Well, let’s see. What have I done today?

I admired the absolute torrential downpour of rain, which rained like a rainy thing until it suddenly stopped and sunlight broke over the cathedral:

I went to lunch with Ted, and did a wee bit of shopping.

I have not done any writing. But there was something else that happened, um, what was it.

Oh yeah:

Oh my GOD I have been sitting on this for TWO MONTHS waiting to tell people.

My agent, the unbelieveably amazing Jennifer Jackson submitted “Take A Chance” to the Dabel Brothers (yes, the same Dabel Brothers who are doing the Dresden Files comics!) in November, as a potential project for their first creator-owned comic book. There was almost immediate interest, and we’ve been haggling over the details since, and I am now incredibly, *incredibly*, beside-myself-thrilled to annouce that we’ve gone to contract and have cautious plans to have the first issue on the shelves in May 2008!

To answer questions I expect will come up (though I bet this won’t be all of them!):

– Yes, Ardian, my mind-blowingly talented artist, will be completing the first story arc, which ends with issue #5.

– Yes, the title of the comic is in fact going to remain TAKE A CHANCE — there’s no trademark violations, and you cannot *believe* how AAAAAHAHAHAHHAHA SQUEEEEEEE YES AHAHAHAHAHA I am over that!

– Yes, it is a *creator-owned* project: Chance is and will remain mine, and all decisions regarding anything to do with the comic will be mine.

– No, I do not have a new artist lined up yet. I will be beginning a search for one immediately. This is, frankly, a chance for you, if you’re an insanely talented sequential artist, or for somebody you know, if you happen to know an insanely talented sequential artist. My first artist went from never having had a professional gig to an exclusive contract with the Dabels.

– Yes, it will be available in fine comic stores everywhere! It’ll be distributed through Diamond. I don’t know yet if it’ll be in B&N and the like, but the major chain bookstores *do* order through Diamond. If you don’t have a nearby comic shop you should be able to put in an order with your big box store and get the comic.

– Yes, it will, in time, be distributed as trade paperbacks. The Dabels have a deal with Del Rey (who happen to be publishing THE QUEEN’S BASTARD, also out in May!) to create and distribute graphic novels. It’s my hope that every six issues there’ll be a new trade for people to collect.

– No, there is not a set number of issues in the contract. I have a 48 issue series planned. If everybody on my friends list buys 20 copies of each comic, I think we will break even and be able to produce all 48 issues. You know your duty. :)

– Issue #1 is completely done. The pencils are done for issues 2-4, and the script is finished for issue #5. No, I have *no idea* how I’m going to pay for the production of everything else for the next few months before (hopefully) some money starts to come in. Anybody want to float me a loan? o.O

I have not been this excited since my first book contract. I spent the last two hours going AHAHAHAH OMG OMG OMG OMG AHAHAHAHAH SQUEEEEEEEEE and will probably spend the next two weeks doing the same. :)