Hairy Eyeballs

Author pages on Goodreads and Amazon

2012-01-23T20:32:00.000-05:00

I'm learning, I'm learning.

Everything I'm learning about one thing as a publisher leads me off onto another island of things I need to learn about and do which ends up scooting my raft off onto the next island.

Somewhere in the middle of all this Twisted book stuff, I was able to put together a couple of author pages on Goodreads and Amazon. I'm still learning what I need to do to get everything up to speed, but slowly it's happening.

If you're on Goodreads, give me a shout. A review or rating would be excellent. I'll make you a deal: if you let me know before Feb. 13, 2012 that you would like to review the Twisted book on Goodreads, I'll send you a copy for free to review.

Yep. Free.

That's as good as it gets short of cupcakes.

As for the author pages...

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/norathompson
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/norathompson

Business cards for the...business

2012-01-19T18:34:00.002-05:00

Over the last couple of weeks I've been working my tail off getting books out to reviewers and submitting for awards. One of the reviewers I sent to (Midwest Book Review) requires a press kit along with their review copies, so I had to back up a little and work on all that in the middle of a ton of mailings.

Let's just say I've been getting a lot of designing done for Hairy Eyeballs Press lately.

One of the things I needed to include in the press kit was business cards. I didn't want to put a whole lot of information on them because I didn't think a lot of that stuff was necessary, at least not right now. I opted for a two-sided card with the Web address on one side (the top card in the photo) and the email address on the other side. I used the same three colors I used on the site, but mixed them around a little on the email side.

For the record, the logo was one I drew by hand. I thought with a name like "Hairy Eyeballs Press", I really needed a hand-drawn logo. It just felt right.

And most importantly of all, I had the cards printed on recycled stock from GotPrint. That's one of the things I've been slowly integrating into my business practices, and I'll write more about that in a later post. Too much to include right now.

So. Business cards. One more step toward migrating toward legitimacy for a little business I thought would be a good idea to call "Hairy Eyeballs Press".

Books out for review

2012-01-12T20:23:00.000-05:00

While I was trying to find contact information to send out books to local libraries, I started seeing a pattern of replies: some of the bigger libraries want to see book reviews from major sources before they're willing to stock your book in their library. So I guess I need to back up the truck a little. In researching reviewers, I'm finding some of those major sources cost some major money, so I had to do a little sifting to figure out how much a review was worth from which reviewers.

I've spent the last few weeks getting everything together to send copies of the book out to the reviewers I've narrowed the list down to. Different review places want different things, and that meant I had to not only write what they were looking for (media kit information), but I had to design some stuff, too (Hairy Eyeballs Press letterhead and business cards). It's a a wee bit time consuming, but I guess that's what you're in for when you're a one-person operation.

[the places I sent to...]

Publishers Weekly—I think PW will be a bit of a stretch if I can get a review out of them. The first thing you have to do is register your book in their quarterly supplement (it costs money). Then, if the stars align for you, you could be one of the 25 or so books that PW picks for review. Twisted will be listed in their March supplement and, if it gets reviewed, that review will print in the same supplement. I would say, "Don't hold your breath," but I'm holding mine, so who am I to stop you?

American Library Association—ALA doesn't charge anything for a review, but it's looking like your chances of them picking your book to review are pretty slim. Their site says they get more than 60,000 submissions each year. Ouch.

Midwest Book Review—Midwest Book Review might be a little more promising when it comes to getting picked for review. I'm not really sure why I feel that way because right on their site they say only half of the books submitted make it to final review for various reasons, and they receive 50 book submissions each day (I did the math for you: that's 18,250 submissions a year. Unless it's a leap year which, of course, this is, and then it would be 18,300). I guess I feel a little hopeful because they give special preference to self-published books.

I'm keeping Kirkus in my back pocket for now. They'll do your review for you, but it will cost you $425. I'm not sure if I can justify or afford the cost right now. Maybe if I sell a few more books on Amazon? Maybe some more people could write a review on Barnes & Noble? Maybe you can tell your friends? Your family? The person sitting beside you on the bus?

In the meantime, I'll be watching to see if I get any reviews from the ones I sent.

Crossing them fingers.

