I haven’t talked about it here for a while but did you know I have a podcast with the amazing Whitney Gardner? It’s called Caper Cast and we talk about cinematic heists and capers! It releases on the first and third Tuesday of every month.
We’ve been having a blast doing and even if it was just for us, I think we’d keep at it. But it’s more fun with other people! We’ve covered a ton of fun movies so far with Fast Five being the most recent. Whitney had never seen any of the Fast and Furious movies before so this was her intro.
There’s a lot of laughter, Vin Diesel impressions, and questions…if we’re being honest. But the film is just so much fun that it’s hard to not get wrapped up in it.
The show does do spoilers so if you haven’t seen a film and you’re wanting to check it out, you should definitely watch it first. Unless you don’t care about that sort of thing. You can visit CaperCast.com to subscribe or you can listen to the latest episode below:
If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you may have seen my What I’m Watching feature that I do on a monthly basis. Last night I was reading and thought “Why don’t I do that for what I’m reading too?” And thus I decided to pull together a list of what I read in August to share.
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas — I am obsessed with these books and with SJM. I can’t remember the last time I religiously followed everything by a certain author. It’s kind of nice to fangirl about someone from afar and to know that whenever they release something, it’ll likely be a hit for me. For those familiar with SJM’s A Court of Thorns and Roses series, this is a spinoff focusing on Feyre’s sister Nesta. She’s a lot more feisty and disgruntled than Feyre and even though some of her personality is a bit off-putting, it’s all part of the story and leads to a really satisfying journey for Nesta.
A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair — This is honestly a perfect intersection of so many things that I love: Greek mythology, YA urban fantasy, great world-building, and romance. It’s like Sarah J. Maas created a series that revolved around Greek Mythology with a focus on some of my favourite deities. I don’t really actively seek out (spicy) romance as a genre but a friend recommended it to me. She also let me borrow this and the second book in the series to read and I’m so glad that she did. It definitely wasn’t as spicy as I was anticipating but that’s not a bad thing.
The River Has Teeth by Erica Waters — I’ll just share what I wrote over on Goodreads: “Completely devoured this book in two days; I couldn’t put it down! The best way I can describe it is Final Girls x The Once and Future Witches. It’s part murder mystery, part thriller, and part magical fantasy realism. Erica Waters’ prose is beautiful and easy to fall in love with. Each character feels so fleshed out and complex in the best possible ways; we get so many layers to them and explore their fear and grief and more. And most importantly, we explore what happens when we those who have been preyed upon are armed with teeth to fight back.”
Wings of Ebony by J. Elle — I was briefly in a group called Class of 2K21 that was for authors and their debut books. J. Elle was a member of the group and so this novel has been on my radar for a while. I finally got it from the library and sped through it. It’s a great magical fantasy that tackles race, violence, and more but through Rue’s time in the real world and in a magical utopia.
Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta — Once again, I’m going to go ahead and share what I wrote on my Goodreads review: “An action-packed ride from start to finish. I devoured this story and was completely captivated by the dual-POV adventure. Pacific Rim x This Is How You Stop The Time War but for a YA audience. While Xiran Jay Zhao’s Iron Widow book, isn’t out yet, Gearbreakers and Iron Widow feel like spiritual siblings or cousins; titles where if you enjoy one, you’ll surely enjoy the other. Incredibly great!”
What did you read last month? Let me know in the comments!
Yet another month has passed and here I am, back to tell you about what TV I watched. Comparatively to the last several months, it was pretty light for TV watching. I think it’s because I started a bunch of shows that have yet to wrap up though. So those will trickle onto the list at a later date…probably September or October.
So without further delay, here’s what I watched:
Glow Up S3
Cooking with Paris
Making the Cut S2
Bake Squad S1
Geordie Shore S13
Great British Bake-Off S1 & S11
Centaurworld S1
With the exception of one, it was all reality TV. I swear I watch other stuff. I swear I do. I won’t get into the reality shows because they’re mostly just my comfort TV. What I will discuss is how much I freaking loved Centaurworld.
I knew it was going to be something up my alley when they announced this show. Animation! Bonkers concept! Musical numbers! Whacky absurdism! It was truly everything that I could’ve hoped for. I wasn’t expecting for it to sucker punch me so hard on the emotional side of things though. Truly thought I was going in for a goofy good time and was unprepared. But it does such a great job of balancing the serious with the silly and I really hope it’s renewed for more seasons.
Annnnd that’s it! What did you watch in August and enjoy? Let me know in the comments!
Much like sports themselves, comics about sports can be pretty hit or miss for some people. But there are a number of amazing ones out there that I think just about anyone can enjoy. So here’s my list for you to check out:
Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu (First Second)
Check, Please! originally started as a webcomic and quickly took off in popularity. How could you not be charmed by the idea of a sweet former figure skater (with a passion for baking) joining a hockey team full of sports bros? It’s wholesome and ridiculously charming.
It was among the first of the big webcomics to land a publishing deal for the physical books and First Second has collected the series in two volumes which are both available now.
Here’s the official synopsis: “Helloooo, Internet Land. Bitty here! Y’all… I might not be ready for this. I may be a former junior figure skating champion, vlogger extraordinaire, and very talented amateur pâtissier, but being a freshman on the Samwell University hockey team is a whole new challenge. It’s nothing like co-ed club hockey back in Georgia! First of all? There’s checking. And then, there is Jack—our very attractive but moody captain.”
The Avant-Guards by Carly Usdin and Noah Hayes (Boom! Studios)
When I started reading The Avant-Guards, I knew next to nothing about it. I dove in blind and wound up falling in love with it! It is a delight! Not only is the story such a fun premise, but the art is brilliant, beautiful, and innovative. And by that, I mean that there are some really incredible splash pages and double-page spreads that present the panels in such creative and unique ways. I have such a deep appreciation for fun page layouts, especially when artists are working on a big time crunch, but it elevates the art to the next level. You won’t be disappointed with The Avant-Guards, even if basketball isn’t your thing.
Here’s the official synopsis: “When Charlie transfers to the Georgia O’Keeffe College of Arts and Subtle Dramatics, she struggles to find her feet, but winds up exactly where she belongs…in the school’s (terrible) basketball team.
As a transfer student to the Georgia O’Keeffe College for Arts and Subtle Dramatics, former sports star Charlie is struggling to find her classes, her dorm, and her place amongst a student body full of artists who seem to know exactly where they’re going. When the school’s barely-a-basketball-team unexpectedly attempts to recruit her, Charlie’s adamant that she’s left that life behind…until she’s won over by the charming team captain, Liv, and the ragtag crew she’s managed to assemble. And while Charlie may have left cut-throat competition in the dust, sinking these hoops may be exactly what she needs to see the person she truly wants to be.”
Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms by Crystal Frasier and Val Wise (Oni Press)
Once again, I went into this comic pretty blind and was floored by it. This story was so endearing and I loved pretty much every single character throughout. It’s such an important LGBQTIA+ comic that expertly navigates the different experiences of the characters and sheds light on what they’re going through. It puts empathy and compassion in the forefront and in addition to being a really fun story with stunning colours and art, it’s just a joy to read.
Here’s the official synopsis: “Annie is a smart, antisocial lesbian starting her senior year of high school who’s under pressure to join the cheerleader squad to make friends and round out her college applications. Her former friend BeeBee is a people-pleaser—a trans girl who must keep her parents happy with her grades and social life to keep their support of her transition. Through the rigors of squad training and amped up social pressures (not to mention micro aggressions and other queer youth problems), the two girls rekindle a friendship they thought they’d lost and discover there may be other, sweeter feelings springing up between them.”
Slam by Pamela Ribon and Veronica Fish (Boom! Studios)
Roller derby is never not a good time! Plus Pamela Ribon is such a master storyteller across various mediums, her and Veronica Fish tell such a fun story here that features badass characters that you can’t help to fall in love with.
Here’s the official synopsis: “From the first day of Fresh Meat Orientation for the Eastside Roller Girls, Jennifer and Maisie knew they’d be fast friends. But when they’re drafted to different teams, the pull of competition — and their increasingly messy personal lives — threaten to drive them apart. In roller derby you take your hits, get back up, and learn how to be a better jammer, a better blocker, a better lover, and a better friend. Derby can heal your heart…but it might break a bone or two in the process.”
Okay, this might be a bit of a cheat in that it’s not grounded in our world or really has our rules when it comes to sports. But I’ll pitch this to you how it was pitched to me: Lord of the Rings x Steven Universe. It’s included in this list because each volume does have a very real sport (from our world) featured in it. But it’s part of a fantasy adventure where the treasure-hunting main characters must defeat The Boss of the tomb they find in order to get the treasure. Except, it’s not combat that they have to defeat him at, it’s basketball!
Every volume has a different sport that they have to play as the adventures continue and in addition to just being beautiful to look it, it’s a ton of fun.
Here’s the official synopsis: “In Sam Bosma’s debut graphic novel, a young explorer and his musclebound friend go treasure hunting in a mummy’s tomb—but if they want to get rich, they’re going to have to best the mummy in a game of hoops! Can they trust their bandaged adversary to play by the rules? Or will they be stuck in the tomb . . . forever?”
What are some of your favourite comics featuring sports? Let me know in the comments or reach out and say hello over on socials!
It’s nearly the end of summer but it’s okay! There’s still time for summer camp or to at least read some graphic novels about it. Here’s a selection of middle-grade reads that feature those summer camp vibes:
Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol (First Second)
Fitting in can be hard no matter where you are, especially when you’re sent off to a niche summer camp filled with complete strangers! Vera Brosgol expertly navigates the dread and anxiety that comes with experiencing summer camp for the first time in this very relatable story in a semi-autobiographical tale based on author Vera Brosgol’s own childhood.
“All Vera wants to do is fit in—but that’s not easy for a Russian girl in the suburbs. Her friends live in fancy houses and their parents can afford to send them to the best summer camps. Vera’s single mother can’t afford that sort of luxury, but there’s one summer camp in her price range—Russian summer camp.
Vera is sure she’s found the one place she can fit in, but camp is far from what she imagined. And nothing could prepare her for all the “cool girl” drama, endless Russian history lessons, and outhouses straight out of nightmares!”
I loved the heck out of Fake Blood so it’s no surprise that its spiritual sequel is also a dang delight. This story does such a fab job of putting us in a hesitant kids’ shoes as they explore not just a new city for the first time but a new experience in going to summer camp. Of course, there’s a fun, quirky twist here to the camp that makes Vega very justified in her hesitancy…but it’s not the far out spin that makes it special so much as the journey that we go on with Vega.
“Vega’s summer vacation is not going well. When her parents decide it’s time to pack up and leave her hometown of Portland, Oregon, behind for boring Seattle, Washington, Vega is more than upset–she’s downright miserable. Forced to leave her one and only best friend, Halley, behind, Vega is convinced she’ll never make another friend again.
To help her settle into her new life in Seattle, her parents send Vega off to summer camp to make new friends. Except Vega is determined to get her old life back. But when her cellphone unexpectedly calls it quits and things at camp start getting stranger and stranger, Vega has no choice but to team up with her bunkmates to figure out what’s going on!”
Learning to share, especially when it comes to your friends, can be such a big thing to tackle at a young age. It’s easy to feel alone and isolated when you’re dropped into a new setting and presented with all kinds of options for people to hang out with. But meeting new people, embracing a chance to expand your friend circle, and experiencing new things is good for us! Olive has to navigate these things and overcome her own feelings in this wonderful and relatable story.
“Olive is sure she’ll have the best time at summer camp with her friend Willow – but while Olive makes quick friends with the other campers, Willow struggles to form connections and latches on to the only person she knows – Olive. It’s s’more than Olive can handle! The stress of being Willow’s living security blanket begins to wear on Olive and before long…the girls aren’t just fighting, they may not even be friends by the time camp is over. Will the two be able to patch things up before the final lights out?”
Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson, Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, and Brooke Allen (Boom! Studios)
This book has been an instant classic from the moment it hit store shelves and for good reason. Lumberjanes is the inclusive, fun, hilarious, and heartfelt story that so many of us had been craving! It’s an absolute joy to read time and time again, and the adventures that this crew have are impossible to not love.
“Five best friends spending the summer at Lumberjane scout camp…defeating yetis, three-eyed wolves, and giant falcons…what’s not to love?!
Friendship to the max! Jo, April, Mal, Molly and Ripley are five best pals determined to have an awesome summer together…and they’re not gonna let any insane quest or an array of supernatural critters get in their way!”
Secrets of Camp Whatever by Chris Grine (Oni Press)
“Eleven year-old Willow doesn’t want to go to her dad’s weird old summer camp any more than she wants her family to move to the weird old town where that camp is located. But her family–and fate itself–seem to have plans of their own. Soon Willow finds herself neck-deep in a confounding mystery involving stolen snacks, suspected vampires, and missing campers, all shrouded in the sinister fog that hides a generation of secrets at Camp … Whatever it’s called.”
What are your favourite comics and graphic novels about summer camp? Share your suggestions and recommendations in the comments!
I can’t believe that yet another month has passed and it’s now August. Honestly, this year is once again flying by at a snail’s pace. That being said, I’m continuing to round up what I watch. Why? I have no clue! But I guess it’s just a habit now. So here are the TV shows I watched in July.
Bob’s Burgers S9-10
Trying S2
Nancy Drew S1
Loki S1
Wellington Paranormal S2
Owl House S1
Never Have I Ever S2
Too Hot to Handle S2
Geordie Shore S12
Sexy Beasts S1
Honestly, I forgot that I watched a lot of these somehow? Like Trying was SO GOOD and I loved the heck out of it, but it feels like I wrapped up the second season ages ago. I think I talked about it before but I was really pleasantly surprised at how much I loved this show and how it could simultaneously make me laugh and cry. A really stellar show from Apple+.
I waited and waited and waited for The Owl House to come to ANY PLATFORM IN CANADA for what felt like an eternity. And then all of a sudden it was there! And it was everything that I hoped it would be and more. Except for longer and filled with more episodes. That’s to say that I just need to get more of the story ASAP…but knowing Disney, that’s not likely to happen anytime soon.
Loki was great too. I think WandaVision is still my fave in terms of the MCU shows that have been put out so far? It was just made for that medium and works. Loki still felt very cinematic to me, but that could’ve been a result of the production value…but that being said, it was a great story and I am bummed that there’s more to come. ONLY because I just wanted to know exactly what was going on by the end. I’ll definitely tune in to the next season.
And the last show I’ll say something about is Never Have I Ever which is just a dang delight. It’s SO CRINGE at times but I can’t help but really enjoy it and get fully invested in all the good teen drama. If you haven’t checked it out already, I suggest you do. It’s on Netflix!
What have you been watching and checking out?
Last week, Page & Panel held a virtual launch for Whitney Gardner and I. We teamed up to talk about our new graphic novels, Long Distance and Paranorthern. The amazing Tyra Sweet hosted our panel and we had a fabulous discussion! If you missed it, you can check it out below. And you can pick up copies of both of our books from Page & Panel (in-person or online here). They have signed copies of ParaNorthern and you can get a FREE Chaos Bunny enamel pin with your purchase.
Over the weekend, I set up at Book City on the Danforth in Toronto for an outdoor book signing. As you may know, ParaNorthern was released last week so we wanted to celebrate and spread the word! Book City welcomed me with open arms and helped make the event absolutely wonderful.
Of course it had to rain though and we were all worried that the turnout would be less than stellar. However, that was not the case! A few people showed up who already had the book or came specifically to pick it up and have it signed, but we managed to meet and connected with many new readers. It made my heart SO FULL to talk to people about ParaNorthern and see the genuine joy on their faces as I told them about Abby, Gita, Hannah, and Silas.
Book City still has signed copies left and you can get Chaos Bunny enamel pins, FREE with purchase. You can visit their store in person or check out their store here.
THANK YOU BOOK CITY!!!!! Y’all truly don’t know what it meant to me to get to celebrate the release of ParaNorthern in person even amidst the ongoing pandemic situation. Much love <3
Once again, we didn’t have an acknowledgments section for ParaNorthern (like Oh My Gods!) so I wanted to put a little something together to thank a TON of people.
First of all, Mari Costa knocked the art for this book out of the park. It is true magic getting to see what’s in your head come to life on the page. Silas’ expressions are just…*chefs kiss* Thank you to Rebecca McConnell for your wonderful colour assists; everything just pops colour-wise in the story and it’s beautiful!
Lily Kessinger. What can I say to you that I haven’t heartfelt DMed or emailed to you 5000 times already? You changed my life when you took on ParaNorthern and you made it a much better story. I would trust you with any and all of my book babies for the rest of my career! Thank you forever <3
Mary Claire Cruz!!! a WIZARD, basically. Mary Claire did all the design and art direction for the book and gave it the perfect jackets that entirely encapsulate the vibe of the book.
For everyone else at HMH / Etch / Clarion – y’all are the absolute best and gave me so much love and support on this journey. I can’t thank you enough!
To Maria Vicente who heard my idea for ParaNorthern and breathed motivation in me again to pick this up and bring it into the world. You championed this story (and Silas, obviously) and you made my dreams of being a graphic novelist come true. You changed my life and give me the guidance my anxiety-addled ADHD-driven self desperately needs.
I don’t want to drag this on again for a long time but to each person who talked me through an Anxiety Town moment. To each friend who knew I’d probably bail on hangouts cause I had too much to do…but still invited me anyways to make me feel loved and included. To everyone who supported me and cheered me on. To everyone who made me believe I could do this. To everyone who stuck by me through the ups and downs of my life. I can’t thank you enough for your love.
Without the people around me—my friends, family, peers, readers, followers, fans, etc.—none of this would’ve happened. You are my everything and I love you all so much.
<3 <3 <3
It’s been a really busy June and July (so far!) and with ParaNorthern coming out this week, I’ve been talking to a lot of amazing people. Instead of spamming you with posts whenever something new goes up, I’ll be updating this page with events and press pieces you can check out.
VIRTUAL PANELS:
PubTalk Live with Whitney Gardner and Stephanie Cooke
“A pitch-perfect blend of worldbuilding and humor. It’s a gem for young readers and old alike.”
—Matthew Jackson, SyFy Wire
Oh hey! We’ve made it through another month in 2021 and I have a new What I’m Watching list for you. I know, this is really riveting stuff…but hey! Gotta provide the content the people crave. So here we go:
Bob’s Burgers S8
Sailor Moon R & S
Geordie Shore S11
Taskmaster S9
RuPaul Down Under S1
Riverdale S4-5
Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts S2-3
Mythic Quest S2
Amphibia S2
And then there are a couple shows that I tried out and didn’t really enjoy…I’ve included them but I don’t really have much to say.
Solar Opposites S1 – I wanted to like this? But ultimately I couldn’t even make it through the whole first episode.
Physical S1 – I really disliked Sheila’s internal monologue; it was too much. I couldn’t stick with it, it made me constantly cringe.
I super enjoyed going through Sailor Moon as an adult and getting to relive it. I still have a couple of seasons to go but Seasons 2 & 3 were amazing and getting to see the proper dub has been great.
Lots of reality TV continues to be on my list; Taskmaster is my go-to funny show, Geordie Shore is my go-to trash show, and then RuPaul is somewhere inbetween? I really enjoyed Down Under though, despite the fact that it seems so short and I wanted more of it!
Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts was incredible and continues to prove that we’re in a golden age for TV. I love a show that clearly knows where it’s going and delivers something that entirely comes together. It was an absolute joy to watch with such a powerful message of empathy and compassion. Loved it.
