Lara Willard

@larathelark

Comics editor and art teacher. Former designer, sometimes writer. ♾️ 🖼️ by @neapaulatan.bsky.social 🔗 larawillard.com/links

663 Siguiendo402 Seguidores258 Publicaciones

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Lara Willard@larathelark· Jul 21

They were biting each other's faces and I made a weird little sound that got both of their attentions. Usually one is blurry!

Lara Willard@larathelark· Jul 18

Meet Merlin Mando-Kai Willard, my 10-week-old corgi puppy. We've had him two weeks. Everyone who meets him adores him.

A photo of a corgi puppy with red sable fur and white markings sitting on a green sofa next to a copy of the novel Together We See.

A photo of the same corgi puppy sitting with a larger tan dog, a sight hound mix, on the same green sofa

A photo of the same corgi puppy with his face wedged into the corner of a sofa, his ears pulled back like rabbit ears, with a baby Grogu toy in the foreground

The same corgi puppy, sitting with his mouth open almost in a smile, sitting on a white sofa.

Lara Willard@larathelark· May 13

On the blog: customize your own Book BINGO Board and create a fun reading challenge for the summer! I've got the link to the template and my 2026 picks at larawillard.com/2026/05/13/r... #LarasBookBINGO

Lara Willard@larathelark· Apr 1

We watched Artemis II launch into space today, and I just started the perfect book 🥹

Official portrait of the four Artemis 2 astronauts

Screenshot of audiobook To the Moon and Back by Eliana Ramage. The cover has orange smoke billowing from a volcano, with a blue starry background. A crescent moon is in the top right corner

Lara Willard@larathelark· Feb 15

Made a digital version of my book BINGO reading challenge! Image 2 is where I'm at now, and Image 3 is my plan for my own completed BINGO board for 2026. #LarasBookBingo #readingchallenge

Lara Willard@larathelark· Sep 17

This is Lucy after she ate our dinner off the counter. Lefty Lucy, Lucy Chew, Lucy Goosey, Goose, Mongoose, Chaos goblin

Lara Willard@larathelark· Aug 28

I am surprised I haven't seen any recommendation of Julie and the Phantoms for people who like #KPopDemonHunters. Absolute bangers, also on Netflix.

Poster for Julie and the Phantoms on Netflix with three ghostly boy rockband members in the background and one girl singer in a bedazzled jacket in the foreground. The tagline reads: you only live once, but you can rock forever.

Lara Willard@larathelark· Aug 26

I saw a clump of yellow leaves on a walk today, which means it's time for my annual rewatch of Dan in Real Life.

GIF from the movie Dan in Real Life of a teen girl screaming, "You are a murderer of love!"

Lara Willard@larathelark· Aug 26

All of his photos for LOOK are available at the Library of Congress website! Highly recommend. www.loc.gov/search/?fa=c...

Black and white photograph by Stanley Kubrick for LOOK magazine. An indoor swimming pool with three men in the foreground, silhouetted by the light of the pool. A coach in plainclothes sitting on a diving board, a swimmer student standing with arms on his hips, and another swimmer sitting at the edge of the pool.

Lara Willard@larathelark· Aug 26

I'm slightly obsessed with Kubrick's photos for LOOK magazine. The University of Michigan set in particular. I use this one to teach students about manipulating lighting

Lara Willard@larathelark· Aug 19

New profile pic, art by @neapaulatan.bsky.social

Cartoon version of Lara, a white woman with red hair and blue-green eyes, wearing glasses, a blue shirt, and a blue scarf, along a green textured background. Art by Paula J., @neapaulatan

Lara Willard@larathelark· Aug 16

HAMILTON meets LION KING 18yo Ovid is an emerging poet who, tempted by fame and women, loses himself and his muse: 15yo Selene, daughter of Cleopatra, who is haunted by her mother and her destiny to be queen. #YA #HF #GN with modern, free-verse retelling of Ovid's poetry #PosterPit #Q

Book pitch as a movie poster. A Roman boy with dark curly hair, looking down. The title is Cleopatra Selene, with several taglines: a graphic novel by Lara Willard, tragic poet, bittersweet coming of age, cathartic breakup. Photo by Moein Razavi on Unsplash

Lara Willard@larathelark· Aug 16

LADYBIRD x LAURA DEAN KEEPS BREAKING UP WITH ME Cleopatra’s eldest daughter, Selene, navigates growing up in a patriarchy while haunted by her mother’s spirit, who is not impressed when Selene’s new romantic interest, the young poet Ovid, starts spitting verses #YA #HF #GN #PosterPit #Q

Book pitch as a movie poster. A light-skinned Black girl’s face framed by large green leaves. The title is Cleopatra Selene, with several taglines: a graphic novel by Lara Willard, Autism representation, Mother trauma, Ladybird vibes. Photo by Bave Pictures on Unsplash.

Lara Willard@larathelark· Aug 16

At the birth of the Roman Empire, Cleopatra’s daughter meets the poet Ovid. She’s deconstructing her parents’ legacy of rebellion and death. He wants to write love poems instead of propaganda. The patriarchy has beef with both. #YA #HF #GN with fantasy elements and modern verse. #PosterPit #Q

Book pitch as a movie poster. A girl with dark curly hair, wearing an Egyptian dress, looks over Ancient Rome at sunrise. The title is Cleopatra Selene, starring Selene and Ovid, with several taglines: Hamilton meets The Lion King, a graphic novel by Lara Willard, now querying, rated YA.