Book plates for the libraries

2012-01-05T08:46:00.000-05:00

In my last post here (two weeks ago—I know), I told you about how I set up a form on the Hairy Eyeballs site where you could request a free book for your local public library.

Well, things haven't exactly gone as planned (as if they ever do)...

About five days after that post I totally migrated all my sites, emails and domain names out of GoDaddy's life. Lots of work. Lots of nail-biting. Lots of "Yay! I did it!" I'll have to tell you about that at a later date. All you need to know right now is that the form I sent you to in the last post? Yeah. That's not working at the moment. It looks like I'm going to have to do a little coaxing for that to happen, so don't expect anything out of that form until further notice.

What I was able to accomplish over the last couple of weeks was get the books that were already requested ready to ship out. I designed a book plate for inside the front cover of each book showing what library the book was donated to and who requested the donation.

And here it is, all fancy-shmancy like:

And now for the totally geeky colophon stuff:

The main font is ITC Blackadder, designed by Bob Anderton for Linotype. It reminds me of a treasure map, which felt right for the design.

The "Pittsburgh, PA" font is VT Portable Remington, designed by Susan Townsend and was also used for the chapter titles and page numbers in the book.

The handwriting in the background is a couple of images of Leonardo da Vinci's writing that I melded together in Photoshop. Here's a cool Leonardo handwriting generator that lets you type in words to see what they might have looked like if Leo had written them.

The Hairy Eyeballs Press logo was hand drawn by me during breaks at my day job. Just a little mindless doodling and there you go.

Free books for your library!

2011-12-21T15:12:00.000-05:00

On my Facebook page, I asked friends and followers to give me the name and address of their local library so that I could send them a copy of the book. I really wanted to support local libraries, and I thought just flat-out asking would be a good idea. Turns out, people know the names of their libraries, but don't automatically go the extra distance to look up their library's contact information, so trying to get info in the comment section of a Facebook post isn't such a good idea.

To get started, I decided I should contact all the libraries first, just to make sure they actually wanted me to send them a copy of the book. (I wanted to be nice about it, you see.) But I didn't ask the Facebook people to give me their libraries' contact information, so I had to look all of that stuff up...

On Web sites that I had to search for, because I didn't tell the Facebook people that they had to give me their libraries' Web addresses either. But libraries pretty much have Web sites these days, and some of them even include a handy-dandy "Ask a Librarian" page where you can send a question to them without ever having to open your email program. So that part worked out pretty well.

While I was on the library sites, I also had to look up (and sometimes dig around, if you can believe that) for their physical mailing addresses. I kind of needed that to be able to send the books. Go figure.

But this trying-to-find-all-these-libraries'-contact-information crap is a lot more time-consuming than you might think because not all libraries have an "Ask a Librarian" page. I'm also finding out not all libraries even have contact email addresses, and two emails I sent out have already been returned as undeliverable. And from the replies I'm getting back from the libraries who did have contact information on their sites and who did take the time to reply to my request, it's looking like some of the libraries want to have a say in what they will accept for display on their shelves.

As if I'd send them something twisted or something.

So.

I'm thinking it's pretty important to ask before I send, and more importantly than that, I'm thinking I can't take all this time looking up everybody's contact information. So I've built a "Library Donation" page on the Hairy Eyeballs Press Web site with a form for anybody who wants me to send their library a book. I'm still taking requests as long as the information I need is filled out on the form.

Here's the form's URL: http://www.hairyeyeballspress.com/libraryForm.html

I appreciate your enthusiasm about the book and your library, and I'm pretty sure your library appreciates your enthusiasm as well. So thanks for your support, and make your own donation today! We want them to stick around for a long, long time.

Five-Star Amazon Reviews!

2011-12-16T13:51:00.000-05:00

The book has received some excellent reviews on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble, along with some five-star ratings! I'm not sure what these people are on, but I'm hoping some more people find it.

Here's one that I hope sums it all up:

"Excellent sick little work of art"

Yeah. That's what I'm talking about.

But the book needs more. Lots more. We need to get the word out and loudly. More reviews make all the reviewers more legitimate, so if you would, please take the time to donate to the discussion.

Operators are standing by.

