2023, Conventions, and The Book: An Outline of the Next Year (Patreon)

Happy New Year, patrons!! Hoping everybody here had a wonderful evening celebrating the passage of time and the cathartic symbolism of putting this last year behind us. This year was a bit of a roller coaster for myself, so I've personally been looking forward to the new year and the promise it brings, especially since I've got some exciting plans and events on the horizon!

First off, just wanted to mention again how grateful I am for your support with A Show of the Ropes! It felt like a risk jumping into a new comic project without our beloved Elise and Junip back in 2020, but the love has been palpable! I'm pleased to announce that the comic will wrap up this year! I don't have an exact deadline in mind for myself, because I want to make sure that we, and Chloe, all get some time to luxuriate in the final moments of the sex scene. But I can confidently say that it'll run about 80-85 pages long, and be available to purchase in print by summer. Since this publishing will have a higher page count than Crossing That Bridge, as well as be printed in color, production costs will be a bit more expensive. To make things easier on my wallet, and so I don't get completely overwhelmed packing and shipping everything out, my current plan is to release the physical edition in biweekly batches of 200. It's definitely going to be a lot of work, but I've been looking forward to this moment when I can hold the completed version of this comic in my hands and call it finished for a long time, and I know it'll be worth the wait.

With regards to the work put in... I will say that I am probably overdue for a break. I like to think I am pretty good at taking stock of when and how I need some time off from work, but that's mostly taken the form of weeklong staycations, or trips that have their own stressful objectives embedded in them. What I need is a real, actual, vacation, something where I am completely disconnected from the means to work, and putting myself in an environment where I can fully unwind. I don't have any exact plans for this yet, but I know -when- it needs to happen! When I finish the comic, illustrate the cover, format it for print, and send everything off to my printers, there is usually a good two or three week turnaround. For that duration of time... to put it frankly, I would like to just comfortably disappear for a while. Creativity is a well that can run dry if the artist keeps taking and taking from it without refilling it, and it's about time I left that well alone for a bit to let it fill on its own, especially since I will no doubt be heading into a new comic project before the end of the year.

But before all that, just in the next couple of weeks, I have an exciting little return to form with Further Confusion 2023, where I will be tabling for the first time in 3 years! I've really been looking forward to showcasing everything I've made in that duration of time, including the print version of Crossing That Bridge, both of my dakis, new stickers, etc! Once I become notified of the arrangement of the dealers space and the table layout, I'll be sure to post something here so folks in attendance can find me. Hope to see some of y'all there! ♥

Beyond all that, I have no other grand plans for the year that aren't currently tentative! I'd definitely like to hit up a few more cons this year as a dealer, with BLFC, MFF, and EF looking particularly enticing (I tried for FWA and they rejected my dealers application, boo hiss). I'm also going to keep up with my apparently-yearly schedule of whipping up new dakis, and finally give y'all the Elise body pillow you've all waited so long for. I just wanted to make sure her new design was cemented before she was immortalized in the fabric, and I don't think her current linen-clad southwestern desert lesbian vibes are going anywhere anytime soon... except maybe onto your bed. :)

And... that's all! There's a lot of work to be done but a lot to look forward to! As always, I stumble to come up with the words to properly expressed my gratitude, but y'all are fucking incredible!! Thank you all so much for your support here, and I look forward to making more art together. ♥♥