Happy new year and welcome to 2020, where everyone has perfect vision, especially when it comes to looking back at the year in review.
And boy, was 2019 a big year for me.
Quite Yer Day Job!
In September of 2018 I made the difficult decision to leave my day job to go back to working on my passion projects. I spent the last months of that year gearing up for my new adventures by cleaning out my studio and getting it organized after years of neglect.
And then 2019 was full of milestones.
New Books
February saw the publication of the first Soul Chaser Betty story since the original series was collected into the graphic novel back in 2007. That’s right, it only took me 12 years to get around to doing a new story. In truth, I had been working on Soul Chaser Betty: Slumber Party of DOOM! for several years, chipping away at the art a couple nights a week, whenever I could, but progress was slow. It felt great to finally have the time to put the finishing touches on it, and then to have the book in my hands. Even better were all the fans who picked up the new story at conventions. Many readers have asked for more stories over the years, and every year I would see disappointed faces when I had to admit that there was no new Betty. So you can imagine how cool it was to see people actually delighted to see a new book on my table in 2019!
Inktober 2018 was also released early in the year. This was the first sketchbook with new art to be published since 2012’s Inklings. (2015’s Dangerous Beauty and Wicked Lovely were retrospective books collecting previous work). This book collected the previous year’s Inktober effort, and I’m happy to say it was my highest selling art book this year!
Conventions
Speaking of cons, 2019 marked a ramp up in my con presence. I did a record number of shows this year—seventeen—everything from the largest anime and comic cons, to library shows and smaller collectible and cosplay shows. And my presence at these venues was enhanced by the addition of new displays! For years I’ve watched as my fellow artist alley peers have upped their game with professional displays and signage. Meanwhile, I had wallowed in outdated “garage sale” land. After all, when you only do 3 shows a year, it doesn’t make much sense to invest in new displays. Getting back into the game in 2019 allowed me to invest in new professional displays, table runners, and signs. And 2020 will allow me to up that ante even more.
New Website
Similarly, my website had not been given any love in quite some time. The old Twilight Tangents could have won the award for “most 90s looking website.” It was an old HTML page that was a pain to update. Coupled with a lack of news, it’s updates had sort of fallen to the wayside (and then off a cliff). But 2019 was finally the year I had the time to invest in learning new tools. I drew up a plan and updated it to the brand-spankin’ new website that you’re reading right now, complete with a modern storefront, a searchable archive, and a (gasp) mobile-friendly theme.
But what about those passion projects?
The Great American (Fantasy) Novel
I spent a great deal of time in 2019 working on my novel. What novel, you ask? Yeah, I don’t talk about it much, but those who chat with me at shows know that I’ve been working on a fantasy novel for several years. It’s already passed a round of feedback with a group of first readers, but it was difficult to find the time to work on re-writes and edits while holding down the day job. I would only get 4 to 5 hours of work into it every Sunday, and that was it. Last year I was able to jump back into the project. I spent a ton of time researching some history and technology, organizing my notes, and tackling a new draft, one headed back to my “beta readers” in the coming months. I’m incredibly excited about the book, and I can’t wait to make it a reality. When? When it’s ready. What’s it about? Well, the research I was doing last year included subjects as varied as Babylonian and Mesopotamian civilization, the age of sail in Nelson’s navy, and battleships and naval tactics of the early 20th century, so expect something a little different.
Science Fiction Comic
2019 also saw the beginning of a new comic project. This is another one that I haven’t shared publicly yet, but I have a script in the can, and designs for the main characters completed. Nope, it’s not another Betty story (don’t worry, I’ll get back to Betty’s adventures soon). This new book is a science fiction tale, set within a gritty, more realistic future where Earth has expanded as far as the moons of Jupiter, dragging war, organized crime, and corporate greed along with it—sometimes all at the same time! This story is planned out as one-shot issue of around 24 pages, and I hope to start on the page art soon.
Art for Art’s Sake
Finally, I was able to get back to drawing on a more regular basis last year. Doing Inktober again in 2019 helped me to break out and try some new things, as did working on new sketchcards, some fun commissions for fans, and actually getting back to drawing just for the fun of it.
On to 2020!
So yeah, 2019 was a big year. But I have bigger plans for 2020. Look for new art to go up on the site, as well as official announcements and progress reports on stuff like the new comic and novel. It’s time to dive deep into making these new dreams a reality!