Join me in bringing my webcomic's first bound volume to print! Life is hilarious. Why should Undeath be any different?
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Books, ink, and lotsa bubble wrap!
over 10 years ago
– Sat, Aug 15, 2015 at 12:28:43 AM
So yeah, so. #yesimaprofessionalwriter #whydoyouask
It's a little frustrating to have three major projects going on at once, because either you first do #1, then #2, then #3 (thus annoying some people only a little, and others a lot)...or else you do #1 and #2 AND #3 all at the same time (annoying everyone roughly equally). But that's the microbusiness-owner gig! :-)
NEVERTHELESS, all three bits are moving ahead: #1 - shipping rewards, #2 - prepping the Volume 2 web launch, and #3 - working on the Patreon page. Lemme start off with the stuff that my weekly subscribers haven't seen so they can leave the stadium early, and then on to recap for the monthly folks.
Firstly: After getting bogged down for a bit in taxes, shipping stuff, etc etc, I've been able to get back on track with production on the opening sequence for Vol. 2. BEHOLD THE PROOF:
For your pleasure, Cat and Monica demonstrate the "Same Planet, Different Worlds" phenomenon -- CLEARLY having very divergent feelings about the shared situation. ;-)
This is from page 5. For reference, when I get page 8 done, that's when I launch Volume 2. I'll post pp 1-2 together and then do the once-a-week update, which should give me a month and a half of buffer. It all sounds so reasonable now doesn't it. ;-) We'll see how well that buffer holds up whilst I'm preparing for my first con ever (Alternative Press Expo in San Jose in October! Woot!)...
I would also like to share yet more fan awesomeness. I'm continuing to receive the most delightful vamp-o-grams as reward packages arrive at their new homes:
From the lovely and talented Jennifer Johnson (hope you like the doodle!)
And from the fiendish A.c. Trethowan (and her tiny minions of supernatural darkness O_o )...
They bring such warmth to the cockles of my withered heart. :-) Righto. Now on to a few pretties you folks NOT on the weekly mailing list missed:
All the physical stuff to make Ambrogio's vampire proverbs is finally in -- ink, wax, "parchment" and custom seal -- ooo! -- and I've just about got his funky little Italic hand worked out too (OF COURSE he writes in Italic! ;-) )
And let me once more thank the stalwart friends (oh and my husband) who joined me for the Grand Packing Party where we prepped the first rounds of reward mailings! That'd be Samantha Morin and Westly Roanoke! (Oh and Brett.) (And the ever-mysterious Secret Snoopy.)
Such innocent faces, and yet!
Reminder: If your package isn't out the door yet, it will be soon. (You're probably in the doodle queue for your autograph and lovingly hand-crafted art doodle.) So keep checking your email, because you will get a notification and a tracking number when yours goes out! Hope everyone's having a splendiferous summer!
Look! Up in the sky...
over 10 years ago
– Sun, Aug 02, 2015 at 02:11:11 PM
Books and goodies are continuing to wing their way out to y'all...
Today I just wanted to share my happy. Not only are books going out my door, they are arriving at backers' doors! And some of those backers are telling me they got it okay! On Twitter!
And some of them are sending me heartwarming book-a-grams with photo evidence and everything! On Twitter! Just look at how these awesome fellow creators have got my back here. :-)
Damn fine looking book came in the mail! @AfterDaylight Great work, Sarah! #comics #webcomics #Kickstarter pic.twitter.com/ovlVYlyL3j
— YOU, From The Future (@RandalSilvey) July 23, 2015
Just got my reward for supporting the @AfterDaylight Kickstarter! Thanks, Sarah! pic.twitter.com/K38jnbiTn8
— Tim Green (@Vinnie_Vampire) July 20, 2015
You guys are the awesomesauce drizzle on the fresh sorbet of my summer. :-) Thanks so much!
Packages are still going out in batches as I get them made up, so if you haven't gotten yours yet, fear not. Soon...SOOOON...
Fly, my pretties, FLY!
over 10 years ago
– Wed, Jul 29, 2015 at 08:04:32 AM
Lo. and Behold.
I give you the stalwart packers of the Epic Shipping Party, displaying their fresh trophy -- a representative box of bubble mailers, all sealed up and set to fly out!
