Of Books and Boys and Other Stuff

I always think it’s funny when people say they neglect housework for their writing. About the only time my house is clean is when I have a deadline hanging over my head. The more pressure, the more I dodge. And polish, and clean out closets, and bake, and just plain goof off. Here’s what ended up in my notebook one night instead of research notes.

It’s Mr. E, who fell asleep next to my while I was working. The funny thing about this sketch is how his ear is the focal point. I didn’t plan it that way; it’s just how he was sleeping. But it made it a challenge for me. Besides ears being tricky to draw, Mr. E is deaf. His ear–and the cochlear implant scar you see behind it–define him for many people. So it’s really a portrait in more ways that one.

(Um, okay. I guess I also ponder a lot when I should be finishing something up, too. But hey, now the manuscript’s turned in and my house is clean. It all worked out.)