I’ve worn a lot of hats over the years when it comes to jobs and projects. I know a little bit about marketing and PR from being a part of the comic book press, but it’s not something that I typically take on for work. That being said, there are a number of incredible people in the industry who do. I’ve compiled a list of names for you to utilize in case you happen to be looking for someone. Here are a few of those people (in alphabetical order):
Please keep in mind that I haven’t worked with all of these creators nor do I necessarily know them extremely well or personally vouch for them. Do your research when it comes to collaborating, always get things in writing, and don’t settle for someone that isn’t a good fit for your needs!
Best of luck with your projects! <3
I’m blessed to get regular inquiries about my editing work. I’m not always able to take on new projects or clients or sometimes I don’t feel that I’m a great fit. But I’m always happy to pass along my recommendations for other talented editors who might be available. And in case you happen to be looking for someone, here are a few of those people (in alphabetical order):
Please keep in mind that I haven’t worked with all of these creators directly nor do I necessarily know them extremely well and thus, I can’t personally vouch for them. Do your research when it comes to collaborating, always get things in writing, and don’t settle for someone that isn’t a good fit for your needs!
Best of luck with your projects! <3
It’s that time again where, for some reason, I share everything that I’ve been watching! It’s a brand-new year so it feels weird to have a post title with “2021” in it but you understand. I didn’t do any Best Of lists for this past year either. I planned on it but never really got around to it so these roundups are the closest you’ll get to my opinions on what I enjoyed. As per usual, if you want to see the movies I watched, you can feel free to check out
my Letterboxd profile.
I’m going to switch formats and write out my thoughts with each title as I do for my reading roundup. I’m not sure why I wasn’t doing that to begin with but here we go!
- School of Chocolate S1 – Everyone praised this for being a new wholesome reality series and I didn’t get that vibe. There was a lot of cattiness, competition, and unfriendly rivalry. I did enjoy it but definitely not as the “feel good” series that it was getting reviewed as.
- The Great S2 – This show is a work of art. It is absolutely ridiculous and everyone is bonkers but it is so much fun to watch. It was one of my favourite shows this year and it’s just as good as the first season, if not better.
- Star vs. The Forces of Evil S3 – This was a rewatch for me! Star vs. the Forces of Evil is a fave and part of my morning routine involves watching cartoons with breakfast and this is what I’ve been working my way through again.
- Zumbo’s Just Desserts S2 – I’m always floored when I watch baking and cooking shows. Like how do people just make these things from their minds?! I guess in the way that I can make stories from my mind, they conjure recipes. But it’s all deeply fascinating to me and I love getting to know the contestants as they progress through the competition.
- Great Canadian Baking Show S5 – When someone tries to sell me a new baking or cooking show that’s wholesome, The Great Bake-Off (moreso the British version though) is my bar. If the contestants aren’t taking time out of their bakes to help others or hugging and supporting someone when they have a meltdown, DON’T TALK TO ME ABOUT WHOLESOME! These are the wholesome baking shows and they are the definition of a comfort watch.
- The Sex Lives of College Girls S1 – Initially when I started this, I didn’t like it at all. And yet I kept watching it and all of a sudden I had binged the entire season? I won’t say that I loved it but by the end, I was extremely endeared to all of the characters, especially to Bela. Extremely sex-positive (obviously based on the title) and a charming cast.
- Centaurworld S2 – Ummm…I love this show so much? It’s incredibly good and everything from the animation to voice acting to the MUSICAL music is top-notch. I didn’t realize that the show would be wrapping up after this season so I was a little crushed to see it go so soon but I’m happy it did it on its own terms and was able to tell a complete story. An absolute must-watch.
- Canada’s Drag Race S2 – After a disastrous first season that was so cringe-worthy, I couldn’t even get through half of it, I was bracing for the worst. Everyone was so freaking mean?! IN CANADA! But the judges and producers seem to have course-corrected and this season was much more well-balanced and while I think some of the taste of the judges is questionable, I thought this time around was much more in line with the overall Drag Race brand.
- Arcane S1 – Everyone has been posting about Arcane online and I avoided it thinking that it wouldn’t really be my thing. I’m not a League of Legends person and know exactly nothing about it. But I watched anyway and WOW. I was blown away by the animation, story, and everything about it, quite honestly. I was not expecting to get emotionally sucker-punched and now I can’t wait for the second season to arrive. I even drew Jinx fanart? WHO AM I?
