Tag: web comics

New comics and reviews on the way!

Hola!

I just served up a brand new episode of Princess Disasterface, titled Bunny Slippers and Truth. (Not to be confused with the bunny slippers OF truth. Sounds like my kind of superhero accouterments.) I’ve been a bit stuck on what will happen next lately…and the answer turned out to be a plot twist! Episode 2.6 also turned out longer than most (funny how that works). I hope you all enjoy it.

Growin' Pup #5, made with Comic Draw

In other news, I’m learning to use a new comic-specific app, Comic Draw (not affiliated). It’s not as intuitive as Tayasui Sketches (still not affiliated)…except when it comes to coloring in my drawings. So I’m using Comic Draw to make a special in-color edition of Princess Disasterface, but it is taking time. I currently have no timetable for release, and my current thinking is to make it available to mailing list subscribers. It’s a lot more work this way, and there will be some exclusives in the special edition (like actually seeing the king! And not just his bunny slippers) to sweeten the deal.

You can see the polished look Comic Draw offers in my latest edition of Growin’ Pup (pictured), and in a forthcoming Social Isolation. (That’s right…I’m still working on that one, in life and in comics.)

In book review news, I just got an advanced copy of Sarah K. L. Wilson’s Sting Magic. It’s available for just a few more days for those on her mailing list. If I like it, it’ll be this month’s Indie Book Spotlight. I have her Bridge of Legends compilation on my Kindle, just waiting to be read, but for now that will wait.

And now for some book recommendations!

I’ve been fortunate to read three exceptionally well-written books in a row. The first was Anna Velfman’s Snowblind, then The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson. And right after that, a book I’ve had my eye on since it was in hardcover came up on my library waiting list: Gods of Jade and Shadow, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I loved all three, but the last two made me wish there was a bit more to the post-climax wrap up. I won’t hesitate to pick up subsequent books by any of these three authors, though (Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic is already on my Holds list).

Stay tuned for many more reviews! And in the meantime, please stay well and take excellent care of yourselves.

-CKB

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An irregular July

Hey all!

Happy Independence Day to everyone who celebrated, and Happy Canada Day to everyone who celebrated that, too!

This is shaping up to be an irregular July, not just because of the pandemic. I’ll have to transfer to a new web hosting plan soon. Who knows what updating the site will be like then? Blah!

The important thing is, Princess Disasterface Episode 2.5 is here. It’s been a long time coming, and soon I hope to get into the backstories of the Duchess and the Queen…including why she’s so afraid of a certain important guest. If you noticed the lack of navigational buttons on the new episode, that was on purpose. I’m streamlining!

I’ve recently posted reviews of Alanna: the First Adventure, by the great Tamora Pierce, and Spindle, by wonderful indie author W.R. Gingell. You can find them by clicking the links.

I’m currently bouncing between rewrites and editing on an old and dearly loved project in the fantasy genre and the sequel to A Shadow in Sundown…and putting out the spiffed up second edition of book one. I’ll try to blog a sneak peak of the new cover soon. It plays up the world-hopping side of A Shadow in Sundown. I think it matches Kith’s adventures a lot better, too!

In reading news, I just got my copy of A Song Below Water, by Bethany C. Morrow, from the library, and I can’t wait to jump in! The sample I read hooked me and I’ve been on the wait list for a few weeks. Mermaids, people! I love a book with a twist on mythology (this one’s contemporary).

As for the book reviewing side of me, next up will be reviews of the delightfully creepy Daughter of Shades, by Sylvia Mercedes, and (to be written) Intisar Khanani’s re-release of Thorn. 

Stay safe and be well!

CKB

A quick note

Hello.

It’s been a while.

I’m well, how are you?

That’s good/I’m very sorry to hear that.

(But seriously, I hope you are all well and getting by.)

As we all go through this oddness of what some medical professionals are calling “a baby virus” (some baby!), I wanted to drop a quick note with the following orders of business:

#1. Book reviews!

Have you seen them?  The most recent ones are of Andrew Einspruch’s excellent and funny The Purple Haze (fantasy + humor) and Helena Rookwood’s The Prince and the Poisoner (fantasy + just a little romance).  These are two books I loved.  I know I could use a trip to the Carnival of Stars right about now.

Princess Disasterface, Ep. 2.4

#2. New comics!

I’ve been lagging on Princess Disasterface, but managed to complete an episode in April (Episode 2.4).  It somehow takes me hours just to do one page.  Maybe because I can’t stop putting details into areas behind walls that will just get half-covered anyway (see image at left!).  I’m working on ways to be more efficient, but not much luck so far!

#3. NEW new comics!

Social Isolation and Growin’ Pup are my latest (much faster to draw) series…es (just updated today with Social Isolation #4 and #5, and pupdated with Growin’ Pup #3).  Social Isolation will of course be a temporary comic, which I may or may not turn into something else later using the same character.

Growin’ Pup is based on my own life with my puppy, who is a big sweetie that barks at birds for not playing with her and tries to eat EVERYTHING outside.

#4. Writing!

