Cocktail Hour, a webcomic by Scraps

Safe to say Year 4 (it is year 4, isn’t it? or, rather, wasn’t it…) will be known as the Lost Year in Random Acts history.

As is, some time later, years later, those who know will look back and say “Oh, yeah, that’s the year Scraps decided to write/draw a cookbook. Good think that’s over.”

Or something like that.

Not that I haven’t been a busy little monkey. And not that I haven’t been drawing, either! I’m about to finish up Chapter 4 (of 5, plus a prologue–done–and epilogue) of What to Feed Your Raiding Party. Well, the pencils. Which, let’s face it, is the long, laborious part of things. Inking goes quicker as long as my hands hold out and, yes, there’s still the formatting to do of the rapidly-approaching-200-pages tome and the spot illustrations and cover BUT the onerous penciling (and creating scenes and worlds from just my grey matter–definitely the most exhausting part of it all, really) is drawing (and I typed that with absolutely zero irony) to a close.

Which means Cocktail Hour will return to tell the story of the house on Longview Drive. One upside to the delay? I know how a major part of that story ends, which was very much up in the air when we started. I’m looking forward to getting back to both Cocktail Hour as well as Where the Geeks Are (oh, yes, it’s still floating around there, too!) but I’m not even going to go down the rabbit hole of I’ll be back on such-and-such date. As much as a deadline has the power to motivate, I honestly have no idea if it’s going to be another 3 months before I can get back here or (dear god no) more. And I just don’t want to let either of us down.

In the mean time, please make sure you’re subscribed to the RSS feed (would you like an email option, too? because I can do that if even 1 person would prefer it that way) to know when stuff starts to happen over here, again. And check out What to Feed Your Raiding Party, where I do a status update once a week. Even if it’s to say I’ve finished 1 page or a brainstorm, I post.

Thanks for your patience, you’re the best!

online poker newsWow… A year, already? So much has happened in the last 12 months and, yet, sometimes it feels like it’s only been a few weeks–not 52!

I like lists and numbers, so let’s put this year in perspective:

• 1 trip to Nebraska
• 2 batches of Limoncello
• 3 Conventions (MegaCon, MobiCon, and UP!Fair)
• 4 Character Cocktails
• 5 Scripts for What to Feed Your Raiding Party
• 9 Food & Game Pairings
• 16 out of 64 Arts covered in 92 posts
• 26 Cocktail Hour comics
• 35 States given their own Cocktails
• 35 Where the Geeks Are comics
• 50 WtFYRP Comic pages drawn
• 59 Nibbles Posts
• 91 recipes tested

A couple of art projects, a handful of other posts and 1 big house move.

It’s been a busy year with it’s fair share of bumps but, wow, I’m really looking forward to 2011! Several of the blogs have been a smidge dormant the last couple of months (and, yes, I’m going to post this across the various blogs just to wrap up the year nicely) and that’s something I’ll be working on in the upcoming year.

Basically, it all boils down to 1 thing:

Balance.

I don’t set resolutions, but I do make goals and I like to set intentions. Among the goals are finishing What to Feed Your Raiding Party and getting it into print. That’s a pretty big one, sure, but the work I put in this past year will make finishing it this year doable. I’m looking forward to wrapping up the remaining 15 state cocktails for Sips & Shots and starting the new series (ooh, secrets, but you’ll find out soon enough), as well as continuing on with the 64 Arts project–I’ve got some big plans for that one, too, but it’ll take more than a 2011 to accomplish those. Getting back to the 2 webcomics is also on the list, once the book is finished.

Personally, my overriding intention is to find balance, happiness and fulfillment in the new year. Yes, it’s a bit of a vague intention but I think these sorts of things need to be: what seems fulfilling today, on the eve of a new calendar year, may be very different from the fulfillment I seek 3, 5 or 7 months from now.

I wish you all well in the new year!

While that does sum it up, let me explain:

I have this project I’ve been chipping away at, maybe you’ve heard of it? What to Feed Your Raiding Party–ring a bell?

I’ve been throwing bits and pieces of time at it for 5 months and it’s nowhere near finished. And those bits and pieces of time are the reason why: it is at once my greatest hope for the future and my red headed stepchild of a project. And that’s not fair to it, me, or the people I’m writing it for.

So for the next two months both Cocktail Hour and Where the Geeks Are will be on hiatus so that I can focus my time and energy. At the end of July I’ll decide if August will be taken off, too.

But that doesn’t mean cobwebs will be gathering here! Think of it like a summer break for your favorite shows. I’m not planning to go the re-run route, but we’ll be subbing in various updates from the cookbook project: maybe a sketch here, an excerpt there, a tip another time–basically whenever I’ve got stuff worth sharing which I’m hoping will be quite often.

And because I’d really love it for my analytics numbers not to bottom out, the bits I post here? Won’t be the same as the ones over at the cookbook site or the other comic. So please keep your subscription to the RSS feed (or start one if you haven’t already) and stop by periodically for news.

And please know that this isn’t an easy decision for me, I’ve been fighting it for more than 2 months because I’m stubborn and didn’t want to admit I can’t do it all. Please hang with me through this–the best is yet to come!