Amphibia came back even stronger with its second season. It’s rare that a second season outshines the first but I think it took a bit for it to find its footing and it is hoppingly great! It packed even more emotion into the story and no spoilers, but THAT GRAVITY FALLS CROSSOVER!!!!!
I have nothing to say about Riverdale that I didn’t text my friend Hagai about 500 times. So I will say nothing more…that show is what it is.
But that leaves me with Mythic Quest which was incredible this season. It was good last season, especially with a couple of one-off episodes that detoured from the main story and took us on an emotional journey away from everything else going on. The second season does it again but it doesn’t feel like a bit? It caught me off-guard with the emotions and the personal arcs that each character has. If you haven’t watched it yet, I highly recommend it.
And that’s it! What have you been watching?
Yesterday, I had the absolute pleasure of joining Sarah Nicolas for her live talk show, PubTalk Live. I was the guest host for the episode and interviewed my pal and podcast co-host, Whitney Gardner. You can check the episode out here:
I had the great pleasure of chatting with Ben at Empires Comics last night. We discussed my upcoming release ParaNorthern as well as LIFE, my project currently on Kickstarter. Plus we chatted a bit about the writing and editing process, and I answered a few fantastic audience questions.
Check out the full interview below and be sure to show your support to a great shop!
In case you haven’t heard, I’m now offering a Writing Workshop over on my Patreon page. In my lessons, I go through some of the ins and outs of storytelling, and at the end of each lesson, I provide an exercise to explore that subject further. In addition to getting the exercise component, Patrons also get the information a week earlier than what you’re seeing here. If you’re interested in learning about writing and storytelling more, you can join in on my lesson plan (and get access to everything that came before) for $15/month.
Dialogue is something that I can struggle with from time to time. It’s something that a lot of writers struggle with. When you’re writing for someone else, even though you’re likely writing fictional characters, it’s hard not to fall into patterns where your dialogue is just how you speak. Even when I read the works of peers that I happen to actually know, it’s sometimes hard to not hear their voices when you go through it. Dialogue is a tough thing to master.
But the good thing is that you can practice and learn tips and tricks that will ultimately help you become better at writing your dialogue.
For me, while all of my characters are fictional and not based on anyone in particular, I like to think of certain people to base their dialogue and interactions on. For instance, with my story ParaNorthern, I wanted Hannah’s dialogue and interactions to be wholesome and innocent. She brings a lightheartedness to those around her and even when her friends are annoyed at her or she’s annoyed at them, she’s always finding a silver lining to the situation. Because of that, there was no better person in my life to base her interactions on than my friend Liz. Liz is sunshine personified and the only word I could ever describe her as is delightful. She brings warmth and compassion to every conversation she’s in, and when I thought of Hannah and how to make her voice unique, I knew it had to be based around Liz.
Like I said, the character herself isn’t necessarily based on Liz, but when Hannah has to make a decision in the story or has a moment with another one of the characters, I ask myself, how would Liz interact in this scenario? What sort of spin would she put on this? What words are a part of her regular vocabulary that aren’t as used in mine?
It doesn’t have to be based on someone you know. Maybe it’s based on the cadence of another fictional character that you’ve drawn inspiration from. Maybe it’s a family member. And maybe you don’t use this method at all. But for me, I find it incredibly helpful to have a frame of reference to use when it comes to building unique dialogue.
Another piece of advice that I often hear from other writers is to say your dialogue out loud. You can even try it out with another person to see how the back and forth is in real life. I could never bring myself to have another person do the dialogue with me, but I do read things out loud to help process.
This helps with stuff like natural speech patterns. Typically a person that knows someone really well wouldn’t say their name a ton when they’re talking to them. Like, my best friend wouldn’t be sitting at dinner with me constantly ending a sentence by adding my name to it. “How was your day, Stephanie?” or “Wow, that’s really exciting that you’re doing that, Stephanie!” or whatever. People that know each other well tend to use nicknames or just skip that formality altogether as a conversation continues. Watching out for little things like that can help make your dialogue more natural sounding overall.
Since this is apparently what I do now, I’m here to tell you about all the things I watched in May! It’s mostly the TV I’ve watched (my In Progress list is vast) but if you’re curious about the movies, click here.
Sense8 S1
RuPaul’s Drag Race S6
Taskmaster S8-10
Shrill S2-3
Trying S1
Big Hero 6: The Series S1
Bob’s Burgers S5-7
The Inbetweeners S1-3
I’m finding that I’m drawn to shows with a much shorter runtime. And I’m more willing to try something new too if it’s 30 mins or less. Pretty much everything on the above list fits that description, with the exception of Drag Race and Taskmaster.
I had completely forgotten about Shrill and devoured Seasons 2-3 in a couple of days. Same with Trying! I actually had no interest in the show but because it was short, I took a chance on it and wound up finding it completely delightful.
Shows like Bob’s Burgers and The Inbetweeners are rewatches for me. I’ve been playing a lot of Cozy Grove and Stardew Valley and I love having something on while I play on the handheld console. And the last thing I’ll mention is how great the Big Hero 6 show is! I’ve been watching that as my morning cartoon with my breakfast and coffee, and it’s well worth it.
What have you been watching lately?
The very first episode of The Caper Cast is here! Whitney and I have been working on this project for a little while and are happy to finally unveil it. See below for all the details on this episode and please be sure to listen, subscribe, and review!
Visit capercast.com to be taken to all the places you can tune into the show.
Join Whitney Gardner and Stephanie Cooke as they explore cinematic heists and discuss the ins and outs of each film they watch. For this launch episode, they discuss Guy Ritchie’s Snatch (2000) and have to have a conversation right off the bat on what is or isn’t a heist movie. Plus you’ll get introduced to our hosts and hear from our special episode sponsors. If you have a question, comment, or suggestion, you can email us at podcast@capercast.com.
Caper Cast is hosted by Whitney Gardner and Stephanie Cooke. It is produced by Stephanie Cooke. Our theme music is by Emily Milling (The Ultimate Creative).
Holy bananas…I have a lot going on right now? And there’s only more to come. That being said, I’m launching another new project! Well, kind of. It’s an existing project but we’re doing something more with it. And that project is LIFE, the backup stories that I did in Tartarus with Megan Huang on the art.
Megan and I have been talking about releasing all the stories together for a long time now and we’ve partnered up with TO Comix to bring them to LIFE (pun totally intended…SORRY NOT SORRY).
We’ll be launching a Kickstarter on June 9 and I CAN’T WAIT.
The art below is a promo for the last story we did, but you can get an idea of the art and some of the amazing animal designs that Megan came up with. The collected edition will include some never-before-seen concept art, backstory on the creatures, info on our faraway alien planet, and more. Look for more details on that all very soon.
In case you haven’t heard, I’m now offering a Writing Workshop over on my Patreon page. In my lessons, I go through some of the ins and outs of storytelling, and at the end of each lesson, I provide an exercise to explore that subject further. In addition to getting the exercise component, Patrons also get the information a week earlier than what you’re seeing here. If you’re interested in learning about writing and storytelling more, you can join in on my lesson plan (and get access to everything that came before) for $15/month.
For today’s lesson and exercise, I want you to have a little bit of a critical thinking session. We’re often inspired not just by our lives and what happens around us, we’re often fueled by something that we loved so much, it made us interested in that thing.
For me, reading novels as a kid had a deeply profound effect on me. Books like Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery and The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman made me love the art of writing. Realistically, I’d been reading long before I came across those books, but they’re two things that have always stuck with me as catalysts to me wanting to become a writer.
What stories fuel you? What stories made you want to become a writer or storyteller?
SURPRISE! I have an announcement to make: I’m launching a new podcast. It’s a film podcast with Whitney Gardner and myself as we explore the genre of HEIST FILMS!!!! We’re very excited. We recorded the first episode this week and are going to be recording the second one (and some more to bank) very soon. Our official synopsis is this:
“A podcast all about cinematic heists, capers, stings, and more. Join Whitney Gardner and Stephanie Cooke as they explore (in)famous films in the genre.”
Episodes will release on the first and third Tuesday of each month starting on June 1. We’re hyped to be doing this and can’t wait for you to hear the episodes. To subscribe and listen to the trailer, you can click below or you can visit capercast.com. And if you’d like to send us comments, questions, suggestions, or film recs, you can reach out to podcast@capercast.com.
In case you haven’t heard, I’m now offering a Writing Workshop over on my Patreon page. In my lessons, I go through some of the ins and outs of storytelling, and at the end of each lesson, I provide an exercise to explore that subject further. In addition to getting the exercise component, Patrons also get the information a week earlier than what you’re seeing here. If you’re interested in learning about writing and storytelling more, you can join in on my lesson plan (and get access to everything that came before) for $15/month.
If you’re looking to grow as a creator and hone your craft, one important thing you need to ask yourself is Who do you write for? Think about it and answer it honestly. Are you writing because you want to find success? Are you writing because you think you have a good story for young adults? Are you writing because you think it sounds glamourous or fun?
It’s important to figure out what motivates you as a writer, but the person you should be trying to please before anyone else (above agents, editors, publishers, readers, etc.) is you.
Behind every great story is a creator that loved what they were doing first and foremost. They believed in the story not for anyone else but for themselves. They pursued it because it was something that they couldn’t get out of their heads until it was down on paper. Of course, I’m sure this isn’t true for all creators…I’m sure some just told a story for the sake of it. But I personally believe that the best stories–and the ones that people connect with the most–are the ones that we would’ve wanted to read ourselves.
Your mom or dad or partner might say that they’re your #1 fan, and it’s amazing to have that kind of support in your life, but they shouldn’t be at the top of that list. The person (imposter syndrome and all other anxiety aside) that should be the biggest fan of the story you’re trying to tell is you.
Writing is far from a glamourous or exciting job. It’s wonderful but it’s hard work, and getting a draft from its first incarnation to the final thing requires a lot of finessing, and you have to be able to listen to constructive feedback that will take it to the next level. A passion for writing and for the story itself is a must to make it over that finish line. Writing can take a huge emotional toll on you as you process and implement changes that are ultimately for the better. But you need that connection to a story and to the characters to stick with it…because otherwise, why bother?
You can also see me talk about this more (along with Kaylee) over on Instagram.
Oh, hello there! It’s May and therefore I have a new list of TV shows that I’ve watched throughout April. Sometimes I stop to think about how much time I’m putting into watching all of this. And then I quickly block it out of my mind and go back to enjoying things! But honestly, I have spent so much time watching stuff during self-isolation. It’ll be interesting to see May’s results cause Pokemon Snap came out and whoops, I’m obsessed.
Anyways, here’s the TV I watched in April:
Great Canadian Baking Show S4
The Bachelor S25
Worn Stories
Central Park S1
Taskmaster S7
Ginny & Georgia S1
When They See Us
Luminaries S1
Big City Greens S1
The Irregulars S1
RuPaul’s Drag Race S13
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Shadow & Bone S1
The Serpent
Sailor Moon S1
The Bachelor was unreal. And speaking of that, instead of watching that, you should check out the TV series UnReal. It was created by a former producer of The Bachelor and in addition to being good TV, it sheds light on what the producers do to get all the people acting so bonkers.
Ever watch a show where you hate all of the characters but still watch it all anyway? That was Big City Greens for me. I get that the characters are deliberately annoying so they can learn a lesson but ahhhh!
And I think the last thing that I’ll talk about here (since Falcon and Shadow & Bone have been talked about at length online) is Sailor Moon. Now, the show itself isn’t new to me. I’ve been watching the show since it originally aired in Canada with real poorly translated dubs. But what is new to me is watching it with not the crappy dubs.
I finished all of Season 1 (all 46 episodes…) and had no idea how much had been changed in the first version I watched. I like the new one much better but the one thing I liked way better in the original was the Princess Serenity vs. Queen Beryl song in the finale:
This post is 100% a brag post about my first day as a freelancer, which went so dang well. I got up this morning and initially felt a little crummy (physically not like, about not having a day job). It was gloomy and rainy, immediately ruining my plan to start off the day with a run. But I had some breakfast, watched cartoons while I drank coffee, did yoga, and then started my day.
I can’t believe how productive it was and how good it felt to only have my own projects on my plate. I sent out my newsletter (you can subscribe here), made homemade aloo gobi, worked on an outline, and more. Plus, I did a podcast with Dan Berry too, which was a ton of fun; it will be up later this week.
I know like every day and every job, there will be ups and downs but having an excellent start to this new chapter (including exciting emails) makes me feel like this was the right choice. I can’t wait to be able to tell you more about everything I’m working on.
I dropped the news on Friday that I’ve put in my notice at my day job. As of EOD this Friday, I will be a full-time writer and editor. I’m scared but mostly excited about my future and really looking forward to this next chapter. Moving forward, I’m going to be promoting my various support systems more, such as Patreon and Ko-fi.
Patreon has been updated with new and updated tiers. I will be launching writing workshops, sending postcards out, and providing insight on my career and the industry as I can. If you don’t have the means to provide a monthly donation, I get it. I have Ko-Fi and PayPal as well so you can buy me a coffee, if you’d like to.
If you’d rather support Creator Resource and my projects that give back to the comics community, I’ve updated those links too. Supporting those accounts means that I can allocate more time to working on them. Take a look below to all available links to support me and my projects:
As a part of my new freelancer life, I’ve finally put together a list of presentations that I’m available for. I love helping people learn about the comics industry and talking about what I do! So I sat down and thought about what I could offer.
I’ve put together a list of presentations, workshops, and more. Topics include creative writing, the graphic novel process, info on becoming a writer, editing for comics, and how to collaborate.
You can check out everything and get more information by clicking here.
Oh hello there! It’s April now and that means rounding up all the TV I watched in March. Why? Because I don’t know what else to do with it. IT HAS TO MEAN SOMETHING! And that something is sharing with y’all. I’d share my Letterboxd profile but I honestly haven’t watched a lot of movies lately. So here’s the list:
WandaVision
Bojack Horseman S5-6
Legend of Korra S1-2
Taskmaster S5-6
RuPaul All-Stars S4-5
Amphibia S1
Tuca & Bertie S1
British Bake-Off Christmas Specials
The Challenge S33
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK S2
Nailed It S5
Wellington Paranormal S1
Tried but didn’t get into: I added a new category into this post because there were several shows that I tried but wound up not really sticking with.
Little Fires Everywhere
Flack S1
Tell Me Your Secrets S1
The Big Day S1
I won’t really get into the TRIED section cause like, I just didn’t connect and that’s all. But for everything else…I watched like, four seasons of RuPaul (including the one still airing). Actually, almost everything on this list is either Reality TV or an animated series? WandaVision and Wellington Paranormal being the exceptions there (which were both great).
I really enjoyed Amphibia (although major missed opportunity to call it Annphibia) and Tuca & Bertie. So with the latter, I actually tried to watch the first episode when it came out. It was an ADHD nightmare for me and put me into sensory overload. There was just so much happening! But I went back to it and wound up really falling in love with it. I’m sad that there won’t be more. Although I read somewhere that maybe Adult Swim picked it up? IDK.
I hadn’t realized that Bake-Off’s Christmas Specials were like, full-on mini competition episodes. They were a delight. Especially the one where they had the cast of Derry Girls there to compete. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH.
Anyways, I don’t have much else to add onto this. What have you been watching lately?
Today I did a really scary thing: I quit my day job. I wasn’t planning on doing it for a while still but here we are. I am terrified and anxious, but I ultimately know that this is the right move for me. Financial stability has always been something that I’ve struggled with. Over the years, I’ve worked so many jobs that barely pay the bills…it takes a toll on you. You’re always wondering where the next paycheque will come from and how you’ll pay rent. I don’t wish that feeling and struggle on anyone, and yet it’s something too many people are already familiar with.
My plan was to write and edit while I maintained a full-time day job. The day job would pay the bills while everything else would contribute to having a savings account or money to invest. It was going well for a while, until the balance shifted. My day job started taking up too much mental energy and it was burning me out. I wasn’t making time for writing and editing. I wasn’t making time for the other stuff that I’m passionate about. So something had to give…and that thing was my day job.
Like I said, I’m terrified about this. I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know that I’m better off putting 100% of me into something I love rather than dividing my efforts. So I did something scary, but it’s for my own personal greater good. And I am excited about it.
We just heard that theNew York Times (!!!!!) did a review of Oh My Gods! And it’s such a wonderful write-up; we’re so dang proud.
“There is a lot to recommend in “Oh My Gods!” The dialogue and characterizations are spot on and snappy. Kudos also to Juliana Moon’s cartooning. Her artwork is immensely engaging — filled with expressive, appealing faces and a wide variety of body shapes and sizes.”
You can read the full review over on the New York Times website. You can pick up a copy of the physical review in next Sunday’s paper.
It’s Read Across America Day! To celebrate, Comic Con Museum put together a video series featuring authors reading their works. I was honoured to participate and will take any opportunity to help promote reading.
I read an excerpt from Oh My Gods! and shared some pages from the book. If you have a moment, be sure to check it out.
I have become a relatively boring creature that has not a lot to do outside of work. That’s largely because of the ongoing pandemic…but I also haven’t made much effort to do anything else besides watching stuff. If you’re curious about what I watched in February, here’s my list:
Nora from Queens S1
Taskmaster S2-4
Trollhunter: Tales of Arcadia S1
The Expanse S5
I May Destroy You S1
The Sinner S3
Riverdale S3
Search Party S1-4
The Morning Show S1
The standouts for me here were Nora from Queens which was exceptionally funny. It filled the hole that Broad City left in my heart. I just wish there had been more of it. The Expanse’s new season was incredible.
Taskmaster continues to be hilarious! I got my parents watching it over the weekend too. It’s an all-round fantastic show that’s guaranteed to make you laugh.
I May Destroy You was a hard watch, but it was powerful and incredible. Riverdale was a lot of WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK. Mixed with a healthy dose of “Good god why am I watching this…” I had similar feelings about Search Party which started off strong and then flew off the handle. And yet I still binged it in a week and a half.
I don’t have much else to add in about everything else. I sat, I watched, I logged it. Some of it was really good, some of it was really fine. Nothing I watched was actively terrible. Yaaa know? What are you watching these days?
We had the great pleasure of talking to Brian at Comix Experience about Oh My Gods! Our book was their Graphic Novel of the Month (for Kids) title. We talked about our process, the story, the art, characters, and answered questions! You can watch it over on their YouTube channel here:
Thank you so much to Brian, Jordan, The Beat, and to everyone at Comix Experience who made the interview happen. It was such a smooth experience and a true joy to do. We hope you’ll check it out (and the book too!)
What’s this? A newsletter, you say? Well, it’s true and here for you to read and enjoy. The first one went out yesterday (click here to read it) and sign yourself up going forward. I’ll be releasing them on a monthly basis and going through what’s new with me, sharing links, giving some advice and insights, and generally rambling.
If you’d like to subscribe, you can do so by filling out the form below:
Over the last few months, I’ve been putting something really fun together with Jon Robertson of The Diecast Podcast. Jon is the person who first got me involved playing Dungeons & Dragons after being curious about it for ages. I’ve been playing longer campaigns with him as DM and two other friends for the last couple of years. In that series of campaigns, we’ve dubbed our trio the Trollskull Trio because, well, we live in Trollskull Manor. And it’s just really catchy. And while the next season of that is sure to be fun too, I’ve been involved in something else for the podcast.