A second edition of A Shadow in Sundown, in which I correct the formatting mistakes of the first edition, spiff it up a little with a new cover and some little graphics, and include a preview of book 2 in the series, will be coming soon.  It’s also looking like I may need more than 4 novellas, so I might have to drop the whole “Quartet” idea.  How DO authors predict these things?  (Though I guess extending a series is pretty common.)

I’m also preparing a pair of free short stories, one set in a version of our world split between magic users and not, and the other about a rather resourceful witch.  More on that later!

#5. What I’m reading:

Tempests and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce (Book One of the Numair Chronicles).  Alas, I haven’t read her work in a long time.  I’m on a library wait list for Alanna: The First Adventure and Wild Magic, both of which I want to re-read.  It’s been wonderful to try something newer (I say newer because I’m behind the times and it’s likely only new to this Tamora Pierce fan).  So far so good 3 chapters in!  (Of course.  It’s Tamora Pierce.)

That’s all for now.  Take care everyone!

-CKB

New episode + a message about Australia

Update (2/5/20): The message from author Andrew Einspruch can now be found here.

It’s happened!  I’ve crowbarred another episode into January before it ends.  Episode 2.2 is here.

It’s been exceedingly hard to get work on Princess Disasterface done this month.  Like a lot of people, I get migraines when the weather is up and down like this.  And it has been a VERY odd January.  I find myself celebrating each time the ground freezes (very unlike me) because I don’t have to wipe mud off my four-legged friend’s paws for once.

Switching tacks to something more serious now:

One of the things I have been doing, besides trying to create new comic and website content (and editing, writing, and more editing…), is making another special episode of Princess Disasterface.  I was inspired by what I think is an extraordinary email from the mailing list of Australian author Andrew Einspruch, whose house survived the bushfires, but with some damage to the animal sanctuary he co-runs (the people and animals are all safe).  I hope to be able to share the email with you all with permission, but either way I’ll try to pass on the heart of his message and draw attention through Princess Disasterface-humor.  I do believe that humor is be a good way to help serious messages reach others, especially when so many problems and tragedies need our attention and can overwhelm us.  All I can do is try!

In the meantime, USAToday has an article from earlier this month with lots of places to donate that benefit humans (including the families of fallen firefighters), and animals (including places that have formed campaigns to replant affected areas).  As for Einspruch’s email, The Deep Peace Trust Sanctuary has a fundraising campaign here, and he also suggests BlazeAid.

The heart of Einspruch’s message, by the way, is that if you can’t donate, pass it on so that it may reach others who can.

Cheers to you all,

CKB

New (Year’s) Content

Hi, all!  First off, let me wish you all a peaceful New Year.

I come bearing content.  Princess Disasterface now has its first Holiday Special (aptly titled Holiday Special #1), and we now have an illustrated Cast of Characters.  One of the lines came out a bit blurred by our witch friend.  Gah.  Something to fix in the New Year.

I’ve been toying with the idea of creating an actual Princess Disasterface comic book.  But where will I find the time?  Another resolution, I think.

In other news, I am very slowly putting together a fantasy short story collection to showcase my writing style.  Sales of my first novella are NOT exciting (in fact they may still be zero).  Building something like a reader base takes time. I doubt I would buy a review-less book from a first-time indie author, either.  So the goal is to continue to put out accessible quality content and eventually attract readers. That is the plan, at least!

There’s still a paperback version in the works, too.  (You notice my blog posts read like a wish list of completed tasks?!)

I couldn’t be happier that you’re all here with me on my comic(al) adventure, though.  Thank you for making Princess Disasterface a part of your free time.  It’s been a wonderful year.

Cheers, and a Happy 2020 to you all,

CKB

Episode 2 begins!

Princess Disasterface is back!  Episode 2 begins here.

I’ve been making some font changes here on the website and in the comic to make things look a little sharper.  When I said there was a learning curve to building this website, I meant it!  I only recently figured out how to alter the font attributes so things are more readable.  Not to mention justified instead of centered.

Baby steps!

Anyway, it’s nice to be working on the comic again.  My little break didn’t get me as far ahead as I hoped, thanks to my delayed release of A Shadow in Sundown.  The truth is I probably need to set a more realistic timetable for myself.  Once, I aimed to release almost every week…and now we’ll see how it goes.  Any scene/episode that requires a new background takes a lot more time to put together, and then I end up behind.

My Episode 2 resolution will be to relax and enjoy the process a little more.  I’m really looking forward to creating younger versions of the Duchess (whose name has been revealed–Diometra!) and the Queen (Esmerelda Sparkles Medina) as I delve into their backstories.

Cheers!

-CKB

The End of Episode 1

Here it is, 1.9! The end of an episode.

Princess Disasterface is a lot of fun to make, but it does take a bit of time! For that reason, there will be (what I think will be) a short hiatus before the start of Episode 2.

Episode 2 is going to have a slightly different flavor.  For one thing, Bonni’s objectives have to change.  For another, I’ll be introducing a new character, who I have yet to even draw.  And while I have an image in my head of what he looks like, things have a way of changing when they get to…um, screen.

Anyway, I really appreciate everybody who reads this.  Cheers to all of you!

Till next time,

CKB