It was Just a Joke…
What’s My Real Name was initially a joke. My fiancé and I joked around saying our kitty probably didn’t know his real name because of all the words we made up as names for him. He ended up pressuring me to start a book because I love illustrating/drawing, I have always wanted to do a children’s book, and why not?! So, I got to work…

Research, Write, Sketch, Panic, Draw
What’s My Real Name was originally just for me to do for me, no one else.

So, the hardest part of authoring and illustrating this book was not starting it, but to keep going at it. Starting it was easy. I instantly researched, created storyboards, drew silly cat doodles, and pestered my cat for inspiration. However, as soon as I said I was going to make this a “real book” to sell, my self-confidence dropped. I was afraid to make this book; I was afraid to fail.

Even though I was afraid to fail, I had a lot of support.

Live Streaming “Forced” Me to Illustrate
A good chunk of What’s My Real Name was illustrated live on my Twitch stream. I had documented 9 days of streams, totaling 30+ hours worth of illustration. Wowza!

This documented time, however, does not reflect the additional time that I took over the year and a half to research, plan, story-write, sketch, layout the book, and prep files. And, I still spend a lot of my time, to this date, keeping up my store, social media, and ad spends.

Thank You All for Your Support!
So, thank you to everyone who has supported me during this time to make this a “real book!” If you are interested in a physical copy, visit shop.tiatieman.com