Lemonade Summer by Gabi Mendez : Kid-Friendly LGBTQ Stories!
Created by Cow House Press
Lemonade Summer by Gabi Mendez is a collection of coming-of-age short comics about LGBTQ and non-binary youths exploring queer identities and going on grand adventures together.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Book proofs, Bookplate & Sketchplate rewards, and a visit from Gabi!
almost 6 years ago
– Mon, Jun 25, 2018 at 08:43:01 PM
Hi all! June has been a very busy month for us. First up, the book proofs have arrived! We’ve been working on this for over a year now but actually holding it in our hands….WOW. Gabi came to visit for the Chicago Alternative Comics Expo and her reaction says it all.
Since this is our first major project, we opted to get a proof even though this meant some delay in the print schedule. Thank you for your patience as we make sure the book is the absolute best it can be. Gabi and Sheika met up to go over the proof with a fine-toothed comb. They ended up getting the exact same cafe table as the one in this photo from the very first planning session!
The bookplate rewards are ready! You can barely tell from this photo but they’re so GLITTERY. Don’t worry, the glitter is embedded in the paper and won’t come off. Gabi signed them all during her visit. These will be pasted by hand into the book.
Gabi also finished drawing the sketch-plates! These little pieces of original art have archival adhesive backs and will be placed on the title page of the book. This was a very limited number of rewards during the kickstarter. We'll update if there are any spots left for those who missed it the first time around!
While Gabi was in town, we did a few events to help promote the book and meet fans. She hung out at the Cow House Press table at CAKE.
Cow House Press at CAKE 2018
Followed by a kids workshop at Challengers Comics. Gabi read from the stories Strays and Ro & Ella then showed them how to make a tiny book from one sheet of paper. These kids made some awesome mini-comics and came up with very cool characters.
Left: Kids Workshop and reading at Challengers Comics. Right: Mini-comics made during the workshop.
On her last night in Chicago, Gabi came out to Women’s Comics Night hosted at Challengers Comics. The theme was "slumber party!" Here's Gabi in a dinosaur suit, WCN organizer Samantha as a shark and Cow House Press chief Sheika (always on brand) in a cow sweater.
Gabi read from Witching Hour and Aventurera, led everyone in making origami stars and played her ukelele. In this video, she sings the song featured in the comic Aventurera. This is also what the comic is titled after!
Thank you to those who came to say hi to Gabi, pre-ordered the book and have continued donating copies! We’ve got tons more work to do but we’re getting closer every day to getting the books out to you. Follow along on social media for in-the-moment updates.
Next steps:
Sending out PDFs of the book.
Reminder emails to custom drawing commission backers.
Surveys!
almost 6 years ago
– Fri, May 18, 2018 at 02:09:57 AM
Hey all, if you haven’t filled out the survey please do so! A link has been sent to the email associated with your Kickstarter account. If you can’t find it, please click here.
We’re so close to the book being done and sent to print. So far we’ve:
Sheika & Anya have put together the Acknowledgements page, soon to be filled with all backers’ names.
Cris recently uncovered the dummy copy of Lemonade Summer from 1.5 years ago!
Rewards have been ordered and will soon arrive!
Cris drew this awesome album cover art for the music. El Verano means "summer" and we're loving the color palette! This will be included in the digital music download add-on.
Thank you to those that have been adding-on to their pledge! So many chose to donate more books and we’re beside ourselves with gratitude. Current donation count: 250 books!
If you haven’t filled out your survey, please do so asap! We want to make sure we have your name down correctly for the Acknowledgements page.
Much love from us all, The Cow House team.
Lemonade Summer Fulfillment Plan
about 6 years ago
– Sun, Apr 22, 2018 at 08:26:00 PM
Hi all! The entire team is hard at work re-lettering the book and putting in final edits. We're bummed that we didn't reach the Making Lemonade zine stretch goal - but we've decided to add an extra 8 pages of sketches and other WIP stuff. This will be exclusive to the Kickstarter copies, as a thank you for believing in our very first project!
From here on, you'll only be getting these email updates once a month. For more frequent updates follow the Cow House Press BLOG, TWITTER or INSTAGRAM.
We want to be 100% transparent at all times so y'all know what's going on behind the scenes! Below is our fulfillment plan. Surveys will be sent out shortly. Once funds arrive, we'll send the books to print and order rewards.
Once books arrive, we'll be shipping in batches. This makes sure we're correctly packing orders, taking the care and time each backer deserves. This means that some folks may receive their books and rewards earlier than others. Rest assured that yours is on the way! We've accounted for labor costs so people can help with packing and shipping orders, but not rushing means we can ensure everything is done right.
If you need to reach us, drop a message through Kickstarter or email us directly at [email protected]
Much love and gratitude from all of us at Cow House Press! -Sheika, Chief Cow
Book revisions, Backer portraits & Book donations!
about 6 years ago
– Sat, Apr 14, 2018 at 06:36:41 PM
We’re currently knee-deep in final edits on Lemonade Summer! Gabi is now finishing up revisions for Ro & Ella based on sensitivity readings and editorial notes. We want to make sure we’re representing our characters as well as we can!
IMPORTANT : If you backed the $150 "Look In The Mirror" tier, please email a photo(s) that Gabi can use as a reference to draw in the book.
The sooner we can get that in, the sooner we can finish the book and get it sent off to print.
We’ve also chosen the recipients for our book donations! Once the survey is sent out, backers will be able to choose among these three organizations and books will be delivered directly. You can also have us choose for you or have books sent to you so you can deliver them yourself to a library, school or youth space in your area.
Courtesy of TimeOutYouth
Time Out Youth Center located in Charlotte, NC offers support, advocacy, and opportunities for personal development and social interaction to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) youth ages 11-20. They have a drop-in space, host workshops, social activities as well as offer services such as housing for homeless youth, counseling, testing, helping with finding jobs and getting a diploma/GED and so so much more.
LGBT Books to Prisoners based out of Madison, WI is a trans-affirming, racial justice-focused, prison abolitionist project sending books to incarcerated LGBTQ-identified people across the United States. They have been doing this for over 10 years and have sent books to nearly 8,000 people in that time. They want to acknowledge, and work against, the oppressive functions of the prison system. Their project shifts some control back into incarcerated people’s hands.
Lambert House based in Seattle, WA is a center for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth that empowers youth through the development of leadership, social, and life skills. Lambert House serves a diverse group. Over 50% of the youth who come to Lambert House are youth of color, and from all over the region representing more than 130 zip codes equally distributed to the North, South, East and West.
