IT'S ALIVE! ALIIIIIIVE! (Well. Undead. ;-) )
over 10 years ago
– Thu, Nov 05, 2015 at 02:48:16 PM
Hello, mon petit vampires!
Many apologies for the lack of a newsletter last week, but I hope you'll agree it was in a good cause, because...
Volume 2 is launched! With multiple pages up!
That's right, boos and ghouls, we are launched as of Halloween, so you can continue the After Daylight saga for free on the web each Wednesday! We're kicking off with a little flashback to the groovy 60's and the early nights of #Learning2Vampire that Cat wishes he could blame on drugs. ::sadistic grin::
Feel free to take a gander here!
And if you enjoy, be sure to tell your friends! (Or your enemies! I'm not particular!) ;-)
Another thing that's happened since I last caught up with you is that the online store is open! (If you find any bugs creeping about in it, by the way, please do let me know. ^^)
In addition to the book, I also have you covered with any (nonexclusive) vampire bling you might have missed out on during the Kickstarter -- pins, buttons and greeting cards -- and a set of coasters that was not available during the KS. :-)
The other good news is that now that I'm launched and the store is set up, I can get back to custom rewards for the backers who ordered such, which are now Officially Underway. As always, you can consult the Great Progress Bars Post for general information about where I am in that process, and/or contact me at [email protected] if you have any individual questions!
Allow me to close with the latest page as a bit of eyeball enticement (click to go to the full-web-size version):
Web Store Grand Opening, 9 Days to Volume 2, and a Pretty!
over 10 years ago
– Fri, Oct 23, 2015 at 03:06:07 PM
That’s right. Triple play! How do you like them apples?
So first off: the web store is finally — after much wrangling with plugins, APIs and CSS! — open for business, and I think you will find something to love not only in the tidy selection of vampire bling, but also in the bundle deal for the Volume 1 book + ebook, i.e. —
Ahem. But anyway yes, the store is up! http://www.afterdaylight.com/store/! Tell your friends who may have missed out on the Kickstarter. ^^ (And tell me if you spot any stray bugs still creeping eerily around. ;-) )
Secondly, just a reminder: 9 days till the After Daylight Volume 2 web launch on Halloween! Come help me celebrate! We’re going to be starting off the party with a very groovy but also very bloodsucky 60’s flashback.
And third: I got the nicest, most surprising surprise present on my Twitter feed. Apparently Caroline Johnson, of the comic Of Stars and Swords, was just, you know, a little bored by her October drawing prompt for the 21st and decided to dash off a guest portrait of our very own Kitty-Cat — The Vampire Bernstein, if you prefer Anne Rice-style titling…
I know right?? It’s just so very Cat, I can’t get over it.
Watch this space for more news and teaser stuff!
Oh, and a final note for those still awaiting commissioned/custom rewards -- now that the site is, uh, revamped for Volume 2, and the store is finally up, I will now be splitting my time largely between doing Vol 2 pages and working on those rewards. So you should be seeing those progress bars start to move at last! And of course, that will soon include people who ordered Volume 2 cameos since Volume 2 will be in progress as of Halloween. :-D
Happy hauntings, my little creatures o' the night!
Soooo close to Volume 2 launch!
over 10 years ago
– Sun, Oct 11, 2015 at 07:31:08 PM
So if you've been by the website, you may have noticed that it was briefly down for maintenance. It's back up now -- except for the new online store portion, which should be finished later tonight! But the reason it was down is because I've been spiffing up the place as part of the prep for launching Volume 2.
Which, by the way, will happen by Halloween!
Yes. Halloween.
You read that correctly. Basically, the only remaining matter in doubt is how large a buffer I'll be able to launch with. I was hoping to err on the very generous side with that now that I'm starting to do cons. But I definitely already have enough pages queued up to cover launch and a bit longer, and I've decided that no later than Halloween, I shall launch with whatever buffer I've got!
