“Yellow River Red Star,” Ch. 1
"My darling Mudan. You've trained so hard.” Mudan’s mother found her in the Mining Sector of Lesser Yellow Refinery, far from the crowds ...
At Bat
This is the month. Tbe month I really get my content out there, come hell or high water. I spent my weekend on the orange couch working, ...
MAYFLY, 1-1
It began when I heard, then saw, an old college friend run down in Omaha. I was relaxing at my favorite outdoor café when: I heard the ...
PCR Comics Extra: The Covers!
Hey everyone! The PCR #1 weekly webcomic starts this week, so let's talk behind-the-scenes stuff. Today, we discuss: the ...
Youtube: “The Magic Trick” by Mick Whalen
Hi all, and happy Saturday! It's cold and crappy here, so I thought I'd share with you a little joy. This video, "Magic Trick," was made by my ...
Shithead is helping!
In my dream, over-muscular Wobblies from the floated in a zero-g washroom, getting rapturous buzzes from tesla-arc generators. I laid in bed ...
MAYFLY 1-1 To Appear on Horror Blog!
This week, my MAYFLY 1-1 will appear on Beyond Stories, a horror blog managed by comics hero Harold Sipe. Sipe is perhaps best known for his ...
Empty Space
I'm writing this on a prompt. It's a first draft, let's say. The prompt is, "Ways to fill the holes in your heart." And I know the ...
The Patreon Fundraising Campaign is Live!
Hey, everyone! I wanted to let you know my Patreon campaign is live. Patreon is an ongoing fundraising platform designed for creators, and I'm ...
Anti-Anxiety Meds: Life With Drugs
I've been on anxiety meds for almost a month now - and oh, what an experience it's been. The initial "eureka!" has worn off, the unmovable ...
What is Patreon?
In advance of my new fundraising plan, I thought I'd better explain just what Patreon is. Why Patreon? Unlike other platforms like ...
Snooze Alarm
The first alarm is for disbelief. The second alarm is for snuggling. The third alarm is for cooperative
Morning Bus
[caption id="attachment_3707" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Me at the bus stop in Mission. Taking in the sunshine![/caption] It's lovely how ...
In With The New: Fundraising & a Webcomic
[caption id="attachment_3703" align="alignnone" width="706"] Erick Marquez's Cover for Prairie City Response #2 - Fundraiser ...
Being Present
[caption id="attachment_3682" align="alignnone" width="225"] Me at Astrokitty Comics in Lawrence, Kansas last December.[/caption] In 2013, I ...
Love is not a moon: a Poem
Love is not a moon. Love does not waver from full to nothing. When I was young I thought love was these things: A yellow embrace in conifer ...
“MAYFLY” Roughs, III
Dennis has been working hard to get MAYFLY Vol. 1 illustrated! We have been going back and forth on layouts, and I'm really excited about how ...
“MAYFLY” Roughs, II
Dennis has been working hard to get MAYFLY Vol. 1 illustrated! We have been going back and forth on layouts, and I'm really excited about how ...
“MAYFLY” Illustration Roughs
Dennis has been working hard to get MAYFLY Vol. 1 illustrated! We have been going back and forth on layouts, and I'm really excited about how ...
Dog Still Has The Goods
(Picture of Barnaby by the lovely telephonoscope.net) So I'm sad about the dog being so sick, and it's the coldest day in the last twenty ...
Dog Still Has The Goods
(Picture of Barnaby by the lovely telephonoscope.net) So I’m sad about the dog being so sick, and it’s the coldest day in the ...
Hey, Dog
Hey, dog. You look comfortable. That's your orange couch, isn't it? Who's gonna use it when you're gone? Who's going to take point and ...
Hi everyone! Erick posted this beautiful cover for PCR #2 on Thursday. Outstanding stuff! ...
Preparing for PCR #2: Cover art!
Happy new year, everyone! A couple days ago, Erick passed on the shaded inks for PCR 2's cover. Dryad's looking great in her new armor. What ...
