I like to write. I like to draw. I like to paint...unfortunately, I don't always have time to do all of these things. Ha-ha-ha! When I was initially concepting the Handmade Fairy Tales project, I knew I wanted to have an updated version of each of the stories to go along with the illustrations. I knew it was going to be an ambitious project, but we like books and wanted something that families could share. We also wanted something a little darker than the mainstream because we don't like the idea of insulting our children's intelligence. So far, I like to think that they pay us back for that.
It's hard for me to give up control of projects. I don't feel like I'm a good delegator, and I'm used to working alone. I am however blessed with several very talented friends, and after thinking hard about how much work I needed to get done I asked around to see if anyone was interested in doing a little writing for me. I am
SO GLAD I did! Not only are the stories all done, but they're all done on time and are really great. It's been a real treat seeing them come together from the ground up, and as I'm nearing finishing the artwork I'm really looking forward to sharing them with you!
Rob Lammle, from
SpaceMonkeyX.com wrote a two fantastic versions of Thumbelina for us. The first was a modernized take on the classic tale, it's funny and clever, and I think captures the characters well. Unfortunately, it didn't really fit with the rest of the content in the book so he decided to go a different way with it. I didn't want it to go totally unused though, so I asked if it would be okay to showcase it here along with the illustrations for the actual story...I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.
LittleWoman34
by Rob Lammle
Thumbelina sipped her thimbleful of Caramel Macchiato
with seven drops of vanilla, light foam, extra caramel, and non-fat milk while
she leaned on the side of her iPhone, waiting for it to connect to the coffee
shop’s notoriously weak, but free, wifi.
It had been a long day at the office – tax season, ya know? – and she’d
earned this small caffeinated, sugary respite.
She glanced at her Gmail app icon with disdain. It had been staring at her all afternoon;
glaring with its silent, but accusatory “5” just above the red-lined envelope.
Thumbelina sighed.
Might as well get it over with. She tapped on the icon and the program opened.
Inbox (5)
Hi, LittleWoman34! My name is Nancy Toad. I saw your profile on FindADate.com and I just had to write and tell you about my son, Todd.
Todd is 36 years old. He's the Assistant Manager at the mini-mart on Marsh St. He’s worked there since he was 16, so loyalty is obviously very important to him. He’s intelligent, very polite, takes care of his laundry most of the time, and never makes me cook for him (although sometimes I make him a home-cooked meal so that he'll eat something other than those microwave Hot Pocket things). He’s very independent, but insists on staying at home to take care of me ever since his father became the lunch special at that horrible Freddy's Frog Legs Restaurant back when Todd was just a tadpole. Isn’t that sweet?
So, LittleWoman34 (if that is your real name haha!), Todd would love to meet you. He normally works Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am – 4pm, so any other time would be fine.
Nancy Purloin Toad
Inbox (4)
LittleWoman34,
So I’ve been talking to my sister and her friends, and they say you’re not pretty enough for me. I mean, you only have two legs. You have beady little non-segmented eyes. You have a strange mouth. No feelers on your head. Heck, you don’t even have wings.
I mean, I'm sorry, but I'm just being honest - it's not me, it's you. I think I’m just too much insect for you. I’m looking for a real May Bug, not some weird little human. So, anyway, yeah, I’ll see you around.
Mitch Cockchafer
Inbox (3)
Hi, Thumbelina!
It’s your old (very old. haha) friend, Mouse.
Guess who stopped by my burrow today? That’s right – that dark and handsome man in the velvet coat, Mole.
He said he came just to say hello, but all he could talk about was you, my dear. He just went on and on about how pretty you were, how much he loved your singing voice, how you were such a good cook, etc. He asked if you’d ever dated an older man. He didn’t come right out and say it, but, c'mon, he has to be interested.
Oh, Thumbelina, if you and Mole got together… He’s so smart and sophisticated. He has more food than you two would ever need. And his burrow – his burrow is HUGE! It’s at least twenty times bigger than my little place (and you and I were pretty comfortable that winter you stayed with me. Imagine having Mole’s house to roam around in!)
Anyway, think about it and let me know what I should tell him the next time he comes around.
Love ya,
Tanya Field Mouse
Inbox (2)
Hi there, LittleWoman34!
Look, there's no easy way to say this, so...
I think you're really great, but I think we should just be friends. It's just that, I'm only here for the winter, so I don't want either one of us to get too attached. I really do wish there was some way we could make this work, but with me migrating all the time...it's just not the kind of life that a woman like you should have. Besides, you've seen my place – it's far too messy for someone as great as you.