- Hawkeye S1 – If anything was going to redeem the most boring Hawkeye to exist, this was going to be it. My opinion on Jeremy Renner has really gone down over the years with his press tour bad takes. Plus he’s not really had much of an interesting arc within the Avengers movies over the years. That being said, Matt Fraction and David Aja’s run was the perfect way to bring him into the MCU in a more prominent way. Casting Hailee Steinfeld as plucky Kate Bishop was a great move too as she really livens up Renner’s pretty otherwise flat performance.With all of that out of the way, while I wanted to love the show, it is so blatantly Fraction and Aja’s book basically page directly to screen—even sometimes shot for shot. The fact that Aja got a meager Special Thanks at the end of the credits and little to no compensation when they ripped his art off for the entire aesthetic of the show? Awful. Fraction landed an Executive Producer credit but it’s still not enough for an entire series that’s based off of what they put into the Marvel Universe. Anyways, I liked it but the parts that were blatantly pulled from the comic always took me out of it knowing that they were done dirty like they were. I should’ve loved that stuff and yet here we are.
- The Sinner S4 – I liked this season of the show, I think it’s the best since Season 1 but nothing has really compared to it. It’s hard when you start off a show so strong to keep that momentum up and while it’s been good, it hasn’t really been great since.
- Wheel of Time S1 – The first couple of episodes I watched of this (with no prior knowledge of the books), I thought I was on crazy pills. There are so many moments that are very clearly pulled directly from Lord of the Rings that I had to stop and text some friends about it. That being said, after I stopped shouting “THAT’S JUST FROM LORD OF THE RINGS!” I wound up really enjoying the ride. The character diversity, interconnected stories, and the fact that the women are badass warriors and magic users really got me. Although I will say that I immediately looked up who the Dragon Reborn was because I have no willpower whatsoever.
- Baking It S1 – This might be my favourite baking show of all-time. I only ever got to watch one or two episodes of its counterpart, Making It (with Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman) but this series with Maya Rudolph and Andy Samberg hosting was *chefs kiss*. Musical numbers, wholesome baking, loving grandmas giving compliments? ABSOLUTE PERFECT! (take notes, reviewers of School of Chocolate…)
- Succession S2-3 – What can I say about Succession that hasn’t already been said by literally everyone on the internet? It’s fantastic even though I hate absolutely every character.
- The Witcher S2 – Once again, what can I say? The Witcher is exactly what my soul needed to end 2021 and the only thing that made me sad about it was the fact that I now have to wait for more.
WHEW. That was a list. I pondered breaking this bad boy up until two parts but nah. Having time off for the holidays (self-imposed) gave me a lot of time to just enjoy stuff. Not that I don’t watch a lot of stuff regularly but I definitely checked out a few things that I probably wouldn’t have otherwise.
What are you looking forward to watching this year?
December was a hectic month. On one hand, it was the holidays and I took some time off to recharge and decompress. On the other hand, I had a family emergency and a death in the family that hit me pretty hard. Plus trying to get work done prior to the holidays and to make up for time off with family. Still, I somehow managed to have a pretty productive month when it came to reading. I’ve once again rounded up everything I read. I’ve included some brief thoughts on each book and if you click the title of any of the books, it’ll take you to Bookshop where you can purchase a copy for yourself, should you be so inclined. Let’s go!
- Delicious in Dungeon Vol. 1-3 by Ryoko Kui and translated by Sébastien Ludmann — I’m including three volumes in one post because I read them all in December. My pal Andrew let me borrow these after I’d been aching to read them for ages. It’s a popular manga Inspired by Dungeons & Dragons and follows a group of adventurers rallying together after a member of their party is eaten by a dragon in a dungeon. In this world, death isn’t necessarily the end and you can be revived…if someone can get to you in time. The adventurers don’t have gold or time to get new supplies so they set forth into the dungeon to survive off of what’s in the dungeon to eat. It’s a delight! Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3 can be found on Bookshop by clicking each respective volume link. Many more volumes are also available but I only read the three.
- Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender — A story about a young trans boy named Felix who winds up in a sort of love triangle after he takes it upon himself to find the culprit of a hateful transphobic incident that publicly exposes Felix’s deadname at his school. It’s a really sweet book about love, finding yourself, and connecting with people who will treat you right.
- Here and Now and Then by Mike Chen — I made a video review of this book and then tweeted about it a bunch but it’s so good. If you’re a fan of Marvel’s Loki series that aired in 2021, this will for sure be up your alley. The story basically revolves around a time-traveling secret agent who gets trapped in the past for over a decade. Thinking he’ll never be retrieved, he starts a new life for himself including a family and his memories of his past life start to fade with his brain unable to process living in two timelines. And then one day he is rescued and brought back home where only a couple of weeks have passed. He has to reconcile his two lives and save the family in the past from being erased from time. SO GOOD, RIGHT?!
- Blood Scion by Deborah Falaye — A compelling debut author for fans of A Song of Wraiths and Ruins and Wings of Ebony. The first book in what I’m sure will become an epic YA fantasy series that will be highly sought after. Out March 8, 2022!