We’re launching Tales from Trollskull, which is a series of one-shot campaigns and short stories with an all-new cast of characters. I got three groups together to each do mini-sessions for the podcast as adventurers working out of Trollskull Manor.
The first group (aka The Bee Team) just wrapped up their sessions. The group features Leslie Doyle, Saffron Aurora, Whitney Gardner, Mackenzie Boyd-Garrison, myself, and Jon as our DM. You can look forward to the episodes being released very soon. Jon is editing what we’ve got so far and is aiming to release them at the beginning of March.
While I don’t want to give away too much about what to expect yet, what I will share with you is the character I’m playing! There will be three short stories, and my character is a half-orc bardbarian named Una. She’s a very successful adventurer but desperately wishes to be a bard. Except she is very bad at it. She leaves home and goes far, far away to pursue it and not ruin her reputation if it fails. That brings her to Trollskull where she arrives to make some gold to support her new life.
This has sort of become a thing for me during self-isolation; watching stuff, tracking it, and sharing it with anyone who might be interested. I genuinely have no idea if anyone cares, but it’s a nice little way for me to be aware of everything that I’ve been enjoying.
Over the last little while, there’s been an overwhelming amount of content that I’ve been curious about. In 2020, I went through most of my Must Watch things I’d been meaning to get to. Then I went through a phase where I felt like there was nothing to watch left. I revisited a few things but I’ve started accumulating new titles again. Here’s an assortment of what I checked out on TV in January:
Best Leftovers Ever S1
Sabrina the Teenage Witch S3-5
Wynonna Earp S3
The Challenge S32
Bridgerton S1
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina S4
Would You Lie to Me?
Blown Away S1
Lupin S1
Taskmaster S1
From this list, there was a lot to love here. It’s mostly mindless content that I didn’t have to invest a lot into.
Best Leftovers Ever super surprised me! My mom actually recommended it and I was admittedly reluctant (sorry mom) but it was great.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina was incredibly disappointing…thankfully I had the original sitcom on CBS All Access to catch up with and rewatch. That show continues to be fantastic, except for when Sabina leaves for college and then it loses a lot of its charm.
Bridgerton was the #1 one on Netflix for a reason…romance, drama, and uh, more drama! I liked it a lot. Although I definitely had a hunch as to who Mrs. Whistledown was early on and Googled it to see if I was right (I was) so I spoiled it for myself.
I’ve been bingeing a lot of British game shows over on YouTube. The two I’m most enamoured with right now are Would I Lie To You? and Taskmaster. They’re hilarious and the mix of the stories from WILTY and then the things the comedians do in Taskmaster are brilliant.
And lastly, my favourite thing that I watched in January is hands down Lupin. The first episode immediately draws you in and is so satisfying. Had they not done anything past that episode, I would’ve still left content. The heists. The acting. The pacing and the plot. Everything is top notch and I highly recommend checking it out.
What funny things did you believe as a kid?
I had a funny talk with some friends a couple of weeks ago that brought back some childhood memories. We were talking about where I grew up (Kingston, ON) and how there were an exceptional number of prisons in the area. Four being the number…which I feel like is quite a lot of major prisons, especially for a small city.
When we first moved to the area, we passed by one of the prisons and to me, it looked like a castle (see image on the right). I was four years old and I don’t think my parents wanted to explain to me what prisons were. Subsequently, I went on to believe that this was, in fact, a castle. Specifically, I began associating it with Disneyland since it looked a little like the castle in the logo of the movies I frequently watched.
As a kid, of course I wanted to go to Disneyland! I couldn’t understand why it was so close and yet my parents never took me.
One day, my Oma and Opa were visiting us for the first time since we’d moved. As we drove around the city, we passed “Disneyland” and I excitedly told my grandparents about it and how someday I would go. Oma turned to me, confused, and just said, “Stephoooney, that is not Disneyland, and please do not end up there!” which thus shattered my illusions and forced my parents to have to explain prisons after all.
Like I asked at the top, what funny things did you believe as a kid? Let me know in the comments!
I love pancakes. SO DANG MUCH. I legit have a cookbook all about pancakes and try to have them fairly regularly. Although since I learned how to make Dutch Babies (aka baked pancakes), I’ve been less into the “normal” pancakes. I’ve been making them for a while now and have formulated my very own recipe! I thought I’d share since I also worked on a way to do bite-sized baked pancakes, so here we go:
INGREDIENTS:
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup milk (or milk substitute – I use oat milk but using a substitute will make it so it doesn’t rise AS well…but it’ll still be tasty and beautiful)
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon white sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
STEPS:
Step 1
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Step 2
Put butter in a 9-inch pie pan*. Place pan in the preheating oven until butter is melted, 5 to 10 minutes.
Step 3
Whisk flour, milk, eggs, white sugar, and salt together in a bowl; pour mixture into the hot butter.
Step 4
Bake in the preheated oven until pancake is brown on the edges and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 19-21 minutes.
Transfer pancake to plate, top with confection sugar or maple syrup, and enjoy!
*BITE SIZED BAKED PANCAKES:
Do all the steps above but use a muffin tin. Portion the butter between all the cups and divide up the same as you would for a larger dish.
ADD-ONS:
To give the pancake a little kick, play around with the flavours. Such as:
Brown sugar and pecans – melt some butter in a frying pan, add in some brown sugar. Let it melt together for a moment before adding the pecans and then stir for another couple of minutes. Add mixture to the bottom of your pie dish or muffin tins before adding batter. Sprinkle additional pecans on the top.
Bananas – mash up a ripe banana, add into the batter, pour into pie dish or muffin tins as explained above.
This can also be done with strawberries and blueberries as well!
We have had such a wonderful response to the release of Oh My Gods! and I wanted to share a few of the interviews, reviews, and other fun things that we’ve been seeing around the internet since the launch.
“The dialogue and characterizations are spot on and snappy. Juliana Moon’s artwork is immensely engaging — filled with expressive, appealing faces and a wide variety of body shapes and sizes.”
–New York Times
“Oh My Gods! is a story of friendship and acceptance. When you are in junior high school, whether in New Jersey or Mt. Olympus, you need friends. Oh My Gods! is a wonderful introduction to Greek mythology for students in middle school grades.” –CM: Canadian Review of Materials
“Oh My Gods! is such a fun take on traditional myths and it’s very well executed by the authors and illustrator. It has the perfect mix of mystery, mythology, heartfelt moments, a little bit of drama, and a loveable set of characters. What else could you ask for?!”
– The Nerd Daily
“Sure to be a hit among readers seeking an exciting mystery with mythological flair.”
–School Library Journal
I’ll try to collect more as I see them, but THANK YOU!!!!! so much for all of the support and love thus far.
Oh My Gods! has finally hit store shelves, and I am over the moon and thrilled that it’s out in the world. We have a pretty big (yet small) team, so we didn’t do an acknowledgements section in the book; I wanted to give some shout outs to the people who made this book happen. This isn’t going to be a finely crafted letter…it’s a OMG I SHOULD’VE COME UP WITH AN ACKNOWLEDGMENTS PAGE post that I’m writing on the day of release. Whoops.
First of all, thank you to Insha Fitzpatrick. Somehow between our ADHD-addled minds and our easily excited selves, we managed to put this book together and see it through to completion. I can’t imagine having done this book with anyone else…nor would I have wanted to. Insha made our babies real and gave them so much backstory and life. She’s always my friend first before all else, but I’m glad she’s at my side professionally too.
And to Juliana Moon who is an ACTUAL GODDESS. We owe this woman a month-long spa day for the work she churned out on this book. Oh My Gods! was fast-tracked and Juliana hit every deadline and was an absolute joy to work with. She nails all the expressions of the characters and GODS…ALL THE CUTE CENTAUR BUTTS EVERYWHERE JUST GIVE ME LIFE.
To Whitney Cogar, we didn’t really work with you a ton directly, but you are so loved and appreciated in the #TEAMNOCHILL family. Whitney delivered brilliant colours that made Juliana’s art pop off the page and helped set the tone and atmosphere of the story.
To Lily Kessinger: I tell her at every chance I get, but she is a goddamn amazing editor that I am beyond fortunate enough to have worked with numerous times now. The feedback she gives and the care she puts into her notes makes each story a million times better. She asks questions that will make a difference to the final product, and everything that I’ve brought to her is a gajillion times better because of her. I will forever be grateful to Lily for the opportunities that she has given me and the faith that she puts into my work. Plus Masha is the cutest grump ever.
WOW THIS IS ALREADY GETTING SO LONG. HA HA WHOOPS.
Andrea Miller pitched and launched the Etch imprint at HMH Kids. But that’s not why they’re amazing. I mean, it’s part of it but they also put so much love into designing this book, doing the lettering for us, and giving Juliana constructive feedback as she did the interiors. As an artist too, Andy made all of their notes so accessible and easily understandable, and all the effort that went into making Oh My Gods! the book it is…well, we saw it, and we love you for it.
Maria Vicente is our incredible agent who took on Oh My Gods! and three clients with less than zero chill. HONESTLY, if for nothing else, I have to thank her for dealing with us and our immediate email responses, bajillion emails and questions, and for being in our corner. We were all new to the book market side of things for comics, and Maria helped us navigate it all.
OKAY THIS IS GETTING VERY LONG SO NOW I’M JUST THANKING PEOPLE IN A MORE GENERAL SENSE BUT I LOVE YOU ALL IN LOTS OF PARAGRAPH-LENGTH WAYS TOO.
To Kirk who helped me organize my thoughts and helped me learn to plan my projects. Love you.
To my parents, to Aunt Nancy, to Oma, thank you for loving me and believing in me.
To all of my friends (oh gods oh gods I’m going to forget people but I love you all), Liz, Dani, Tory, Tate, Chris, Nicole, Amy, Sam, Steven, Andrea, Whitney, Zak, Rachel, Laura, Zoe, Jenn, Sam, Fred, Bobby, Bob, Huw, Hagai, Ned, Jeremy, Tyrell, Sunny, Bee, Ashley, Jey, Michelle, David, Grace, Shaun, Olivia, Jacquie…AHHHHH I AM PANICKING CAUSE I’VE DEFINITELY FORGOTTEN PEOPLE BUT GOSH I LOVE YOU.
I admittedly don’t see my family a ton to begin with but I grew into a far more anxious person over the last few years and became a bit of a hermit as I hunkered down on projects. I missed out on a lot of parties and get togethers with my friends, and they were beyond understanding as I went about all my business. Find yourself friends who love you no matter what and even though they know you might bail or just outright say no…they continue to invite you to stuff anyways.
I’ve missed a ton of people. I know it. But know that I am beyond grateful to you, even if you’re not on this list. If you helped me in any way over the years…I see you, I remember you, I value you.
<3 <3 <3
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!
I know we’re in 2021 now (thank god) but I’m finally just getting around to posting the last of the media I enjoyed last year. You’ve maybe seen that I’ve been tracking my TV watches so this is the last little bit of what I watched, which consisted of a lot of rewatches (which is pretty unusual for me). It also consisted of a lot of garbage reality TV…which is less unusual for me take a look, if you’re interested:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer S2
Star vs. the Forces of Evil S1-2
Truth Seekers S1
The Queen’s Gambit
Dash & Lily S1
Ex on the Beach S1-2
Sugar Rush Christmas S2
The Undoing
We Are The Champions S1
Sabrina the Teenage Witch S1-2
The Mandalorian S2
Survivor S35
The Wilds S1
Trickster S1
The 12 Dates of Christmas
His Dark Materials S2
I loved the second season of His Dark Materials, and although I don’t think anything ever tops the first book in the series, this did a super great job of adapting it into a worthy follow-up.
The Wilds was surprisingly excellent! I wasn’t expecting to get so drawn into the story and characters but found myself super invested in the story. My one qualm is that I feel like they’re leading up to a new set of characters without really resolving what happened to this group but I mean, I don’t know that just yet. I guess I wish there were more answers right away though. Still, it was very good!
I don’t think there’s anything I could say about The Queen’s Gambit that hasn’t been said already but I really enjoyed that too.
What have you been watching? What’s on your 2021 list?
I’ve been tracking a lot of what I watched, read, and played in 2020 and even though we’re a few days into 2021 now, I thought I’d share the games I played this year. I’m too tired to write up more about them but you can say hello on Twitter or Instagram and ask me more about any of them and what I thought!
Here they are:
The Outer Worlds
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Moonlighter
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Borderlands 3
The Witcher 3
Titanfall 2
Last of Us 2
Oxenfree
Ghost of Tsushima
Gris
Hades
Spider-Man: Miles Morales
AC Valhalla
Mario Kart 8
Immortals Fenyx Rising
Night in the Woods
Oh My Gods! Book 1 is nearly here, and we only have a couple more weeks to wait until it hits store shelves. And to keep the momentum going, we have exciting news about Book 2. We’re proud to be able to tell you the title, the plot, and share our aMAZEing cover by Juliana Moon (with logo and design by Andrea Miller).
OH MY GODS! 2: THE FORGOTTEN MAZE
“In this epic sequel to middle-grade graphic novel Oh My Gods!, Karen and her new friends descend into a forgotten maze beneath Mt. Olympus Junior High in search of an online troll by the name of M1N0T4UR. For fans of Raina Telgemeier and Kayla Miller.”
Oh My Gods! 2 will be out January 4, 2022. You can pre-order your copy here.
I had the ABSOLUTE PLEASURE of joining Steven Ray Morris and Sara Iyer on their delightful podcast, The Purrcast this week! I got to talk about Kaylee, raccoons, and basically just everything good in the world. Oh, and Oh My Gods! as well as a bit of ParaNorthern.
On episode TWO HUNDRED SEVENTY-EIGHT The Purrrcast, Sara and Steven welcome author, writer, and editor Stephanie Cooke (Oh My Gods, ParaNorthern)! We learn all about her cat (Kaylee), chat cat allergies, she talks about the time she went viral for dressing up as a raccoon for Halloween, and more! The Purrrcast, talking to cat people because we can’t talk to their cats.
The Purrrcast is the cat podcast for you and your feline friends. Based in Los Angeles, hosts Sara Iyer and Steven Ray Morris chat with fellow cat enthusiasts about the furry little creatures they love. Not sure how the cats feel about it though.
New episodes every Wednesday! Please rate and subscribe in iTunes: thepurrrcast.com
In exciting news to kick off this week (or day two of this week…) Nerdist launched their Best Comics of 2020 list yesterday and included Tartarus under the Incredible Indie Comics section.
In case you didn’t already know, Tartarus is a series from Image Comics by Johnnie Christmas, Jack T. Cole, Jim Campbell, Ben Didier, and myself (on edits). I’m incredibly proud to be a part of this book and it’s been such a rewarding experience.
I don’t think I ever saw myself going down the editor road for freelance comics, but it is something that I love doing. It’s an honour to get to work with these creators and the others I’ve been able to work with.
Read about Tartarus on Nerdist’s list (thanks Rosie!) and be sure to check out the other titles there as well.
Team Oh My Gods! has been amping up our interviews and appearances as we get ready for the release of our book in LESS THAN ONE MONTH! We did a lovely little interview with the folx at TeachingBooks and read from the preview pages of our book. To hear some behind-the-scenes info about our debut graphic novel and to hear the story, you can check out the link here.
I am so excited to be able to share some good news: My first YA graphic novel project is on the way from HMH/Etch! The book is called Pillow Talk and the artist working with me on it is the incredible Mel Valentine (with colours by Sam Pointon). We also have Lily Kessinger as our editor and Andrea Miller on art direction as well as book design.
“After attending her first underground pillow fight match as a spectator, Grace Mendes falls in love with the surprisingly gritty sport. The only rule to pillow fighting is that the pillow needs to be the first point of contact; after that, everything else goes. The Pillow Fight Federation (PFF) is part roller derby, part professional wrestling, and part fight club—and Grace immediately knows that she needs to join.
Grace works hard to climb the ranks in an effort to be crowned champion. As her PFF alter-ego gains traction and fame, she uses the spotlight to become an icon for others (and even herself) attempting to dismantle the impossible standards that are set for women—in underground extreme sports and otherwise.”
I am truly over the moon that this is happening and coming together. We have a dream team working on this, and I’m beyond blessed to get to continue working with my HMH family. I can’t wait to share more about Pillow Talk with you very soon. And take a look at this panel from the book featuring two of our fighters, Rapunchel and Kat Atonic (I think you can guess which one is which):
I recently had the absolute pleasure of joining Anthony Gramuglia on his PumpkinCore Podcast. I was asked to pick a film and chose to talk about one of my all-time favourite movies, Ginger Snaps (2000).
I was a guest along with Ashley Lynch who introduced us to the Irish horror film, A Dark Song (2016). We discussed both movies, got sidetracked with a ton other things (hooray ADHD!), and had a lot of fun chatting together along the way.
If you want to take a listen, you can check it out on:
Related: please tell me all of your feelings on Ginger Snaps because I love it so much.
Over the weekend was the 2020 SAM: Storytelling Across Media mini-convention. The event this year was all online and included 14 spectacular panels featuring a number of brilliant storytellers from across all different mediums. The panels were recorded and are now available to watch on Comic Con’s YouTube Channel, so I thought I’d share a little more about the discussion I was a part of, and share the link.
Everyone remembers their favorite comic as a kid, the one that held a special place in their heart. Kids are discovering that joy every day as they delve into the current treasure trove of comics for the young, and let’s be honest, the young at heart as well. What makes a kids’ comic great? How do you get kids excited about comics? How do you create stories aimed for this specific audience? Learn all this and more from esteemed creators Victoria Ying (City of Secrets), Stephanie Cooke (Oh My Gods!), Lilah Sturges (Girl Haven), Meggie Ramm (Teaching Kids Comics), and Sarah Kuhn (Shadow of the Batgirl). Moderated by Laura Jones (operations and programming coordinator for Comic-Con International: San Diego).
I keep posting up all the stuff I’ve watched this year, and I continue to astound even myself. When did I have time to watch all of this? Do I always watch this much? I don’t think so…but I’ve never really tracked it this diligently before! It’s October now, and I’ve shifted into spooky season…although I don’t know that I’ve really been making a huge effort on that front. Normally I try to watch a horror movie every day for 31 Days of Horror but I’ve really just been putting on whatever makes me happy.
If you want to check out the films I’ve been watching, you can visit my Letterboxd page. But if you want to carry on and see the TV I’ve checked out, read on:
World’s Toughest Race
American BBQ Showdown
Raised By Wolves S1
Ted Lasso S1
The Duchess S1
Mythic Quest S1
Great British Bake-Off S10
Camp Cretaceous S1
Emily in Paris S1
The Boys S2
The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell S1
Devs S1
The Haunting of Bly Manor
The Vow S1
The Magicians S5
Thirteen
Buffy the Vampire Slayer S1
From the rest of the list above, The Haunting of Bly Manor was absolutely wonderful, and everything that I wanted it to be. I think I prefer the first season over this one, but they’re different and beautiful in their own ways.
Ted Lasso wound up being one of my unexpected faves. I hadn’t heard anything about it before I put it on (I got a free year of Apple TV+) and fell in love with how utterly charming it is.
What have you been enjoying as far as TV and movies go?
I can’t believe that it’s October already – this year has simultaneously gone by extremely slow and ridiculously fast. In a few short months, my debut graphic novel, OH MY GODS! With Insha Fitzpatrick and art by Juliana Moon, will hit store shelves.
