To Genie

To my fellow Squirrel friends
but mostly to my best friend Genie:

Happy birthday to the inspirational author with her mind full of ideas and characters and stories galore.

I created this for you, full of the characters you created and gave life to. I know your characters stories are something I am looking forward to one day reading and owning and sticking on one my favorite book bookshelves. So happy birthday to you, and to the creative spirit that are your butterfly wings. May they take you to new and emotional heights. To the novels that I can't wait to read.

- Jocey

JGT turns......

Hello my fellow squirrel friends!

Did you know that JGT turned 10! Seriously! It's been 10 years since the Genie created Jocey squirrel and then turned her two best friends, Genie and Taylor into squirrels who got themselves into all kinds of shenanigans. Fast forward and suddenly we are a webcomic full of complex forest friends (and foes) with arcs and seasons!
We transitioned from a single doodle to story panels to a full fledged comic, in the span of 10 years! And what a ride it has been.
I'm so proud of us, of our little gang and of the friends we haven't met yet. From switching stones to dreams to stories and to little side stories that contain our heart and souls.
We grew up here, in this little comic that we shared with the world.

10 years!
I'm a little out of practice, but this is for my best friend Genie, she created a little something that touched my heart and continues to grow with me to this day. I have pages full of doodles of JGT and lore and dreams. I hope to continue to see this comic grow and grow. Make it past 20 years. See the Season that Genie hints at me about (I refuse to be told, I wanna be like the readers, surprised).

So thank you Genie. I hope you like this little doodle.
And thank you readers, the website may have only been up for less than 10 years, but this story, it has lived and thrived for 10 years. 10 precious years of growing up and coming of age.

- Jocey

P.S. there is one more thing coming, its for a belated birthday of the One and Only Genie

So Many Things, Guys...but It's Going to be Okay!

Ello, everyone! Genie here with some updates! (I'll save the happy stuff for last)

SO. Long time no see, eh? There's a bit of a story behind that. There are two reasons why I haven't been that active on this site in the past few months. The less serious reason is that I got a new computer! Huzzah! The only bad thing is that I have to get a new art program and tablet so that I can digital art again.

The more serious reason is that in late April, I was involved in a freak accident that left me with a broken arm. Underground train station. Skyline window pane. Collapsed. Not fun.

I am very glad that it was my arm and not my head (if it was my head, I honestly don't think I'd be here right now). Regardless, the event was traumatic, but I've been healing with time and with love and support from my family and friends ^_^

My arm is not fully recovered just yet, but I can still write and create art, and that makes me so happy. Once I have the materials I need, I will celebrate and publish new art on this site soon!

NOW FOR HAPPIER THINGS!

IT'S JULY 31st!!! JOCEY! IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!

Happy, happy birthday, Jocey. Again, I'm sorry I can't work on our Prophecy Birthday posts just yet, but I do have some ideas in the meantime, and I hope you'll like them once I create them. For now, I wish you an awesomely wonderful day. I miss you terribly but I am so, so, SO proud of you and overjoyed to see your happiness :)

Art of all sorts to come! And surprises, too ;)

Until then,

Genie

Woah...

A page? What?

Ello, everyone! Genie here with a long overdue page. A lot of (awesome) things have been happening over here in grad school, so I've been away from comic-making for a little bit. I hope to get more pages and posts done as the semester wraps up next month...because I really miss drawing this comic.

I hope you all are doing well! And again, thank you thank you for being so patient! I hope you enjoy this new page and the upcoming scene, which I've been excited about for years!!

Until then,

Genie

JGT Episode 10: OZ ~ PAGE 48

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JGT Christmas Carol: Come, Walk With Me...

Ello, everyone! Genie here to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Here is a small take on what I think JGT's adaptation of A Christmas Carol would be...with Ace, of course, as Scrooge, and the main trio as the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet To Come.

Thank you guys so much for all you are and all you do. I hope you have a humbug-free holiday season, and I can't wait to share more JGT with you all!

