On the Move Again (In More Ways Than One)!

ATF #330

Hello Emberverse!

Wow, has it been some time since I’ve even been on this platform, let alone written to you.

If you’re still out there reading this, thank you and I apologize for my silence.

The past few months have been an incredibly STRESSFUL time. A week and a half ago, I sent an email to our landlord informing them we would not be signing a new lease. That is not something I wanted to do, but here we are.

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Here’s a quick sneak peek at what you can expect this time Around the Fire:

I am acutely aware of one flaw I have, and that is that when I’m highly stressed or feeling vulnerable, I retreat. I withdraw from everyone and everything as I don’t want to be a burden on anyone. I don’t want my attitude, my problems and my drama being anyone else’s problem. You know what I mean?

Even though I know that’s not a healthy way of handling situations that probably does more harm than good, it’s something I have always struggled with.

Over the past few months, I have basically done that. With everything. And everyone. Save for those closest to me, I have completely stepped back and tried to figure things out to improve my situation.

Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, I was unable to fix some things, and therefore change is upon me.

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After July 4th, We’ll Have Moved.

When we moved into the house we’re in two years ago, we said we don’t want to move again within a year or two. That was our biggest thing. We had moved so much in the previous few years that we wanted to have a good 3-5 years in one place.

That was the goal.

As you all know, our lives have been filled with ups and downs (as are everyone’s) and we’ve gone through some pretty big traumatic events in the past couple of years. We also took on financial burdens that we ultimately couldn’t manage without help.

We did okay for the first year and a half financially, keeping up with rent, bills, food, etc. But there wasn’t a whole lot of extra funds, making it a little more stressful. We had also been helping my brother out as he had some financial issues of his own.

Our rent went up this past year and pushed us just past our manageable limit. That meant we had to work longer and harder to make ends meet. Which meant sacrificing time for other things, like fulfillment and creating comics. We still made it, but it was even more of a struggle.

Though we busted our butts this past year, a few months ago we realized it just wasn’t going to be enough. Our rent was to increase significantly again this year, and we just couldn’t afford it.

So, with our current status, we’re taking a couple of steps backwards so we can save for the future and take a few steps forward in a year or two.

That means downsizing IMMENSELY.

I love this house. My office is my most favorite room I’ve ever had anywhere in my entire life. I LOVE it. And it breaks my heart to walk away from this house. But I have to believe that this is the right choice for our family, our future and our business.

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How WILL This Affect Your Business?

Obviously, that is a huge part of this entire decision. We are behind.

No, that’s putting it audaciously mildly. We are WAY behind at this point.

The main reason for that, though, is not money. It’s time.

Sure, the state of the world, increased shipping rates, issues with the process of shipping, materials, etc. factor into it as well. But our main deterrent has been the fact that any free time we get we’ve been so exhausted and frazzled we haven’t had the energy to do more work on top of that.

And it has affected us tremendously. Emotionally and mentally. We are so devastated by not just falling so far behind, but letting down our supporters who mean so very much to us.

So part of the decision to move was to benefit that. We’ll be moving in with family for a while, which will free up finances, which in turn frees up the amount of time spent earning money to cover bills. Which, of course, will free up time to get back on track with our business.

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It Won’t Be Overnight

Over the next 40ish days, we’re going to be packing and moving while continuing to work and travel to shows, etc. So the next couple of months are going to be CHAOTIC!

After that, we have to get our ducks in a row, figure out schedules, priorities, sort finances and get organized.

Then, finally we’ll be able to start attacking the issues and complete fulfillment on our delinquent projects so that we can (hopefully) build back up our reputation and continue making comics, which is still something we are extremely passionate about.

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Please Extend Us Some Grace

At this point, it’s kind of bold to ask for understanding and grace, but here I am, hat in hand doing so.

We’ve been through a LOT. Some things you know, some things you don’t. I am so stressed I’ve been having panic attacks. I won’t speak for Lisa, but she’s been going through it as well. Our whole family has been struggling in various ways that has affected all of us.

Despite our best intentions and strongest efforts, we just haven’t been able to deliver as fast as we’d like. But we’ve learned that putting our noses down and grinding away without informing people wasn’t always the best way to approach it. It’s NEVER our intention to leave anyone hanging, but we sometimes do unintentionally while waiting for something solid to report.

Just please know that we are trying our best. Our best isn’t good enough right now, I know. But we’re constantly striving to improve every single step of our process.

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It’s Hard Being Vulnerable

We are VERY private people. We don’t let people in. We’re not comfortable completely opening up, and I think that’s been a bit of a detriment to our overall creative business. I know I follow creators that are transparent, open and unapologetically themselves. As a publisher, I try to skirt the line of being somewhat open and playing things a little close to the chest. It’s a difficult balance to maintain.

I want to appear professional, but I want you to know me. Who I am. But then comes that discomfort, that fear of people seeing through the cracks.

That mentality makes it even more difficult to let you all know when we have failed and haven’t been able to follow through when we’ve promised to.

So please just continue to bear with us as we learn to find that balance.

We have a hard road ahead of us full of change, challenges and accountability. We appreciate each and every one of you, and hope that you’ll stand by us as we navigate these new adjustments to our lives.

We still stand by our promise to ALWAYS fulfill. And Last Ember Press is FAR from over. This was our dream, our passion and we’re not letting go of it so easily. We still have many plans and stories to tell.

This is just another obstacle; another minor bump in the road.

There’s a reason we chose the name Last “EMBER” Press for our company. It kind of says it all in our slogan:

“From a single ember, an endless fire can grow.”

Our fire might be reduced down to a single dying ember right now, but that single ember will eventually spark fire anew and burst into a massive flame.

I hope you’ll stick around FOR the fire. :)

-Brant