I’m thrilled to share the cover for my next middle-grade graphic novel SUPER BOBA CAFÉ! It will release in October of this year. It takes roughly 3 years to make a graphic novel so each bit I can share is very exciting! It’s available for pre-order now. Every pre-order helps the book get more attention. Pre-orders signal to the publisher and bookstores that people are excited about a title which leads to more shops stocking it and more publicity. Thank you in advance for pre-ordering!
I can’t wait to share more about Super Boba Café with you in the coming months.
Before Thanksgiving I finished inking my next middle grade graphic novel, Super Boba Cafe. Between that and Shark Party, I inked roughly 300 pages of comics this year. In addition to writing and revising upcoming books, I’m ready for a long break.
My happy face as I finished page 215 of Super Boba Cafe
Tracking progress, comic making is slow and steady
When working on long projects like a 200+ book, I need focus. So it took awhile to prep and print my yearly calendar. But it’s finally here! A new spin on my usual calendar with ink and watercolor art. I hope you like it!
Also for the first time in years, I have a small number of commissions available. My schedule is packed with books until 2025 so I’m unsure when this will happen again, but I’m happy to take a few now!
My final note is a new addition for each newsletter, which is to share my favorite reads. I am a lifelong book lover and tend to read 30-50 titles a year. I will link to bookshop.org, which is a great alternative to amaz*n that supports indie bookstores. If you can’t shop in person at a local independent bookstore, I recommend bookshop. I also maintain some graphic novel lists there as well.
My top 3!
Swim Team – a wonderful middle grade sports graphic novel that follows the journey of a girl on a swim team and delves into Black history and identity
Garlic and the Vampire – An adorable story of a little garlic who must leave her comfortable garden to confront the town vampire. This book is sweet and feels like a warm (garlicky) hug
All My Rage – This is the book I’ve recommended the most this year. Powerful. If I had this when I was growing up, I would’ve clutched it to my chest to feel less alone. It’s a story about two teenagers who experience more than their share of bad luck and how they journey from hurt to hope. It’s beautifully written, captivating and honest.
Thanks for reading this far – I hope you have a wonderful rest of the year with your loved ones.
See you in 2023,
Nidhi
https://everydaylove.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/edl-logo-tealv2.png00Nidhi Chananihttps://everydaylove.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/edl-logo-tealv2.pngNidhi Chanani2022-11-30 09:20:092022-11-30 09:20:09Books, calendars and commissions
I will be at the Cartoon Art Museum with Corey Peterschmidt (Amelia Erroway: Castaway Commander, Scholastic Books), Dana Simpson (Phoebe and Her Unicorn, Andrews McMeel Publishing), and Judd Winick (Hilo, Penguin Random House) for the YAY Comics! Artist Reception! Real Live Cartoonists! this Saturday, October 8, 2022 from 5-7pm. We will draw live, take Q&A and draw in folks books. I hope you can join us! Advance registration is recommended.
These days I am hyper focused on finishing Super Boba Cafe. Sparkles is always in the studio making sure I’m keeping on task.
Meanwhile I am enjoying the dip in temperatures as we slowly ease into fall and took a moment away from comics to draw with ink.
Later this month, on October 22nd, I will be at the Santa Clara Library Comicon. My panel and signing will begin at 12:30pm and I will lead folks in a drawing demo.
I hope to see you at an event in the near future!
https://everydaylove.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/edl-logo-tealv2.png00Nidhi Chananihttps://everydaylove.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/edl-logo-tealv2.pngNidhi Chanani2022-10-03 12:58:102022-10-03 12:58:10San Francisco and Santa Clara
Summer is good. Catching up with friends, spending unrestricted time with my little family and steadily churning comic pages. I successfully figured out how to work in Clip Studio Paint (a comics software program) remotely and it helps immensely. Being around other people, even if I never interact with them, bolsters my mood.
(Drawing Super Boba Cafe pages in a comfy cafe.)
This Friday I will speak at the CCA about comics, process and illustration as part of their city lectures. It’s free and open to the public.
And this weekend the YAY comics exhibit opens at the Cartoon Art Museum. You can see never-before-seen process pages from Jukebox. My work will hang alongside Corey Peterschmidt, Dana Simpson, and Judd Winick. The exhibit will be up through mid December.
That’s all for now – I hope you’re finding some peaceful moments this summer.
I’m happy to announce my next graphic novel series, Super Boba Café! I pitched the story back in February and sold it to Abrams at auction. It’s about Aria who, after a traumatic event at middle school, spends the summer with her nainai at her boba cafe in San Francisco. She doesn’t realize that her nainai uses the boba to placate the hill monster—avoiding an earthquake. But Aria thinks there has to be a better way for the monster to survive and for the café (and her self-esteem) to thrive.
I will be working on the story for the next few years (among other unannounced projects). I may not have time for another daily drawing until next year due to a very packed book schedule. And I’m eagerly awaiting a return to in-person book signings and events! I miss meeting readers!
Also, my calendar pre-order sale price ends this Friday – after that it will be $22.
Thank you for the support and I hope to see you soon!