One of the best ways to show your support for a book is to pre-order it and let booksellers, retailers, libraries, and other consumers know that this is something that you’re interested in. If you’re interested in supporting our book, you can visit our pre-order links directly on the HMH web site, and learn more about the book while you’re at it.
2020 has been a whole thing, as I’m sure we can all agree. All these TV shows and movies that I’ve been hoping to find time to get to have magically all gotten watched during self-isolation, and I’m somehow scrambling to find new things that are available on the streaming channels that I have.
I went to check when my last binge-watch update was done, and holy heck, it was only the beginning of July. So since then, I’ve watched an absolutely ridiculous amount of TV, as you’ll see. I haven’t been watching as many movies, but if you’re interested in that, you can check out my Letterboxd profile. But here’s the update!
Dear White People S2
Dark S3
Warrior Nun S1
Ducktales S2
Euphoria S1
Indian Matchmaking S1
She-Ra S1-5
Doctor Who S12
NOS4A2 S1
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark
Sugar Rush S3
The Dragon Prince S2-3
Modern Family S8
Umbrella Academy S2
Glow Up S2
Teenage Bounty Hunters S1
Normal People S1
Trinkets S1-2
Card Captor Sakura S1
Warrior Nun was surprisingly delightful? I definitely wasn’t expecting to enjoy it, but it leans into what it is and the result is just a campy Catholic romp.
Euphoria stuck with me. I sat around for a while before starting it like, “Hmm do I really want to watch an ultra-depressing show during an ultra-depressing time?” but I’m glad that I did. Zendaya is incredible in it, and even though it definitely made me cry, it was worth it, and I am still thinking about it.
While pretty much everything else on this list was something that I enjoyed, the only other thing that really stuck with me was Normal People. I flew through that show, and at the end, I found myself weeping on my couch and couldn’t stop thinking about it.
What else have you been watching and enjoying during this year? Always happy for more recs!
It’s now been 60 days since I posted up the first Quarantine Binge-Watches list. Along with countless others, I’ve been in self-isolation for months now, bringing my count up to 111 days. I’ve slowed down on watching movies, but if you’re curious about what I’ve been watching for cinema, you can visit my Letterboxd profile.
Otherwise, since the last post, here are some of the TV shows that I’ve watched:
Kibo and the Age of Wonderbeasts S1
What We Do In The Shadows S2
Queer Eye S5
Dear White People S1
Big Flower Fight S1
DuckTales S1-2
The Great S1
Westworld S3
Killing Eve S3
Dark S2
The Great was fantastic, and I hadn’t been itching to watch it but after a coworker recommended it to me, I decided to give it a try, and I am so glad that I did. If you saw The Favourite and enjoyed that film, this will definitely be up your alley. I thoroughly enjoyed all the performances, the plot, and the dark humour.
What have you been watching in self-isolation? What have been some of your stand-out discoveries and faves?
We’ve made it halfway through 2020! I’m proud of you all for making it to this point in what could be described for most as “a very bad year.”
I don’t really know what I want to say, but in addition to Covid (and everything going on in the world), it feels really like a bleak time. I’ve taken a step back from social media in an effort to focus a bit more on my mental health. I feel very conflicted about it; between the vitally important Black Lives Matter civil rights movement happening now, as well as the allegations in the comic book industry about predators thriving in it, it hasn’t felt like I could step away. But I’m trying to at least step back as opposed to fully away.
One thing I wanted to address to people is the illusion of success and creativity during everything though. I’ve had a few messages from creators that are asking me how I’m doing it; how I’m continuing to work, be busy, and push through everything happening. I wish I had a good answer for this, but the real truth of the matter is that I’m struggling too. A lot.
I have barely been able to write in weeks. I can’t sleep properly between everything happening, my anxiety, and then the heat wave that’s hit Toronto. I’ve always struggled to write from home so it’s been a massive adjustment over the last few months. Forcing myself to work on creative projects as well as juggling my day job (and new roles within that) is very difficult.
I don’t have a solution for those who want to know what my secret is. The truth is that I’m in the same boat; I’m overwhelmed, exhausted, angry, and I feel depleted.
What I do know is that it’s okay to not be okay right now. It’s okay to need your friends, and to seek help when you are feeling hopeless. I’m trying to remember to be kind to myself, and to not feel guilty if I only have the capacity to binge-watch TV.
UPDATES:
Oh My Gods is almost ready to go. Insha and I finished up our notes on the interior art and the book is nearly complete. Juliana has worked so hard to turn in her pages (my gods, we owe you a spa day…) and Whitney Cogar has been absolutely killing it on the colours for the book. Hopefully we’ll be able to share more on that soon. The official release date is January 5, 2021.
ParaNorthern has also been given an official release date! It’s almost exactly a year away from publication which is set for July 13, 2021.
Take care of yourselves. Remember that through this all, you’re not alone, and we will get to the other side of this.
<3 <3 <3
Today is the day that I can finally show you the cover to ParaNorthern and the Chaos Bunny A-hop-calypse.
Mari Costa, who is also the artist for the interiors of the graphic novel, did the stunning cover. I admit that I teared up when I saw the cover for the first time, and Mari knocked it so completely out of the park. I love it, and I really hope that readers love it too. Mari did an outstanding job with designing the characters for this world, and now I can’t wait for you to meet all of them too.
ParaNorthern is the story of a young witch named Abby and her three friends—a wolf-girl, a ghost, and a pumpkinhead—band together to try and save their supernatural town, North Haven, from an invasion of rabid (but adorable!) chaos bunnies. Will they be able to successfully stop the a-HOP-calypse?
ParaNorthern is set for release in Spring 2021 from Etch (an imprint of HMH Kids).
And since we’re here, if you have a moment, take a second to visit the Black Lives Matter carrd, and please continue to help the Black community out by protesting, signing petitions, speaking out, elevating Black voices, and listening and learning. Click the image to be taken to the Black Lives Matter carrd page.
Last night I was chatting with a friend and I remembered a story from several years back now. Of the many jobs that I’ve had over the years, one of my favourites was working as a movie buyer for a small independent movie store chain. The buyer is responsible for knowing what’s in demand, what’s coming out, where to get harder to find movies, etc. and procures them for the store. They stock the shelves with the product that will hopefully help the store succeed.
One of the perks of the job was that movie studios would often treat the buyers to screeners, screenings, and sometimes even a premiere or gala event. They want stores to stock their films, so they do their best to woo them.
One such time, I was invited to the opening night gala of TIFF (the Toronto International Film Festival) to see the new Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany film, Creation. I had been to screenings and the odd Toronto version of a premiere but never a gala at a film festival. I had no idea what to expect, and I was both excited and nervous.
My seats were in a prime area – a closed off mezzanine and I was right up front. The audience was treated to an intro and brief Q&A by the cast and crew, including Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany. I’m a big fan of The Rocketeer and A Knight’s Tale so both actors were a big deal to me. And I know those are probably not the films that people immediately equate them to, but they’re up there for me, so…
I was riding a high from being in the same room with these amazing people as the film started and the room darkened. I don’t remember much about the film (it was honestly very boring) but part way through, I heard some folks come in late to the film and take their seats beside me. I remember the sound of the latecomers heavy jewelry as it clanged against the railing leading down to their seats. I had never been to a gala but I rolled my eyes like, “Pfft, these latecomers…NO RESPECT FOR CINEMA!” and carried on with watching the film.
Several hours later (okay the film was only like, 1hr48mins long but it felt like a long ass time…) the film came to an end, and although it wasn’t my favourite film, it was special to me. It was my first gala and that left its imprint on me.
As the credits started to roll, I didn’t know what the protocol was. This was pre-Marvel movies teaching us to stay through the credits, and I didn’t know what to do. Did I get up and leave? Did I stay to the very end to acknowledge the hard work of all the cast and crew? (when I write it like that, the choice seems obvious but it wasn’t at the time…)
Finally, I decided to get up. The movie was OKAY but it was time to head home. As I stand up, a spotlight comes on…and I’m in it.
IS THIS WHAT THEY DO TO PEOPLE WHO LEAVE THE THEATRE EARLY? Are they meant to DIE IN SHAME as countless people look upon the face of someone disrespecting the END CREDITS?????
I am in full-on panic mode as the rest of the audience turns to look towards the spotlight and begins applauding. I turn to my right as Jennifer Connelly, and Paul Bettany stand up to graciously accept the applause and bask in the spotlight.
…the spotlight that I am still currently standing in with them.
My face is now a deep red and I am mortified, and I do the only thing possible in the scenario and try to play it cool as I promptly sit back down in my seat and try to act like it never happened.
And that’s the time that I literally stole the spotlight from Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany.
Like a lot of you, I’ve been binge-watching a lot of stuff during this self-isolation. As of today, I’m at 50+ days at home and while it’s been a very odd and surreal time, it’s given me the opportunity to work through a chunk of my To Watch list. So…it’s strangely satisfying? And distracting from everything going on. That being said, I thought I’d share some of the things that I’ve been watching in case you need some ideas for things to watch. Or you’re just curious about everything that I’m watching. Either way, here we go.
My movie list has been massive so if you want to see what I’ve been watching, I’ve been tracking everything on my Letterboxd profile. It would take forever to list it all here, and why bother when it’s listed on there. I think I’ve watched more movies in self-isolation than I did for the entirety of last year.
TV isn’t as easy to track in an easily shareable way online so here’s a list of what I’ve consumed in self-isolation (in no particular order):
Pushing Daisies: The Complete Series
RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 12
Legends of Tomorrow Season 1-5
Brooklyn Nine-Nine S7
RuPaul’s Celebrity Drag Race Season 1
I’m Not Okay With This Season 1
Never Have I Ever Season 1
What We Do in the Shadows Season 1
The Magicians Seasons 3-4
Too Hot to Handle Season 1
Tiger King
Modern Family Seasons 1-
Literally all of the Bon Appetit YouTube channel
The Circle USA
Galavant: The Complete Series
Dead to Me Season 2
Broadchurch Season 2
Legends of Tomorrow is maybe my most surprising fave from this whole thing. Season 3 and beyond just leans into it being super campy and you can tell that the cast and crew are having a blast working on it. It’s wonderful, and exactly the kind of mindless fun that I needed during all of this.
Never Have I Ever was also a surprise, and one that I almost passed on watching until my friend Tate told me to check it out. It’s funny, relatable, and well-written – I highly recommend it!
Pretty much everything else is stuff that folks already know and love (I think everyone is on the Bon Appetit bandwagon right now…) so I won’t go into that too much, but if you’re curious about my thoughts on anything from the list, give me a shout, and let me know what you’re watching in the comments!
Continuing the podcast bandwagon that I’m on, I joined Fred Kennedy on the Issue Zero podcast for a minisode where we discuss some of the things that I’m enjoying during this self-isolation. I give recs for movies, video games, TV shows, board games, and comics! Check it out and maybe find something new to enjoy for the weekend. Or the week. Whatever floats your boat!
This week we continue our look at what content people are consuming during quarantine. We talk to writer/editor Steph Cooke about what she’s been reading/watching/playing since the Covid-19 shut down began.
I also go on a rant about how I am once again obsessed with a videogame that was first released in 2003…because I am an old man with no taste.
Steph Cooke – @hellocookie
At the beginning of the month, my podcast family and I reunited for a very special episode of Talking Comics. Some of you may not be familiar with my podcast life, but for several years, I was a part of this podcast alongside Bobby, Steve, and Bob. It’s been quite a while since we were all together so as a nice April Fools joke, we gathered to do a little reunion.
April showers be damned! The night might be dark and full of terrors, but the Talking Comics crew is here, and we’re ready to social distance the hell out of some comic books! On this week’s show, Bobby recants his journey through the CW’s Arrowverse, in addition to sharing his thoughts about Die from Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans. Meanwhile, Bob brings some of his favorite characters to the show, including Wonder Woman, Star, Amethyst, and of course, the Fantastic Four! As we make our way down the line, we find Stephanie conjuring a witch-centric lightning round packed with plenty of YA graphic novels. And then, last but certainly not least, Steve goes wild for Marvel’s Hellions as well as Vin Diesel’s Bloodshot! Don’t be fooled by this week’s show, dear listeners, because just like the Transformers, there’s more to this episode than meets the eye! There are no show notes for this week’s podcast because, well … you’ll see. Mwuahaha!
Comics talked this week: Seven Days #8, Wonder Woman #754, Star #3, X-Men/Fantastic Four #3, Amethyst #2, Shadow of the Batgirl, Guts, Witchlight, The Okay Witch, The Witch Boy, Hellions #1.
We’ve been in self-isolation for varying amounts of time at this point, but for many of us, it’s been a while. Since I know that we’re all just doing our best right now and trying to find ways to pass the time, I wanted to share some short stories for you to enjoy.
I hope that you enjoy them, and if you like what you see, please feel free to pass them along and share.
Home Sweet Huck (2017 Millarworld Annual)
Written by Stephanie Cooke
Art by Jake Elphick
Edited by Rachel Fulton
Huck created by Mark Millar
Huck has the ability to find anything and uses his gifts to help his community but what happens when Huck wants to help someone in need who’s lost everything?
Behind Enemy Linens (BLOCKED Anthology)
Written by Stephanie Cooke
Art by Katie Sawatsky
What happens when you date someone who ghosts on you and then reappears only to explain that he broke up with you over a blanket fort? You write a comic about it, of course! Based on a true story.
Miss Monster (Wayward Sisters Anthology)
Written by Stephanie Cooke
Art by Cara McGee
Edited by Alison O’Toole
She’s not beauty… she’s definitely not grace… and if you’re not careful, she might bite you in the face! It’s the Miss Monster pageant to decide who this year’s best monster…
That’s it for now, but should I receive permission to share any additional short stories, I’ll be sure to update this page for you.
Stay safe and healthy!
<3
Okay, so I should preface this entire thing by immediately stating that the word “challenge” is a gross exaggeration of what it is I’m actually doing.
Last year, I wrote three books (!!!) and while that’s a really good problem to have, my health took a bit of a hit. I still managed to stay relatively fit by going to the gym semi-regularly, but I had no energy whatsoever to put into much else like cooking or being mindful of what I was putting into my body.
Outside of cutting out alcohol from my life, I wasn’t really monitoring my food intake regularly, and it helped contribute to an overall sluggishness and sense of general blah. This isn’t any kind of post to try and make you feel like you need to change anything – we all have to do what’s right for us! But for me, I got to the end of 2019, and decided that I really wanted to make an effort to cook more, and stop buying so much takeout and easy foods.
I also realized that I may have some additional food intolerances (besides my lactose-intolerance) so the only way to really figure out if that was a contributing factor to my health was to be better about what it is I was eating. I’m currently in the midst of trying to permanently cut gluten out of my diet, which is so tricky because I love bread, and pancakes, and all the good things!
This is a very long-winded post to basically just share some of the things that I’ve been cooking this year, but here we are. PHEW.
Simple Crockpot Chili – I wanted to start things off, well, simple. This felt like a great way to start with my cooking journey. Throw everything into a Crockpot, stir, and wait. It turned out great, and I’m still going through leftovers.
Slow Cooker Jambalaya – Again, I was really going for the easy things, and trying to not overwhelm myself with anything too daunting right off the bat. This was a really great recipe, and it is also still in my freezer for quick dinners. I stretch it by throwing it on top of some rice to give a little bit more – which, to be fair, is what I think you’re supposed to be doing anyways.
Peanut Butter No Bake Energy Balls – I actually started making these last year as a snack for my co-workers at the office. They were the thing that turned me into a peanut butter lover, after 30+ years of not liking it. I needed some healthy snack alternatives that didn’t cost me a lot, so I started making these for home because they’re filling, tasty, and super duper easy to make.
Sun-Dried Tomato Bacon Mini Frittatas – Is there a word more fun to say than “frittata?” I think not! Breakfast is very possibly my favourite meal, and when I cut out gluten, I was missing pancakes very deeply (eventually I’ll try gluten-free pancakes). I also love bacon and eggs, but during the week, that’s not as easy for me to make when I’m trying to run out the door. I used this recipe to meal prep some breakfast for my week ahead, and it’s proven a really fantastic, and easy treat for myself!
Chicken Chorizo Casserole – My partner and I have been cooking together on the weekend to avoid ordering delivery constantly. This was the first thing we made, and aside from him cutting open his finger while chopping onions, it turned out wonderfully! There’s no seasoning involved, which initially worried us, but the sprinkled chorizo on the top of the casserole gives everything all the flavour it needs as it bakes. It was so good.
Harvest Chicken Casserole – I am truly terrible at keeping my ingredients down to the exact measurements and my only thing with this recipe is that once again I put way too much and had to split it up into two casserole dishes, which is realistically a Non-Problem for someone trying to meal prep. This was super tasty as someone who really loves sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts.
Korean Beef Bowl – This was the second dish that my partner and I made together, and was also very tasty. My one thing is that I wish I had drained the fat from the beef before we did anything else with the meal. The amount of fat liquid watered down the sauce and it didn’t stick as well to the beef as I probably would’ve liked. So if I make this again, I’ll be sure to do that.
Sausage and Cabbage Skillet – I made this on Monday this week in an effort to start off the week strong for my cooking vibes. I’m trying to be better about spending less money overall, but BOY HOWDY will I ever go for that bag of pre-chopped veggies or whatever to help minimize the amount of time I have to put into prepping the ingredients. So with this recipe, it actually just called for you to buy pre-shredded cabbage, and I searched and searched for it to no avail. I wound up picking up a thing of red cabbage, carrots, and broccoli. HOWEVER, I did not read the package properly, and HA HA HA, it actually turned out to be mostly broccoli, with some carrots and cabbage. WHOOPS. So despite the fact that I managed to completely take out one of the key ingredients of this recipe, it was still really tasty.
Honestly, writing everything out like this has me SHOOK. I hadn’t realized how much I’d actually cooked this year already? Considering that last year I cooked very little and only made the same 2-3 things over and over again, I’m already pretty proud of myself here.
I’ll maybe try to keep updating this blog with some new things that I try over the next little while and give little bits of information on them. I’m going to buy myself an Instant Pot soon too, and I think that’ll wind up opening some more doors to the things I can try to make… like ramen!
What are some recipes that you’re into that are gluten-free, and dairy-free? Send me your recommendations!
Over on the site I run, Creator Resource, I put together a post about getting started in the comics industry as a writer. I wanted to cross-post and share it here for anyone who might be interested. You can read the original here, if you’d like to support Creator Resource. Otherwise check it out below:
One of the most common questions among creators in any field, but especially writing, ask How do I get started? It’s common because not a lot of folks really talk about how hard it can be to break into the industry and land published work, especially if you’re not able to draw your own stories.
It’s marginally easier to find published work in comics if you can draw your own stories. You can build up your portfolio on your own, and not have to rely on collaboration, and saving up money to bring your scripts to life. But while it’s maybe easier to break in that way, artists ultimately get the short end of the stick, as they tend to be burdened with the majority of the work, crappier deadlines, and less pay.
That’s why it’s important for writers to practice as they come into the industry, and learn how to be the best collaborator that they can be. It’s not just about building up a portfolio, it’s about building up your work so that you’re taking your co-creators into consideration.
If you ask other creators who’ve been around for a while How do I get started? you will almost definitely get the response, “Just make comics!” This can be a little bit frustrating to some folks who feel that they don’t know how to make comics yet, and the question is more about WHERE do they start? How do they build up a network of peers? How do they seek out editors and published work? There are so many different components at work here, and we’re going to try to jump into a few of those in this piece.
