Pausing to say thanks

Today marks the “official release” of the Rejected Princesses website redesign (which counts as this week’s entry – you can read more about here), and it is also the day before American Thanksgiving, so I thought I would take a moment to directly thank you all.

When I left my job at DreamWorks back in April, I had a half dozen projects on my docket — a novel, two screenplays, some comics, and this. This was just a little side project, mostly for my own amusement, and to better my illustration skills. Some of the entries were basically just dark jokes without much substance. Some were more art experiments than anything. Some were just weird.

But the response was enormous, and immediate, and life-changing.

I left DreamWorks because I didn’t feel like I was growing anymore. I’d lost the fire for my job, and no number of giant dragon-related explosions was bringing it back. I wanted to set out on my own tell stories that I loved, even if nobody else did. I wanted to be the carpenter instead of the tool. I wanted to really push myself.

Fast-forward six months. I’m working 16 hour days, 7 days a week. I read a new book every 2-3 days, and I regularly draw until I fall asleep. My every waking moment, I am stalked by the book schedule, and the twin fears of falling behind and releasing something that sucks.

But I’m growing. And learning. And I couldn’t be happier.

And it’s all thanks to you. So thank you.

Out for a couple days at my brother’s wedding – back next week with another myth. Your hint: even if you’re strong enough to lift a kayak over your head, you still couldn’t beat one of her lice in arm-wrestling.