A new book, a tour recap, and a CAT COMIC
Hi!
This will be my last newsletter of the year, so let’s go big, shall we? Starting with a new book announcement! Okay, you may have caught this already if you follow me on instagram, but for the newsletter-only crowd, here it is:
Woohoo!! We have lots of time to talk about this new book, so for now I’ll keep it brief. Just know, I’m so excited to get back to writing, and to work with Andrea Colvin and Little, Brown Ink again. Fans of Trespassers, rejoice—this will be a return to adventure, mystery, and suspense, with some serious reading-love thrown into the mix.
Wildfire Book Tour Recap (part 2)!
Since my last newsletter, I finished the back half of my Wildfire book release events, and whew, so much fun! From an amazing conversation with Jonathan Hill at Powell’s Books (my name on the marquee!!) to my first school visit at my kids’ school, then a super-fun event at Floating World where Jonathan Hill, Seaerra Miller, Aron Nels Steinke and I shared art and comics from our childhood, to the Portland Book Festival where I sat on a panel with Rosanne Parry and went head-to-head in the illustrator challenge against Pedro Martín, Cátia Chien, Cherise Mericle Harper, Nikkolas Smith, and Zachary Sterling, then scooted over to Hood River to join Jeff Kinney on stage for his Diary of a Wimpy Kid No Brainer tour (I got to ride in the Wimpy Kid van!) and finally, a really sweet event in Olympia with the incredible Jonathan Case.
Did I say already, WHEW! It’s been a blast, and I’m so grateful to everyone who has in any way been a part of these events, whether on stage, behind the scenes, or in the crowd. I know I keep saying this, but I never got to do any in-person events for Trespassers due to COVID, and it’s felt extra special to get out in support of this book. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!
Also, I know I said I was going to write a comic about all this, specifically about my experience doing a book tour as an introvert. I tried, a number of times, and it just wasn’t making for an interesting comic, so I’ll spare you those attempts. Instead, I let myself play a bit over our Thanksgiving break. I’ve been wanting to draw some cat comics, specifically about cats playing basketball, and Claudia Claws is what started to come out. Here’s the first five pages if you’d like to read…
Haha, kind of a dark start, but I was feeling a moody streak. I don’t know about you, but I want to see what happens to Claudia next! Stay tuned, I’ll probably post more in future newsletters. Speaking of which, I’m planning a big newsletter overhaul in the new year, so if you aren’t already subscribed, please do subscribe!
For your holiday consideration…
If you’re buying books for holiday gifts, please consider mine!
For the kids in your life, ages 8-14, Wildfire or Trespassers are my middle grade graphic novels.
For the indie comics or memoir comic readers in your life, Picket Line and Hey Baby are available from Buy Olympia. (You can also buy Hey Baby directly from me if you want it signed, just do so by December 12 if you want it by Christmas!)
As a gift to me, I’d so appreciate anyone who could leave a review for Wildfire online (Amazon or Goodreads for example). It can really help get more eyes on my books!
In case you missed it…
Listen to my interview on OPB’s Think Out Loud.
Read my interview with Publisher’s Weekly.
Book me for an author visit or workshop!
Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful holiday season!
Love,
BB