Published inThe Memoirist·PinnedMember-onlyNot here, kitty kitty. Seriously.Memoirs of a cat misanthrope — Cats are supposed to be elusive, aloof, and anti-social. As a non-cat person, I want to believe this. In fact, I’m hopeful that I’ll be snubbed. But when I go to a friend’s home with cats, the beasties glom on me like I’m covered in kippers. Maybe I wouldn’t mind…Memoir6 min readMemoir6 min read
Published inThe Memoirist·PinnedMember-onlyWhen Diary Comics Become Graphic MemoirMining Our Lives for the Laugh — Last year I had a crisis of faith. I tried to shoehorn a few graphic memoir-like stories into our diary comic. …Memoir4 min readMemoir4 min read
Published inILLUMINATION·PinnedMember-onlyGetting To The ❤️’s Of Background Noise Comic’s Successes On Instagram8 lessons we learned from our 1K post milestone — Posting on Instagram is kind of like being a mom. You’re an expert at the moment and then everything changes— thanks a lot, Insta algorithm! That said, with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, John Hazard and I wanted to share some of our ❤️-full thoughts on what we learned…Instagram Marketing6 min readInstagram Marketing6 min read
Published inWriters’ Blokke·PinnedMember-onlyIt Takes Two to DoodleA tale of creative collaboration and inspiration. — It was a Friday night after a long week. I’d put in a good 60 +hours at my job, and we’d been up working on agent letters to pitch our graphic memoir based on our Background Noise Comic strips every night after I clocked out. …Writing3 min readWriting3 min read
Published inILLUMINATION·2 days agoMember-onlyThe 10 Voices of MeIf perception is reality, then are you what you sound like? They say a writer should discover their voice. But what if what you find is a whole lot more like a chorus? That’s where I am. There’s: My talking to a telemarketer’s voice. My trying to speak Spanish in…Writing5 min readWriting5 min read
Published inILLUMINATION·May 31Member-onlyStatic QuoHow my love-hate relationship with TV brings me inspiration and despair When my kids were little and I worked long days at the word factory I call an advertising agency, I’d get home at around 7 on a good day. The kids would have had dinner and I’d sit with them and watch a show while I unwound. I missed them…Moms5 min readMoms5 min read
Published inILLUMINATION·Apr 21Member-onlyWriting Fluidity: Exalting My Inner Poet in Life and ComicsLike a lot of writers, I wrote from the time I learned to scribble my name with a crayon. I never decided to become a writer; I always knew I was one. It’s the one singular thing about myself I’ve never wavered on — being a writer is who I…Memoir4 min readMemoir4 min read
Mar 31Member-onlyBreaking out of your cocoon to become a social butterfly: 5 reasons illustrators should swarm to socialAs an illustrator, your happy place is head-down over your drawing table, tablet, or sketchbook, obsessing over every line, curve, and composition. If you’re like me or John, you’d rather draw a social butterfly than figure out how to be one online. Flapping your wings out of your comfort zone…Social Media5 min readSocial Media5 min read
Oct 4, 2022Member-only“Death, Denial & Writer’s Block”When my dad died in March of 2022, it felt like all my words had dried up. Sure, I scribbled notes and comics and stories. And as a copywriter and Creative Director, I continued to write for a living. But I lost my will to write anything with a larger…Memoir4 min readMemoir4 min read
Published inILLUMINATION·Feb 7, 2022Member-onlyGetting Down to My Comic WeightLooking at my eating habits through the lens of body positivity — This is the first year in my entire life that my New Year’s resolution was not about losing weight. I didn’t stare at my body in the mirror and bemoan the horror of how I’d look in a bathing suit. I didn’t beat myself up for gaining 9 lbs over…Fat5 min readFat5 min read
