The first episode of ORANGE has arrived: READ IT!

Just got another review for the book!

How I Made It to Eighteen: A Mostly True Story Tracy White. Roaring Brook, $16.99 (144p) ISBN 978-1-59643-454-7

White’s story of a 17-year-old girl’s ordeals with depression, addiction, and body image issues is all the more powerful because of its basis in truth. The story follows Stacy Black, whose nervous breakdown leads to her decision to check into the Golden Meadows Hospital for mental health. Given the thinly veiled name of the protagonist, it’s no surprise that White is upfront about the events being drawn from her own experiences. Stacy begins with the simple goal of finding a way to be happy with her life again. What follows, though, is life-changing realizations about her drug dependency, her relationship with her mother, and her insecurities about her boyfriend. In the end, her most unexpected revelation is how serious her body image issues are, how much she’d accepted them as an ordinary part of her life, and how much damage they’ve done to her. White’s very simple hand-drawn, b&w artistic style enhances the personal touch of the work, creating the effect of an illustrated diary. While text-heavy, the narration is clear-eyed and affecting. Ages 14-up. (June)

The final episode of OWCH is here.

TRACED update coming week of the 26th.

For this week: The first official review of my book from VOYA.

“White, Tracy. How I Made It To Eighteen: A Mostly True Story. Roaring Brook/Macmillan, 2010. 137p. $16.99. 978-1-59643-454-7.
White’s “mostly true story” begins when seventeen-year-old Stacy Black enters Golden Meadows Hospital in an attempt to feel like herself again—whoever that is. Ostensibly Stacy works toward her goal of being happy again, earning privileges at the hospital and even becoming close friends with another patient. But she moves both forward and backward in her recovery, clinging to an unhealthy relationship with Eric, offering advice she cannot take, and refusing to be open and honest about her thoughts and actions.
Stacy’s story of anxiety, abuse, self-harm, addiction, and depression, is also a story of an interesting, creative young woman and her friends, a veritable chorus that adds perspective and insight into Stacy’s struggles. White’s images are as intense and telling as the written text. Comparisons to Susanna Kaysen’s Girl, Interrupted (Random House, 1993) are unavoidable: both are stories of self-discovery, memoirs of the female authors’ time in mental health facilities during their late adolescence. Both Kaysen’s and White’s stories are fascinating and frustrating. Most significantly, both memoirs stop short of offering easy solutions to complicated problems. White’s perspective is honest, often unflinchingly and quite unsympathetic to her adolescent self. Still it is made clear why Stacy is likeable and loyal. More honest than Cut (Front Street, 2000/VOYA February 2001), more intriguing even than Girl, Interrupted, White’s novel uses stark black-and-white imagery to construct her frank and honest story of a fraught adolescence.—Jennifer Miskec.

Blood and hair in high school. Read it.

This week’s Owch update (memory) was made possible by the kindness of Gail. Thank you Gail. Go on, read it.

A first glimpse of my book and the cover! Short write up by librarian Elizabeth Bird. Scroll down, keep going, keep going…it’s the only black cover fifth from the bottom. Lots of other interesting titles there, I want to read them too.

And the Owch update is here.

This week’s update has arrived. Read it now.

And for this week’s update: You want me to pack what?!

Enjoy the first update in a long while.
My ARM got the official physical therapist O.K.
That means I can draw again!!!! Took it easy on this
one. Call it a test draw.

While I was nominated for BEST NEW TALENT, TRACED has been around longer than the maximum three years required for this category. Still I’m honored to have been considered and I urge you to visit the nominee page and cast your votes for the many talented people listed.

1. MY BOOK IS DONE!!!! As in I’m getting the ARC tomorrow. That’s the it’s almost final but not totally final but good enough for us to print and send out to people to see version. VERY EXCITED.

2. My arm is finally healed. After drawing a lot I blew out my arm again and not it’s finally not hurting…hence the post.

3. That means TRACED will begin updates again.

4. Thank you to the Lulu judges: I’ve been nominated for TRACED. Go here for a complete list. Awards is by votes. SO VOTE FOR ME. And I quote:
Email us with your picks (one from each category) at
friendsoflulumail@yahoo.com
along with your full name, by Monday, OCTOBER 19. One ballot per person, please.

Monsters of Webcomics, at the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco, runs from August 8 to December 6. TRACED will be part of a virtual gallery in the show. So if you’re in the area check it out and let me know what I’m missing.

Umm…it’s been a while since my last update. Sigh. So here is another: Hard at work finishing the book. Some how time keeps slipping away. Please be patient. TRACED is merely sleeping for the moment but will awaken shortly.

A couple of things:

1. A new page from the book is up. I’ve had to go back and redraw the first chapter because my drawing style for the characters changed so much by the time I got to the end. Right now the book is 154 pages.

Check out the new page sixteen.

2. Thank you web100. TRACED is on their 21 best
web comics list.

My right arm is losing. Still have some tendonitis and in the name of conserving this most useful limb so I can finish the young adult graphic novel I’m doing for Roaring Brook Press due in early August, TRACED is on hiatus till the middle of July. I’ll be posting more pages from the manuscript so check back weekly or sign up to get notified.
RSS, email, twitter.

Updates still on hold while the tendonitis in my right arm heals. The good new is it’s healing. Hoping to resume next week.