So, we’re back from our 2nd con of the year and I must say I think I prefer the smaller cons like MobiCon to the major media cons like MegaCon. The smaller the con, the smaller the dealer’s room, the more chances of repeat visitors, the more opportunity to have conversations with random con-goers and, yes, the more sales could happen.

It wasn’t a stellar con, sales-wise, but I’m okay with what I did sell. I’m getting a better idea of what is going to work for Cons and what might not, and better ways to focus a table on them. Of course, the next con is DWEX so it’ll be a different crowd so, well, who knows?

Always a learning experience!

I didn’t do a lot of shopping this con but I did pick up a pair of earrings (from a girl whose card I neglected to get) and a Romanti-Goth coloring book from Seraphemera Books. I’m not goth of any kind, but I love the idea of an alphabetical goth coloring book–just need to stock up on some darker shades! I had a great table-neighbor in Professor Tesseract of Gryphon Arrow. It was great to see Aardvark Screenprinting again–they have awesome shirts and Waverly’s smiling face is always a happy sight! We also made a new friend: Miki of LaCourse Studios. She’s got great jewelry–those pictures hardly do her clay-work justice–and if you’re in her neck of the woods (North Carolina) she teaches classes, too!

Finally, I had to great fortune to meet some of the folks from CoastCon! CoastCon 34 will be next March and I’m already making plans to be there and be a part of it. It just so happens that the fine folks from CoastCon (at least the one’s I met) also happen to be a part of Area 504 (warning: flash intro with music, if you have to skip it because you’re at work or something, use this link instead): a group that considers themselves a drinking club with a science fiction problem. How perfect is that?

Sales may not have been astounding, but the people were awesome and that’s why it was a great con.

Hi gang! I’m in the midst of wedding cake preparations for my baby brother’s nuptuals this coming weekend (already so many potential comics!) so no comic today and no cocktail post on Friday. Back to what passes for normal next week

Until then, hop over to the 64 Arts for a glimpse at one of my earlier cakes and don’t forget to check out the Nibbles post for a story from my first experience making (and delivering!) a wedding cake.

Also, Dee from Say Anything interviewed me for Thursday’s post–if you’re looking for some interesting blogs to read, check out my fellow interviewees!

I didn’t post a comic for today and that wasn’t the biggest fail that happened last night.

Tuesday afternoon I started to feel way more stressed than was called for. On the way home I lost it. I’m a fairly stable person but sometimes I push too hard and down I go. Last night I got pretty far down. I thought, after several hours of questioning all sorts of things from why to wherefore to small cog in the giant wheel of time, that I’d figured out what was bugging me.

I was about half right.

This morning, Wednesday, I got a triple shot of the cosmic cluestick and have an even better idea of what I did wrong.

I didn’t take care of myself.

I don’t mean I failed to eat right or failed basic hygiene standards or anything like that. I failed to take time for myself and got wrapped up in the deadlines and to-do lists that I created so that some They would  agree I was doing it right and some other They would acknowledge it.

And last night my mind and the Universe decided to let me know it.

Last night I was heart-sick, today I’m body-sick. Whether the one was the cause or merely a harbinger of the other is anyone’s guess. Probably a little bit of both, to be honest. But I listened, and I hope I really heard it this time because I don’t want to have another night like that.

To that end, things around Random Acts Comics-land are going to be a bit more fluid for the next month or so. I’ve got some housekeeping to do (literally and figuratively) and some shuffling of priorities and some decisions to make regarding my various projects. Nothing’s going away at this time, but I need to approach it all differently, correctly, so that I don’t hit this wall again.

Or be forced to break up with the Internet. Internet and I are BFFs and I’m not ready to give back my half of the friendship necklace.

So I’m going to spend the next few nights attempting to relax (especially the right arm, my drawing arm, it’s sorta on strike and didn’t even want to type this letter), clearing my head and considering my options. Since update days may be sporadic for the month of April, I encourage you to subscribe to the RSS feed or follow me on twitter in order not to miss anything.

Because if I don’t do this I risk true and total burnout. And no one else can tell my stories. Other people can tell other stories, but no one can tell mine. And it’s my stories that I want to tell. I draw and write because it makes me smile, it makes me happy. I need to remind myself of that and make sure I proceed with that, and my own mental and physical health, first in mind. The rest will work itself out.

Ah, yes, as we come upon the third anniversary of Random Acts Comics it’s time for a little housekeeping.

The biggest change is that after April, 2010, the “Nibbles” and “Sips” blogs will no longer be found at this url. In fact, until the change takes full effect, the April posts will feature a ‘read more’ link to their own domains, to facilitate the change-over to their own pages. All the archives are there and have been for a few months–this change just means that I won’t have to post the same posts in 3 places every week (my two sites as well as Circle of Food).

This also means that I’ll be freer to post more on each topic as the spirit moves. It’s all for the best and I hope you’ll agree. After all, those who do not care for the food or cocktail bits can just follow the comics, while those who aren’t into comics can have the food and cocktail news a la carte! Feel free to bookmark the new domains as well as subscribe to their RSS feeds so you don’t miss anything.

