Hello everyone!
First of all, I want to give a BIG thanks to everyone who have supported me throughout this project! It’s an honor and a privilege to have your readership and shared enthusiasm of this world and these characters! As you may know, the last page of Volume 1 was posted online. This marks the end of what I’ve called “a giant 150 page prologue” of the project.
By no means is this the end! I’d first like to say that I’ve been hard at work on Volume 2’s script since January of this year and is roughly 2/3’s done (mostly). I already have enough drawing material for the next 1-2 years, though since I’m trying to learn from mistakes I made on Volume 1, I’m trying to really finalize and lock in the script as much as possible so there aren’t narrative errors. It’s never fun to find out you’ve drawn 2-3 months of art that need rehashed because you’ve caught glaring story issues! XD
I plan to break ground on Volume 2 later this summer and build a queue of at least 40+ pages. For Vol. 1 I had built a 60 page queue, but that’s ONLY because I released 19 pages on launch. I’m happy to say I kept the queue steady for 3 years until the final page you all just read. Once I hit the queue I need, then I plan to launch around 3-4 pages on launch day and then guarantee a page every Friday again until Vol. 2 is finished, which means a solid 3 years more of reading! If all goes according to plan, Vol. 2 should be starting online Summer 2021.
In short, Vol. 2 is full steam ahead! Cashmere Sky will be better than ever as this project continues. I have learned an ENORMOUS amount through writing, drawing, planning, and countless other categories that I can’t recall all at once haha. While Vol. 1 had a beginning / end story arc, Vol 2. will be of a more ongoing epic tale with continuation into Vol. 3 (uh oh… did I just say that? XD) Again, I can’t wait to get back to the usual and get lost in the world of Ion Valley all over again!
On another note, I’ve been asked a lot about print versions of the book. As some know, prototypes exist, though I’m reluctant to admit my publisher searching has been lacking lately due to so many factors going on in the world. I DO plan to offer PDF downloads of the book as part of Patron tiers in the near future, so you can at least have the digital version on your phone and/or tablet. I haven’t decided if I’m doing a Kickstarter for self-publishing yet because those are their own beast to tackle. I had planned to have 40-50 books available for Anthrocon 2020 at my booth, but unfortunately that was cancelled due to the pandemic. I’ll be there next year though as my booth is still locked in, assuming everything is better!
Lastly, I know many have been feeling the weight of the world with current events between the pandemic and protests. I’m with you, and my heart goes out to those that have lost loved ones, experienced discrimination, and struggle to get through the events day to day. I very much hope the world is a much better place that we all want to be a part of by the time Vol. 2 gets posted, and this paragraph I’m writing will be but a memory.
Again, thank you all so much for your support, and I hope to keep delivering a great story that we can all continue to enjoy! Even though Volume 1 has finished, this project is just getting started!
Sincerely,
Jared Hudson <3
P.S. The picture above was inspired by the style of Bill Watterson (or Walt Kelly if you’re a purist).