Strained the muscles in my drawing arm. Maybe update next week.

One blue sharpie, two x’s and…

Read the OWCH update. And yes, it hurt.

No update this week. Sigh. Next week for sure. Stay tuned when OWCH takes a more pointed turn.

It walks, it talks, it coughs and even inhales…

And the original SMOKING comic.

And who am I (or was I) anyway? Read the new update now.

Umm…you guessed it. No update this week. Drawing took a backseat to coughing fits and allergies.
See you all next week same time same TRACED channel.

The new OWCH update is here!

Read the new update now.

Read the new update today!

Well I’ve spent the week working on the book and am still far behind so I did not do a comic update.

That said you can take a look at one of the pages here. It’s very much a work in progress.

OWCH update is here. Read it now.

F*#$! Authority: Read this week’s OWCH installment now.

remember how i said i wished i’d broken a bone? well i broke my foot. it hurts. update will be coming hopefully next week. in the meantime think heal the foot quick thoughts for me.

Golden Earrings: read it now

Read the new chapter now.

Enjoy this week’s chapter.

OWCH has arrived. Story will be updating weekly…well that’s the goal, or the resolution…

Begin at the beginning.

just uploaded another two pages from my book for you to look at here. work is moving ahead. not as fast
as i hoped but at least it’s going forward.

I think it’s a happy ending.

Read the final installment of growing now.

Check it out: TRACED got written up in the washington post!

If things get sticky, move to another country.

Read the latest and almost the last installment of GROWING.

key words: mint tea, christmas 09, serendipity, drawing, technology, comics…and more. Go read it.

it walks, it talks, it vomits, it’s TRACED in glorious black and white.

And don’t forget to read the original GETTING DRUNK comic.

And with a wave of the wand watch her disappear…

Read the new GROWING update now.

TRACED has been nominated for an IGNATZ award
Neat! yeah an odd word choice but neat is the first word that popped into my mind (from which corner of my brain I know not). Anyway very happy to be considered.

The other nominees are:

Achewood, Chris Onstad
Danny Dutch, David King
Slow Wave, Jesse Reklaw
Thingpart, Joey Sayers

Also check out the rest of the nomination list (all print) to see what you know and what you don’t. I always find out about new work/artists that way.

Nothing like a new place for a new lease on life.

GROWING continues to continue. view it now.

ok. summer is officially over and i’m officially back in action. TRACED will begin regular updates this week. thanks, as always, for your patience. the BOOK i’m drawing has sort of taken over.

it’s friday already…clearly time is moving faster than I am. there is no TRACED update this week. There will be a TRACED update next week even if i have to stop the clock from moving to get it done. ugh.

I hate them but I can’t stay away from them.

The every growing GROWING continues. Peruse the comic now.

Really. And no computer. Next update at the end of July.

The sh*t hits the fan.

Fresh from my brain and right hand to your eyes, GROWING continues. Read it now.

Take a peek behind closed doors.

For your entertainment: The newest installment of Growing has landed. Read it.

Well that didn’t take as long as I thought it would.

Read the new GROWING update. What are you waiting for?!

where does the time go? honestly. sorry. i am working on another update but it’s taken a back seat to MY BOOK. yes, the book. it is due fully illustrated to the publisher in december and I AM VERY FAR BEHIND. so that’s where most of my energy is going. that said, i will try and have an update end of this week or beginning of next. thanks for being patient with me.

Enjoy the freshest installment of GROWING now.

i know i know, i’m late with the update! it’s coming next week. what can i say except umm, thanks for your patience.

The latest Growing installment has arrive. Check it out!

View the new GROWING installment now!

A new GROWING chapter for your viewing pleasure is here! Enjoy.

TRACED is on a brief hiatus, weekly updates will start back up in the few weeks. In the meantime enjoy the TRACED comics that are here now.

The latest GROWING update is here. What are you waiting for? Go read it!

Check out the new story update for GROWING now.

A new GROWING update is here. View it now.

Or begin at the beginning.

The new GROWING update has arrived for your viewing pleasure.

This week: small is great.

Read it now.

let the episodes begin.

check out GROWING.

it’ll update weekly…comic gods willing.

read it now.

yes it’s been a while since i’ve posted — TRACED lives…new comic will being at the end of this week. stay tuned.

Evolution reaches its natural conclusion.

This week: what if?

The longest comic yet on TRACED has fully evolved. I am working on another story and will have it up soon. I’ll keep you posted on the progress so check back or subscribe to the TRACED feeds for automatic updates.

Evolution keeps moving

This week: How to hide from life.

This marks the second to last update before EVOLUTION is finished. Hope you’ve been enjoying it and, as always,
thanks for your patience between updates!

EVOLUTION continues:

Previously: With one mean look, the teenager destroyed me.

This week: I love you, I hate you.

Previously: riding the public bus admiring a teenager, something i wanted desperately to be.

This week: thou shalt not covet false idols

read it now and leave a comment later.

ummm…so things are moving slowly…still haven’t updated EVOLUTION but i will. please be patient!

is evolving…it’s taken a bit longer than i’d with a new update but that’s cause building this site has taken a bit longer and more time than i thought it would. anyway there is one coming. in the meantime check out the current installment and let me know what you think.