Remember in March when I launched my Drawing Club and shared my lofty plans for more sessions? Downton Abbey round 2…trains…vintage branding? Remember how that happened once and now my poor Substack account is withering away on life support, hacking up dust? Me too.
So what happened? This did!
Apparently, my $99.99-if-you-sign-up-now hack for being slammed with freelance work is this: make a public declaration of your ambitions and detail all the fun your beloved subscribers will have when they join you. Show up exactly once and promise you’ll see everyone for the next session in a few short weeks.
And then you’ll get a burst of excellent projects from clients you want to work with to occupy all your time and exacerbate your insomnia and make a liar out of you. <takes a rolling bow>
The good news is plenty! I’ve been almost superstitiously reluctant to talk about it out of fear that work will dry up again if my humility rises above a Puritan bred with a monk. But I’ve had a little spate of good luck and picked up some work with clients I want to work for. I’ve landed my first big 5 publishing job. My first fiction job! And it’s a rhyming Halloween book. There’s even a cemetery gate for me to obsessively swoop ‘n flourish ‘n design! This checks so many boxes on my wishlist, and it was an immediate, emphatic ‘hell yes’ to the editor!
I couldn’t be happier to have spring weather outside my studio, and haunted vibes on the inside. I’m also super psyched to have a book coming out next year with a broader reach in terms of subject matter. My first couple books were very niche (children’s music/classical music), and my fingers (and legs and toes) are crossed that The Zombees will give me a boost in the market and beget more work.
The-less-than-ideal news is that it’s being ‘crashed’ (expedited through production) so I have far less time than I normally would. And my commercial projects—while incredibly fun—had 7 day turnarounds. And for those reasons, I’ve had to put some things on hold to make some money and grow my client list. So. My drawing club/community building plans are hibernating while I work on this book. I get the lovebuzz every time I think about what I want to do with it and the kind of community I want to foster, but like everyone, I only have so much time in the day. And for now, it goes to bookmaking. I hope I can reach a point where my schedule is far less frantic and I can commit to community building, color workshopping, designing products, and building out my online shop. But for now, I’m having a merry ole time replaying vintage Scooby Doo & designing zombie costumes.
Show ‘n Tell
I can’t show you anything from my book, but I can show you one of my fave Halloween books to commemorate that we’re indeed less than 6 months away from the best time of year. 🤘🏼
Please feast your eyes upon…The Witch of Hissing Hill! It’s a charming lil’ read about a witch named Sizzle who raises cats for witches. The story is a delight and the art could be in a museum…or on my walls.
The only endpapers you ever need to see:
Opening with textured perfection! I’m channeling my inner Sizzle as I sit here in my birks & striped socks. I have the cats, but how I’d love an adorable trio of mice to scurry across my floors. Although that probably wouldn’t be as charming if it actually happened…
And that apron! I’d love to learn more about this technique before the age of Photoshop. I know how to recreate it digitally, but how was it created in 1964? <I wonder…>
My fave illustrations from the book! The lettering, the layered textures…their witchy outfits! And real talk, I’d probably eat whatever she’s cooking up. And raid her cosmetics for that blush. 🤌🏼
And finally…this little shit!
I hope that’s enough to con you into snagging a copy! I got mine at an estate sale, but you’ll no doubt find it online.
Honorable mentions that I don’t have time to show right now, but you should def buy:
The Witch’s Handbook by Malcolm Bird
Zombie in Love, written by Kelly DiPucchio and illustrated by Scott Campbell
Not Halloween but rad, spooky vibes for tiny humans that will no doubt grow up to love horror: The Spider in the Well by
Alright friends, I’m hopping on my broom to head back to my book!
Hugs & hisses,
Kaly Q
WOWWWWWWWWW holy smokes are you serious with that book? It reminds me of the style of my dad's old copy of "I know an Old Lady!" And that's the best self portrait I've ever seen.
Fully support you in making this spooky dream of a book and we'll all be awaiting with our pocket books when you can haunt us with your brilliant paid offerings!
Congrats, Kaly!!!! 💪❤️