Getting Dirty From Newspaper Print

2011-11-18T11:20:00.001-05:00

I did an interview a couple of weeks ago with a local newspaper about the Twisted book and how I funded it through Kickstarter. They took some pictures of me along with some of the Kickstarter rewards a few days after the interview. The article printed just this past Monday. Here's the online version, mercifully minus the horrid photo of me that accompanied the print version:

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/westmoreland/s_767174.html

Sometimes when I do these things I have trouble dealing with misquotes and misinformation, but this one is pretty much on the money. The quotes in the article that Mike Arnzen supposedly said totally melt my brain though. I understand he was my fiction writing professor—and everything I know about writing fiction I learned from him, and everything I've read since then just reaffirms what he taught me—but getting a pat on the back from a mentor is incredibly satisfying.

When I set something that might be a little on the "out there" side free to roam in the public, it's easy to get nervous about its safety. I worry about whether I've pushed anything too far, whether people will get it, whether it will be over everybody's head. But so far things are going well. It looks like Dr. A totally gets it, but he's the one who taught me how to show (my dark side) without telling. I know a couple twenty-somethings who get it, but they've lived with me for years, and how they turned out is probably my fault. I'll apologize to them later. But on top of that, I've also gotten a couple of nice comments on the Kickstarter page and on my personal Facebook page, so I'm starting to think everything's oakey dokey.

Along those same lines, the book got its first review on Amazon, and it's a five-star! Thanks, tonimarie77! I totally owe you dinner and a movie for that one.

The hard cover books are in!

2011-10-29T16:21:00.000-04:00

After a few hiccups in the printing process (mostly on my part), I've finally been able to get the correct files uploaded and accepted at the printer! I ordered a bunch, and the hard cover shipment showed up yesterday. They look fantastic.

A couple of days ago the book appeared on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, but without all the information necessary. Amazon doesn't have the images and Barnes & Noble doesn't have a description. So yesterday I finished putting together the file to upload for Amazon's "Search Inside", and that should be up and running in about a week. I'm not sure how to get into the B&N site as a publisher, so that will be added to my to-do list.

I've also noticed the hard cover and paperback versions of the book aren't listed on each other's pages as a different format that would be available, and I'm not sure who I would see about making that happen. Another to-do. And on top of that, I need to get these puppies available through the Hairy Eyeballs site. More to-do.

But first up, I've got Kickstarter rewards to ship out. I had hoped to get the books to backers by Halloween, but unfortunately that's not going to happen. Lots of signing and packing and addressing to do over the next few days, but totally, totally worth it.

So much to do I should probably skip sleeping for a while.

The Waiting Is the Hardest Part

2011-10-22T15:13:00.000-04:00

We've hit a few snags with the printer. Some mistakes (on my part), some computer glitches (on their part), some wailing and nashing of teeth (all the way around).

Good news first: The hard cover format has been proofed and accepted (after first being rejected and re-uploaded), and an initial order has been placed for 250 copies to be sent to me. I'll sign and ship out copies to Kickstarter backers as soon as I can get them packaged and ready to go.

50% gray news next: The paperback format has been proofed and rejected. I re-uploaded files last evening, but I'm not sure how soon those will be O.K.'d by the printer. Once the printer has accepted the files, I'll place another order for (probably) another 250 copies, and I'll sign and ship those out to Kickstarter backers ASAP.

Bad news last: Kickstarter backers won't receive their copies by Halloween as I had hoped, but—

Great news: To make up for not getting the physical books out by Halloween, I've uploaded the entire book to Issuu where you can read it online for free! It will only be available through Halloween, so make sure you take a look while it's up.

Here's the link: http://issuu.com/norathompson/docs/twisted_tales

Happy reading!

Hard Cover proof

2011-09-30T19:43:00.000-04:00

The Twisted hard cover is totally uploaded and print-ready! I uploaded the files for both the cover and the interior on Tuesday, and the printer has already sent me an email to tell me that it's ready to go. You efficient printers, you.

Looks like the next step will be to wait for UPS to deliver my proof copy so I can proof it. Let the thumb-twiddling begin!

New story sample

2011-09-14T09:54:00.000-04:00

Here's another story from the Twisted: Tales to Rot Your Brain Vol. 1 book. It's the very first story in the book and was instigated by a writing prompt from Mike Arnzen (http://www.gorelets.com) that suggested I "depict an allergy gone haywire." So I did.