But, seriously, if you want to get dinner sometime or coffee, I'd love to see you again. Maybe this could be the beginning of a great friendship. I hope so, anyway.
Talk to you later.
Jack Swallow
Inbox (1)
Hi, LittleWoman34!
My name is Prince. I'm 25. I live in the forest, where I'm King of the Flower Spirits (it's a living). I saw your profile and, well, you are stunning! Not to sound too creepy, but if you were here right now, I'd probably just ask you to marry me straight out. I know, crazy, right?
I know we'd have to get to know each other better first, but if you'd be interested, you'd have your own pair of wings so you can flit around the meadow where we'd live. Of course, with the title of Queen of the Flower Spirits comes a name change (hope you don't mind). It's totally up to you, but I see you as a May Blossom; I think that has a nice ring.
Did I mention the golden crown? Because there's a golden crown, too.
Anyway, if you're interested, check out my profile and hit me up.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Thumbelina tapped on the link to Prince's profile. It took a while for the webpage to come up
(shoddy, free wifi...), but when it finally did, Thumbelina gasped. The tiny man in the photos was, for lack of a
better word, beautiful.
The photos were pretty typical for a dating profile: the obligatory pet
picture (he has an adorable little aphid!), the common groomsmen photo of him
in a tiny tuxedo, Prince in his rock climbing gear as he tackled the dizzying
heights of a garden gnome, etc. In each
photo, he flashed a kind, warm smile.
His silver hair shimmered in the sun.
His transparent, dragonfly wings mesmerized Thumbelina; she'd never seen
anything like them.
But the one photo that got her, the one that reeled her in, was taken
at dawn as the sun rose over the meadow.
The light refracted by the morning dew gave the whole thing an
otherworldly glow. Prince sat
cross-legged on the center of a daisy, looking into the glorious morning
below. The sun hit his face just right
and he looked totally at peace. He was
in his element. That is where he belonged. And suddenly, Thumbelina wanted to belong
there, too.
She tapped on the “Contact” button at the top of his profile. Her Gmail popped up.
Hi, Prince.
My name is
Thumbelina (AKA LittleWoman34).
Wanna get coffee
sometime?
Until next time, take care and be good!
Your friend,
Jeffrey
The last couple of months have been crazy busy. Between the start of show season at Green With Indie, then vacation to Arizona with Abby (who just turned five), followed by St. Louis ComicCon and the Small Press and Comic Expo in Columbus, Ohio, I haven't had much time for anything. Then, when you add in the Life With Girls web comic, finishing up Volume 1 of the Handmade Fairy Tales book, and client work...well, you get the picture. The thing is though, despite being exhausted and more than a little stressed out, this is still the best part of my life so far. :)
S.P.A.C.E. is the yearly Small Press and Comic Expo, held in
There have been a lot of late nites recently, as I've been working towards some major milestones on personal projects. I got the first volume of the Handmade Fairy Tales book done just in time to order have them for S.P.A.C.E...Actually, I was sweating their delivery a little bit, as they didn't arrive until after noon on the day I was leaving for the show. They came out fantastic, and all six stories are so good. We're really excited to finally be able to share this first volume with you in our online store. You can also check out the first story, "The Brave Little Tailor" by Brandon Graham as a free download, in the downloads section of the site.
Getting a good print run of the "Life With Girls" comic was another huge project for the show. We collected the first twenty-four strips of the 100 themes project (plus a couple of others) into a 5.5 x 8.5 book. The story of a stay-at-home dad of two daughters, the comic has both day to day "slice of life" type stories, as well as more fantasy stories, looking into the minds of the children, and the people they love. It's also available now in the shop, or you can read it for free on the Life With Girls blog.
When I started this years big personal project, I knew it was going to be a lot of work...and boy was I right. As I'm nearing completion though, I'm really pleased with how it's all coming out. It's been really rewarding on so many levels. The friend's I've made, collaborating with writers, not to mention I have a large new body of work rolling out for the winter shows. One of the things I really like about doing these special yearly projects though, is seeing how the work changes from year to year, thinking about how the family has grown, and all the new things we do and are capable of doing. I'm really lucky to be able to do the things we do, and am so happy to share it with you all.
It's hard for me to give up control of projects. I don't feel like I'm a good delegator, and I'm used to working alone. I am however blessed with several very talented friends, and after thinking hard about how much work I needed to get done I asked around to see if anyone was interested in doing a little writing for me. I am SO GLAD I did! Not only are the stories all done, but they're all done on time and are really great. It's been a real treat seeing them come together from the ground up, and as I'm nearing finishing the artwork I'm really looking forward to sharing them with you!
