Spiderella is now on Kickstarter!

You can visit the Kickstarter page for our campaign here!

Romey made so many wonderful graphics for this project! He also made our amazing video.

Romey made so many wonderful graphics for this project! He also made our amazing video.

The beautiful batch of test copies we received!

The beautiful batch of test copies we received!

On the Kickstarter page, you'll find lots of info about the rewards, the risks and all that good stuff! 

Spiderella has been a dream for Romey and me practically since we met 6 years ago. I still remember when he told me the story and I secretly thought, "I want to draw it!" I was thrilled when he asked me if I would illustrate it because that had been my evil plan all along. 

The work I did for Spiderella is honestly the work I'm most proud of. I still glance back at the pages and think, "I did that!?" And now we're ready to share that work with the world. 

Here are three ways you can help:

1. Back the Kickstarter and get some lovely rewards. 

2. Share the link on social media-- the more eyeballs, the better!

3. Tell someone who you think will like it, too. Text, email, call! Reach out to someone special and tell them about this book. 

The Kickstarter Campaign will end on October 31st, a very auspiciously spooky date. So put on your fanciest costume, markyour calendar, and spread the word! 

A Comic about Collaboration

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This sketchbook comic addresses something that's been on my mind lately as Romey and I prepare for the launch of a Kickstarter for Spiderella! (More on that very soon)

We both agreed that it's so much more effortless to promote Spiderella, a project that we both had an equal hand in, than it is to promote things we've done by ourselves. And we'd better buckle our seat belts because there's a lot of promotion to do! 

Anyway, I usually post comics like this on my Instagram and Twitter, where, for simplicity's sake, I am @laurelholden. 

Oh, my... another book review!

This was, perhaps, my favorite book I've read this year! I can't wait to see what the author is going to do next. 

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Other favorites of the summer: Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia, The Girl in the Red Coat by Kate Hamer, Caraval by Stephanie Garber, and The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon, I would have loved to have done sketchbook reviews for all of these, but I was busy making my new book, The House Remains. Look for a post about this and information about where to purchase soon!

"Touch" by Courtney Maum

Next up for my Sketchbook Reviews... 

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This was the book I just couldn't stop talking about! Plus, after I posted it on Instagram, the author liked and reposted it! It was one of those cool connections that could only happen as a consequence of the internet (though it's mostly evil.) It also reminded me of the importance of telling people that you appreciate their work; especially for authors and artists who work mostly in solitude. Hearing from a fan is special and rare unless you're, like, super Neil Gaiman famous. Next time you love someone's work, let them know!

Book Reviews!

This winter, some friends and I started a book club. What started out as a good excuse to get a group of busy women together on a regular basis turned out to be just the thing I needed to rediscover my love of reading. It sounds silly, right? A librarian who doesn't read? Blame it on my English degree... four solid years of stressing over my reading until I fell asleep under Ulysses and a pile of Diet Coke cans somehow left me feeling burnt out. But I have found my way back! Here are some sketchbook reviews for some books I have enjoyed this Summer... 

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