by jdsmeaton | Apr 24, 2024 | 3 Questions With...
Gene Luen Yang This is Part 2 of Lunar New Year Love Story creators interview. I got to meet Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham at a book signing for LNYLS and they both had fascinating behind-the-scenes tidbits and stories to share. Sidenote, if you are ever in a...
by jdsmeaton | Apr 17, 2024 | 3 Questions With...
LeUyen Pham Pronounced Lay-Win Or Win for short. I went to a book signing last month for LeUyen Pham and Gene Luen Yang’s book Lunar New Year Love Story. It was such a treat to sit in on their discussion. Lots of fascinating insights and behind the scenes anecdotes....
by jdsmeaton | Apr 10, 2024 | Creativity, Writing
The Thief of Joy: Overcoming the Comparison Trap My wife and I were talking about our career paths and aspirations. The conversation drifted to comparing our current situations to those of others we perceive as more “successful.” I’ve certainly tumbled...
by jdsmeaton | Mar 20, 2024 | 3 Questions With...
Tim Probert I came across Tim’s work through The Ballad of Bea and Cad, a 5-minute cartoon pilot that he created with Nickelodeon. It’s fantastic. (I thought the needlefish darts were quite clever.) Unfortunately, it didn’t get made into a series. Then a few...
by jdsmeaton | Mar 1, 2024 | Behind the Scenes, How To, Recommendations, Writing
Making A Comic Page: From Script to Final Art Last year, my book agent asked me to share how I break down a comic page for her blog. I love to hear other creator’s processes, so I was happy to do it. I figured I’d share that with you here. Step 1: The Script I...
by jdsmeaton | Feb 21, 2024 | 3 Questions With...
Lucy Knisley I’ve been a fan of Lucy since back when Live Journal was popular. I don’t really know Lucy but having read her slice-of-life comics for (jeez) 20ish years now, it sure feels like I do. Her work offers just about everyone something relatable to their own...
by jdsmeaton | Feb 7, 2024 | Writing
The Most Amazing Song Never Written I read Tom Petty’s biography a few years back. I had been a fan since high school but reading the book gave me a greater appreciation for the music I’d been listening to for years. But if things had played out a little differently,...
by jdsmeaton | Jan 17, 2024 | 3 Questions With...
I heard about Doogie Horner through his interview on the 3 Point Perspective podcast. He’s the author and illustrator of a number of books including This Might Hurt a Bit and A Die Hard Christmas. I liked the interview so I looked him up. I appreciate his outlook and...
by jdsmeaton | Jan 3, 2024 | Recommendations
My 4 Favorite Graphic Novels of 2023 I’ve seen a bunch of fantastic lists of people’s favorite books of 2023 but I haven’t seen anyone’s favorite YA & Kids graphic novels. So here are my absolute favorites. First up is Forest Hills Bootleg Society by Dave Baker...
by jdsmeaton | Dec 20, 2023 | 3 Questions With...
Sometime in the early 2010s I read an article about an artist who turned down a lucrative job with Google designing “Doodles” for their homepage. Instead, he decided to pursue his dream of illustrating children’s books. I remember thinking “Wow, that’s awesome,...