For the time being, Cocktail Hour will still be hosted here but in time I will be moving it over to it’s own domain (cocktailcomic.com already redirects here) and using Random Acts as a hub for all of my comics-related sites.

And it ended much the way it began: not exactly promising.

Ah, well, it wasn’t all bad. I got some drawing done, some work on next week’s strips, walked around the Alley and checked out some of the other artists. There was a lot that just wasn’t my thing but there were some fun finds that I’ll go through and link to later. Tonight, I’m just plum exhausted.

There will be some serious thought given as to whether I’ll return to MegaCon next year. The girls beside me? Did gangbusters all weekend. They were doing chibi art of popular manga and pop-culture properties. Talking to other artists the story was the same: MegaCon is not the place to try and sell original ideas (unless you’ve got a huge community built already). Still, there were some awesome moments and fun, but mostly with the other artists and we’re all in the same boat.

Looking forward to my first local appearance next weekend, the Bizarre Bazaar at Railroad Square. Hopefully the crowd there will be more receptive to what I have to offer. I’ve always done this for the fun, the make folks laugh and look at life a little differently. But, like most people, I’d also like to be able to make this my business, not just something I squeeze into every available moment. Until that happens I will continue to spend my time, compensated or not, on this and hope that I keep making folks laugh.

A much better day.

It started with a familiar sight: a backlog of cars trying to get parking anywhere near the West Hall. Anticipating the impending hike from the back 40, Todd dropped me off out front and then went to find parking in the nearby (relatively speaking) hotel parking lot, grabbing one of the last available spots. Meanwhile, I wondered where on earth I was going to enter from the lobby (having never really seen the Con from this side) when I spotted Doug Sneyd and his lovely Booth Babe (not what you’re thinking) walking with a sense of purpose. I followed them right through the security line.

As we walked I asked how their day was, yesterday, and we chatted about his book doing very well and how accommodating the show organizers were being. All good to hear. She also mentioned that the book came with an original sketch inside and he’d even draw you’re profile and add bunny ears if you want them! Uh, sold! (For those who don’t know the name, he’s famous for his Playboy cartoons–really great stuff! One of our local bars has those sorts of cartoons plastering the walls in the ladies room. I presume the mens, as well, but I’ve never been in there to check!) I snuck over to their table during an afternoon lull and had a nice chat with the both of them. Just great people.

Unfortunately, my would-be Character Cocktail patrons didn’t make it back to the table today (maybe tomorrow?) but I did get to chat the service up to others who may order later. I sold a couple of books, a mini and a whopping 5 mini-martini glasses! We’re down to a stock of 2! I’m glad I have more blanks ready to go at home A couple of folks from SoulGeek stopped by the table to say hi, it was good seeing them again, and I met a new reader (Hi, James!) who’d flown out from California to attend the show! Wow! (Not just to see me, of course, he was meeting up a group of Kevin Smith fans, who could be seen roaming the ailses in Mooby gear. Very cool.) I also had some nice chats with other vendors and got some random art done while manning the table.

Sales haven’t been going like gangbusters, I won’t lie, but I made people laugh today and I think that laughter is slightly more precious than dollars. Too bad my landlord doesn’t agree. As such, I’m hoping to convert a few more browsers to buyers tomorrow.

Don’t forget, tomorrow is Pi day. If we were at home I’d be baking a (preferably) square pie. Instead I’ll have to settle for some of the restaurant variety. Also, remember to set your clocks ahead or you’ll be an hour late somewhere.

Until tomorrow!

Thankfully the predicted torrential rains turned out to be more of a steady drizzle when we arrived at the convention center this morning. Also thankful for the fact that we were able to back right up the loading ramp and unload the trunk in the overhang there, not getting wet in the process.

Turns out our booth neighbors are Tally girls, too. Both students at FSU, they have a webcomic as well but I neglected to get the url today. Oops! I’ll fix that tomorrow. Actually, it didn’t seem crucial because we didn’t think our hotel had wifi, seriously hampering our evening productivity. This info has been updated and I am typing from the comfort of our comfy hotel bed. (I know, I know, we’re not the post-con party types.)

Traffic today was slow. Partially because of the fact that it was Friday and los of folks were still at work/school, partially because the weather was absolutely icky the entire day. Still, for a slow day I manged to connect with a few folks, made some people laugh, helped some people out and got some folks interested in getting a Character Cocktail* done, which (hopefully!) will pan out tomorrow. It would awesome considering there were absolutely no sales today.

But it’s early days & I remain optimistic.

*What’s a Character Cocktail? It’s a custom-made cocktail recipe (alcoholic or non-) that is based solely on you! With the recipe comes a ready-to-frame piece of art with the recipe and a little drawing. Price is $30 (includes shipping the art) and the process takes about 2-3 weeks, total, to allow for recipe testing and art creation. All you have to do is fill out a fun little questionnaire so I know who I’m creating the drink for and around. Interested? Shoot me an email at randomactscomics[at]gmail[dot]com and we can get the process started!