Dr. A. is quite the instigator. I've elaborated a little about his role on the book's "About" page here.

Two more days to go on the Kickstarter project! Thanks again to everybody who is helping make this happen!

Hard back cover is finished

2011-09-13T15:47:00.000-04:00

When I decided to print a hard cover version of the book, I figured I needed to do it right. I didn't want something that looked cheap. I think any book with the word "Rot" in the title deserves something classy, right?

So the hard cover books will be bound in gray cloth with the book title stamped in gold foil on the spine. They will be wrapped in a full-color dust jacket, and I've attached the jacket image above.

Three more days to pledge on the Twisted Kickstarter project!

I'm getting a little psyched.

The bookmarks are in (and they're beautiful)!

2011-09-12T13:35:00.000-04:00

Got the bookmarks back from the printer, and they turned out great. They are printed on recycled, 100lb cover stock with a matte finish. The image attached will give you an idea of how they look. (Pay no attention to that messy, messy desk...)

I originally promised one physical bookmark to everyone who pledged $25 or more on the Twisted Kickstarter project, but I so lied. How about one of each? Can't wait to send them out.

Also, anybody who pledges up to $25 will be able to download pdfs of all three.

Paperback cover finished

2011-09-09T13:00:00.000-04:00

I've finished the design for the cover of the paperback version of the book, and here she is:

The white rectangle on the back will be the space for the ISBN, UPC code and the price. The QR code should take you to the Hairy Eyeballs site. (Notice I say, "should." Until I see that puppy working with my own eyes, I'm counting on the rest of you smart phone users to do the testing for me.)

Only seven days left on the Kickstarter project! Everything comes to a head next week (Saturday, Sept. 17 at 10 am). But right now I still need $468 to hit the new target goal that will give everybody who pledges over $25 a copy of the sketchbooklet of sketches from the book. (See the previous blog post for more info.) I love the idea, and I really, really want to send out these sketchbooklets!

Sketchbooklets all around!

2011-09-08T13:20:00.000-04:00

With the overwhelming response the book project has been getting on Kickstarter, I'm thinking we can do even more. I would be able to list the book through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. as well as keep the book's domain (www.hairyeyeballs.com) and hosting up for an extra five years if we raise the funding goal a bit. But this doesn't mean the project won't be funded if this new goal isn't reached! We've already reached it, and I thank every one of you lovely backers quite sincerely.

I've raised the new funding goal to $2,950, so if the project reaches this new goal before September 17 (or on the 17th, as long as it's before 10 am!), everyone who pledges $25 or more will receive a limited edition physical copy of all the sketches from the book, in booklet form. Limited edition meaning, the booklets will be signed and numbered, and only available to backers of this Kickstarter project. The total number printed will be the total number of backers who pledge $25 or more. Anyone who pledges up to $25 will be able to download their copy of the booklet as a pdf.

When I sketch, I usually draw in pieces and then assemble a final composition in Photoshop. So I'm thinking the sketchbooklet will include not only the direct scans from my sketchbooks, but also the final sketches as they were reassembled in Photoshop. The image attached above is a tentative version of a two-page spread from the booklet.

The countdown is on! Only eight more days to go!

Bookmark designs for Kickstarter

2011-08-21T20:02:00.001-04:00

I designed a few bookmarks for backers of my Kickstarter project, and the general consensus was leaning toward the first two pictured here. I added the third design just because I think you're cute. So that means anybody who backs this book project will receive all three of these designs, either physical or virtual, depending on your level of pledge. The designs are at the printer as we speak!

If the funding level reaches $2,950, I'll throw in a sketchbooklet of all the images from the book to anyone who pledges $25 or more. I'm looking to keep the book listed on Amazon and Barnes & Noble (among others) for another five years as well as keep the book's Web site up and running during that period, and the new funding level will enable both of those things to happen.

Next up: Print designs...

Going green: Putting me money where me mouth is

2011-08-06T07:39:00.000-04:00

Probably the thing that gets me aggravated and motivated to act is when people willingly destroy the environment. I mean, c'mon, it's the only one we have. So the one thing I wanted to strive for with the production of this book—and Hairy Eyeballs Press in general—was to be as sustainable as I possibly could.