Best wishes,

Genie

Page 47 is Here!

Ello, everyone! Genie here with Page 47 of JGT in OZ! Gee, I wonder what (or who) they're going to find in that creepy old building? Hmm...

Speaking of creepy, Happy Belated Halloween! Thanks so much, Jocey, for drawing the Halloween pic this year. It turned out so amazing, and I feel so honored to stare into people's souls. Seriously, you made JGT look so epic as Lock, Shock, and Barrel. Huzzahs all around for you!

Page 48 will, sadly, be a little slow as well. I love grad school, but it does take a lot of my time, as it should. The story isn't over yet, though! I'm excited to continue it, even if the pace may stagger.

Until then,

Genie

JGT Episode 10: OZ ~ PAGE 47

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Trick or Treat!

Hello my squirrel friends,

Today, on All Hallows' Eve I bring you Jocey, Genie and Taylor dressed up as our favorite trouble  makers from The Nightmare before Christmas!
Shield your eyes from the twisted surprise on this spooky night!
Genie as Shock, Jocey as Lock and Taylor as Barrel.

Look at Genie as she stares into your soul. Look at Jocey who as she scares you out of your wits. Look at Taylor as we sneak a peak at the face behind the mask.

This was such a treat to draw and color!

Wishing you all a safe and candy-filled Halloween

- The JGT team

Dedicated Series: Happy Birthday, Taylor!!!

Ello, everyone! Genie here with another JGT Birthday post!

Thank you, Jocey, for the wonderful Magic poem and drawing; I felt so honored and happy when I saw it, and its words will truly stay with me. Seriously, thank you.

And now, here's Part 3 of the JGT Birthday Prophecy Cycle; here's to you, Taylor!

So, the children's story I wrote for Taylor is called A Boy Named Errol.

It is a Cinderella-like tale about how a little boy sneaks into a library one night and meets a librarian, and together, they read Errol's first book. And now, I am so excited to have Taylor and little Errol meet and share the page...

I feel like Taylor's kindness and Errol's spirit will lead them to dance and sing and then curl up with a good book, and a wonderful friendship will form.

Speaking of which, Taylor, I hope you had a truly amazing day. I hope you run into stories that you will adore and carry with you through thick and thin. I know your passion is going to take you to awesome places, and your voice will ring and you will make a difference, for good.

Happy Happy Birthday,

Genie

Adjusting to a New Style

Ello, everyone! Genie here with Page 46! After a few months of comic hiatus!

Again, thank you all so much for being patient. I've spent the hiatus adjusting to my new lifestyle across the country for school. So, because of that, the comic had to wait a bit.

Tomorrow is when I officially begin classes, and before that, I really wanted to try my best and get a comic page done. But here's the thing: I don't have a scanner anymore!

Dun. Dun. Duuun.

So, since I couldn't hand-draw and scan comic pages anymore, I had to, again again, adjust my style. For the first time in the official comic canon, a page has been drawn 100% digitally.

And...I was fine with it!

It was a little weird at first, but I will get better at it with time. I really hope you enjoy this new update on the JGT comic style; it definitely wasn't the first and it will not be the last, for sure.

The page-making pace will still be a bit slow as I find a steady school-pace, but, again again again, I will get better at it with time.

Until then,

Genie

JGT Episode 10: OZ ~ PAGE 46

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Magic

Hey everybody!

Jocey here! Long time no see! I'll make a much more in depth post about where I've been soon, because today is an important day.

It has been 21 days since Jocey's birthday and now, on the 21st of August, it is Genie's birthday.
Genie, I am now 2,649 miles away from you, which is crazy, but you are still the greatest friend I have.

You have magic, in your words, and in your stories and I hope you continue to shine. Spread your  magic, give us stories that touch our hearts and remind us of friendship, love and family.

This was originally going to be a mirror of both us to show how far we have come, but there were some words I had to share and then your gift became this poem.

