With this book, I’d say deadlines had a lot to do with it getting done. At this point, the strip is carried in other publications, and I have to turn in new material each week or I lose my spot, but I think that’s a wonderful pressure to have. Maybe it’s a bit weird to feel that way, but for me, being forced to step away from the sometimes chaotic qualities of life and say that for the next day, I’m going to focus on joy, pleasure, simplicity, and to make myself laugh and to then, hopefully bring a small blessing to a reader somewhere… it’s a wonderful thing to be forced to do, and so I guess that inspires me to keep going and to push myself to be the best I can be.
What is one thing you hope readers will take away from this book?
A comic is different from a novel, or other types of writing, because everything always comes full circle. The characters develop, but they don’t change, so the themes are different, and the purpose is different.
When I write, my goal is to share a bit of joy with the reader. Sometimes I succeed, and sometimes I don’t, but the purpose of my work is to bring a smile every day. It seems more and more that people are trying to push the envelope, and everyone wants to be edgy and, frankly, vulgar to get a laugh. I want to go the opposite direction with my work. There is a kind of wonder and charm that kids bring that’s unmatched. I’ve created a world where that is on display and my hope is that people will walk away from the book feeling a bit better than when they picked it up.
Where can readers purchase a copy of your book?
All of my books are available through my website at www.caseyandkylecomics.com.
If you could meet any writer (living or dead) who would it be?
Hands down, I would want to meet Mark Twain. A while ago, I subscribed to Audible.com and began purchasing an audio book a month, and so I got the first volume of his new autobiography, and I’d put it on while I inked so that I didn’t get bored. The more I listened to him (and it was the world’s longest book, by the way) the more entertained I was. That man was something else… I’m more fascinated with him now then I was before.
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