Former Event and Forthcoming Book

A new mini-comic and a new book!

Former Event, a mini-comic:

Hello there…it’s been a while! I thought I’d start by sharing a new piece I put together for the Nonfiction Comics Festival that happened on Nov. 18th in Burlington. It came from a short diary entry I typed into my phone around the end of lockdown in 2020. It may be a tad melancholy, but it was a strange time! I’m finally tinkering with lots of notes on my phone as of late. I’ve been on a continuous deadline since…well, 2018 (longer if I want to include grad school and its various assignments), going from Scullion, to A-Okay, straight into A for Effort, my newest graphic novel and companion/sequel to A-Okay, which I wrapped up at the end of the summer.

Tabling as a special guest at the 2023 Nonfiction Comics Festival in Burlington, VT! I was exhibiting next to my friend Daryl Seitchik, who co-runs Parsifal Press, with her partner, Dan Nott.

Now that I finally have a minute to catch my breath I’ve been doing a whole lot of “nothing!” Or rather, hanging with friends, catching up on my reading pile, reorganizing my apartment, and playing Tears of the Kingdom. I’m super proud of what I’ve made over the last few years, but taking a minute to regroup and rest has felt extremely luxurious, so I’m doing my best to savor the moment while it lasts.

I’m slowly getting back into my comics practice, preparing pitches to go out in the new year, and gearing up for A for Effort’s release on March 5, 2024. I’m coordinating with my local independent bookstore in Vermont, The Norwich Bookstore, to offer signed and personalized copies of the book upon its release. If you’d like one, you can follow this link and request the name you’d like written in the checkout comments. A for Effort is available to order from any and every retailer, so by all means order from your preferred place (it just won’t be signed and possibly doodled in…I do have a tendency to doodle in books that have my name on them, just saying!). You can also get it from my affiliate bookshop.org storefront, which I earn an additional commission from and can support a local indie bookstore in your community.

Lots of people DM me to ask about the best way to support me and my books and there are few different ways:

• Preordering - This tells my publisher that people are excited and anticipating my book, which may have them put more marketing and publicity efforts toward it.

• Sharing with friends - Especially those with 8-12 year olds, including teacher friends with classroom libraries. My book may not be meant for you or it may not be your cup of tea, but chances are you know someone it’d be perfect for!

• Requesting it at your local library - If many people are interested in a book, a library may order multiple copies to make available for their patrons. This is a great option if funds are tight - let your library do the buying - and then you can go check it out!

• Writing a review - Sites like Amazon, Google, or GoodReads are great to leave a review (and shamelessly 5-star ones don’t hurt!) since their magic algorithms put my book into the orbit of people who buy similar titles and rank search results based on popularity.

• Social Media - Posting a picture of your copy and tagging me, or resharing any of my social media posts, be they about the book specifically or any of my process posts about the making of, help my work reach people who may not otherwise be aware of me and what I do.

Doing any of these things would make me eternally grateful!

The start of Jay’s freshman year is full of new things. . . .New friends. New classes. New challenges.

All of which are expected, until his new friend group’s obsession with perfect grades puts the pressure on—especially when his best subject, art, is full. Without it to anchor him, Jay hopes theater class will be the easy A he’s looking for. But when the class begins, Jay finds himself struggling like never before. Turns out balancing Shakespeare with biology and geometry is a lot harder than he thought. Will Jay be able to step into the spotlight and deliver an A+ performance?

Perfect for readers of Yehudi Mercado and Rachel Elliott, A for Effort’s refreshingly witty and honest story is a heartfelt exploration of how it’s not always the outcome but the journey itself that truly matters.

I can’t wait until I have copies in my hands! March will be here before I know it.

Hopefully it won’t be two years until the next newsletter, but you can always see what I’m up to on my social channels: My Website, Instagram, TikTok, BlueSky, Threads, and YouTube are where you can find me these days.

Until next time,

Jarad

I recently popped into some comic shops and indie bookstores to sign copies of A-Okay - as well as a fun artist wall :)