New Year’s Poem
I watched the tiger-bands of morning,Pink up high in a melon field, and a thickBand of bloody red, forebear of theOrange regiments of sun.I knew ...
What I’m Reading: “Sangokushi” by Yokoyama Mitsuteru
I received Dynasty Warriors 6 this Christmas (the PS2 is still my main console), and I am stoked to play more Three Kingdoms madness. The ...
What I’m Reading: “The Scarf” by Emmy Cicierega
I don't like hating on the holidays, or on winter. What's the point, right? It doesn't go by any faster, and there are only so many chances to ...
Night People: An Example Setting
Hello again, readers! Because I don't have enough projects (ha!), I recently started creating a tabletop RPG called "Night People." It's all ...
Fresh Ink, Here!
Hey folks! Erick dropped this on me last night. It's the inked cover for Issue 2 of Prairie City Response. This incorporates the new ...
Dreams of School
I had a dream about college this week. It wasn't my typical anxiety dream - it's finals, and I realize there's a class I've forgotten about ...
An Artist is You!
TJ gave me a variety of notebooks and a very stylish pencil for Christmas! I've been plotting out an autobiographical comic for a while, ...
Chill Pills
One of my grade school teachers had a method of keeping kids in line. When her students bickered or rough-housed, she firmly called them to ...
photo-2.jpg
Now I have an iPhone. Ho ho
New Year Approacheth
The cold is still in my system - the cold that's laid a heavy gauze between me and my work - but I'm not deterred. I am happy. This has been ...
To my Writer Friend
Writer Friend, We met online, and I was humbled when you, a successful and published writer, took an interest in my work. You praised my ...
#DEVerb: Least Favorite Relative
Hey all! I joined #DEVerb a while back - it's a series of prompts for this December, and they're all rant-related (fiction or no). Kinda ...
New “MAYFLY” preview with finished art!
Hello everyone! I have a new preview of MAYFLY for you to see. It has finished artwork by Dennis Coyle, and I hope you enjoy. Horror ...
#CyberMonday Offer – Donate and Get A Comic!
Hi readers! As you know, I'm running a fundraiser for the first volume of my horror serial, MAYFLY. If you love fantastic horror art but have ...
New MAYFLY Artwork – half-inked and stunning!
Check out some killer new art from Dennis Coyle! It's halfway through the inking stage here. The perspective and detail here just blow me ...
“MAYFLY” Part 1 – now, as a PDF!
Good morning, everyone! I hope you've all rested after that strenuous eating. We've got one more fancy meal today and by God, I hope we ...
The Making of “MAYFLY”: A Mind Apart
With the MAYFLY indiegogo underway, I keep thinking about what MAYFLY means to me as its author. When you create, the best feeling is to be ...
“MAYFLY” indiegogo Goes live!
Hello everyone! I'm happy to announce that we have launched a fundraiser for the MAYFLY vol. 1's art. [caption id="attachment_3456" ...
“Acknowledging The Cat”, a short comic script
I've been incubating this little project for a few weeks. You may know, but I have issues with socializing, overstimulation, concentration, ...
Dryad Sketches: New Costume Ideas
Erick put something special in my email this week - a redesign of Dryad's armor. It's appropriately creepy, I feel. I want to look it ...
Poetry: “Cold Pavement”
You sprint to the bus stop in heavy boots, heel to toe, heel to toe, slamming across sidewalk cracks Fragments pushed up by ancient ...
“Feelings On My Bread”: A Parody
I've always had a thing for parody songs. After listening to Jose Gonzalez's cover of Massive Attack's "Teardrop" last night and singing it ...
Urban Fantasy Snippet: Jessica’s Studio
Hey everyone! I'm here to break the silence once again. Remember this story? The urban fantasy story with the magical hipsters? Well, I'm at it ...
“MAYFLY” Cover Update (WIP)
Hey, check out this creepy cover that Dennis Coyle is putting together for "MAYFLY"! We hope to have this art finalized sometime this weekend ...
On Writing Comics: Quips
First, a disclaimer. If you've read my other "On Writing Comics" articles, you'll notice that my criticisms flow over to other media as well. ...