I will be using Lightning Source to print the books and their environmentally-friendly print-on-demand model. They have received Chain of Custody certifications by the Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC®), the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification™ (PEFC™). Here are some frequently asked questions about their Chain of Custody certifications.

Lightning Source also supports compliance with the Lacey Act, a conservation law prohibiting illegally sourced wildlife, fish and plants, including paper and paper products. Here is Lightning Source's statement about their supporting the act.

Of course, there's always more I can do, so searching for new sustainability practices will be an ongoing commitment.

Twisted Project on Kickstarter

2011-08-03T20:21:00.000-04:00

I've decided to launch the book as a project over on Kickstarter, and today is "Day 1" of the 45 days they're giving me to reach my goal. I created an animation for the trailer which also doubled as the project video (see below). It stars "Doodles", an illustration from the book.

You can leave a comment on Kickstarter if you like, and let me know what you think!

Test the new Hairy Eyeballs QR Code

2011-06-03T19:55:00.000-04:00

I was messing around with a QR Code generator today, and it gave me this for the Hairy Eyeballs Web site (http://www.hairyeyeballs.com/):

Pretty cool, huh? I don't have a smart phone that can read these things, so I'm hoping somebody who does can try it and tell me if this thing actually works.

But it still looks cool.

Hairy Eyeballs Press! No! I'm not kidding!

2011-05-19T16:23:00.000-04:00

I'm mulling around some considerations and thoughts and decisions, as writers tend to do and, although I can't reveal some of the considerations and thoughts and decisions here, I can reveal a few.

First off, I have a new logo I'd like to share without comment:

Second off, I have a new Web site that only has a domain name at this point, but I'm going to keep it to myself until it actually has some content. Just know that it's getting thought about wildly.

And third off, as the "First off" and title of this post may have given away, I'm making plans, but I won't be able to share them officially for a couple of months.

So right now, just consider yourself sort of in the noose — I mean loop. Loop. Did I say noose? I meant loop.

The Ax Man second go-round

2011-02-12T20:14:00.010-05:00

So I finished sketching the background idea I had for Robot (I'll post the final version with the background when it happens), and decided to draw everything in layers; Robot first, then the background by itself. That way I can control the light and blur of the background separately, and I'll also be able to move it around behind Robot to a spot where it doesn't interfere with the foreground.

Here's Robot pre-tattooing:

Here's the original sketch.

You Know What Else Children Don't Know?

2011-01-31T15:33:00.000-05:00

This story started with the writing prompt:

"You know what else children don't know?"

which seemed a likely candidate to be its title. So it is. Not sure where the prompt originated, but consider this my "Thank you, you twisted writer's prompt person, you" to the twisted writer's prompt person who thought that up.

You can click on the image to see the whole thing full screen biggie-sized.

Brainy pumpkin pie

2011-01-21T14:28:00.003-05:00

Here's the finished version of the pumpkin pie sketch I posted last month. I'd like to play a little more with the steam wafting in the air, but the problem I'm running into is creating steam, not smoke. It may stay as-is, don't know yet. It all depends on how much it really wants to change.

I'll see what it says.

In the meantime, do you remember the classic throwing-up pumpkin?

Yeah. I think a lot of people do.

And have you ever seen Ray Villafane's work? Just amazing.

The Ax Man Cometh

2011-01-17T15:59:00.020-05:00

I originally sketched this little guy one day at work. I thought he was cute.The first version (at the top) was pretty simple, just Robot and his custom-designed ax. I liked him, and I wanted to include him in the book somehow, but he just wasn't fitting in. Maybe a little too cute.

So I spruced him up a little. Now he's happy.

Nightmare clown

2011-01-11T17:45:00.000-05:00

O.K. I may have gone a little over this time. (Hee hee.) I needed this one scary and creepy, and I think it turned out pretty close. I'm not going to tell you the story this one goes with because it happens to be the punch line, and it would totally ruin the page turn if you already knew.

All I'm saying.

If clowns give you the creeps

2011-01-11T11:11:00.000-05:00

I'm working on an illustration for a twisted little story for the book. (Wait, they're all twisted, aren't they. Sorry.) Here he is on my drawing desk.

The drawing on the left is the sketch I'm working from, and the one on the right is the final version in progress.

