Storycomic Weekly Newsletter: July 11th
ALWAYS POSTED A WEEK EARLIER ON PATREON
🚨 Storycomic Patreon Update for Creators 🚨
If you're an author, indie comic creator, game designer, or storyteller looking for more visibility, the Storycomic Patreon is one of the easiest ways to get your work in front of a growing audience.
For just $5 a month (about the price of a cup of coffee), you get some real promotional benefits:
🎙 Front-of-the-Line Recording Access
I’m often booking podcast interviews three months in advance, but Patreon members jump to the front of the line. This is especially helpful if you have a time-sensitive launch, Kickstarter, or new release coming up.
🔗 Permanent Show Notes Promotion
Your website or project link will be included in the show notes of all interviews as long as you’re a member.
📣 Social Media Promotion
We’ll regularly help promote your projects across Storycomic’s social media channels.
And remember, the Storycomic podcast has over 30,000 downloads, so it’s a great way to get your work discovered by readers and fellow creators.
For the cost of a coffee each month, you get promotion, visibility, and priority booking.
If you’re a creative looking to grow your audience, it’s a pretty great deal.
👉 Join us on Patreon and let’s share your story with the world.
Founders Club patrons include amazing creators like:
Michael Winn, Higgins802, Von Allan, Stephanie Nina Pitsirilos, Marek Bennett, Donna Carr Roberts, Andrew Gronosky, Simki Kuznick, Simki Kuznick, John Holland, Maureen Devline, Benjamin Hunting, Samantha Kolber, Frank Walk, Mark Bell, and Matt & Therese.
Explore their work:
John Holland brings Vampires vs. Zombies back from the dead
John Holland is back on the show, and this time he’s talking about a comic that has been living in his head for years: Vampires vs. Zombies.
This project has a real “unfinished business” story behind it. Years ago, John started working on the idea with artist Hernan Gonzales, who drew several black-and-white pages. John loved the look — especially the use of red blood against the black-and-white art — but the project stalled when money, timing, and too many other creative commitments got in the way.
Now the comic is finally moving again, with Jorge Luis Gabotto handling the art, lettering, and coloring. John credits Jorge’s expressive character work, monster designs, and color choices with helping the story find its new shape.
In our conversation, we talk about what it feels like to return to a project after years away, how an old idea changes when a new artist enters the picture, and why some stories refuse to stay on the shelf. We also talk about John’s broader Die Bold Comics work, including his digital library move to Fund My Comic, and how this July 1st Kickstarter fits into the bigger picture.
For horror-comic fans, this is one worth watching.
Amy Meislin Pollack brings Jelly Bean to today’s middle-grade readers
In my newest interview, I’m joined by Amy Meislin Pollack, author of The Adventures of Jelly Bean series — a set of middle-grade coming-of-age books with a remarkable history.
Amy first created Jelly Bean when she was in fourth grade back in 1960. She kept telling Jelly Bean stories throughout her life: to students during a teaching career of more than 40 years, then to her children, and later to her grandchildren. Now Jelly Bean’s stories are available to readers everywhere.
The series follows a fourth-grade girl who is funny, honest, and often overwhelmed by the same kinds of things real kids face: friendship problems, popularity, family conflict, feeling ignored, grief, change, and learning how to make her own choices. In the first book, Jelly Bean’s day begins with disaster — falling into the toilet, missing carpool, arriving late to school, and losing out on one of the better parts in the Thanksgiving play. From there, life only gets more complicated.
In our conversation, Amy talks about why coming-of-age stories still matter, what decades of teaching taught her about kids, and why Jelly Bean’s struggles continue to feel familiar across generations.
For fans of Judy Blume-style honesty, this is a conversation worth hearing.
David McCord on preserving history and creating tabletop fun with NewVenture Games
In my newest interview, I’m joined by David McCord, the designer, artist, collector, and founder of NewVenture Games.
David’s work sits at a wonderful creative intersection. Tabletop games are part art project, part puzzle, part social experience, and part historical artifact. Through NewVenture Games, David is helping preserve classic games from around the world while also creating new games for modern players.
