I have been working on a book for the last three years. It was going to be published by two separate publishers that have since gone out of business. I was told it was too "weird" for any other publisher to be picked up, but was a story worth sharing. I was told to Kickstart it, but that would take more refining, and I'm fucking sick of this book.
So I'll be posting the whole thing on here in piecemeal. YOU'RE WELCOME!!!!
Here's the pitch letter:
Brittle by Anna Sellheim 159 pages Black and white
Logline:
After a lifetime of trying to ignore physical pain and emotional trauma by avoiding human connection, Anna takes a chance on her first romantic relationship at the age of 29. Will therapy and her love of art help her make meaningful and lasting relationships?
Synopsis:
Anna is an artist who desperately craves connection and seeks validation. However, early childhood trauma and an isolating bone disease have led to a lifetime of anger, depression, an eating disorder, and an overwhelming fear of rejection. When Anna takes a chance on her first romantic relationship at the age of 29, she goes to therapy to make sure she doesn’t blow it. Will therapy and her practice as an artist help Anna make the connections she has wanted her whole life?
Audience
The audience for this book would be those interested in graphic memoir, graphic medicine, exploring childhood trauma, chronic pain, people with uncommon genetic diseases, disability narratives, and those interested in whether connecting to your inner child is actually helpful. This book would also appeal to fans of Tessa Brunton’s Notes From A Sickbed, Lynda Barry’s 100 Demons, and Keiler Roberts’ Miseryland.
Bio
Anna Sellheim is originally from Washington DC. She earned her MFA in comics from the Center For Cartoon Studies in 2016. She has been published by the Nib, Oni Press and Seven Days. She also has contributed to a number of anthologies, most notably Dirty Diamonds and Comics For Choice. She has taught adult literacy in DC and has taught art and comic classes throughout the DMV Area and New England. She now works at the Refugee Youth Program, where she teaches art and comics to refugee youths ages 5-21 throughout Baltimore. Her work primarily deals with mental health, trauma, and the healing power of art.