- Secret Identity by Alex Segura — An engrossing and thrilling noir that’s set within the comic book industry bringing mystery, intrigue, and more. I flew through this and couldn’t put it down. Alex Segura does an incredible job of bringing the character of Carmen Valdez to the page in an original story that expertly weaves fiction with real-life comics industry history and Easter eggs. Out March 15, 2022!
- Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel — Okay, so I loved this book and wrote up a full review. I’ll post a snippet here but you can read the full thing over on my Goodreads page. Emily St. John Mandel expertly weaves the various threads of her story together into a cohesive, stunning narrative that absolutely had me captivated from start to finish. I truly love the way that Mandel does this quiet sci-fi that’s unexpected and beautiful. It’s so subtle but incredibly complex. Like Here and Now and Then, it feels like it plays with similar elements we’ve seen recently in shows like Marvel’s Loki series. Time travel isn’t a new concept to play around with though. But it’s so interestingly developed here and I couldn’t put this book down.
- Poison Ivy: Thorns by Kody Keplinger and Sara Kipin — A sapphic modern gothic romance that explores a non-canon version of Poison Ivy’s origins. No previous knowledge of the character is required and imagines her life in high school that feels a bit like Crimson Peak meets the origin of Sailor Saturn from Sailor Moon. That might be a tad specific but the father/daughter relationship felt similar. It’s hard to imagine Ivy being anything but the badass most people know her as in the comics but I enjoyed seeing a different side of her that explored a more organic, slow burn to her antihero life down the line.
- Something is Killing the Children Vol. 1 by James Tynion IV, Werther Dell’Edera, Miquel Muerto, and AndWorld Design — I wasn’t really sure what to expect here but I enjoyed the book a lot. Horror isn’t something I delve into often but it’s done well here and aside from being pretty shocked by the amount of gore (esp. when it comes to children), I enjoyed the story of monster hunters existing to take care of the things that go bump in the night. Kind of like American Vampire meets I Kill Giants but for adults.
- Black Widow Vol. 1: The Ties That Bind by Kelly Thompson and Elena Casagrande — I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: Kelly Thompson is just such a master of exploring existing characters, sticking true to them, and also making them her own. She seamlessly integrates herself into these worlds and tells original, exciting tales revolving around some of my all-time faves and nails it every time. I genuinely can’t think of a single thing that I haven’t loved by her so far.
- Fence Vol. 2 by C.S. Pacat, Johanna the Mad, Joana LaFuente, and Jim Campbell — I can’t say enough good things about this series. It’s maybe the first series in a long time to really catch my interest and keep it. Short arcs, delightfully unique and complex characters, and a really fun story. No knowledge of fencing is needed to enjoy!
- Garlic & the Vampire by Bree Paulsen — This book is GOSH DANG DELIGHT. I was smiling the entire time I read it. A sentient garlic person suffering from anxiety sent to visit a local castle to ward off a vampire with her natural garlic-ness? What a perfect concept! I loved every minute of this story!
- Tidesong by Wendy Xu — A lush and beautiful story for fans of Ponyo and Spirited Away. Rich with wonderfully magical worldbuilding and very relatable characters.
- Verse Book 1: The Broken Half by Sam Beck — Beautiful, compelling, and incredibly well done. From the story to the STUNNING art and colours, the whole book is an epic fantasy story about magic, power, and fighting for what you believe in.
- Swan Lake: Quest for the Kingdoms by Rey Terciero and Megan Kearney — This graphic novel is a wonderful retelling of the classic Swan Lake fairytale. The art and the colours are beautiful and it’s just so much fun to read. Out March 15, 2022!
- For the Wolf by Hannah F. Whitten — Basically, there’s a curse and within the royal family, whenever two daughters are born, the eldest inherits the crown while the second daughter is sent to the woods as a sacrifice for the wolf that lives there and guards the forest. It’s an incredible dark fantasy that’s essentially Red Riding Hood x Beauty and the Beast. Highly enjoyable and a compelling read, and a brilliant debut from Hannah F. Whitten.
- Sabrina the Teenage Witch Vol. 2: Something Wicked by Kelly Thompson, Veronica Fish, and Andy Fish — As stated above with Black Widow, I am so envious of how Kelly Thompson writes these existing characters. When I read the first volume of this book, I was so ready to be like “I could do this too!” since Sabrina is such a beloved character to me (and on my bucket list to write) but she nailed the tone and managed to integrate the comic book version of Sabrina while also integrating the humor of the sitcom Sabrina. This is a continuation and I think you do need to read the first to really get this story but it’s enjoyable and dare I say, magical.
- Quince by Sebastian Kadlecik, Kit Steinkellner, Emma Steinkellner, and translated by Valeria Tranier — Average teenager Lupe is excited for her quinceañera but is not prepared when she is suddenly bestowed with superpowers?! With great power comes great responsibility and blah blah blah, Lupe has to learn how to control her new gifts and try to put them to good use! It’s such a fun story with art by Emma Steinkellner who you may know from her series, The Okay Witch. The story features a latina superhero and is available in both Spanish and English.
