Hi folks! Happy October!
Autumn is finally here! Though at the time of writing, it's still hovering around the 90's in Texas. Bring on the fall weather! I wanna wear jackets again! Please, universe!!
This past month had a lot of ups and downs, from the newly launched Mail Club 2.0 to dealing with platform shutdowns and logistics. Let's talk about it!
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MAIL CLUB: NEW AND IMPROVED!
The biggest news this month is that my comic's mail club is changing! Originally, each month's stickers + print were only available to Patreon supporters. But now, the mail club is available on my store as both a one-time purchase, or a monthly subscription!
The subscription model is super flexible, and will allow you to choose what goods you get every month (just the stickers, just the print, or both), pause/skip months if you don't vibe with a theme, and get loyalty discounts the longer your membership stays active!
Additionally, since I'll no longer be losing fees to Patreon, I'll be able to occasionally add special freebies to the mail club sets! Stay tuned for more news on that~
October's mail club set is now available, and the theme (as voted by my Patreon supporters) is Rainy Days! Featuring 2 rainy window stickers, and a signed print featuring Marina and Vector on a shopping stroll in the rain~
Get this month's adorable merch on our store before the month is over!
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TAPAS.IO SHUTDOWN + The Azure Mirage
In an unexpected twist, we received news last month that Tapas.io, a comic and novel hosting platform, will be shutting its doors by the end of the year. I've been on Tapas for as long as Castoff has been running (almost 12 years!), and though it wasn't my main platform for the comic, it still stings to lose the community I grew there.
What ALSO stings is that Tapas was the main place I was hosting my WIP novel The Azure Mirage. With the site shutting down, I'll be moving the story to its own website, though it will take some time for that to be up and running. I'll be sure to keep you all updated on the status of the story and its new home via these emails!
The story can still be read on Tapas until it shuts down- including the newest chapter, Laz ch3! Wherein some Bad Things happen to our favorite assassin. Inciting incident, anyone?
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NEW VIDEO!
I finished my newest sketchbook this month! This is the 5th one I've completed since getting back into the hobby a few years ago, and it's also my largest sketchbook to date! I uploaded a video flipping through it and talking about the art- please check it out!
NEW SKETCHBOOK!
Just like with my previous sketchbooks, Sketchbook vol5 is now available as a scanned PDF, to flip through at your leisure! And, to celebrate the release, ALL my sketchbook PDFs are 30% off until 10/9! (Just use code "AZURE" at checkout!) Check them out here!
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MY WEBCOMIC
Castoff is still trucking through chapter 14! Some strange things are happening in the current scene...! Now's a great time to catch up!
You can read pages as they're released on the website, or read a month ahead by joining my Patreon!
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UPCOMING EVENTS!
I'm done vending for the year- but I have one more event planned this month! Catch me at Lightbox Expo, where I'll be giving my Webcomics 101 panel (with a casual meet-and-greet after)! I'll be passing out stickers to folks who happen to find me at the show...!
LIGHTBOX EXPO
Pasadena, CA | Oct 25-27
Panelist ("Webcomics 101")
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THE PART WHERE I RAMBLE FOR A BIT
A lot happened this month! We started off strong with San Japan, which was lovely! So many of you came by to say hi, and it truly made my weekend special <3 The new D&Dvee stickers were a HUGE hit, and I ended up selling out!! I'm so glad y'all are loving those, because I'm having a blast making 'em! And, in fact, I'm already working on my next D&D Pokemon set...! Patreon supporters have been getting peeks at my progress and livestreams where I work on the finished art, so consider joining if you'd like to join the fun!
I've been trying to relax lately, since August was such a whirlwind. The good news is, with no cons in the near future I've had more free time on my hands. My brain is still a little singed from burnout, and I feel guilty that I haven't touched Azure Mirage since before San Japan... but recovery is part of the creative process.
Luckily, I should be done working on the current Castoff chapter before November, which means that I'll have plenty of time to write during NaNoWriMo in November! (National Novel Writing Month is a yearly challenge where you try and write 50k words during November! It had a nonprofit attached to it but it, uh, exploded a few years ago. The challenge itself is still a good exercise, though!) Last year I started the challenge already burnt out and busy, and therefore wasn't able to finish. But this year I'm gonna try my best to win!
Anyway, that'll be a wrap for this month! Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a lovely October!
-Star <3