New sketch, updated to fit

2010-12-22T19:34:00.007-05:00

Here's that jack-o-lantern sketch updated to fit the format of the book. I'm not telling what the title of the illustration is because that's also the gag line.

And we all need to do our gagging on cue.

Rediscovered an old sketch

2010-12-18T16:24:00.000-05:00

I had originally drawn this sketch with the intention of turning it into a greeting card, but instead it's spent the last few years collecting dust on my hard drive.

"But," thought I, "if things were rearranged around a bit to fit the format of the book..."

I'll post the new sketch as soon as it happens.

Writer's critique kicked my butt

2010-11-12T22:45:00.000-05:00

Fresh from (my part) of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators' pre-conference writer's critique, and my little brain is whipped. These guys are good, and it was enough to make me want to take a long step back from the book.

Maybe into the next state.

I read three of the short stories from the book, and the reaction was mixed. I would have liked a funner, maybe more excited response, but there you go. I got some helpful feedback and ideas on how to make things work, but I guess I was hoping I was further along in the writing process than maybe I actually am. Like some of that stuff I had written was already working.

Bummer.

But their ideas were good.

No. They were great.

Which makes me feel just a wee bit more inadequate as a writer than I had felt even before I sat down at their table.

Ugh!

I ate a lot when I got back to my room is all I'm saying. And to make myself feel even more inadequate, I think I'll read a little Neil Gaiman Smoke and Mirrors to put myself to sleep.

Drawing desk in-progress report

2010-09-08T16:37:00.001-04:00

Here's the latest illustration for the book in progress, as seen from its birthing table.

Hairy Eyeballs Merchandise Online

2010-08-15T15:46:00.000-04:00

I've hand-picked some of my favorite illustrations from the book for posters, and they're available through my Rots' Zazzle store. Here's a preview of "Dom" from Cleaver Overachiever.

As an aside: I received an encouraging comment this week from a friend who said that Dom
"lingers in my mind..."
-Cara Armstrong
(Please correct me if that wasn't the direct quote.) My first review! You're slaying me here.

And here's the link to the posters: http://www.zazzle.com/the_rots/gifts?cg=196181131910347446

Posters will be joined at a later date by stickers, magnets and buttons, and I'll post here when those designs are uploaded. You can still check back at the above link anytime to see all the Hairy Eyeballs stuff that's available.

Another graphic short illustration up

2010-08-09T15:59:00.000-04:00

Finished another page for the graphic short, "The T Rex and the Hare." Posted on the Hairy Eyeballs site for your amusement.

http://www.hairyeyeballs.com/extrasIllos.html

Doc Chocolate

2010-06-11T18:23:00.000-04:00

Here's another illustration that I redrew in graphite for the book. Originally, he was created specifically for greeting cards back in 2006, and these two images are the before and after shots. He looks very different (I've learned a lot) and, I think, very improved.

Humpty drawing before and after

2010-06-04T18:37:00.002-04:00

Some of the illustrations I'll be adding to the book I decided to redraw so everything will look consistent. The first do-over I posted back in March was called "Bombs Away."

The illustration I drew for the "Humpty" story in the book actually started a few years ago with the illustration you see at right, on top. I just drew it in pencil one day to be funny. It was way before The Rots ever existed, so maybe this Humpty could be considered the very, very first Rot.

Something about the general idea of the picture I liked, so I updated it last year (the Humpty in the middle) in a style closer to the way The Rots look. In that one I used a pen and ink line art kind of style.

I redrew the whole thing again to go in the book, and that's the one on the bottom. As with all the illustrations in the book, in this one I used powdered graphite washes with details in pencil.

T Rex and Hare new illustration

2010-05-08T15:00:00.002-04:00

I finished the fifth page of "The T-Rex and the Hare" graphic novel for the book, and I've uploaded it to the Hairy Eyeballs site. This one has a bit of a fantasy sequence on the part of Rex. Roll over the button that looks like the image here to see the full page.

Seventy-six pages complete!

Animation of the progression of an illustration

2010-04-22T20:24:00.002-04:00

After much hair pulling, I think I finally have the bugs worked out of my latest site page upload.