Fiction: The Artist at Work
The hand trembles above the canvas, the loaded brush ready to strike. Seconds become minutes and ages, his world turns to dust, and he just ...
New Concept Sketches and New Opportunities
Hello all! Prairie City Response #1 is going strong, and we're now plotting our way towards Issue 2. Lucky for us, Erick is on the case with ...
Representing PCR at Free State Comicon!
Free State Comicon on Saturday was a blast. Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by! I was tablemates with Jeremy Mohler, colorist for PCR ...
A Teaser Sketch for Issue 2
Here's a lttle something to get you thinkin' about PCR #2! A new foe will soon confront the Response - who is he, and what does he have in ...
My First Con, and A Teaser!
Hi all! Yesterday, I attended Free State Comicon in Lawrence, KS. It was my first show as a creator - my first go-round on the other side of ...
On Writing Comics: Fenceposts
I am very fortunate to have critical, creative friends with which I can philosophize about writing. Last night I chatted with Troy L. Wiggins, ...
Food, Glorious Food!
I hit the garden today with full force. I took up the darndao and attacked the cannas, cutting them down to the stub and digging up the ...
Another Fantasy Snippet (Out Of Sequence)
Hi all! I thought I'd break the silence. Writing has been difficult lately, with work and creative issues stressing me out to no end. So, I ...
On Writing Comics, pt. 1
Recently, in other places, I've spoken and written about what it takes to write comics. I'm still beginning myself, but I know what I like, ...
At A Venue Near You!
Hey folks! Just wanted to let you know about some comic book-related appearances coming up: On Oct. 5th, this Friday, I will be at the ...
A Chill Wind
A steady breeze from the west rolls through the bus plaza, deforming the perfect ring of water displayed by the central fountain, a masterpiece ...
Autumn Blooms
Cool climes are here at last - all at once, it seems, the barrier between seasons being a drizzly Monday morning. We get ready and gradually ...
I Was Featured on the Culture of Comics Podcast!
Hey, everyone! The Culture of Comics podcast had me on this week to talk about Prairie City Response, comics in general, and the creative ...
Publicize Me, Captain
It's been a good week in my little writing world. I've finished the first draft of "MAYFLY" - so now it's on to editing and collaborating with ...
No Exertion, All Momentum
Things move swiftly around here. Dates are being filled, and plans long made are coming to fruition. It's exhilirating - and just a little ...
“MAYFLY”, Part 5
Here's Part 5 of "MAYFLY"! This story has been wicked fun to write. I have a Part 6 planned, but I may not post it here - it's the conclusion, ...
We Have Been Training For This
I have an unhealthy relationship with my immune system. Three hundred and sixty days a year it is an overprotective guardian, flexing extreme ...
The Excellent Gardening Workout, Part 3: The Horizontal Chop
Hey there! It's been a while since I've written a silly gardening workout guide entry. I hope you enjoy! ----- The Horizontal Chop. Upper ...
Back to School, Fall on its Way
Well, shit. TJ started college last week, and I am so, so proud of her. The week before our friend Chris moved in with us to presage his ...
Untitled Fantasy Snippet, Part 4
Hello, and welcome to Part 4 of my untitled, ongoing fantasy story! It's very rough, as pretty much all the fiction on this blog is. I'll ...
Alive Again
Hey everyone! Sorry for the recent silence. Amidst launching and promoting the comic, having an old friend move back in with us, and getting ...
Fantasy snippet, Part 3: “Sweep!”
Here's another update to my ongoing fantasy story. I'll have more soon! You can find the previous posts here: Part 1 / Part 2 The sirens ...
Life After Publication
Have you ever tried to hold you breath as long as you can?. A few years ago, I played this game constantly as a test of endurance, and because ...
Review: William Gibson’s “Zero History”
I came to Zero History as a William Gibson newbie. That's not true - I'd thumbed though his encredible short stories before, and I put down ...
PCR #1 is Here!
