Great Lakes Chapter Anniversary Dinner

I had a truly great weekend recently, which made me really happy to be a cartoonist.  Not only did the new exhibit at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum open, but I attended the 20th Anniversary celebration for the Great Lakes Chapter of the National Cartoonists Society!

It's always inspirational and just plain fun to be in a room of cartoonists, and this was no exception.  We chatted for a bit, had dinner, and then a chapter meeting discussing a fun new group project (more on that when it comes together). There was a look back at 20 years (actually 25, considering the group unofficially met for 5 years!) and a really cool raffle with great prizes.  I was quite pleased to win a gift bag from last year's Reuben Awards, full of all kinds of goodies.

A big thank you to Polly Keener and Earl Musick for throwing such a great party!  And thanks to old friends and new for making it even better. :0)

Next up, pics from the Bill Watterson and Richard Thompson gallery exhibit!

JOHN :0)

A Special Short Story

As far as cartooning goes, I'm proud to be the creator of two comic strips, Knight and Day, and The Inquiring Minds.  Some time ago, it just seemed to make sense to merge those worlds into one, and so Iris became the daughter of Steven and Amy Knight, and all kinds of possibilities and crossovers occurred. I'm really glad, because eventually my short story, Iris, came about.

Iris was created for the SPACE Anthology 2012, and is a special story for me.  Now I am proud to announce that this story is now a finalist for the SPACE prize 2014!

For a limited time, I'm making the story available to read free, at this link. Consider it an early Christmas present, and one I'm happy to share.

Cheers,    JOHN :0)

PS I also have an Inquiring Minds short story in SPACE anthology 2013, and hopefully will have another story in the 2014 book.  And just maybe some in other places, so stay tooned!

The HappyGlyphs Shop, New!

I've been running my own online shop for some time now, which has been great thanks to the PayPal shopping cart.  However, as my inventory has grown, the shop has grown, and that means adding or updating multiple pages of HTML.  I haven't had any problems, thank goodness, but I do wonder if new customers have any trust issues, or security concerns, and updating when inventory is low sometimes takes a while.... well, there's a list of minor concerns.  So... I am considering moving to a new shop.

After searching, and researching, I came across Storenvy.  It has a similar PayPal shopping cart, and similar type of layout (although I can't change the header for every page, can I?) and several features which I think can save me lots of time in the future.  For one, it updates pretty quickly, and for another I get pages nearly instantaneously, without me having to do the HTML thing, and testing them in different browsers.

There is also a way to add coupons, link from my facebook page, and it actually keeps track of inventory for me!  Plus, even though it's still my shop, Storenvy is like an overseer, to give you that extra sense of security. I maintain a professional reputation, but here that will hopefully be more visible.

I'm slowly moving all of my current products into the new shop, and best of all, I'm adding new stuff, especially original art, since it's easier for me to add new products.  I'm adding my best original art, and have already sold one piece, so don't hesitate if you see something you like.  Original art is one of a kind, so once it's gone, it's gone.  And look for other fun items I'll be adding now that I have the ability. :0)

So, new shop, and so far it's working well.  Is it perfect?  No, but it is comfortable, so far.  And it's t0o early to tell if the social marketing aspect of the shop works, or if the marketplace fees will affect prices in any way.  As always, it helps me if you check it out, click 'envy' on products you like, and of course, buy stuff.  To help you get started, here's a coupon I'm currently running. (if this is an old post, I can't guarantee the coupon will still be active)


Use the code "SHEEP" to get 10% off on all items!




And here's the link to the new shop!

http://happyglyphs.storenvy.com/

Any questions, concerns, comments?  Please let me know.
Cheers,    JOHN :0)

On my iPod?  Fish, A Feast of Consequences