GETTING YOUR WORK PUBLISHED
I am a massive advocate of the short story. Short stories can be incredibly hard to write, and even harder to make satisfying to your readers. But being able to write a short story can be a powerful portfolio piece for you that editors will note and appreciate. It’s hard to drop people into a world, even if it’s our own, and set the stage so that the story can play out with anything that the reader may need to understand. You need to play around with how much information you absolutely have to convey vs. what can your reader be left to deduce on their own. To do that, you have to understand your audience, and write for who you think might read your story.
Thankfully, that sort of information tends to be provided to you if you look for anthologies and zines to submit to. Coming up and writing original story ideas can be really daunting without perimeters, but because of the rise of the comic book anthology, small press publishers have been working on putting out a wide variety of collections to showcase a wide variety of creators.
They’re not always open call anthologies, and sometimes you just need to know the right people, but checking out a newsletter like the one that PaperCatBlog puts out weekly, helps you stay in the loop for the ones that do open their submissions.
Writers who aren’t able to draw their own stories are often concerned about their ability to pay an artist to bring their story to life. Submitting to, and getting accepted into an anthology can not only help with that, but it gets you a credit in a published project.
Most reputable anthologies and small press publishers will make sure to offer a page rate to the creators on their books. Because they’re small publishers though, the page rate is usually pending a crowdfunding campaign – they tend to get the money via Kickstarter (or another crowdfunding platform), which includes rates for the creators as well as the money they need for the actual creation of the book. You can visit TO Comix Press’ site to learn more about the process; they are completely transparent on the process, the funds, and everything else you need to learn about anthologies or to run your own.
Some creators may want to work with an established artist for a short story – an artist who may otherwise be out of their price range. What you can also do here, is negotiate with said artist. By negotiate, I mean you find out what their regular rate is, find out the rate that the anthology is paying to the artist, and then subtract that number from the regular rate. From there, you can pay the difference to make up for it, and potentially have the chance to work with a bigger name creator.
This can be good because a) it brings more repute to the anthology b) it gives more weight to you as a creator and c) allows you to learn about collaborating with someone who already has experience in the industry.
But even though you have a contract for the anthology (probably), make sure to also develop a contract between yourselves for the additional page rate to be provided.
Even if it’s small press or a micro press, having a story published in an anthology or zine still counts as published work. There can also be a lot of competition for these story slots too, so don’t be discouraged by rejection. You can always hang onto stories to work on and develop on your own down the line.
That brings me to my last point with this section though, and that’s about READING THE BRIEF. Each anthology will have specific perimeters and will often break things down into things that they want to see and things that they definitely don’t want to see. It’s important to read carefully and make sure that whatever you come up with fits into what they’re looking for. If not, you run the risk of being disregarded immediately.
Make sure you include everything that is asked of you. Check to see if they’ll help pair you up with an artist; if not, look into some options (you can put out a call for paid work on Twitter with the hashtag #HiringForComics and our sister site, Creator Advisor will share it). Check if you need to provide a web site; do you have a web site? If not, make sure you have one, and make sure that whatever you submit is what they’re looking for (for instance, some folks do not want to see Instagram shared as a portfolio).
Real talk: always have a web site. Always have contact information on your web site. Always make your web site accessible – you never know who might notice you! But most editors will never love a creator enough to hunt them down… if you don’t have a web site, or contact information listed anywhere, and are generally unaccessible, you are going to miss out on potential opportunities.
Most anthologies won’t ask for a script or art up front, but read to make sure. A lot of anthologies will at least want an outline of your story (including a satisfying resolution to the story), an idea of your characters, and a description like what you’d see on the back of a book.
This is tricky, especially if you don’t go to conventions or if you have crippling anxiety or… well, there’s a bunch of reasons why this is tricky.
There’s this great thing that exists called The Internet! And on the internet, you can utilize social media. And on that social media, you can still connect with editors (and your peers).
I’d recommend building up a network of your peers first, and building up a good relationship with them. It doesn’t have to be a working relationship – in fact, most peer relationships are built as traditional friendships rather than being treated as a co-worker or colleague. Creators want to build healthy relationships with peers that they can be in the industry with; folks they can talk to and understand and relate to. Interacting, engaging, and supporting your peers in a way that feels (and is) genuine will go a long way in helping you build your career.
As you and your peers grow in the industry, you’ll find that people tend to share the wealth, so to speak. Creators are happy to give intros to other creators, to editors, and to other pros working in the industry. They’re willing to do that for their friends and peers that they will feel will be a good reflection of them since it’s their introduction that will open the door.
All of this can apply to IRL relationships and communities, if you’re the type of person okay with social interaction and being at conventions and industry events, but it still applies if you’re exclusively online only.
It’s about treating others with respect. Read the room, so to speak, and engage with others in an appropriate way. Respect your peers. Understand the rules and boundaries, and respect them.
WRITING EXERCISES AND PROMPTS
I won’t spend a long time on this section, so I’ll get to the point. Like I mentioned within the Getting Your Work Published section – sometimes when your have no perimeters, it’s intimidating to come up with a story idea. If that’s the case, and you don’t see any anthologies or zines to pitch to, look for writing prompts!
You can definitely find lots of them on Pinterest, on social media, and just generally around, but what you can also do to prepare yourself for other anthologies, is looking at old anthologies no longer accepting submissions. You can look at their guidelines and specifications, and try to build a story with them. It gives you structure and timelines to work with. You can choose to come up with the ideas and outlines only, or you can play around with the scripts and actually write them.
Other things to do? Think of your favourite characters from anything at all, and try to come up with a story that you haven’t seen done before with them. Shout out to FANFICTION!!!! It’s existed for many, many moons, and is fantastic. You can change the names of the characters or heck, you can just write out the character as the character. Just make sure that should you ever pursue having the script made, that there are certain legalities around selling a story that’s based on someone else’s property.
But as an exercise just for you? It’s great.
FINDING TIME TO WRITE
Despite what anyone says, you do not need a fancy app or word processor to write your scripts. For both writing and editing, I exclusively use Google Docs. I only really use Microsoft Word for copyedits or to send a file in a specific format to a creator or editor. Google Docs is great because it allows me access to my work anytime, and anywhere that I have internet access. Even if I don’t have internet access, as long as I’ve made the file available offline, I can still get to it.
This allows for me to, again, work from anywhere. I can work on my commute (I literally wrote an entire novel over the course of a month just on my daily commute), I can work on my day job breaks, and I can work if I have a few minutes before an appointment, or meeting or wherever else I am.
For me as also an editor, formatting is important, but it’s not as important as just getting things down on paper. You can free flow your idea and stories onto the page, and once you’re in a place to build up from that groundwork, go in and fine tune things.
Creators often don’t find time to write – most of us continue to have day jobs and side hustles that we have to do to pay our bills. If we focused on finding the time to write, it would never get done. We make the time to write.
This isn’t a humble brag on my life – because make no mistake: it’s a mess that I constantly struggle to balance – but I have a full-time job that I’m at for 45 hours every week. I’m a staff member with the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, which we work on essentially year round. I run this web site, I go to the gym three times a week, I see my partner as often as possible, I play D&D regularly, I edit several comics, and I write every day. Or nearly every day. You could easily look at my life, and minus the editing and writing portion, think Wow, when would you have time to do anything else? and again, the answer is this: I make the time.
You need to make the time.
So at the end of the day, it comes down to you. When you, or anyone else asks How do I get started? it comes down to how bad you want it. Do you love comics? Do you love telling stories? Can you make time for this?
You need to tell these stories for you, first and foremost. You have to love the medium, and turning what’s in your brain into something more on the page. If you’re focused on making comics for other people, chances are, you won’t make it far. Tell stories that are important to you, and stories that you want to tell. That way, it becomes easy to make the time.
Get excited for your art. Get excited to tell a story. Get excited to see it come to life with an artist, and other collaborators! Collaboration is the best part of this medium, and when you open yourself up to the possibilities of what you can do within it, you’ll maybe find that the excitement is intoxicating and addicting in the best ways possible.
Like with my Books & Comics list, I’ve put together the films I’ve watched in a nice little graphic, courtesy of Letterboxd. I kind of wish that they had a feature like Goodreads where I could just compile the things I watched this year but OH WELL. I actually watched Midsommar and Brightburn on January 1, 2020 but there wasn’t an easy way to take those out without messing up the graphic. Ditto on everything after Three Billboards at the end of this list as those were watched in 2018, but LA LA LA IT’S FINE.
I don’t really stay as up to date on current films anymore so I put together a Top 5 but it’s just the films that I watched this year and loved, as opposed to the current films that are out there and I loved.
Top 5 Movies:
Captain Marvel
The Favourite
Shazam!
Pokemon: Detective Pikachu
Knives Out
This is a bit late but I finally rounded up all the books that I read this year in a nice little infographic (thanks to Goodreads organizing through the Reading Challenge). Take a look and at the bottom, I’ve included my Top 5s for Books & Comics in 2019 as well (although it was written before the year was wrapped up…)
Top 5 Books:
Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
The Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas
The Lady from the Black Lagoon by Mallory O’Meara
Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto
Top 5 Comics:
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell
When I Arrived At The Castle by Emily Carroll
Hicotea by Lorena Alvarez
Die Vol. 1 by Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans
Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass by Mariko Tamaki and Steve Pugh
Like I mentioned at the top, I wrote this before I really finished out the year so I’ll add to my Top 5s list a little bit and say that in the last week, I wound up reading a ton of comics that I absolutely loved. Crowded Vol. 1, The Avant-Gardes Vol. 1, and Monstress Vol. 2-4 wowed me like crazy.
And then for novels, I only really added in The Red Queen to the mix, but that also wowed me! I didn’t expect to really fall in love with a new series but it was fantastic, and now I’m itching to get through the rest of them.
What were your favourites of 2019?
I have exciting news TWO DAYS IN A ROW! I’ve been given the go ahead to talk about a new upcoming series that I’ve had the absolute pleasure of working on as an editor.
TARTARUS is a new series coming out from Image Comics. Written by Johnnie Christmas and with art by Jack T. Cole… honestly friends, it has been a goddamn treat to see this book come to life.
And speaking of LIFE, I’ve been given the opportunity by the team to work on back-ups for the series that will be included in the book starting at Issue #2. I’m doing a series called, well, LIFE, with artist extraordinaire, Megan Huang. It’ll be a short set of standalone stories that intertwine to tell a tale about several alien creatures living on a faraway planet. I am so stoked.
But back to TARTARUS for a hot second, because that’s the hot ticket here! Let me share the synopsis from the OFFICIAL IMAGE COMICS PAGE (wowowowow!!!):
A new adventure series with all the sci-fi drama of Breaking Bad set in Mos Eisley! Promising young cadet Tilde is framed for crimes against the empire after discovering her mother was the ruthless warlord of the deadly colony Tartarus, a vital player in the galactic war. Now, Tilde’s only way home may be to reclaim her mother’s dark crown. #1 New York Times bestseller JOHNNIE CHRISTMAS (Alien 3) and artistic phenom JACK T. COLE (The Unsound) kick off this ongoing series with 44 big pages of story!
TARTARUS #1 hits stands on February 12, 2020.
A couple of cool things to share today! First of all, I can finally share the cover for Oh My Gods: Book One. The cover was done by the amazing Juliana Moon with design and logo by Andrea Miller. It’s perfect, and I love it SO DANG MUCH (you can see it on the right).
Second, the cover reveal happened because of other amazing news! Oh My Gods is set to be one of the launch titles for HMH’s new graphic novel imprint, Etch. From the Publisher’s Weekly press release, “Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is the latest publisher to announce a children’s graphic novel imprint: Etch, which will gather all of HMH’s graphic novels into a single imprint, will debut in September 2020. The launch catalog will consist of seven titles, with plans to publish about 15 books per year.”
You can read the full press release in the link above, but it goes on to discuss our book baby in saying, “The next group of titles will include Timo the Adventurer by Jonathan Garnier, illustrated by Yohan Sacré, a fantasy adventure slated for October 2020; Oh My Gods! by Stephanie Cooke and Insha Fitzpatrick, illustrated by Juliana Moon, first in a series about a girl who goes to school on Mount Olympus with teenage Greek gods, scheduled for January 2021; and Power Up by Sam Nisson, illustrated by Darnell Johnson, a middle-grade adventure that mixes middle school drama with robot video game battles, due out in February 2021.”
SO EXCITING!
I love Halloween dearly. I don’t remember it always being this way but somewhere along the way, the holiday turned into something delightful and magical for me. Maybe it was that when I was a kid, I was at the mercy of my mother’s costuming abilities (which were actually pretty great…) and as an adult, I can do whatever I may want. Even do more than one costume in the season if I choose to.
This year I had the idea to dress up as Toronto’s unofficial mascot – an idea brought on by my personal adventures with the adorable trash fiends. Over the last two summers, young raccoons have gotten stuck in the bottom of my trash bins when they’re empty post-garbage day. I’ve been late to work a couple times trying to help my trash babies out of the bins and get them on their way back to their mommas.
If you’ll indulge me for a moment more, I thought I’d talk about the making of my costume since a few people have asked, in the wake of BlogTO, CTV, and other places posting up my photo.
A few weeks ago when the idea came to me, I set out and bought a garbage bin from Home Depot. I don’t know what I was thinking when I bought an extra durable Rubbermaid one (it was very hard to cut), but after a couple weeks of trying to cut through the bottom so that I could stand in it, I was finally able to. A combo of scissors and a sharp exacto knife got the job done.
From there, I measured and made four holes in the top part of the bin to create suspenders to hold it up on my shoulders. I used garbage bags to create the suspenders – it seemed apt. I put two holes in the lid of the bin as well at the sides and then strung a garbage bag across that too to turn it into a sort of hat.
And then from there, I made a stencil of the City of Toronto logo that’s on the official garbage bins, and I painted it on the front of my bin. I used cheap Dollarama paint so it bled a little bit but once it dried, I cleaned it up with a Sharpie.
I wish I could claim that I made the mask and gloves but in reality, I got the mask from an art store (Midoco), and I bought the faux fur gloves from Spirit Halloween (they’re technically “wolf paws”). Then I just wore a grey sweater to tie it all together.
Thanks again to BlogTO, and CTV who featured my costume after I wore it out to the ROM on Friday night for their Wicked event. You can check out the BlogTO pieces here and here. You can see screencaps of the CTV feature here or watch this video at the 39 min mark.
Over the weekend, I had the privilege of attending MCX (Mississauga Comic Expo) at the Mississauga Central Library where I had a booth set up for Creator Resource, and I was the Noel Ryan Auditorium moderator for the day.
My friend Tate came with me to help watch the Creator Resource booth and I spent the majority of the day talking to amazing comic creators on the respective panels that I helped to guide.
My first panel of the day was a Sketch Challenge with Shay Hahn, Adam Gorham, Zi Chen, and Shamayal Hayat. They were asked to draw Korra from The Legend of Korra. I wish I had thought to take photos of the amazing drawings but I was not that awake at that point. We had lots of great questions from kiddos in the audience and the 30 mins for the drawings went by really quick. In the end, we gave away the drawings to some lucky folks in the crowd.
Next up I had the distinct pleasure of hosting the Creator Spotlight with Marcus To and Caitlin Major. This was the panel I was most anxious about and did the majority of my pre-convention prep for. I don’t know why I was so anxious though (lol jk I’m always anxious, that’s why) because Marcus and Caitlin were delightful. We had a great conversation about their works, their processes, and about things that they love.
And when it came time to take questions from the audience, we had a wonderful kiddo raise their hand and with the utmost seriousness asked, “Why is Dumbledore SO old?!” to the panelists.
We had a little chat after the panel, and I felt silly for having been anxious in the lead up to it (but we can’t turn our anxieties off…)
After that, I chatted with Megan Huang, Jamal Campbell, and Paris Alleyne in the Behind the Comics panel which was focused on the artists’ digital process for their works. Each artist hooked up their tablet to the overhead projector and showed their works to the audience. We asked questions about their processes, and then opened things up to the audience for them to ask their questions.
Last but not least, I had the final panel of the day which was the second Sketch Challenge with Brenna Baines, Te’ Shawn Dwyer, Joy San, Casey Parsons. For this challenge, we asked the audience for four different ideas and then the artists could choose from those four things what they wanted to draw. You can see parts of the panel here:
And that was the show for me! I got to spend some time with great people, and caught up with some friends (shout out to Jey and Michelle). And I guess I technically got to get out of the city for a little bit – even if it was just to Mississauga.
MCX is a wonderful library show that’s free for attendees, and is a small but great experience. I highly recommend checking it out next time, and making sure to support the organizers, as well as the folks who table at the show and help make it as fun as it is.
I have been waiting for what feels like an eternity to finally be able to talk about this upcoming project of mine. It was the first story I ever really set out to really complete and make happen, and over the years it’s grown so much from what it originally was into this story that I’m so incredibly proud of. I’m beyond excited to see come into this world.
From the announcement in Publisher’s Weekly:
Lily Kessinger at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers has acquired ParaNorthern, a middle grade graphic novel written by Stephanie Cooke (that’s me!!!!), with art by Mari Costa.
In ParaNorthern, a witch named Abby and her three friends—a wolf-girl, a ghost, and a pumpkinhead—band together to try and save their supernatural town, North Haven, from an invasion of rabid (but adorable!) chaos bunnies.
ParaNorthern is planned for release from HMH Kids in Spring 2021.
A sneak peek of Abby (the adorable one with the broom) and her friends!
There’s no one way for me to find inspiration, but I love to consume movies, TV, podcasts, comics, books…anything that I might enjoy. When I really like something, sometimes it makes me think about how I could tell a story like that and I start crafting ideas around it.
Other times, I just have a good old fashioned brainstorm session where I write down all the story ideas that I’d love to play around with and then I narrow things down based on what I think is strong and could be developed more.
And with comic books, one of my other favourite ways to find inspiration is to talk to an artist that I want to work with, and ask them what sort of stories that they want to tell. With their ideas, I try to create something based on what they’re keen to work on, in the hopes that we’ll get the opportunity to work together on something that we’ll both really enjoy.
When I was starting in the industry, Kelly Sue DeConnick was one of the first people stepping up for women (that I saw) and taking the time to really encourage them to tell the stories that they wanted to see in the world.
She would frequently give out her personal email and information to any woman who wanted her to look at their stories and scripts, and not only encourage them but to also help them along their way.
Kelly Sue not only spoke a big game about wanting to see more women in the industry but actively worked to make it happen alongside everything else she was doing at the time.
If that isn’t a true goddamn comic book hero, then I don’t know who is. I will never forget the kindness and time she gave to anyone that wanted or needed it.
Ask yourself why you created art in the first place and try to find that passion again.
My friend’s frequently remind me that even though I’m starting to find some success with my projects, that ultimately I need to be writing and editing, first and foremost, for myself.
Try playing around with different mediums and genres. Try new things and step outside of your comfort zone! Sometimes just learning something new can help reinvigorate what you originally loved about your art.
The short answer is this: both too many and not enough because of imposter syndrome, and also anxiety. But the slightly longer answer is that I have:
Three longform OGNs
Five comic editing projects (two ongoing series)
Two web sites (Creator Resource and Creator Advisor)
Two volunteer organization projects (TCAF and The Canada Comics Open Library)
And then in addition to that, I try to maintain a decent social life, I go to the gym three times a week, I have a 40+ hours per week day job, I’ve been teaching myself to draw again, and I try to make time (3-4 times per week) to see my partner as we don’t live together.
