Back in 2015, I started drawing an elementary-aged girl who played with tonka trucks, acted out death scenes with markers, and chopped off her blonde ponytails. The character began to talk and interact with other characters in my sketchbook. Before long, I had several pages of comics about this kid. Years later, my agent Susan Hawk helped me revise the story into a graphic novel, which has been sold at auction to Donna Bray at Balzer+Bray / HarperCollins. THE REAL RILEY MAYES will be available on May 3, 2022.