As I drew the illustration for Cleaver Overachiever, I scanned the image in as I went along. Then I did some aligning (the best I could) and made an animation of the progress. This link will take you directly to the animation page. I've also uploaded an abbreviated version of him on the illustration page of the site.

The bugs always seem to come with the coding; first ActionScript, then XHTML. Coding hates me. But in the end, I think I might have won.

I've checked the page on different browsers, but that doesn't necessarily mean it will cooperate everywhere. If you have any problems with viewing the animation, please let me know. And let me know what browser and platform (PC or Mac) you're using. I appreciate the feedback.

Another illustration up from the book

2010-04-06T19:44:00.000-04:00

I've posted another illustration on the Hairy Eyeballs site. I have one more spot left and then I'll start removing the ones that are there to make room for more. This one is another page from "The T-Rex and the Hare" graphic novel.

Cleaver rough sketch

2010-03-29T15:41:00.000-04:00

Here's the sketch I drew for the illustration to go with Cleaver Overachiever. Again, I'll finish it with graphite, and when I'm finished I'll post it on the illustration extras page of the site.

I've made a bunch of splatters with powdered graphite to play around with, and I'll figure out later which one I like best for the final drawing. The one here is winning so far.

Bombs Away drawing before and after

2010-03-25T14:59:00.001-04:00

As promised, here's the first illustration I had to redraw for style consistency. It's called Bombs Away, and the one on the left was originally published as a greeting card a few years ago. The right one is the redraw.

New illustrations uploaded to site

2010-03-21T14:26:00.004-04:00

I've added a couple new illustrations to the extras page of the site today. Two empty slots are left, and once they get filled up and I'm ready to upload more I'll start removing the ones there now. Not sure yet if I'll repost the removed ones somewhere later or not, so look while you can.

Poetry Macabre

2010-03-11T18:48:00.002-05:00

Ha!

I had a nice, long drive to Erie on Monday, and wrote my first (and maybe only, we'll see) poem for the book on the way up.

It started as one of those first thoughts in the morning before you're really awake kind of things about a week ago, and I already had an illustration sketch drawn and revised before I ever started on the words. But I knew I wanted the poem in a syncopated kind of rhyme like jazz, not in a steady rhythm like rock, if you know what I mean.

It's a little different than the rest of the stuff I've finished so far, but still funny and keeping with the whole "twisted" theme. Macabre was the word that was used when I read it aloud to the only person I've read it aloud to. And he laughed when I finished.

By the way, it's called Cleaver Overachiever.

Yeah, it's a little twisted. And funny. And a little bloody for all my carnivorous friends.

66 pages and counting!

2010-03-04T14:54:00.003-05:00

I'm just finishing up some illustrations that will put the page count for the book at 66! That's about one-third the final length I had in mind, but it seems to be coming together quickly enough.

I'm planning on writing about 225-240 pages to send off to a few hand-picked and trusted friends to read and evaluate and provide feedback. Once I hear back from them, I'll be editing and whittling until everything is the best it can be before I send it off to editors, which might require hacking off a few pages.

Maybe I'll use a hatchet.

A machete?

New illustrations posted

2010-02-28T18:34:00.001-05:00

I've finished a couple more pages of the graphic novel, The T Rex and the Hare, which is set to be included somewhere in the new book. Both pages are available for viewing on the illustration page of the Hairy Eyeballs site.

I'm planning on finishing all of the images in the book with powdered graphite along with artist's graphite pencils so the illustrations stay unified. By using powdered graphite, I'm able to put down something similar to a watercolor wash before I go in with pencil on the details. I can cover a large space quickly without pencil lines or variations from the paper tooth. Also, by using the powder I'm able to paint a thick coat of super heavy blacks in places where I need them.

This also means I have to go back to a couple of the early, early illustrations I had finished and redraw them with the graphite. I'll post the graphite drawings on the site when I'm finished with them, and I'll post the before and after versions here on the blog.

Graphic novelette available for preview

2010-02-21T12:36:00.002-05:00

I've uploaded the short graphic novel Dead Line to the "Extras" page of the Hairy Eyeballs site. But to make it easier for you, I'm also embedding the whole thing below (yep, I understand laziness). Just click on the middle of the book to see it biggie-sized.

The short originally printed in Seton Hill University's art and literary magazine, Eye Contact, but with a different ending (well, just a different last line, really). I used it for promotional purposes shortly after its publication in Eye Contact but, again, with the first ending.