- Smile by Raina Telgemeier — I’m pretty sure I will die shouting about how great Raina Telgemeier is…in this house, we stan Raina forever for her incredible stories and how she helped to pioneer the middle-grade graphic novel market that we have today. Smile is the book that really started it all for her and with its extremely relatable characters, story, and themes, you can see why kids gravitate towards them like candy. Raina just gets it and understands how to tell stories for young people through her own experiences…and it’s incredible.
- Fresh by Margot Wood — A queer, sex-positive, modern retelling of the classic Emma. This is a fun, laugh-out-loud, heartfelt exploration of those exciting (and sometimes awkward) college years. I was smiling throughout the book, devoured it in a day, and loved every minute. For fans of Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging and Adrian Mole and want something that reminds them of those stories. Margot Wood’s writing is a joy!
GEEZ. I knew I read a lot but writing it out, I’m like SHEESH. I guess that’s what happens when you have free time, eh? So that’s 19 individual titles and 21 overall including the three total volumes of Delicious in Dungeons. WHEW…well, that’s not my normal output for reading so don’t get used to this.
Stay tuned for what’s to come in 2022!
It’s been one whole year since Oh My Gods! came out. It simultaneously feels like just yesterday and also like a lifetime ago. So much has happened in this year which I won’t ramble on about again (but you can check out my wrap-up post here).
Sometimes it felt like Oh My Gods! would never happen. It started out as an idea that Insha and I had years ago and we couldn’t let it go. We loved the concept, characters, and world. We found Juliana and knew we had our missing piece of the puzzle. From there, the feeling that we had to make this book happen only intensified. We originally thought that we’d release it in single issues within the comic industry (aka the direct market). We had some interest but ultimately nothing really panned out. And then we had someone at a traditional book publisher interested! We hadn’t yet connected with our agent, Maria Vicente (amazing agent goddess extraordinaire), and the editor advised us that if we wanted to work with them, we’d need to agent up.
That brought us to Maria’s doorstep and we began the process of trying to get a deal together. Eventually, it fell through, and after putting Oh My Gods! out on submission to other publishers, we were back to square one. We began to think that if we were going to make the book, we’d have to do it ourselves via crowdfunding and self-publishing. We still loved our story, characters, concept, etc. but we made peace with the fact that it might not happen in the way we had hoped it would.
Several months later, I wrapped up writing ParaNorthern and the Chaos Bunny A-hop-calypse. My editor (perfect editor goddess extraordinaire, Lily) reached out to my agent to inquire if I had any other projects looking for a home. We pitched Oh My Gods! and Lily just got it. She understood what we were trying to do with it and after reworking a few things—including aging it down from YA to middle-grade—she acquired it for publication at HMH (now Clarion). AND with a sequel attached (a two-book deal!)
Funnily enough, even though I had already been working on ParaNorthern for months by the time HMH even bought Oh My Gods!, it was announced first and scheduled for publication first.
Publishing isn’t always a linear journey. The thing we think will be “it” sometimes turns out to, well, not be. And we have to keep moving forward with our stories, projects, and ideas. What I’ve learned since this all began is that things will happen when they’re meant to happen. If one project doesn’t get picked up right away, it doesn’t mean that it won’t someday; it’s just maybe not the right time. That being said, rejection is never easy to handle though. It can be hard to brush off, especially if it’s a project that’s near and dear to you…which they almost all are. They come from your heart and soul. Someone not wanting to make your story a reality feels like a rejection of yourself sometimes. But it’s important to try to separate those feelings and keep pushing yourself to create new and exciting things that you’re passionate about.
At the end of the day, we no longer need publishers to help us tell our stories. There are so many avenues that allow us to connect with audiences on our own. It’s always nice to be validated but someone saying no to you or your story doesn’t mean it’s the end of the line. It’s a lot of work to self-publish or even crowdfund but those options are there.
That being said, if writing and storytelling is your passion, it’s great to have goals. Absolutely have ambition and work towards achieving them. But remember that you should be your own #1 fan. It’s a bit of an oxymoron because creatives tend to suffer from a lot of imposter syndrome. However, if you aren’t necessarily able to compliment your own writing, being the biggest champion of your story and characters will give you the passion to tell the best version possible.
If I can leave this reflection with some advice for any creatives out there reading this, here it is: be kind to yourself. Don’t compare yourself to others—success is different for all of us. Don’t let other people define your creativity and your storytelling. Stick with the projects you love, be open to constructive feedback, and give yourself space from your stories when you need it. And above all else, don’t let anyone tell you that you don’t have what it takes. Feed your soul with whatever you’re passionate about and thrive on it.
<3