What is this thing called Mulberry Treehouse?
Mulberry Treehouse is a collection of graphic novel-style stories and books written and illustrated by Lisa Horstman.
This is the place where you’ll find fictionalized stories based on true events. Its stories will entertain, yet inform. Most, if not all, of the stories take place in the past, but offer up situations relative to our current world. They will all be in graphic novel format.
The first book to be released, CHRONIC: AN UNAUTHORIZED AUTOBIOGRAPHY, is a serialized graphic novel.
Every Friday morning, a new chapter was published. It’s no longer available in its entirety for free, but you can take it for a test drive—the first two chapters are here for free. If you’d like to read more, I’ve provided a purchase link, where you can receive the full digital book file for $7.99.
What was it like to be diagnosed with diabetes in 1980? What was it like to be diagnosed in, oh, say, 1922? And how does that compare with what it’s like now?
Readers with diabetes know what it’s like now, of course, but how many really understand what it was like over 40 years ago, or even 100 years ago?
Chronic isn’t just for diabetics. It’s for those of us struggling daily with any chronic disease. It’s about fighting denial and facing up to what may feel like the betrayal of your body via the loss of health. It’s about getting over Why me? Why not you?
Chronic is a coming-of-age ghost story, of sorts, based on my diagnosis at age 13 of Type 1 diabetes, back when dirt was new. Okay, dirt wasn’t all that new back in 1980. (And technically, I was diagnosed in 1977.)
I’ve tried really hard to create a story that’s not a drag—we have enough of those. Instead, it’s a story about a girl’s week-long hospital stay at what she calls “Hospital Whack-a-Doo” and the characters she meets while dealing with her diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes:
•Carrie Anne, the strange yet entertaining girl in the next hospital room, who claims her grandmother sleeps with her eyes open (among other things);
•Maggie, the punk nurse who introduces Elle to The Clash, a Walkman, and insulin shots;
•A whole room full of ghosts who won’t leave.
There’s even a nurse named Ratched in a very minor appearance. Those of us who are old as dirt will get that reference.
What’s next at the Treehouse?
Stay tuned, my pretties. Currently in development for 2023 is a true-crime series titled Putnam County. This set of stories will each be 32 pages.
Who is this person?
My background is in book and magazine design and art direction. I am a published picturebook author, as well, creating books for Alfred A. Knopf, Velo Press, Marshall Cavendish Books, and national park nonprofit groups. If you’re interested, there are more to blame here.
Comics have always been in the background throughout my life. Eventually I decided to take a deep breath, pull them into the foreground, and create one myself. I knew I’d regret it if I never tried to write and illustrate a graphic novel, no matter how intimidated I was by the time and effort it would take to make one. After I created Chronic, I saw that I really enjoyed the journey. It’s a slow process for me as both writer and illustrator—it takes weeks to research and create a story, and each fully inked and colored page takes me a couple of days to produce, depending on how much detail is involved.
Why subscribe?
When you subscribe, you will be alerted to the latest stories I’ve created, as well as my Substack website. I’m still figuring out how Substack will work best for you and me, however. Mulberry Treehouse isn’t a standard Substack newsletter, but more of a bookstore where you can preview some of my work; there are links for purchasing stories, comics, and books. As a subscriber, you will receive some content for free! And if you feel like buying me a coffee, there’s a button link for that. No pressure.
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To find out more about the company that provides the tech for this book, visit Substack.com.
