Not the June I was expecting
Life throws you for a loop sometimes and you just have to figure out what to do with it.
Hey there, cool kid!
Wow okay so the last few weeks didn’t go exactly as we expected here at Chez Massey. Where did I leave you last? Right, we were going off to Chicagoland to visit my sister’s family for my nephew’s graduation party with the plan of swinging by Cedar Point on the way home to get my fix of roller coaster goodness.
So none of that happened.
Okay, we did get to Chicago, so no problems there. But a family emergency on Saturday turned our 5 day trip into 2 weeks. Yikes! I can now thankfully say that everything will be alright and the family member in question is making a full recovery. But it’s a long road ahead where I will be stepping into more of a caretaker role in a few weeks.
So as you can imagine, it’s been a little crazy here.
I’ll tell you what - this whole event has reminded me just how important it is take care of my own health, so I’ve been taking an active role in making ALL THE DOCTOR’S APPOINTMENTS. About the only thing I hadn’t lapsed on was the dentist, but with the moving around and the business of this comic creating life, I had let a lot of other things slide. Like not getting my chronic pain meds refilled. Or going for an eye exam. Or getting the blood work done that I promised the dermatologist I would do this time. But health is so important, especially when there’s not something wrong with you. Best to get out ahead of things and make sure everything is in order than wait till you’re sick!
So what’s all this then? The email looks different!
Something I’ve been thinking about for the second half of the year is making some changes to streamline and boost up my marketing. One of the things I’ve thought about for a long time is making the move to Substack, like all the cool kids are doing. I’ve been on the fence for awhile, but I decided to finally make the jump over and see if this could be right for me as a host for my newsletter.
I also have some major changes for my main website, melissajmassey.com, in mind as well to be showcase my work and even host comics there. I’ll be working on that when I’ve fully finished The Alchemist of Aurillia #4, which I have been making some progress on in between all the craziness. I had my Surface with me out in Chicago, so I was able to get a bit of penciling done here and there. And since we’ve gotten back, I’ve been trying to get pages inked as well between resorting our house and organizing our cats after not being here for 2 weeks. Here’s a page I just got inked yesterday:
Kickstarter Corner
No Spell Lasts Forever #1-3 by Sarah Cooke
Step into the world of no Spell Lasts Forever, a noir urban fantasy about a magic user named Rosette Diamant who, after meeting an untimely death, makes a deal with the devil for a second chance at life. But can she follow through with it, and what will it mean for the fate of her eternal soul if not?It’s a comic that has eye-grabbing displays of magic, romance, and some pretty exciting fight scenes. But most importantly, it’s a story that ultimately has a hopeful message about the power of overcoming self-doubt and allowing yourself to realize your potential.
And coming soon…
The kickstarter for Battle Panda #1-3 is fast approaching! We just got the cover back from our new artist Crystal and I love it! All of Crystal’s art has been POPPIN’ so I’m very excited to see the full book in all its glory. Make sure you join in on the prelaunch page so you don’t miss when we go live!
And what else?
Part of me has always wanted to do a podcast of some kind. Substack has a podcast feature where you can make your newsletter into a video or audio version, and that’s what really got me thinking about making the switch over and finally trying out podcasting. Even though I hate how I sound haha.
I’m going to do a trial run of putting out a podcast version of the newsletter once a month, that will be a deep dive on something I find interesting in manga, anime, comics, or just whatever I'm vibing with. This episode would take the place of one of my emails so that I’m not too overwhelmed and can easily keep to a schedule.
For a little preview, my first episode is going to be about a manga that’s haunted me for over 20 years!
I’ve brought you over here with me since you’ve been a loyal newsletter subscriber all this time, but I understand if this isn’t your jam. That’s okay. I’m just kind of excited to be trying something new and streamlining my processes to make my creative life just a little easier and a lot more fun. So I hope you’ll join me on the next part of this crazy ride!
Until the next time,
Melissa J