I'm Chesca Hause, the creator of Litterbox Comics, a webcomic based on my family, but where everyone is animals because I hate drawing people! It's been almost a year since my last post, and I've been busy! Not only have I got a bunch of new comics to show you, I've also got... and I can't believe I'm saying this... A book coming out in September!

It's called "Parenting is Weird: Tails from the Litterbox" and it's filled with my best comics, (no Santa ruining ones though, because I knew my kids would read it - swears are fine, that ship has sailed!) exclusive art, games, family photo album, animated "flippers", blurbs from me and stickers! I thought it would feel real once I held the book, but I got my mitts on an advanced copy the other day, and, nope! Still not real! Here's hoping it will hit me once I see it in the shops.

It's available to pre-order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or wherever you buy books! Now how about some new comics?!

Here is my comic book "Parenting is Weird: Tails from the Litterbox"

#1

Once I had my comics collected into themed chapters like "#10 MOM" and "School's Calling", I thought the book would be done, but it turns out you need a bunch of new, exclusive material! I panicked a bit but then remembered the Garfield albums I used to cherish as a kid. There was something so wholesome about those books, crammed full of puzzles and art - I wanted MY book to feel like that! I was also inspired by all the Dog Man and Captain Underpants I've been made to read. My favorite thing about those books are the 2-page flipbooks called "Flip-o-ramas". The deeply satisfying, tactile experience is only possible with a book and seemed like the perfect reward for someone who picks up a copy! Last, but not least, I heard stickers were an option, so of course I needed those too!

#2

#3

Now that my real kids are getting older I'm saddled with the difficult choice on whether to age up Vincent and Cooper or keep them set where they are like in The Simpsons. I love the look of the characters and feel there's still so much potential, so for now I'm planning on freezing time and coming up with original jokes myself. I basically throw the characters into situations and then brainstorm what might happen - to varying levels of success! Meanwhile, my actual children continue to be unhelpfully hilarious, so who knows... I might just break and do an older timeline after all!

#4

#5

I love my job, but some days making comics can be really hard. If I'm feeling sad or angry, or just plain tired, it's hard to find anything funny. I've found the key is to recognize when I'm having "one of my days" and do something else for a bit - house stuff if I'm feeling responsible or World of Warcraft if I'm not!

#6

#7

The response to the comic has been amazing and unreal. When all communications are via computer, there's still a bit of your brain that says "this isn't real". The time it really hits home is when I meet someone in real life who's read the comic. It's so exciting to have proof that it's out there! Although then the social anxiety hits and I make a fool of myself! Apologies in advance, everyone!