thursday’s programming info as of today. So here’s my Thursday.
You may have noticed that I’ve decided to open up the paid subscription part of this here newsletter. Basically I’m in a limbo space between cheques and I had a book cancelled this year (because of all of those corporate cuts you keep seeing). I’m not really good at asking for help, but art life is a strange life and a sometimes hard life finanically especially between gigs.
So, I’m asking for a little help
If you want to support me, feel free to become a subscriber here, or if that’s not your vibe you can put a little coin in my KO-FI jar or buy something from my virtual comic con table (like a Plain Janes pin, or a signed book!) or you can order a handwritten short story from my VintageCardTinyStory postcard project which I’m ressurecting. You can order one here.
Think of it as helping to fund the various art projects that I have going on. I have a lot. I am trying to do a bunch of arty things and commission real artists (fuck AI) and right now in the immediate future, trying to offset at least one night of my San Diego Comic Con hotel!
Thank you if you can support me as I really do love making art. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. And thank you to those that do and have for me and any other artist. I promise I will do a couple of subscriber only posts about the inner process of my various projects, deeper dive on my travels for research and an occasional space enthusiam post.
Here’s just a few of the things I’m working on lately!
A new graphic novel My First Monster that will be out eventually on Little, Brown.
My WW I novel. I’m continuing to research and in the process of commissioning orginal art for this project, portraits. I’ve already got a few from folks like Jim Rugg, Ken Garduno, Jose Pimienta, Pat Hamou.
My new opera with composer Andre Ristic, House on Fire that is due to debut in late 2024
My new song cycle series Space/Craft on exploratory space crafts that I am working on getting a workshop of for four pieces in the next year or two. This will also have art that I will commission to support the piece. I did one on the Parker Solar Probe with composer Rose Hall that premiered this past January in Philadelphia with the ENA Ensemble with art by Pia Guerra.
A solo RPG game thing inspired by a class I took with the amazing Shing Yin Khor (you should check out their cool games and works)
A hybrid performance/comics/tech project research thing I’m doing in Fall (more on that later)
Some things I love that I think you will love as well.
The Independent Shakespeare Company in Los Angeles is having it’s summer Shakespeare in the Park. This year it’s Julius Ceasar and Midsummer Night’s Dream.
My friend Cherry Chevapravatdumrong has a new film out this weekend that she cowrote called JOY RIDE. Go see it.
My pal Thien Pham has a new book out about called FAMILY STYLE and you should read it.
What are you working on? What summer fun are you cooking up? What art and goodness are you putting out in the world?
Stay cool. I know you will.
Love, Cecil