So… you know, a lot.
I’ve admittedly not seen a lot of movies this year (I’ve spent a lot of my downtime bingeing TV shows) BUT with that being said, Captain Marvel has probably been my favourite.
As a writer, I want to tell stories that have an impact, and Captain Marvel was not only a wonderful film, but it showed me (and countless others!) that there’s an audience out there eagerly waiting for this content.
Also, as an additional note pertaining to movies – I don’t often get out to theaters much these days also because I have a bad right knee. If I sit for too long in one spot, it gets really sore and achey, so it kind of kills the movie going experience for me.
The Life Finds A Way anthology is now live on Kickstarter. It’s an anthology filled with post-apocalyptic stories that have a positive spin, and I am so happy and honoured to be a part of this book filled with so many talented creators.
My story for the anthology is titled Green Thumb with art by the talented Dominique Evans. You can see a sample page from our story on the right; Dominique just knocked the whole thing out of the park.
It would mean the world to all of us if you could support the project, or even just share it on social media, and such.
You can visit here or click below to check out more about the book.
One can never have too many animals in their life, and truly over the last few months I have been blessed with a plethora of fantastic fur friends. So, I thought I’d compile a short guide to the amazing critters that I love.
KAYLEE
Kaylee is my #1. My ride or die cat. That’s a thing now, just so you know.
She’s been my fur baby since 2012 when she showed up on my doorstep in Prince Edward Island. She had been either thrown from a car or hit by one, and had a broken leg, and a missing fang. She was hungry and came to my door looking for some TLC. I hadn’t intended on adopting another cat (seeing as I’m very allergic), but I opened the door, she sauntered in, and after she ate up her first meal in who knows how long, she came up to me, curled up in my lap and stared lovingly at me.
It was game over from there and I knew I had to accept the fact that I was the new owner of Kaylee.
The photo on the right is Kaylee (and me) on the day she showed up at my home, and furrever changed my life.
DEXTER
Dexter is my very good office son who belongs to one of my day job coworkers. I LOVE HIM DEARLY and he comes to me for ear scratches and it is VERY WONDERFUL to take short breaks to run around the office chasing him, and to play with him.
MR CUPCAKE Mr. Cupcake is a new and dear fur friend that I’ve discovered since starting my new job. Yes, Mr. Cupcake is his real name (according to his collar) and he is “very friendly and very loved” by his family of young girls who dote on him (from what I can see).
He often sits in the parkette near my office and watches the birds and squirrels go by. He looks like he’s always going to attack them but he’s just a good, soft boy at heart. I think. I hope. I don’t want to come between Mr. Cupcake and his prey but also don’t eat birds, my friend.
He always comes running up to me and loves getting pets… plus he’s very photogenic and lives to love the camera. He’s very good.
MR MUFFIN
I saw Mr. Muffin one of the first times that I met Mr. Cupcake. I just thought that the nearby parkette was filled with the best good cats… and it is. I have not seen Mr. Muffin in that spot since but upon walking around the neighbourhood a bit, I’ve run into him a couple other times. He’s a fluffy, good boy, and he also loves attention and is very friendly.
LOOK AT HOW CUTE HE IS:
ECLAIR
Okay, I just met this cat recently but I love her and also I’m naming all stray cats without collars after baked goods.
HAIRY PAWTER
Okay, so Hairy doesn’t come around all that much anymore, but every single morning after garbage day, my tiny friend faithfully got stuck at the bottom of my garbage bin, which would mean helping him escape regularly. I got to see my trash panda son grow up as he continually got trapped…over and over again.
I miss him and his trash son ways.
Over the weekend were two big days for me… well, one big day for my sweet patootie (it was his birthday) and that was followed by our anniversary. PLUS on Friday, I went with some friends to see the play Waitress, which is a musical based on the film by Adrienne Shelly.
I was SO excited to check out the play – I’m a big fan of the film so I’d been anticipating it for a while. I didn’t look up anything about the adaptation, other than what I saw on public transit and such, and was absolutely delighted by the whole thing. I laughed, I cried, I laughed some more, and I just generally had a big smile on my face the whole time. It’s a bit of a dark story at times, and the play definitely made things a little lighter than the original film, but it didn’t gloss over those big issues… just made them a less little uncomfortable to have to watch.
It was truly great. A few of my friends are big theatre fans so I go with them when there’s something that I want to see. I’ll be checking out the theatrical version of Anastasia next and I CANNOT WAIT.
The rest of the weekend was actually pretty quiet, except on Sunday I had a brunch and a dinner.
The brunch was at School with a few comic friends, and it was an absolute blast to spend time with them and enjoy a really great pancake breakfast. Honestly, if you go to School and don’t have the pancakes, you’re doing a massive disservice to yourself.
GET THE PANCAKES.
Then for dinner, I celebrated my anniversary with my sweet patootie by going to a hibachi teppanyaki place. The food was good but unfortunately the restaurant rushed the meal so we wound up seeing the food get cooked, eating, and leaving within 20ish minutes. We didn’t really plan anything else for the evening since dinner was going to be our big anniversary treat, so that wound up being a bit of a bummer. BUT all in all, it was still a really nice experience.
All the time in between any of that was focused on deadlines and such that I’m trying to hit right now and getting caught up on emails and trying to decompress as much as possible… which feels like a bit of a conundrum but here we are. A stressful decompression.
For the last little while I’ve been bingeing TV in my spare time. I haven’t had an attention span for a lot of movies (except really cheesy and bad ones) so TV while I half-heartedly pay attention and doodle has been where I’m at.
I thought I’d share a few of the things that I’ve been watching lately.
JANE THE VIRGIN
I finished watching the final season of Jane the Virgin – the whole show has been so consistent and delightful from start to finish. I was sad to see it go but also happy that it wrapped things up its own terms.
Gina Rodriguez is so charismatic and charming, I couldn’t help but feel for her along the way and put myself in her shoes, even when the story gets VERY ridiculous.
THE ROOK
I started watching this sci-fi drama recently when it came onto Crave TV. I didn’t know what to expect but was really intrigued by the pilot. Now I’ve been faithfully watching it week after week, enjoying the ride and concept.
I’m not gonna lie though, once I found out that it was a novel, I immediately looked up the entire plot for it and spoiled it for myself. I don’t know if the show will follow it strictly or if it’ll veer from the path that was laid out by the original creator.
I don’t know why I’m so anti-spoilers online but then when I start an intriguing movie or TV show and realized it’s an adaptation, I want to know what happens.
I did the same thing with Big Little Lies, and also Game of Thrones. Whoops!
FRINGE
I’ve been researching Fringe lately with my sweet patootie. He is a big X-Files fan so when he didn’t have any episodes left to watch (even including the terrible “new” seasons), we turned to Fringe. And by that, I mean that I turned him to Fringe.
We actually started watching it quite a while ago and left it. We’ve come back to it now though and are flying through it – we’re a couple episodes away from the end of the first season.
I can’t wait to watch the rest.
STAR VS. THE FORCES OF EVIL
This is maybe one of my favourite shows of all time. It’s coming to an end (well, it HAS come to an end) and I’m savouring the last episodes. Although, because iTunes is a pain in the ass, the final episode technically aren’t even uploaded yet.
BUT WHATEVER. I’m not ready for it to be over. It’s such a fun show that has worked its way into my soul and I love it profusely.
THE AMERICANS
I’m slowly making my way through this. At times the pacing kind of drags so I wind up feeling less of an urgency to watch the next episode, but I do really love the show and the whole concept of it.
It’s an honest to goodness masterpiece and Keri Russell is brilliant in it.
LOVE ISLAND
I’m not really ashamed to admit that I’ve been watching this trash lately. My brain sometimes can only really process frivolous nonsense and it’s something mindless that I can have on in the background.
My goshhhhh, so many of the people on the show drive me nuts but it has fun moments that I genuinely find myself enjoying, even when I’m cringing.
Recently I was a guest on the wonderful Creator at Large podcast with Jeremy Melloul. The episode is live now and I wanted to share it with y’all! Below is the copy from the site:
Stephanie Cooke is a comic book writer, editor, and ally to comic creators everywhere. She takes on a frankly stupefying amount of projects all in an effort to support the comic industry and push forward positive change. In this episode she joins me to discuss:
Why she keeps taking on new projects & can’t slow down!
Her own career & progression from assistant to writing, editing, and other side projects!
Creator Resource and the work of supporting comic book creator
The Page Rates Survey
The growth of the graphic novel kids market in comics
HELLO FRIENDS. Have I mentioned lately that I am very bad at updating my web site? WELL HERE I AM and I’m telling you that I have been very bad at updating my web site.
Now that that’s out of the way, I mentioned forever ago that I was finally playing Dungeons & Dragons. What I think I failed to mention with that post is the group I’m playing with is also a D&D podcast called The Diecast Podcast. All of my campaigning as Amalica Myep is available for you to listen to and enjoy!
I’ve definitely grown a lot with Amalica as my character as I try to navigate how to play and just lean into the silliness of it all. We also had an adventure as a wonderful rat character named Hildie (whom I love and would take a bullet for) in our Gutter Runners side episode. I love Amalica but Hildie was a lot of fun to play as…
ANYWAYS, this post was meant to be here to tell you about our campaign and to inform you that you can listen to our adventure! Visit here to find out more about where you can listen.
From over on Cloudscape Comics’ site where I recently did an interview to promote our upcoming anthology, Life Finds A Way:
I’m a writer who likes to dabble in art but mostly when it comes to drawing silly cartoons and pigeons. I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember – I didn’t pursue it as an option in school but came to it professionally as a news editor and critic for a popular film web site. My writing evolved and changed until I made my way to comics… finally.
What comics/comic creators inspired you to make comics?
It’s more like amalgamations of the stories I’ve read in comic form have made me want to try my hand at telling my own stories in the medium. It gives you an amazing opportunity to work alongside wonderful artists to tell a story in a medium that’s comprised of both written and visual components.
There are creators that I admire and I hope to someday be able to tell stories that bring joy like they do. Gigi DG’s Cucumber Quest, Noelle Stevenson’s Nimona, basically everything by Raina Telgemeier, Sam Bosma’s Fantasy Sports, Lorena Alvarez’s Nightlights series – they’re all creators and stories that I’m drawn to.
What about Life Finds a Way caught your imagination enough to submit a story?
I loved the concept of trying to think of a positive spin for the end of the world. Post-apocalyptic stories are all over the place in every medium, and every day we’re plagued with the fact that our real world is dying – so trying to think of ways to make things less dark was really appealing.
On our theme of hope, what did you find fun about creating stories within this framework? Furthermore were there any unexpected challenges?
I loved trying to build the world for my main character and help her find something to be excited about when everything is bleak and depressing.
Every story has its own unique challenges and for me, I decided that I wanted the story to be dialogue free. Trying to tell the story that I wanted to tell while not using narration or dialogue to assist was difficult – I didn’t know I’d be working with the wonderful Dom Astri before the script was done, so I was relying on the hope that I would be paired up with someone who had a strong style and could pull off the expressions and key moments in the story.
Part of the fun of Post-Apocalypse is the worldbuilding, how do you deal with the limitations of the short story format with that in mind?
I quite like writing short stories – I think it’s a fun challenge to find a way to bring readers into a world that feels already established and doesn’t require a lot of set-up. I think it’s a matter of figuring out what the readers absolutely need to know and what they can figure out on their own. Do I need a ton of exposition to explain what happened to the world? Or can I simply start by showing a devastated world in ruins and assume that within a book of post-apocalyptic stories, the reader will figure out what something bad has happened? For me, it’s trying to know what I can leave out to leave room for the story itself.
What’s your favorite post-apocalypse media, and why? (Games, Movies, Books, etc.)
Oh goshhhhhhhhhhh! I have a few things that I really love – in video games, the Fallout games for sure; specifically Fallout 3.
For books, it’s Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel – it’s a book that I devoured while I was reading it, and it just stuck with me after I was done it. It actually has a similar kind of theme to it in that there’s a group of people who try to give hope to everyone left through a traveling theatre group.
I think the question was is there any one thing that you love but now that I’ve said a video game and book, I need to also share a movie. That’s how this works, right? Well, I don’t have a particularly original answer to this, it’s Mad Max: Fury Road. A beautifully ridiculous film that I never get sick of watching.
Clichés, our editors outlined some that we did not want in our stories in our narrative guide. What elements about post-apocalypse media do you think are over-done?
I can’t say that post-apocalyptic media is my go-to genre for anything. The world is pretty bleak so it’s not usually something that I tend to gravitate to. That being said, it’s not necessarily cliché but I’m sick of seeing women abused, sexually assaulted, and just mistreated in many post-apocalyptic things. There’s no quicker way to get me to tune out of something than to have gratuitous sexual assault in any media.
I guess that’s one of the reasons why I loved Mad Max: Fury Road. There are women who’ve been sexually assaulted and abused in it, but it’s never shown on screen. They rely on the intelligence of the audience to put two and two together when it comes to the abuse and it never gets heavily dwelled on and it’s essentially non-existent as a larger plot point.
Post-apocalyptic fiction can often be a reflection of anxieties that occur in contemporary society, does your piece reflect any societal anxiety that you can identify?
I think the world becoming a desolate wasteland is definitely something that gives me anxiety. I’m a big lover of nature so the idea of the plants, animals, and birds, not being around because of how we’ve treated the planet is upsetting.
Do you think you could survive a week in the wild with a knife, a poncho, and a fishing hook?
Weirdly enough, I really do. I’m a city girl these days, for sure, but I grew up in the country and spent my summers camping with my family, and at summer wilderness camps for weeks at a time. I’m not saying I’d want to or I’d like to but I think if I had to, I’d be a-okay.
Where do you look to find hope for humanity’s future?
I guess it comes down to our generation and the one immediately after us – how we vote, and how we react to the urgent things we need to address to save the planet, nature, and humanity will be vital in our survival.
Do you have any projects you’d like to plug? I have a couple cool projects coming up that I’m not allowed to talk about just yet but in the meantime, check out Creator Resource (www.creatorresource.com) which aims to help comic creators at any level better navigate the comics industry and create transparency to thrive and grow your career.
I have been TERRIBLE with updating my blog over the last little while but I have very exciting news that I can finally share (and use to hopefully have you understand why I haven’t been online as much).
I’m happy and RELIEVED to be able to talk about this!!!!
Oh My Gods, a middle grade graphic novel series, has been acquired by Lily Kessinger at HMH in a two-book deal. The book is written by Stephanie Cook and Insha Fitzpatrick, with art by Brazilian artist Juliana Moon. Publication is scheduled for Fall 2020 and Fall 2021.
”Karen, an average girl from New Jersey, moves in with her enigmatic father to start school at Mt. Olympus Junior High, but things take a turn when Karen discovers mythological beasts are real and her classmates are gods and goddesses—so who does that make her?”
We’ve created a little Instagram for the book so you can follow all the cool art and news for it. It’s at @OMGs.book and you can follow myself, Insha, and Juliana as well for all the latest.
We’re so excited!
Stephanie Cooke has worked in several different roles within the world of comics, settling into two very different editorial roles as of late: as a freelance editor working on a variety of comics including We Are The Danger, published by Black Mask Studios; and as editor-in-chief for websites Rogues Portal and Creator Resource.
The MNT spoke to her about the former, learning more about her journey into editing comics, and her advice for anyone looking to start out in the industry.
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The MNT: Can you tell us a bit about how you got into comics editing – and what drew you to it?
Stephanie Cooke: A couple years ago I wrote a story for the fourth volume of The Toronto Comics Anthology. I had an amazing time working with the team there and when the publisher put up an ad the following year for a new Lead Editor, I wanted to see if I would be a good fit. I wanted to get involved in comics in new ways and expand upon what I was already doing. I also wanted to find a way to give back to a community that’s been so supportive and uplifting to me.
I really believed (and still believe) in what the folks at Toronto Comics are doing in ushering in new eras of creators and helping to give them a published platform to tell their stories. Helping to make the book more inclusive and tell a bigger variety of stories was something that I wanted to tackle with the team.
From there, my comics editing quickly grew and I began working on other projects outside of the anthology.
What do you love most about being a comics editor? And what sort of challenges have you encountered?
Comics editing is something that I unexpectedly love doing. I hadn’t really anticipated that my career would take a turn into editing but I’m really glad that it did. There’s something so satisfying and rewarding about working with a comics team to help improve on an already good idea and make it great. As a writer as well, it can be really hard to see things that don’t work within a story so I love being able to help focus ideas and make things work even better.
The biggest challenges for me tend to be with the feedback in terms of how much or how little to give. I try to communicate with the creators I work with to see how they work, what they expect out of the project, and what sort of approach I should take to each story. Finding that sweet spot where you’re giving constructive feedback without it feeling like you’re taking over the story can sometimes be tricky. You want to fix any issues that you see but you also don’t want to completely change what the creator has built.
A recent project is We Are the Danger – a book written and illustrated by Fabian Lelay – how did that come together?
Cooke: Fabian and I have known each online for a while now. I was a fan of his work on Jade Street Protection Services as the co-writer and artist of that, so when he asked if I’d be interested in working on a new book with him, I was really excited. He brought me on as he was getting the outline together so I was on board very early on to help guide things and give encouraging pep talks (inspirational pep talks and motivational speeches are included as a part of my editing services!)
What are your favorite aspects of We Are the Danger?
Cooke: I love our team so much. Fabian did the story and art but getting to work with Claudia Aguirre and Taylor Esposito (on colours and letters, respectively) has been such a treat. I love the story that we’ve all put together and the amazing characters too, but Fabian, Claudia, and Taylor are all creators that I have been wanting to work with for a long time. Getting to work with them is such a blast and each of them make it stand out in their own ways.
What role did you play in the research for We Are The Danger?
Cooke: Fabian had a pretty clear idea of what he wanted to do with the story when I came in. He had a look in mind for the characters, the outfits, and everything. Julie’s (the main character from the series) heritage is very in sync with Fabian’s own experiences and he was writing from the heart. My job was essentially to let Fabian know if anything didn’t work but mostly just to guide his vision.
How collaborative was the experience?
Cooke: It felt very collaborative for me. Fabian didn’t just leave me on the outskirts of the book to make notes and suggestions, he actively asked for my input throughout the whole process. We’re still finishing up the last couple of issues but it’s been an experience that I will always remember very fondly.
For other people interested in editing comics – what do you look for in a potential project?
Cooke: I think most people automatically assume that you just need to like the project itself to take it on. For me, it’s about the story but moreso about the creators working on it. We need to be able to work together and the way I give critiques and feedback needs to be in line with what they want to get out of the whole experience.
Do you have any other editing projects coming up that you can talk about yet?
Cooke: Not just yet! I’m working on a very cool project with the fabulous Johnnie Christmas, and I feel it in my bones that Fabian and I will wind up working together on at least one more project in the near future.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Cooke: Editing would not have been something that I would have actively searched out a couple of years ago, but here I am! I love it and it’s reaffirmed that you should always try things and keep an open mind. Comics can be a really hard industry to break into, especially if you’re looking to do one of the more “traditional” roles (ie. writer or artist) but there are so many other aspects to this industry that we desperately need more people filling.
The point is this: try a number of different things in comics. You might just be surprised at what sticks.
Yeah so it has taken me a substantial number of years to get around to playing DnD. Not because I didn’t want to but more because every time I’ve gotten close to trying to play, the groups either never happened or just fell apart due to time and what not.