I hope you have an awesome day today! Full of books and stories!

- Jocey

Dedicated Series: Happy Birthday, Jocey!!!

Ello, everyone! Genie here with the start of the JGT Birthday Prophecy Cycle!!

Now a super fun tradition for this site, the JGT Birthday Prophecy Cycle celebrates the birthdays of the real Jocelyn, Taylor, and me. In real life, we were all born 21 days apart. So, to commemorate that, we hold a theme for each year's birthday cycle.

This year's theme is very simple, but it means a lot to me. It is called the Dedicated Series.

As you may or may not know, I am about to start grad school and earn my M.F.A. in Writing for Children. I have stated before that the JGT comic has been a big inspiration to my creative goals. In saying that, the real Jocelyn and Taylor have been big inspirations as well.

Some years ago, for their birthdays, I wrote original children's stories inspired by each of them. And I promised them that if those stories ever got published, I would dedicate the book to them.

So, for this special year, I have revisited those children's stories and reunited each character with the person to whom their story is dedicated.

The children's story I wrote for Jocey is called The Girl Who Broke the Moon. Below is the original cover I drew for it 4 years ago.

It follows a little girl named Rossy who thinks that she accidentally broke the moon and then tries desperately to apologize to it. Now, JGT Jocey and Rossy meet for the first time to celebrate Jocey's birthday!

To this day, I love working on The Girl Who Broke the Moon, and I cannot wait to write "Dedicated to Jocelyn Lopez" on its first page.

I hope you have a wonderful birthday, Jocey! Because of you, JGT and little Rossy exist. Thank you for being such a supportive and fun and all-around amazing friend. And again, I am so, so proud of you. May the world continue to be filled with your light and your brightly colored ideas, too!

Genie

So...Grad School...

Ello, everyone! Genie here. It's been a while, huh? I'm sorry I've been MIA lately. It's for an exciting reason, though!

Earlier this year, I posted about how I got accepted into grad school. Well, that was a few months ago, and now, I am about to move to my new apartment across the country and officially start grad school in the fall.

So, how does JGT come into play?

Right now, I am on a little hiatus, as I have to take some time and settle into my new home for the next two years. And as I've said before, my drawing pace will slow down once I start studying, but I am keeping, to you and to myself, the promise that this comic will continue. It's just going to take some more time, that's all.

It's all a big adjustment, founded upon by an amazing opportunity. I am very excited to continue my education in a field I absolutely love, even though I do have to make some sacrifices.

However, I will still be around this summer for the Birthday Prophecy Cycle, and maybe a few extra posts here and there. The next OZ page will probably be finished and posted once I am officially moved in.

Again, thank you so much for your patience, and your support. My journey is merely shifting, but that does not and never will mean that JGT's journey is ending.

Until then,

Genie

Finding Out...2.0

Ello, everyone! Genie here with Page 45 of OZ!

So, if you've been following JGT for a while, you may remember that I did a lot of concept art for the OZ episode, including a sample page of a random scene from the first script. 

Well, it took me 4 years, but I finally caught up with that sample page.

I really enjoyed redrawing this page with the updated script and style...and it just shows how far this comic--and I--have come.

And I am so excited to continue :)

Until then,

Genie

JGT Episode 10: OZ ~ PAGE 45

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Wait for it, wait for it...

Ello, everyone! Genie here with Page 44!

Yeah....I am so excited for the next page. You may or may not know why. We shall see in about a week :)

Until then,

Genie

JGT Episode 10: OZ ~ PAGE 44

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And...Another Page!

Ello, everyone! Genie here with a possibly good schedule for drawing comic pages.

I'm trying out drawing for one hour a day. So far, that's allowed me to finish a page in a week, and I am psyched for that. I will do my best to continue the schedule as best as I can.

Also, I'm just super excited for this scene and the next ones. These recent pages have been super fun to play around with, so...I am a happy amateur-comic-artist right now :)

Here's to more exciting times.

Until then,

Genie