Sam, Westly, Brettmeister, and the Stealth Snoopy of Still-Mysterious Provenance are glad to assure you that these humble poly mailers are chock full o' vampire funneh.
So yes -- I'm grateful to say that with these awesome folks' help, we were able to knock out a goodly number of orders, and packages have actually begun to ship for realsies. You hear what I'm saying here? Funny vampires are in the mail. It gives me great joy to finally be able to start delivering on all those promised rewards! And I really hope y'all enjoy your books and goodies. :-)
On another happy note, Ambrogio's wax seal arrived from Hong Kong and that was the last obstacle to getting those Vampire Proverbs made, so quills will be scratching away on those...
HIS wax will be red of course -- this is just the sample impression they send along with the seal. I'm thinking I might do that extra-classy thing where you ink up the seal with gold stamp-pad ink to make the lower parts of the seal contrast with the wax color on the relief part and it all stands out just so nicely. Wotcher think?
By the way (warning: nerd-babble ahead!), this seal contains not only our dear elder's monogram, but painstakingly-researched visual references that delight the history goob in me. I know, you're like "why is there a bee on a vampire's seal?" But a bee is the symbol of St. Ambrose, patron saint of Milan, where his mother was born (and guess what Ambrose is in Italian: Ambrogio!). Bees and honey are also associated with Ambrosia, the food of the gods that brings immortality. See what I did there? Similarly, the wreath is of amaranth -- meaning "unfading," since the legend of this flower was that it never withered. (Ambrosia itself means "undying," and ambrosia and amaranth are linguistic cousins if you go back to their ancient Indo-European roots!) I love it when I pick a character name out of the air and it turns out even more suitable than I thought. Meanwhile, the background crenellation in the design is a subtle callback to the Salviati family crest. Boom, baby. :-)
Packages will be continuing to go out in batches as they get made up. Each order has a packing slip that lists both the included items and any IOU's that you still have incoming for rewards that take a while longer (such as volume 2 cameos). If you notice anything wrong with your order, please do let me know right away!
Onward, Excelsior and all that stuff!
The Storm Cometh...
over 10 years ago
– Sat, Jul 04, 2015 at 06:54:50 PM
If by "storm" we mean "funny vampire books!"
SO. We have a countdown. Sunday, July 12th is the Epic Packing Party! This calls for professional equipment...
If all goes to plan, these will see me through many years of online sales. (A whole bunch of shipping labels and poly bubble-lined envelopes are also involved in this process, but they weren't shiny enough to make it into the photo.)
My other big announcement, in intimately related news:
If you have physical items in your order and you have not finalized your shipping address in BackerKit yet, please be aware that I am locking those addresses down -- and charging credit cards for those of you who ordered extra add-ons -- within the next few days. So get over to BackerKit.com and make sure yer surveyed are fully finished, folks!
If at any time after that lockdown, you need to change something or you notice a mistake in your order, you'll need to contact me directly at [email protected] so I can change it by hand. Also, if you have any trouble dealing with BackerKit, please don't hesitate to let me know. (Note: if you've lost your password for BackerKit, they do have a password recovery feature right there at the login screen! And if you've forgotten what email you used for your login, I can look that up for you. So hakuna matata and all that.)
What else is going on since we spoke last? Well:
Finally sat down and got the script written (and more crucially, chopped down to size), so I'm ready to actually shoot the Patreon video narration! Which is a major step towards launching the Patreon page -- which is great news for anybody who wants fan goodies and perks beyond what a mere email newsletter can provide! :-)
Database wrangling in preparation for the Great Packing Armageddon (oops, I mean the Epic Packing Party, aheh...) proceeds apace. I'm trying to work things such that those of you who have custom art that won't be completed for a while yet (such as Volume 2 cameos! :-) ) will receive a nice formal IOU for those custom items along with your books and other vampire bling. None of this is sexy work unless, you know, databases are your jam? -- not that there's anything wrong with that... BUT it's got to be done anyhow.
There's light at the end of that tunnel, folks! And I'm pretty sure it's not an oncoming train...
Backers - Deadline for shipping addresses!
over 10 years ago
– Fri, Jun 26, 2015 at 11:26:29 AM
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