A few months back, Miles (who I work at TCAF with) invited me to be a part of the upcoming game that him and a few friends were putting together. I immediately said yes! The group he games with also record the show for a podcast called The Diecast Podcast.
We met up a few times and learned more about the module and they helped me build my character so I wouldn’t be overwhelmed with everything. It was an immense help. I hate feeling like I’m being bothersome so it’s really wonderful when everyone just looks like they’re having fun helping each other.
I put together a dark elf sorcerer (sorceress?) for my first game ever, based around Nico Minoru from Runaways. It was easier for me to create someone based on a preexisting character so I could wrap my head around things easier. It also made the impending game less daunting as I had a character that I could work with to formulate my role playing.
I kept meaning to listen and watch other DnD games in advance of playing so I could better prepare but they’re SO LONG and I perpetually have so little free time.
Anyways, I ran out of time and the day to play came. I was still incredibly anxious – I didn’t want to mess things up for my group! I know I know I know, just have fun! But I was worried that I wouldn’t take to it. I’m a pretty animated person but I can also pull into myself in a pretty big way when I’m uncomfortable or unsure of myself. I tried to push myself to just embrace everything and do my best to banter with the group in character and join in whenever possible.
For some more context (because if you listen to the show, I don’t explain my character very well…), I’m playing as a dark elf sorcerer named Amalica Myep. Both of her parents were killed due to their involvement in The Knife and as such, Amalica has vowed to not follow in her parents footsteps. She’s had to take care of herself for most of her life and growing up on the streets of Waterdeep has made her extremely street smart (while albeit not so book smart).
She cares strongly for the people that she loves but hasn’t had someone to care about for a long time. She’s closed off and reserved but can also be dry and sarcastic. She knows the streets of Waterdeep like the back of her hand and steers clear of The Knife who would have her take up where her parents left off with them.
Amalica’s personal code is to do what’s right since she equates the death of her parents with crime and wrongdoing.
Anddddddd that’s about it for my character right now. One of her cantrips is Frostbite and we added a flair to it where she throws it like a dagger (think like, well, Dagger) which developed as we played last night. The episode was recorded and so eventually (I believe in March or so??), the episode will be available and you can hear my first ever DnD adventure.
I will forever be proud of a troll fight we had last night and while using a bar for cover, thinking to put together a Molotov cocktail to throw at it. Or more aptly, throwing a bottle of fancy ass wine (the barkeep was none too pleased…) and having my travelling companion, Yosef light it on fire once it had drenched the troll.
Our next game is next week and I’m hoping that I’m able to retain enough of what happened last night to be more effective and allow myself to get more into the roleplaying side of it. We shall see!
2018 has been a rollercoaster of emotions for pretty much everyone. Politics especially have taken over a big chunk of our lives as we devote a ton of mental space to trying to fight the people who are taking away the rights of so many people.
I’ve had a crazy year outside of the general world drama. It’s been mostly good with lots going on. I thought I’d do a little round-up of some of my accomplishments from this year:
Toronto Comics Anthology: Osgoode as Gold was published – I acted as the Lead Editor on the book and the book made its debut at TCAF. I’m so proud of what we accomplished and the talent we were able to showcase in the anthology.
Launched Creator Resource with Beth Barnett, Eric Kim, and Rosie Knight. The site is all about helping creators navigate the comic book industry and better understand the ins and outs without having to be “in the know” for a number of years.
Worked my first TCAF – I took on the role of Volunteer Coordinator at TCAF and worked my very first show as part of the staff. It went so well and it was really rewarding to be on the other side of a convention that I’ve loved and admired for years.
I passed the torch of Rogues Portal onto Anelise Farris and Insha Fitzpatrick. I’m still in the sidelines and helping out when needed, but I have largely passed off the site to these amazing women.
In May, We Are The Danger was published at Black Mask Studios – I was (and still am) the editor on the series with Fabian Lelay, Claudia Aguirre, and Taylor Esposito. The 5-issue series is wrapping up very soon and I have loved working on this book so much.
Launched Creator Advisor which acts as a sister site to Creator Resource but the aim with CA is to help creators find collaborators to work with on paid projects.
I was accepted into the Life Finds A Way anthology with Cloudscape Comics – I wrote a short story and was paired up with an amazing artist. I’m not 100% sure when the book will be released but I’m really excited.
I got an agent! This is a really big one that I am still excited about. I’ve been working with Maria Vicente of PS Literary Agency since September now and she’s amazing. I can’t wait to tell you all about the good stuff we’re doing together.
There’s a few other big things that happened this year that I can’t talk about yet, but I’m so proud of everything that I’ve managed to accomplish in 2018. I can’t wait to see what 2019 holds for me personally and professionally.
To everyone reading this: thank you for all of your support. It means the world to me and I hope that I can continue to give back to the community in as many ways as possible as time goes on.
<3
Movie nights are amazing – especially the kind where you’re at home or a friend’s place and you can get cozy with great company.
My friends and I have recently started doing a monthly get together where we pick the ULTIMATE of double features, order comfort food, and watch them. I thought I’d share a few of our past double features as well as some of our upcoming ones:
PAST:
AUGUST – Deep Impact // Armageddon
SEPTEMBER – Coyote Ugly // Roadhouse
OCTOBER – Hocus Pocus // Practical Magic
UPCOMING:
NOVEMBER – Men In Black // Galaxy Quest
I’ll try to share some of the others as they come up (and as I remember…) but if YOU have fun double features (ie. Mean Girls // Clueless or Heathers // Easy A), comment below and share your favourites!
The ROM filled with people for Friday Night at the ROM.
It’s no secret to those around me that I love Halloween. I definitely don’t go as all out as a lot of people that I know but it’s up there with my favourite times of year. Who doesn’t love getting the chance to dress up as whatever you want and go to parties and other cool things?! I love the whole aesthetic and the chance to just act like a big kid again.
I’m a huge wimp so it’s kind of funny that one of my favourite times of year is the spookiest times as well. Even though I’ve been embracing the horror genre for film, I’m still perpetually scared of everything horror that I watch (seriously, I wound up flail slapping my bf this weekend while watching The Haunting of Hill House).
Anyways though, my Halloweekend was a lot of fun. On Friday night, a group of my friends all went to Friday Night at the ROM which is a big 19+ party with beverages and food at the Royal Ontario Museum (thus the ROM). They always put on a big party for Halloween and everyone gets all dressed up to dance and look at cool stuff like dinosaur bones. There are little mini parties happening all over the ROM since it’s huge. In one room, there was burlesque and a DJ playing great 90s/00s hits while downstairs in the main area there was a psychobilly band playing to a massive crowd. Other areas are a little bit more chill and have speakers that connect music from the other rooms. It doesn’t run until late which is really nice too (you know, as a person who is in her thirties and gets tired of being out and about quickly…)
Some of my friends attending the ROM – the majority dressed up as McDonald’s characters (I’m in the corner in pink)
My Mabel Pines costume from Friday night.
For Friday Night at the ROM, I dressed up as one of my favourite characters from TV: Mabel Pines from the series Gravity Falls. Only a handful of people got my costume but that was honestly okay because I was comfortable and had a blast dancing like a big little kid with my mini stuffed Waddles. Although I was melting in my sweater which seemed like a not-so-great life choice to be dancing around in.
On Saturday, my friend Jenn had a house party with a ton of people. She decorated and made her apartment look amazing and had all kinds of tasty treats (and a keg) for us all. It was great to see my friends in a less hectic environment than the night before at the ROM.
My Lydia Deetz (a la Beetlejuice: The Animated Series) costume.
For the party, I decided to dress up as Lydia Deetz, specifically from Beetlejuice: The Animated Series. Only one person at the party got the look (if others got it, they didn’t say anything) and my bf was convinced that I hadn’t done a very good job with my costume (due to thinking I was supposed to be Wednesday Addams…) but this was also an incredibly comfy costume so I didn’t mind. Well, it was comfy except for my hair which was essentially a big mess since I teased the crap out of it to make it stand up like Lydia’s hair does.
I stuck around with my friend’s there until one of the guys started a drinking game. As someone who has really minimized my drinking in 2018, this was when I knew I had to step out. My bf doesn’t drink either so it definitely felt like our time to leave. I AM TOO OLD FOR DRINKING GAMES.
Sunday was spent watching The Haunting of Hill House (and accidentally slapping my bf…) as well as carving pumpkins. I didn’t get great pictures of any of the pumpkins I did but it was a lot of fun to do. Plus roasting pumpkin seeds and munching on those is always a delicious treat – although I kind of botched mine because I didn’t let them dry out first. I have NO CHILL and wanted pumpkin seeds IMMEDIATELY.
Halloweekend was a great time and I still have a few more things to do for the remainder of October to celebrate Halloween which is exciting. All I want to do right now (for the most part) is sleep but HALLOWEEN ONLY COMES ONCE A YEAR so here we are.
After many years of almost starting in a D&D group and having it not pan out, I met up with some friends last night who had invited me to be a part of an upcoming campaign. I am very excited. I feel like D&D is such a massive part of geek fandom and even before it’s rise in popularity, it felt like something I would really enjoy doing. Now that it is almost a mainstream thing for people to do, it’s hard to ignore that it’s everywhere and I still haven’t played.
Last night, we sat down and talked about the campaign. I learned a little bit about what to expect, how to approach the game, and then we even got around to starting character creation. It was a lot of fun, but it almost felt a bit intimidating at first – like, I didn’t want to let anyone down and I wanted to build a character that would help our team accomplish the things!
I didn’t come prepared with a backstory or anything – I felt very unprepared. But we talked it all out, and I decided I wanted to base a character around the comic book character Nico Minoru from Marvel’s Runaways. I’m working on a way to incorporate a version of her into D&D terms and it’s a lot of fun. It’s a new way to look at the character as well, breaking her down into what makes her tick and trying to build something around her essence.
Anyways – I don’t have much else to say right now about it. I’m excited to start this journey to learn D&D and will update more with how it goes!
I was recently asked to share a list of my Top 20 Comic Books. It’s been a loooooooong time since I did any list like this so I started mulling things over in my head and decided to put something together.
I feel as though I’m missing a million things and this list is in no particular order whatsoever. I just wanted to share some of my favourite comics of all-time and hopefully they might give you incentive to check them out, if you haven’t already.
Runaways by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona (Marvel)
Locke & Key by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez (IDW)
Batwoman: Elegy by Greg Rucka and JH Williams III (DC Comics)
Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Brooklyn Allen, and Shannon Watters (Boom! Studios)
You maaaaaay notice that a lot of these books featuring female characters. That was not intentional when compiling the list but here we are. I guess that maybe we gravitate towards the things that we see ourselves in.
What are some of your favourite comic books?
On Saturday I headed out to Mississauga with the lovely Tory Woollcott and Andrew Wheeler to attend MCX – the Mississauga Comic Expo. I had never attended before but one of the organizers is Jason Loo, who is a fabulous comics creator in the Toronto area. The con takes place in a library (the Mississauga Central Librady) and has a similar model to TCAF. It’s free to attendees, has a strong program for kids, and is overall a friendly and not-so-intimidating place to learn and get into some comic books (and art, etc.)
I’m getting really awful at not taking any photos at these things I’m doing but OH WELL. You can say that I’m living in the moment or something along those lines.
Anyways, I moderated two panels: one was a creator spotlight on Tory Woollcott and Adam Gorham. I’ve known Adam for years so even though the panel was originally meant to have Ramon Perez on it, I didn’t mind at all that Adam was swapped into it. Tory and I had only met for the first time that morning but we got along wonderfully so the panel was fun, flowed well, and was just an overall great time. Plus we learned about what stance the creators took on the important issue of pineapple on pizza – does it belong there or naaaaah? (spoilers: everyone said that pineapple is great on pizza which reaffirmed that Tory and Adam are great people)
Immediately following that panel, I was moderating a sketch challenge where four artists came on stage to do a drawing in front of an audience. I got the opportunity to chat with Brenna Baines, Emmanuelle Châteauneuf, Jahnoy Lindsay, and Jamal Campbell who were absolute delights.
The audience was primarily kids so I ran around the auditorium getting their questions for the panelists to answer. The panel only ran for 20 or so minutes so that the artists weren’t drawing for too long and to keep the audience interested (again, they were mostly kids). It was a really great crowd though and I had a blast chatting with both the kids and the panelists as they answered questions and hung out.
I didn’t really get out to explore the show much which I feel guilty about. I mostly stuck to my booth outside of the panels and chatted with new pal, Tory. Since I was repping Creator Resource, I wanted to help answer questions for anyone who might want to know more about the industry and be available to guide people.
We had several passionate people come to the table, eager to learn. I really hope I was able to assist them in some way.
The bottom line here was that MCX was a wonderful show with an excellent team of volunteers. I’m hoping I get the chance to go back next year for more panels, to hang out with cool creators (and fans!), and to just be a part of it.
I probably should’ve posted this earlier than the day before but I’ll be at MCX (the Mississauga Comic Expo) on Saturday October 20 (aka tomorrow). I’m moderating two panels as a part of Creator Resource and will be wandering around the show for the remainder of the day.
I’m really excited to be a part of the convention this year. It should be a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to chatting with amazing creators, fans, and comic pros. Come say hello if you spot me!
Here’s my schedule:
Comic Creator Spotlight – Ramon Perez & Tory Woollcott Sat Oct 20, 1:15-2PM in the library auditorium
Comic pros Ramon Perez and Tory Woollcott share their creative process and behind the scenes stories. Moderated by Stephanie Cooke of Creator Resource.
Sketch Challenge
Saturday, Oct 20, 2:30-3pm in the library auditorium
We got four incredible artists lined-up to draw a character and scenario chosen by the audience: Jamal Campbell (artist for Marvel & DC), Emmanuelle Chateauneuf (creator of Queen Street and Captain Canuck artist), Brenna Baines (creator of Eos and @torontocomicsanthology artist), and Jahnoy Lindsay (Marvel artist). Hosted by Stephanie Cooke of Creator Resource.
I’m trying to get better about blogging again (we’ll see how long I can keep it up…) so I wanted to talk a bit about an event I ran last night.
You may or may not know that I’ve been running a site called Creator Resource along with some other amazing people. We decided to host an event last night at Page & Panel where we invited comic book pros at any level to come out and meet their peers. The idea is to create a positive and supportive community where we lift each other up and help each other out. Building up this community and making it bigger than it already is is something extremely important to me and vital for creators…which all sounds like some sort of sales pitch. It all sounds very hokey when I say it out loud. BUT IT’S TRUE. I want the best for this community and want to help make it better.
I was really worried that people wouldn’t come out to the event last night but it went extremely well and we really did have comic book creators at literally every level come out. I was an emotional mess in the wake of the evening, having gotten the chance to talk to a number of amazing people who want to do great things in comics. It felt like such a big step in the right direction for what I want to see in this industry and community.
I chatted with people I knew, people I had never met in IRL (and knew from social media), and people I just straight up didn’t know. I always expect it to be friends that I’ve guilted into coming out but it’s a wonderous surprise when it’s not.
I’m simultaneously exhausted from playing host all evening but also trying to plan out another event and figure out what we could do to make it even better in the coming months.
Making a better comics community is so important to me and to see people respond to what we’re trying to do through Creator Resource…well, it makes me so incredibly happy and grateful for the chance to do all of this.
<3
I’ve been voraciously reading this year and trying my best to get through as many book books (as opposed to comic books) as possible. I’ve neglected books for a while in favourite of comics so it felt like a good year to shift my primary focus. I’ve missed reading and building a world put down for readers solely in words and it’s been refreshing to make time for the medium again.
I’ve been enjoying a number of different types of books but I’ve definitely had a heavy focus on YA which have been doing a fantastic job of capturing my attention.
Here’s some of my faves that I’ve read in 2018 (in no particular order):
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
Sadie by Courtney Summers
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Shrill: Notes From A Loud Woman by Lindy West
Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
Furyborn by Clare Legrand
To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert
Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas
Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
I discovered Laini Taylor this year and fell in love with her writing. Strange the Dreamer is probably the one book on this list that is in a particular order. It consumed me in every way and I simply could not put the book down. Taylor’s writing is nothing short of exquisite and I’ve never read anything quite as beautiful as Taylor’s writing within Strange the Dreamer.
I also got completely sucked into the Three Dark Crowns series and have been reading them faithfully as I can get my hands on them. Kendare Blake has put together a great series and has built a fascinating world.
Sarah J. Maas is an author that I discovered last year. I have eagerly devoured her books (which are great fantasy series’ that have fantastic smutty bits…) and follow her works pretty closely now.
Shrill is probably one of the only non-fiction books that I’ve read this year and if it had to be anything, I’m glad it was this one. Lindy West is nothing short of inspiring and absolutely amazing to me. I’m in awe of her as a feminist and as an overall human.
What books have you been reading this year? What books are you hoping to get through? Muse of Nightmares is the sequel to Strange the DreamerGoodreads and is definitely next on my list to get through. The full list of everything I’ve read this year (and ever…) is over on , if you’re curious.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! It’s Halloween and that means that it’s a whole month of spookiness and costuming goodness. I’ve loved the month of October in all its haunted glory but previously it was for the costumes and parties, as opposed to the spookiness of the month.
In the last few years, I’ve started getting into horror films and I’ve worked on embracing the genre, despite being a huge scaredy-cat when it comes to watching them. I definitely still have to watch them exclusively at home so I can cover my eyes and hold a pillow or my cat for comfort. Still, I’ve watched quite a few now and so I thought I’d make a list of 31 spooky films that you should check out in the month of October.
These are some of my favourites. There’s a mix of fun as well as genuinely scary films so without further delay, let’s take a look at my list (click on a title to be taken to the trailer):
What are some of your favourite movies to watch for the month of October or for Halloween?
I haven’t really blogged in a while so I thought now might be a good time to start it back up again. I’ve been working on a lot of projects and one of those projects is called Creator Advisor.
It’s a FREE service that I’m offering to folks where I will basically act as a creator matchmaker to people who want to find paid comic book projects to work on. If you’re a creator who is making a project (that happens to be paid) and you need an artist/colourist/letterer/editor or whatever, I will use my network and database to help you find someone that would be a good fit. I will narrow it down by genre and help find a style that will suit your book.
And then I have been compiling a database together of creators so that I can use it for reference. Essentially it would be for those who are actively looking for work. You put your name into that, then I use it to give several names to a creator requesting someone for their project.
So far it’s been fantastic and I’ve had an incredibly positive response. A lot of creators have requested help as well, including a few very prominent folks working in the industry and looking for new talent.
I honestly just can’t wait to keep matching people up and hopefully great comic books will come out of it. Comics should be for everyone and with this, I’m hoping the networks will be opened up a bit more and we can also put a focus on getting marginalised creators more paid work.
On Monday, I made an exciting announcement on social media that I’m coming here to share with you: I’ve signed on with Maria Vicente of PS Literary Agency. Maria will be representing me for all my writing projects going forward and I could not be more excited to be working with her.
I’ve been following Maria’s work for quite some time and she is an incredibly driven person who has a similar vision in mind for what I’m doing.
There’s not much more to announce right now but I can say that we’ve started legwork on getting a few of my projects off the ground.
I can’t wait to show you what’s in store!
When I have friends visit Toronto for the first time, one of the first thing that strikes them as fellow book-lovers is that we have a remarkable number of small bookstores around the city.
Over the years, they’ve dwindled down but comparable to many other cities, especially in the United States, there’s still a ton.
