Pictured: A close-up of a typical Japanese Christmas Cake 

Here is the fifth in my Tuesday mini-series of reflections on my experiences in the JET Program, lazily culled from e-mails sent to friends and family at the time. This one looks to be from December, 2003:

(more…)

Pictured: Shingu Port, a fifteen minute walk from where I lived.

This is the first post in a series describing the creative process behind my graphic novel Tonoharu. This augural installment deals with the circumstances that allowed work on Tonoharu to begin.

(more…)

Image From Tonoharu: Part One 

Here is the sixth in my Tuesday mini-series of reflections on my experiences in the JET Program, lazily culled from e-mails sent to friends and family at the time. This one looks to be from January 2004ish:

(more…)

Pictured: Art I admire

This is the second post in a series describing the creative process behind my graphic novel Tonoharu. This installment covers the formation of the basic idea.

******
If there’s a common thread to the experiences in my adult life that get me excited in a kid-on-Christmas kind of way, it’s those that make me feel like the world is a big, terrible, exhilarating place with untraveled roads, fascinating strangers, and infinite possibilities.

“Feel” is the key word here. It’s easy to duly profess the belief that there’s a world of possibility beyond your front door, but I’m not talking about an uninspired intellectual awareness. I’m talking about when you feel it in your guts, when you’re intoxicated by curiosity about what might be around the next corner.
(more…)

Pictured: Japanese kids preparing for a mustard gas attack lunch 

Here is the seventh in my Tuesday mini-series of reflections on my experiences in the JET Program, lazily culled from e-mails sent to friends and family at the time. This one looks to be from mid-February 2004: 
(more…)

My series of posts entitled Creating Tonoharu will resume in a few weeks. I had to put it on hold in light of the following: I have been selected to receive a Xeric Grant to self-publish my graphic novel Tonoharu: Part One! For those who don’t know about the Xeric Grant, see the previous post about it here. To learn more about Tonoharu, click here.

I just received word about this last Saturday, and have been running around like a chicken with his head cut off this whole week trying to get everything ready. It’s been exhausting, but terribly exciting.

I’d like to get it published and out there just as soon as I can, but of course these things take time. So I’m shooting to have Tonoharu: Part One released sometime during the first quarter of 2008, or maybe even a little before then, like late December 2007.

Well, I think I’ll leave it at this for now. This is a short entry I know, but I’ve got a lot to get to. Check back next Friday for more details.

In the meantime, check out my newly-expanded “About Me” page (http://larsmartinson.com/about/), and my newly-created “About My Comics” page (http://larsmartinson.com/about-comics/).

One more thing: next Tuesday’s installment of “JET Program Reflections” is cancelled, to give me more time to devote to publishing-related stuff and to give this entry top billing on my site for a full week. “JET Program Reflections” will be back on Tuesday, October 30th.

As mentioned in my previous entry, I just found out that I have been awarded a Xeric Grant to self-publish my graphic novel Tonoharu.

Since then I’ve been rushing around trying to get everything ready. I’ve contacted printers for quotes, secured an ISBN number and barcode, started drafting and sending out press releases, worked on the design and content for my forthcoming business website, wrote this longwinded blog entry, etc., etc., etc….
(more…)

Pictured: Another Day, another ceremony… 

Here is the eighth in my Tuesday mini-series of reflections on my experiences teaching English in Japan through the JET Program, lazily culled from e-mails sent to friends and family at the time. This one looks to be from April 2004:  

(more…)