What makes his approach especially interesting is how hands-on it is. NewVenture Games describes David as the person behind most of the artwork and graphic design, which means the games carry a clear maker’s touch. This is not just about selling games. It is about understanding how games work, why they last, and what makes people want to return to them.
In our conversation, we talk about historic strategy games, solo play, print-and-play design, game components, rules, artwork, testing, and the difference between a game that works once and a game that keeps calling players back.
For anyone who loves board games, game nights, design, history, or the creative process behind tabletop play, this is a fun and thoughtful conversation.
Project Update: Still Moving Forward
It was another slower week for my creative projects, but that's okay. Even when I don't have as much time to dedicate to writing or editing, I'm still thinking about the stories and where I want to take them.
The excitement I rediscovered for Appliance is still very much there, and that's been encouraging. Sometimes momentum isn't measured by pages completed but by the desire to keep coming back to a project. I'm looking forward to carving out more dedicated writing time in the weeks ahead and continuing to move the story forward, one step at a time.
Book Review: Books Good Enough for You – Celebrating the Unsung Heroes of Children's Literature
Every once in a while, you come across a book that not only tells an interesting story but also deepens your appreciation for the books you've loved your whole life. That's exactly what I found in Books Good Enough for You by Nancy Hudgins.
I first became interested in this book after having Nancy as a guest on my podcast. She was kind enough to send me a copy, and I'm grateful she did. As someone who spends a lot of time reading children's books, interviewing authors, and sharing stories with my own kids, I found it to be a fascinating look behind the scenes of children's publishing.
The book introduces readers to Ursula Nordstrom, the remarkable editor who helped shape some of the most beloved children's books ever published. While authors and illustrators often receive the spotlight, this book reminds us that great editors also play an important role in bringing timeless stories into the world. It's a perspective that many readers, myself included, don't often stop to consider.
What has made this book even more special is that my daughter has now started reading it herself, and she's really enjoying it. Seeing her discover the history behind some of the books she knows is a wonderful reminder that stories have stories of their own. It's sparked some great conversations between us about books, creativity, and the people who help bring ideas to life.
I think Books Good Enough for You is an important read for middle-grade readers. It encourages curiosity, introduces young readers to literary history in an engaging way, and shows that there are many paths into the world of books beyond simply becoming an author. For kids who love reading, writing, drawing, or simply wondering how books are made, this is an inspiring and rewarding read.
Nancy Hudgins has created a biography that is both educational and approachable. It's a heartfelt tribute to a remarkable figure in children's literature, and one that I believe young readers—and the adults who love books alongside them—will thoroughly enjoy.
Personal Update: A Quick Week and a Great Fourth of July
It was a quick week, and before I knew it, another one was in the books. Sometimes those are the weeks that seem to disappear the fastest.
A good portion of my free time has been spent continuing to work on WYKR Classic. It's been enjoyable digging into the station and making steady improvements as it comes together. There's still more to do, but it's exciting to see it gradually become the vision I had in mind.
This week also brought the Fourth of July festivities. I had the opportunity to broadcast our local parade live once again for the radio station, and it's one of those traditions I always look forward to. There's something special about bringing community events to listeners who can't be there in person. We wrapped up the holiday by watching the fireworks from our front yard, which made for a relaxing end to a busy day.
The weather certainly made itself known this week as well. We were hit with a major heat wave, so whenever possible, we stayed indoors and enjoyed the air conditioning. As much as I enjoy being outside during the summer, those really hot days make you appreciate a cool house.
The rest of the week was filled with the usual mix of running the newspaper, keeping things moving at the radio station, and staying on top of the many little tasks that come with owning a few different businesses. While it wasn't a week filled with major milestones, it was one of those solid weeks where a lot of small pieces fell into place.
Sometimes those quieter weeks are the ones that provide the foundation for bigger things to come, and that's how this one felt. Steady progress, a great Independence Day, a little work on passion projects, and looking ahead to what next week has in store.
Watching Supergirl with my super girl.
Watching fireworks in our front yard!