Hello, everyone! I'm proud to announce that PCR #1 is now available digitally! Until our site redesign is finished, you can buy the comic ...
Fiction: “MAYFLY”, Part 4
This is Part Four of my serial horror story, "MAYFLY". Check out the other installments first: Part 1/ Part 2/ Part 3 This segment is a ...
PCR #1 Comes Out Aug. 7th!
Hi everyone! Just a quick word to let you know PCR #1 will be available digitally next Wednesday. We'll have a "Store" tab at the top of the ...
Food, Security
I took a trip to Iowa this weekend. It was intense, and it was good - bookended by rain, and punctuated with fire. I didn't sleep Sunday ...
Iowa
"Marshall, get your ass up here!" Those were the first words my uncle spoke to me in thirteen years. That was earlier this week, as my dad ...
Tomato Season
On Monday, TJ and I enjoyed the first black kirm of the season. We'd had handfuls cherry and grape tomatoes from the plants my mom had ...
Soup
Hi all! It's been a few days - a few busy, busy days. I can't hope to cover it all, so instead - Let me tell you about seeing my dad. TJ ...
Irresistable Itch
How do you top another poison ivy outbreak? Easy - throw in an eye infection. I had allergy eyes Monday. I woke up slowly, but the pain ...
Writing Plans and Weekend Errata
What a long weekend it's been. The decision on the Zimmerman case crushed me and brought me to tears. I'm not writing about it here. ...
Another Fantasy Snippet!
Here's an extension of that fantasy fiction snippet I posted last week. If it's rough and sucks, I apologize. I figure if I get it out now, ...
A Little Fictional Excursion
Hi everyone! After seeing some good theater last night, I came up with a fun idea for a short story. Let me share the work in progress with ...
Holiday Memories
Yesterday will fade soon, and I'll lose the memories. That's my pattern. I have been all over the place and seen amazing things, but given ...
Birthdays Everywhere
This post was written yesterday. Due to time constraints, I'm posting it tonight. Time warp! I woke up too comfortable. I felt well rested ...
A Familiar, Summer Favorite
Much has happened these last weeks that has slipped through my hands. I've been so focused on my comic book and long work hours that I didn't ...
Fiction: “MAYFLY”, pt. 3
This is part three of my monthly horror serial, "MAYFLY". Part 1 / Part 2 This segment is a rough draft, but has been finalized for the launch ...
Rumbly in my Tumbly
I've actually had some interesting foraging news for you all for a few days, but I've been nauseous for about a week. As you can imagine, ...
New Horizons
There is much, much to be happy about. Each day I realize I am surrounded by the things and people I love. If only I had more time to enjoy ...
A Brief Word
Hello, all. I've been working full-tilt on various projects, but my exhaustion today meant I couldn't get tonight's blog post done. I'll be ...
Wacky Wild Garden Hoses
My eyes burned last night, and I was in no mood to do much of anything. It was soon evident that TJ had a grump to match, so I decided it was ...
New Prospects: Chicory and Thistle
The sequester has few benefits - but I can think of one. As Chris and I drove south for our audio show walk-through, we gazed at the unmowed ...
Lamb’s Quarter Harvest
When I first sowed the garden, I populated the back stretch with as much spinach as I could manage. I tended and weeded, and i'm proud to say ...
Comics Update: And We Have Colors!
Hi, folks! I've been out of contact because, frankly, I've had a lot of progress on my other creative projects. Perhaps most exciting is that ...
I Didn’t Blog Tonight
Tonight, I came home and played video games with TJ. I was supposed to blog.I was supposed to tell you about Jeremy Mohler joining our comic's ...
Poison and Poultice
What a week it's been for foraging! Besides the old standards, I saw wild rhubarb on the roadside today. Now, I'm not yet sure of the ...
Beauty, Desperation
I took a new route to work this morning. I moved pretty fast, but not fast enough to catch the first bus at my normal stop. Up for a walk, ...
In Which The Dog Eats Dirt
This spring has been so fantastically rainy. The rampant beauty has kept me indoors more than I'd like, so when I returned to the garden on ...