So now that the Alternative Press Expo is over (see below for deets!) priorities are, in order:
1) Finish the website retool. Hopefully by later tonight. Faster, sleeker and much more in line with the current visual design. Buh-bye, amateur hour! :-) (You can see the new look at afterdaylight.com. Only the store is missing now.)
2) Increase the Vol 2 buffer as much as possible before launch.
3) Get going on the commissioned -- i.e. handmade/hand-drawn -- rewards. (Simultaneously with getting Vol 2 pages done.) For where things are on that part, you'll be able to consult my sticky Rewards Progress Bars Post as soon as the site goes back up -- I'll re-link that in the next newsletter, but it should be easy to find on the homepage. You can also always email me to ask specific questions about your commission!
4) Get the Patreon page up and working and start sharing making-of goodies there. Video fiddling is the main holdup with that one. :-)
BTW, quick reminder once again: With a couple specific exceptions that have been specially noted on the relevant backers' packing lists, and with the exception of the Making-Of PDF which is not yet finished -- all backers should now have their books and all non-custom merch that they ordered. If you don't, this is an error that needs fixing so please contact me!
Okay, now for dessert. Click the link here to check out my latest newsletter post, in which I provide post-mortem (heh, get it? -- nevermind) of my Very First Con Vendoring experience, and post pretty pictures, and express profound gratitude to helpful con minions and readers!
Happy Spooktober, y'all!
Ignore the whimpering. It's probably just vampires.
over 10 years ago
– Fri, Sep 11, 2015 at 09:16:21 PM
...Or possibly me. I'm afraid this has been a pretty rotten week healthwise, so I have but one goodie for you. Things should be improving from here on out though...::knocks coffin wood::
Here be the great custom rewards progress bar page!
This is a pinned post, so it should be showing up on the front page of the site any time you visit. :-) And aside from that, I am furiously getting the Book 2 launch ready, along with all the other preparations for APE con in the first week in October!
As always, if you have any specific questions about your order, please feel free to contact me. And a reminder:
If you ordered a book, you should have it, or have email confirmation that it's coming. If this is not the case, please let me know so I can figure out what went wrong.
Hope everyone's dog days of summer are not too....I dunno....canine? :-D
The EPIC Funny-Vampire Mailing! (and other notes)
over 10 years ago
– Thu, Aug 27, 2015 at 01:16:16 PM
OBSERVE as I flex my biceps like Fabio.
What? Why? Well, because I'm pumped. Yesterday I completed what I will readily describe as an EPIC, two-suitcase package mailing. :-) This means that for everybody whose book has either no doodle or a small doodle -- you should either have your book already, or have an email notification that it's coming. If this is not the case, please contact me so I can make sure something didn't go wrong with your order.
This leaves the relatively small number of books that are getting large inside-cover sketches, and when those are mailed that means ALL THE BOOKS WILL BE OUT THE DOOR! ::preemptive confetti:: And at there time there shall be, I assure you, a new and extremely vigorous Snoopy dance.
Needless to say, I'll update y'all when I reach that milestone. After that is completed, what happens next with KS fulfillment is that progress bars will be going up on the main website for each category of custom reward. These include:
- Handwritten Vampire Aphorisms from Sgr. Ambrogio
- Hand-Shaded Panels
- Marker Portraits
- Volume 2 Cameos
- Volume 2 Custom Minicomics
This way you'll know, for instance, that if you ordered a marker portrait and my progress bar says I'm done with those BUT you don't have notification that yours is in the mail, then you should ask me to double-check the order status!
As always, please feel free to contact me at any time with any questions about your order, your delivery (or lack of delivery), etc etc etc. In particular, it's come to my attention that a couple packages may have mistakenly gone out without their Backerkit-ordered addon items. If this is you, please let me know ASAP so I can rectify!
Hope everybody's summer is winding down to a properly disreputable conclusion.
::Mystery Snoopy waves 'So long till next time!'::
--Sarah
[email protected]
www.afterdaylight.com
