The Current Status of Cashmere Sky

Greetings all!

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 attempting 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 to be rehashed because you’ve caught glaring story issues! XD

I’m quite excited as I approach Vol. 2 since the characters are grown up, time has passed, and the real meat of the story can get underway. The ideas I’m telling have been in my head before I even started Volume 1! I also think the readers may have a greater appreciation since there will be themes covered like bullying, depression, anxiety, family issues, etc. I don’t want to spoil any surprises, but the flavor and vibe should be a fresh welcome! And yes, there WILL be more humor! (boy it’s hard to write lol)

So what’s next? Well, many may not know that I’ve just recently bought a house! (Condo actually). I haven’t even moved out of my apartment yet, so it’s going to be a CRAZY month (not mentioning the crazy world…. *cough*, more on that later). Life has been very hectic lately and I’m sad to say that my art schedule hasn’t been as thick as usual. I’ve been doing a few pieces here and there, but my creative itch is still driving me crazy! Once I’ve moved in and settled, the whip is getting cracked and I’ll be back at it hard!

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.

However, that does NOT mean I won’t be posting updates for my patrons during the creation process. You guys will be getting the first peaks anywhere on Vol. 2 long before it’s released, starting in the late summer, early fall! Unfortunately, these pages take a long time to make (20-30 hours per page), and I work on this project outside of my job that pays the bills. Don’t worry about that though, as this project is my second life. It matters the world to me!

I do understand that many supporters wanted to join up because there was reading material, and I completely understand if you don’t want to continue funding without the normal pages being posted. I have been debating for a long time how I’ll do patron tiers and dollar amounts during this hiatus, since I don’t want this to seem unfair to you guys. If you have no interest in changing your current patronage, I’m honored, but I’m sure there may be some that want the value. I will be following up shortly with these changes and let you decide your next action. Regardless, I’m honored to have had your support to this point. ;)

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. 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. If I have enough local support, I might be able to do a very small limited run, but it’s still expensive. 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 the Volume 1 has finished, this project is just getting started!

Sincerely,

Jared Hudson <3