Convention schedule for 2025

I've just added our initial convention schedule for 2025 (on the right).

Hope to see some of you at some of them.

Quantum 10 has hit the shelves.

Having published Quantum for about 2 years I have found that I really understand cashflow for the first time and how important it is for people to pay bills promptly.

I've always done this as a matter of course with my bills but for the first time, as someone waiting for bills to be paid, I've now got first hand experience of the chain reaction when this doesn't happen.

Sometimes this is due to invoices not being received (ending up in JUNK folders etc), sometimes it's the turnaround at the receiver's end (why does it take weeks to do a funds transfer?) and sometimes it's just people taking their own sweet time to get around to doing so.

Regardless, this means that we can't pay people that we owe, be that printer or creators, when we'd like to. When it comes to the printer it means a delay and when it comes to creators it means that they get a little annoyed and we feel bad.

Yes, we should build these factors into our processes but that's difficult when the comic we produce has a 2 monthly publication schedule.

We are hoping to get a little ahead of the money in the year ahead, and get back to a proper schedule...let's see how we do.

Caption returns in 2025

One of the first events I went to was Caption, way back.

It's where I got to meet other creators who were also just starting off making their own comics.

Attended also by some professionals it was a great source of information and encouragement.

I'll certainly be adding it to my calendar.

Copenhagen Comics event in 2025?

I had a great catch up with Colin over the Thought Bubble weekend and 

maybe a thing we go to.. like we did back in the AccentUK days.

Also great to catch up with Paul and Kim from Denmark, it's been a long time since we were over there last but I certainly miss it.

WesterNoir stock ready for Thought Bubble

It's great that the number of WesterNoir titles and extras are growing, but it does mean a lot of stuff to sort out for Conventions.

Everything WesterNoir is ready for Thought Bubble now...

Thought Bubble this week coming.

I must say it is my favourite event.

It's all about comics.

Yes, it's getting bigger and bigger, which results in each creator getting less sales, as there is so much quality competition, but who cares. It's great.

I spent this weekend getting stock together. 

I'm taking all the WesterNoir books and some of the new figures, in their boxes.

Lots of help on these.

Gary Crutchley and his son Jason on printing the figures themselves and Andy Bloor designing and constructing the boxes. I'm very happy with how they turned out.

Writer's retreat.

I've been writing a book for about 20 years. 

It started when my daughter was about 5, I thought it would be good fund to read her something I'd written amongst all those greats by Roald Dahl and the like. It's a Science Fiction tale, of course.

I wanted to see if she noticed 😀

Every year since then I've picked it up once or twice. Re-read, improved what I had and added another chapter.

I realised, and accepted, recently that at this rate I'm never going to compete it. And then I got chatting to a writer at the LFCC event earlier this year. 

She suggested that I needed to get away from the house and leave everything behind except what I needed for the book.

What a great idea.

I did exactly that and booked an AirBnB in Deal, Kent. I chose that as it meant I could also visit my parents whilst I was down there as they would be only 30 minutes away.

My window faced the sea and it was nice watching the waves come in and go out, mesmerising at times.

Despite that lovely distraction I did write quite a few chapters, and managed to get a few nice walks in along the coast.

..usually at night when I'd finished writing.

Did I finish it? 

Well... No.

But I'm closer 😉