So if you've seen it before, take another look. This version is closer to what I originally had in mind.

Sample short story now available

2010-02-13T15:15:00.003-05:00

I've uploaded what might be considered the "title track" of the (as yet untitled) book on the official Hairy Eyeballs site. To make it simpler, I've also embedded it here so you don't even have to leave this page. Just click in the middle of the book to see it full screen.

Just a note: This is a very early rough draft, and will likely be edited much over the next few months. I just wanted to give an idea of what kinds of stories to expect so I can scare off the faint of heart well in advance of the really juicy stuff.

www.hairyeyeballs.com

2010-02-08T11:11:00.006-05:00

\0/

The Hairy Eyeballs site is up and live!

Right now it has a few pertinent pages: an about page, a link to this blog, and a link to an online store that currently has no merchandise (I've kind of been trying to spend my time putting the actual book together). I also have an extras page, and on it I put a link to a page of illustrations from the book. Shortly, I'll also add a page for one of the stories, but I'm still working on the logistics (you'll understand when you see it).

I've also added an email address devoted to the site: nora@hairyeyeballs.com.

And you may have noticed the official Hairy Eyeballs emoticon at the beginning of this post. An explanation lurks on the home page of the new site, so I guess you'll just have to go there to understand it.

Testophobia

2010-02-01T12:34:00.001-05:00

One of the first shorts I finished for the book was "Testophobia." I wrote the piece originally for the Writing Fiction class I mentioned in the last post. The prompt went like this: "Write a scene taken straight from a science-fiction, fantasy, or horror story, where a character is experiencing test-taking anxiety of a very creative kind." (Again, I'll have to credit Dr. A with the prompt.)

The short was published once already in Seton Hill University's art and literary magazine, Eye Contact. The graphic designer laying out the page kind of had the right idea, but the final results weren't exactly what I had envisioned.

No problem.

The graphics I've created for the book version include a middle-grade exam I pieced together, some smeared and stretched typography (both digital and hand-drawn) and a photo I took of some dreamily threatening clouds.

This story became my favorite from all the shorts I had written through that semester, and I can't think of anything I would want to change to make it better.

In the beginning...

2010-01-31T12:05:00.004-05:00

A little background before I get too far along: I started writing fiction in the spring of 2004 when I took a "Writing of Fiction" class while working toward my Bachelor's. I took the class because:

I thought I could learn something about writing in general, and use that information to write picture books, and
I had to take a writing class to satisfy my core credit requirements.

And let's be honest, #1 wouldn't have felt pressing enough to have taken the class if it hadn't been for #2.

So I took it, and I wrote.

My writing professor was Dr. Michael Arnzen, winner of multiple Bram Stokers for horror writing. Turns out Dr. A likes the twisted stuff, so I was greeted with a healthy dose of professional encouragement.

Besides writing, we did an awful lot of reading which, really, only makes sense. I was never much of a reader growing up (I figured out later I was either reading things that really didn't interest me or I was reading from mass market paperbacks where the type was too small, the margins too narrow and my mind too ready to wander off the page). In this class, I finally learned how to read fiction.

As for the writing part, I hated writing before I got there, but was willing to try and learn. Even after I started getting the hang of it, I still hated to write. I told Dr. A once that writing hurt. He said, "Then you must be doing it right."

So here I am, in the midst of writing an entire book filled with words and ideas that I've strung together. And it still hurts, and I avoid it as long as possible. But sometimes the end results outweigh the throbbing it takes to get there, so I'll willingly trudge onward.

And for this, I thank you, Dr. A.

Egon, your mucus

2010-01-30T13:12:00.003-05:00

Welcome to the official blog of Hairy Eyeballs, the Web site devoted to a book-in-progress that will actually be going by a different name. I'm still toying with the book title, and when it's official, you'll be the first-ish to know.

This blog is for just what I said: I'll be blogging the progress of my new book, Title As Yet Unknown. You're more than likely coming to this post way, way after I've started to record, but that's fine. You may be late, but at least you're breathing (which is more than some of the characters in this book can say).

Thanks for your interest. You can subscribe to this blog by following the "Posts" and "All Comments" links below.