It’s been a while since I wrote a proper blog post. For a couple months it’s been one event after the other, and now things are finally calming down. Of course, there is the Pet-icular Poses group art show where my original art is on display through June 30th (visit studiokidsart.com for more information). I still have plenty of work to get done as well (not least of which is the Chadhiyana graphic novel). But for all intents and purposes there is little to promote for the time being. That said, I figured it was the perfect time to write a bit about what’s been going on and what’s yet to come.

First and foremost: yes, I am still hard at work on the Chadhiyana graphic novel script. I’m about halfway through the story, and though it took months to get there, I’m confident that as my teaching day job winds down for the summer I can finish the remainder of what I have outlined in a relatively short period of time. Then it’s on to editing the script and starting the art. Again, I don’t plan to wait until the entire novel is finished to start making it available. What format the initial, serialised version will take, however, I won’t reveal until closer to its release. Be patient, and I hope you’re all as anxious as I am for another Chadhiyana tale.

As always, I have some other writing and illustration projects in the works too. This includes a children’s book I wrote and sketched the images for last year. (Not Figmunds, unfortunately, but I still intend to return to them. I promise!) About a week ago, I shopped the children’s book around to publishers at the Book Expo America. The reactions to the book, Chadhiyana and my work were favourable, so hopefully something comes out of it. I’m confident the children’s book will find a publisher; it’s just a matter of finding the right one.

The BEA itself was wonderful and very different from a comic convention. In short, editors were more approachable and there were less inflated egos as are typically found at comic conventions (though don’t misunderstand me, I have met great people at comic cons). I’m hoping to attend next year and maybe with a prose novel to shop around as well.

Also, I was interviewed by, my friend and fellow writer, Emilio Rodriguez this past weekend. We spoke about my development as a writer and artist, my career and Chadhiyana. I’m not certain when the interview will be published (sometime this summer, I believe), but I’ll post something about it when it is, of course.

As for Emilio, he’s currently working with artist James Rodriguez (no relation) on a science fiction comic series called Sara Rising (which they debuted in a preview book at New York Comic Con 2012, just as I did with Chadhiyana). There is a rumour they’re launching a Kickstarter campaign for the book soon. When that’s up and running, I’ll be sure to post about it. I’ve read the scripts for the first two issues, and I’ve known James and his art for quite a while. This is definitely a book you should at least check out. I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve seen of it thus far.

Last, I wanted to mention I recently attended a Karuna Charities event celebrating their 20th anniversary. As was the case the last time I attended one of their events, the evening was filled with speeches honouring members of the organisation, performances of classical Indian dance and, of course, some delicious Indian cuisine. Karuna Charities was set up to raise money and goods to help the less fortunate in India, the United States and the world over. You can find out more about Karuna Charities on karunacharities.net.

Anyway, that about does it for this week. I’m looking forward to having some more time for Chadhiyana and some other projects. Stay tuned in the following weeks and through the summer. Boston Comic Con is only two months away. And, before you know it, there could be some big Chadhiyana news as well. Cheers!