The same can be said of our comic book market. While the shops are scattered around our large city and into the GTA, we are blessed with an abundance of places to buy our comic books, collectible statues and figures, trading cards, and more.
It makes sense, as Toronto is a hub for all things geeky with a thriving movie and TV industry where many of the production companies film comic book adaptations.
Our city is home to many top tier comic book creators like Ryan North, Chip Zdarsky, Sanya Anwar, Jeff Lemire, Ramon Perez, and Francis Manapul.
Toronto is also host to two of the biggest conventions in North America (FanExpo and TCAF, respectively). Plus, indie darling Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World was set here as a comic book and a feature film.
There’s no denying that print media is dying off and the same things that caused many bookstores to close their doors is happening to comic book shops too.
The Sidekick in Leslieville pairs coffee with comics. Photo by Jesse Milns.
Stores have had to adapt in order not just to survive but to thrive, especially those that continue to do business in prime locations like the Silver Snail.
The Silver Snail occupied the same spot on Queen St. West for 35-years before relocating to Yonge and Dundas.
In order to account for the rise in their rent and to build a bigger community around their brand, they partnered with The Black Canary Espresso Bar. This brought in new clientele who may have not previously thought to come into a comic shop at all, and helped increase their foot traffic.
Whether that translated to sales in the comic shop itself is another story, but this did get bodies into the store. It diversified the shop, built a community, and helped people see that comic book shops aren’t always like something in an episode of The Big Bang Theory.
The fact that the Silver Snail is not remotely wheelchair accessible remains another problem entirely, though. A problem that alienates a big demographic of geeks. This remains a problem for many other comic book shops as well.
Other shops in Toronto and outside of Toronto have also begun integrating cafes into their shops.
The Sidekick has more of a vibe of being a cafe with a comic book shop that happens to also be there. And then there’s Page & Panel, which came equipped with a cafe when they moved into the Toronto Reference Library (where a Balzacs already resides).
Page & Panel in the Toronto Reference library is a great source for comics and other collectibles. Photo by Hector Vasquez.
Page & Panel might be the best example of a comic book store that’s doing everything right. As mentioned, TCAF (Toronto Comic Arts Festival) is one of the best comic book conventions in North America, and also one of the most-respected. They are affiliated with The Beguiling, which is yet another great shop.
Every year, TCAF is held in the Toronto Reference Library and draws in massive crowds of people. A few years back, it was decided that The Beguiling and TCAF team would open up a permanent shop within the Toronto Reference Library.
The shop itself is the opposite of what most people think of when they think of a comic book store. It’s a bright shop with colours everywhere.
There are displays of new and interesting comics that you don’t see prominently featured at other shops; the staff are welcoming, inclusive, and helpful; there’s a absolutely massive section of kids comics and merch; cool beverages are for sale (with coffee and other items available at Balzacs); and it’s accessible.
Page & Panel also plays host to creator launch parties, creator signings, and other community building events from time to time, like Comic Shop Ladies Night. Plus, they carry a wide range of comics and zines from local artists and creators, which aren’t typically be found in other shops in the city.
The Sidekick takes their comic books theme seriously. Photos by Jesse Milns.
The Sidekick is also excellent about incorporating events and socials into their calendar. The shop may feel more like a cafe than a comic book store, but that’s not a bad thing.
It’s neatly organized and isn’t overcrowded with merchandise. There’s a great variety of things like collectibles, single-issue comics, and collected trade paperbacks for people to buy.
Diversifying the way that stores present themselves is the way that stores in Toronto are continuing to thrive. Geek culture over the last several years has become very mainstream, possibly thanks to the success of comic book movies and comic conventions popping up in cities of all sizes around the world.
As a result, it’s no longer considered “uncool” to be into Doctor Who, Batman, Wonder Woman, or Battlestar Galactica. As these shops realize that, they welcome in new crowds of people with open arms and helpful staff to guide them. This makes them more likely to do well in the long run, the industry is starting to see.
The “helpful staff” aspect goes a long way in this new era when people can simply go online to Amazon or ComiXology (also owned by Amazon) and purchase their comics.
An even better deal is reading comics for free, as the library now carries them. Apps such as Hoopla integrate the library catalogue right into your digital devices, making it easy to read new comics anywhere.
The Beguiling is practically a Toronto institution. Photo by Hector Vasquez.
Because of this, now more than ever, shops need to have environments where they’re helping usher in new readers with staff members who represent and understand the growing market of women, people of colour, and LGBTQ+ identifying people.
Staff need to help showcase books that speak to those audiences who are trying to find their way in the market and will happily put money into supporting physical books if they find a place they feel welcome at.
I briefly mentioned Comic Shop Ladies Night in passing, but this team is also doing their part in another sense. Bringing in new fans and helping to showcase new comic shops are vital projects.
The event is quarterly and isn’t held solely at one comic book shop. Rather, the organizers behind the event choose different shops all around the city.
The hosting shop ensures that only women or non-binary staff members are working for the evening, so that attendees can make purchases throughout the event.
The women attendees are given the chance to win prizes, learn about new comics, and to mingle with other like-minded people in an inclusive environment where they can feel safe and welcome.
These events and more help to build and strengthen a strong community within the city.
It not only breeds new readers who approach the field with positivity and voracious appetites to discover more, but creates new aspirations for young writers and artists to breath new life into a medium that has been around for over 85 years.
You can find all your classics at West End Comics in Parkdale. Photo by Brian Chambers.
With the number of comic book shops and geeks within Toronto and the GTA, it puts us in a unique position to try new things that can help set a standard around the world for engaging with new audiences and keeping shops open.
Very few retail markets have such an opportunity to build entire communities with their patrons. Toronto comic book stores can thrive with the help of those around them willing to think outside the box and find new ways to welcome fans with open arms.
Creator Resource is a tool to help comic creators navigate the industry. Stephanie Cooke talks about how the site came to be and her vision for its future.
Disclaimer: Rosie Knight of WWAC helped Stephanie Cooke and some other folks put together Creator Resource.
Anyone can make a comic, and anyone can enjoy a comic. Whether it comes in the form of a webcomic, cartoon, graphic novel, comic book series, or even an interactive digital comics, the right story with the right aesthetic can draw in a new reader at any time. As the new comics creator resource website, aptly named Creator Resource, says, “Comics Are For Everybody.” This shiny new informative platform is less than a month old in concept and execution, and ready to help comics creators everywhere. Women Write About Comics sat down with founder and comics creator Stephanie Cooke to find out more about the vision for Creator Resource, and what it can bring to comics.
What inspired the idea for Creator Resource?
I saw a tweet from Nick Hanover talking about how the industry needed a new fairpagerates.com. The site had been such a great tool for discussing what creators were currently being paid, and it was a shame that it fell apart.
The whole thing got me thinking that it wouldn’t be a lot of work to put together a new version of Fair Page Rates. But after thinking about how to do it, I realized that there was a need for something more. There isn’t a unified place to go to find information on contracts, copyrights, and other resources. It felt like an opportunity to not only relaunch our version of Fair Page Rates but to incorporate all these other things. I wanted to make a place that would help usher in new generations of creators who come in with a better understanding of the industry and help the industry to grow, evolve, and prosper.
Did this take a long time to come to fruition?
I have exactly zero chill when it comes to a new project. I think the gears in my brain started turning on this project at the very beginning of June 2018 and it took hardly anytime at all to know that it was something that I wanted to do.
I tweeted about whether this would be something that people would want out in the world and it got lots of positive response. I knew that it was important to make happen.
We still have a lot of resources to get up, but over time, we hope that the site will act as a community where other voices can share their expertise and guide other creators.
How did you put together the team that worked on Creator Resource?
I put out a call for people who might be interested in helping out with a project like this because it was a little intimidating at first to have this huge idea in my head and to try to carry it out on my own. I have a lot of projects on the go and I wanted to have other people who could help carry out the vision for the site. Plus having a team helps help people accountable.
Beth Barnett was the first to reach out to say that she wanted to help make this happen and she had a ton of ideas. Then Rosie Knight and Eric Kim reached out to say they wanted to help out too. All three of these people are amazing and well-respected members of the comics community, and it made me really excited to have them on board.
We hunkered down and started brainstorming all the things we wanted to do. We made a bunch of lists of blogs, resources, and other stuff that we felt would be essential to the site. We divided things up amongst ourselves and began working on the content to produce for the site.
We still have a lot of resources to get up, but over time, we hope that the site will act as a community where other voices can share their expertise and guide other creators.
The banner for the new website, Creator Resource
Please share your top three goals for Creator Resource
In no particular order:
I think my biggest goal with the site is to have a transparent place for people to hear from creators and other pros about what the industry is really like. Almost like hands-on training in the industry.
I want Creator Resource to start a conversation in the comic book community:what creators are getting paid, how they’re treated, how we can all do better. I want this to help show people that we have a lot of work to do to treat creators properly and compensate them for what they do.
Webcomics are a huge part of how comic books are evolving now. We no longer need publishers to make comics that people will read and respond to. With the resources we provide, I hope new creators can learn about their rights, contracts, how to brand themselves (and their work), social media, and creative stuff like coloring, lettering, hiring an editor, and more. The more resources we put out there, the easier it will get for people to try their hand in this industry, and bring in much needed fresh blood. (We’re also working on a column called Ask A Professional so that specific questions can get answered and addressed.)
I want creators to have one place they can go to find out everything they could possibly want to know about comics and the people who make them.
Where do you hope Creator Resource will be a year from now?
I hope that Creator Resource is a thriving community of inclusive voices that are offering up education, insight, and resources for everyone who wants them.
It would be nice for the site to help start discussions about how comic books can grow more positively as an industry, but I want creators to have one place they can go to find out everything they could possibly want to know about comics and the people who make them.
I hope that a site like Creator Resource helps young creators make informed choices when it comes to their intellectual and creative properties and to have resources to make their work the best it can possibly be.
How are you hoping to influence the comics industry with Creator Resource?
I think I’ve sort of answered this a few times along the way to this point, but I want this to help make comic books a better and more positive place, as hokey as that sounds. I hope that a site like Creator Resource helps young creators make informed choices when it comes to their intellectual and creative properties and to have resources to make their work the best it can possibly be.
Comics can be full of predatory people, and when we look out for each other and educate our peers, it can go a long way to making comics a much better place.
Thanks to Stephanie Cooke for chatting with us about this new platform, and be sure to check it out for yourself.
“Behind Enemy Linens” was a story that I wrote for Little Red Bird Press’ anthology titled BLOCKED. The idea behind BLOCKED was to tell stories about the world of online dating through sites such as Tinder and OKCupid, and specifically, the horror stories.
If anyone has followed me for any length of time, you may already know that I have a lot of horrible dating stories, so it was a matter of trying to decide which one I wanted to pitch. There was a submission process to go through so I looked for an artist to work with and attach myself through and began figuring what I wanted to do.
I decided to pitch a story about the time when a guy I was dating broke up with me over a blanket fort. I won’t get into that story in full here, but suffice to say that it was pretty ridiculous (and you can read the full thing in both script and completed comic form below).
I contacted Jenn St. Onge to work with on this project and she agreed to be a part of the story. Once we submitted, it was a matter of waiting to hear back to see if we were accepted into the project or not. Spoiler alert: we were accepted.
From there, we had almost a year to put together our script, the thumbnails, pencils, inks, colours, and letters. A very generous amount of time to complete our stories which were (if I remember correctly), a maximum of 10 pages long; my story was seven pages.
Since I already had the story in my head, it was a matter of pacing out the story and making sure that I could tell the entire thing in a coherent way. I wrote out all the major beats I wanted to hit and then figured out how many pages it would take to get there.
A guy breaking up with you over a blanket fort is a story that gets told a lot at parties so I was pretty familiar with exactly how I wanted this to go.
With my script, I included short character descriptions for the main characters which were me and the “Silver Fox”. Jenn had me on Facebook so I didn’t need to provide her with too much reference to be able to draw me. She had access to a ton of references. I provided her with photos and reference for “Silver Fox” though and gave her some images to work from (those images aren’t included in the script that you’ll see).
Outside of a few minor changes, I wasn’t given a ton of feedback here. Most of the notes came from trying to translate my script to the pages and ensuring that what I was conveying made sense to the reader. A lot of anthologies are ultimately pretty loose when it comes to editing, but there were definitely notes that helped make my script better than what I had originally pitched.
After the pencils stage was complete, Jenn started to get swamped as an artist with Jem and the Holograms, and other cool things. As such, she had to back away from the project with just one month to go before the deadline.
I got really panicky about the story and was sure that it wouldn’t be included in the book. I put a call out to artists to see if someone would be able to step in and work on the story, and thankfully one artist stepped up.
My pal, Katie Sawatsky easily has one of the most recognizable art styles that I have ever seen. She is a master of black and white comics, and she wanted to come on board, so she did!
While Jenn had pencils done, and Katie could’ve simply inked over what was there, Katie started from scratch with ONE MONTH LEFT to complete the work.
Katie knows me in real life so reference wasn’t really an issue. She hunkered down, and despite some hiccups along the way, we got the story finished at the last minute possible and turned it into the publishers.
The results of Katie’s work can be seen below. Some of the final lettering is missing from the sample pages here, but you can get the general gist of what it looked like and use the script (as linked above) to fill in the blanks.
In September of 2016, I entered Mark Millar’s talent search competition for a chance to write a “Huck” story within the 2017 Millarworld Annual. I had written an original script and submitted that into the contest. The prize was a writer’s page rate (as per Marvel/DC), being paired up with an up and coming artist for the story, and being published by Millarworld/Image Comics.
I submitted an entry for “Huck” and while I really enjoy that series, it was strategic in part. I thought that Millar’s fans would largely be drawn to bigger, more action-packed comics like “Kick-Ass”, “Nemesis”, and “Superior” etc. I had hoped that I was picking a property that wouldn’t have a ton of people lining up to write it.
I was SO wrong. “Huck” was the most popular of the properties by far and as I waited for the announcement to be made on who would win the coveted spot in the Annual, I started to realize this. Virtually every person I talked to about the project told me the same thing: “Oh yeah! I entered a “Huck” story!”
My anxiety was vast.
On December 16, 2016, I was out with a couple of friends and was frantically checking the Millarworld forums for any update on the winners. Finally, Millar posted up the names and I scrolled down. I didn’t see my name and was disappointed but okay with that. After careful consideration, I went back and looked to see who had won the “Huck” story and realized that I had been looking at the wrong thing. My name was there!
I was in a cafe with the aforementioned friends at the time and I stood up and started doing a little happy dance on the spot. A lot of heads turned and looked at me, but I can honestly say that this might be the one time where I didn’t give a crap about what other people may have been thinking. I felt amazing and validated and I was so excited.
Almost a full year after I entered the Mark Millar Talent Search contest, the Millarworld Annual arrived in stores. An event that also happened to coincide with my birthday. I received a lot of positive feedback for my story from Mark, comic fans, avid Millarworld readers (and others who applied to the contest), and critics– which all made my heart soar with happiness.
My story was eerily apt for the time. Hurricane Irma was wreaking its destruction, and my story (titled “Home Sweet Huck”) was about a family who lost everything in such a storm and how Huck helped them pick up the pieces and put their lives back together.
I’ve rambled a lot so far and I apologize but I wanted to give people an in-depth look at what it is that I did in order to get into the Annual.
I’ll get into what I submitted in order to earn my place as well as go into some detail about the process of returning my script into the final piece seen within the Millarworld Annual.
FIRST THINGS FIRST First of all, I followed the instructions provided to me on the contest page. I made sure to include everything that they required, such as my signed submission contract which, aside from the script entry itself, was incredibly important. I cannot stress enough: MAKE SURE YOU READ AND COMPLY when it comes to what you need for submissions. Some folks running contests like Millarworld cannot legally even look at your entry unless you have the right forms signed so this is very important.
THE PITCH Next, I sent in my pitch and script. I can’t honestly remember if a pitch portion was required but I decided it would look better to include something that encapsulated what I was trying to do with my story.
I included the following:
a short one-sentence synopsis that summed up my story
a longer two paragraph description of what my story would be about in further detail
short character descriptions (1-2 sentences)
And finally, I included my script. I have not included the original script, but you can get the gist from my pitch vs the final script (included later on) that my story changed significantly from start to finish.
The core of my story remained but over time with the help of Mark and his/my editor, Rachael Fulton, the mechanism in which I told the story changed. Characters such as Casey, Nana, and Papa were eliminated and replaced with simply Mr and Mrs Walker as well as various other townsfolk.
THE PROCESS After I received word that I had won the “Huck” spot, work began on fixing up my script and getting it to its Final Form.
Mark sent along a message with what he liked about my script, and made note of what stood out about it for him, which was wonderful and validating.
From there, Rachael Fulton took over primary correspondence with me and worked with me.
Initially I had written in characters like Nana, Papa, and Casey. Casey was the granddaughter of Nana and Papa – she was curious about how they came to have the big beautiful family home that the story is set in. Her Nana and Papa then tell her about how a terrible storm ruined the original house that was in place and Huck helped them rebuild and give them a home just after Casey’s mother had been born.
Both Mark and Rachael thought this wasn’t a great well to tell the story and took away from the core of the story. Since the stuff with Nana, Papa, and Casey bookended the Huck stuff, I cut that away and instead rewrote the script so that more of the Huck story was focused on.
In retrospect, it was something obvious that I should’ve done intuitively but sometimes you just don’t have the self-awareness at the time to realize.
Another thing that Rachael worked with me on was my panel count. The Millar way of things is 5-6 panels per page, maximum. I had a few pages that had more than this, and had really crammed things in. I thought it had worked, but I can see how trying to have fewer panels on the page, especially for a relatively inexperienced interior artist, would work much better.
Cutting off the Nana, Papa, and Casey portion of things allowed me to give breathing room to everything else. I was able to move around some panels and spread out the dialogue.
There were minor dialogue tweaks and suggestions that we worked at, but Rachael was patient and wonderful at offering up solutions to any problem areas that we came across.
I make it sound like there was a lot to fix but honestly, all of these things were done over the course of 2-3 drafts with minor edits spread over the course of those.
It should be noted that I didn’t work directly with my artist. I found out once my final script was turned in that I was paired up with the amazing Jake Elphick but I didn’t get to see any of his art until the book was literally in my hands on the day my comp copies arrived.
As an editor myself who works a lot with up and coming talent (via Toronto Comics Anthology), I understand not wanting to integrate inexperienced comics writers with inexperienced comics artists. You don’t want the editor’s feedback clashing or any unhappiness along the way. While I wish I could’ve been kept in the loop with that along the way, it makes complete sense to me.
THE FINAL THING Finally, the comps arrived on my doorstep and I opened up the FedEx box to hold the final product in my hands for the first time. I was completely floored with how amazing it had all turned out.
“Home Sweet Huck” acted as the finale for the Annual and I could not be more grateful to every single person involved with the process.
Mark Millar, Rachael Fulton, Jake Elphick– everyone who I got the chance to work with was an absolute star and I’m beyond happy with how it turned out.
I have no doubt in my mind that Mark and Rachael elevated my script well past what it originally was and made it into a perfect portfolio piece.
You can see my story below:
On episode 6 of Fan Fiction Friday on See Jurassic Right, you’ll hear some of host Steven Ray Morris’s friends and favorite performers read aloud his childhood Jurassic Park fan fiction he wrote when he was ten years old. Titled Jurassic Park: Hammond’s Other Secret, this week’s guest is Stephanie Cooke.