Lara Willard@larathelark· Aug 3

Week two of querying complete. Eleven queries sent, no responses—no rejections!—yet. Very few agents accept graphic novel scripts, so the more I send out, the less likely I'll get a "yes," but I'm waiting for some to open back up to queries...hopefully this week!

Lara Willard@larathelark· Jul 13

“THERE’S A RHINOCEROS IN THE SEWER!” After busting out of her confines at the San Diego Zoo, a tenacious tapir finds herself in a new sort of wild—1940s suburbia. Tapir Escape! The True Story of “Terrible Trudy” is a #nf #pb for fans of Mr. Tiger Goes Wild #bluepit #bluepit📖

1940 black and white photograph of "Terrible Trudy," the tapir escape artist from the San Diego Zoo

Lara Willard@larathelark· Jul 13

At the birth of the Roman Empire, Cleopatra’s daughter meets the poet Ovid. She is running from her parents’ legacy. He wants to write love poems instead of propaganda. The patriarchy has beef with both. #YA historical #GN with fantasy elements and verse. #bluepit #bluepit💥 #Q #HS #PO #F #ND

Graphic titled "for fans of" with cover art from the books Everything is Poison and Laura Dean Keeps Breaking up with Me. Also the emojis for scroll, Italy, skull, woman dancing and broken heart, along with the text, “A mysterious mother!" and "Patriarchy ruining lives!”

Lara Willard@larathelark· Jul 13

15yo Selene wants to escape her mother Cleopatra’s infamy and start afresh in Rome. But when Cleo’s spirit returns to guide her, it’s less Mufasa and more grumpy cat—especially when Selene’s new boyfriend, the poet Ovid, starts spitting verses. #YA #HS #GN with #F and #PO. #bluepit💥 #bluepit #Q #ND

Lara Willard@larathelark· Jul 13

HAMILTON meets LION KING 18yo Ovid is a poet who, tempted by fame and women, loses himself and his muse: 15yo Selene, daughter of Cleopatra, who is haunted by her mother and destined to be a queen in her own right. #YA historical #GN with fantasy and verse. #bluepit #bluepit💥 #Q #HS #F #PO #ND

Graphic titled "for fans of" with album art from Hamilton and Lion King, the emojis for scroll, hand writing, tragicomedy, skull, ghost, black cat, and crown, and the text, “A tragic writer, verse, a parent’s ghost, and cats!”

Lara Willard@larathelark· Jul 12

An #agentsguide to my graphic novel CLEOPATRA SELENE, a #YA #historical #GN with #fantasy and #verse that I #amquerying now! 🌒 🌓 🌔 🌕 🌖 🌗 🌘

An agent's guide to Cleopatra Selene, a young adult historical grahpic novel by Lara Willard

Comparative titles include Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me for a graphic novel with a cathartic breakup, Everything is Poison and Hamilton for historical fiction with verse, plus a poisoner mom and a tragic writer, and The Lion King for cats and a parent's ghost. A series of emojis representing these things, including a skull and crown and Italian flag, are below.

Main characters: Fifteen-year-old Selene is haunted by her mother, Cleopatra, who appears at inconvenient times to offer life advice. Ironic, considering Cleopatra is, well... dead, and Selene has no intention of following in the great pharaoh’s bloody footsteps. Eighteen-year-old Ovid tried to write propaganda. But Cupid had other plans, and now Ovid can only write love poems. Problem? He has zero experience with love beyond an unrequited crush on Caesar’s daughter.

When Selene and Ovid meet, she’s given up any hope of returning to Egypt. He’s tasted the slightest success at spitting verses and is now taking a stab at being a pickup artist. Meeting Selene, though, changes everything. He has found his muse—not only in heart, but also in brains.
As Selene inspires Ovid, his poet persona starts to wax and Selene starts feeling herself wane. She has spent years avoiding her Cleopatra-ness in order to survive, but nobody really thrives in a patriarchy besides the patriarch. It is only when Selene discovers the truth about her mother’s legacy that she can finally accept herself for who she is—Cleopatra and Selene, together—that she can claim her story and write her own ending.

Lara Willard@larathelark· Jul 9

#unhingedpit no context collage for Selene, my #ya graphic novel #Q (sorry for the Bambi trauma)

Collage of images from animated movies: Bambi with his dead mom, Mufasa in the clouds, an adorable but angry kitten version of Yzma, Anna punching Prince Hans, Kuzco the llama very sad in the rain

Lara Willard@larathelark· Jul 9

#unhingedpit #q #ya #gn The Nose. It's not a euphemism. (Not yet.) They call me Naso because it dominates my profile, jutting, mountainous. It also intrudes. Nosey, yes. Yet what they should call me ... is ears. Because the poet always listens.

Lara Willard@larathelark· Jul 9

Today's #bluepithype is for art and mood boards! I'm not illustrating this graphic novel myself, but here are some reference images I've saved for research—and aesthetic

A collage of images, from top left: ancient Egyptian columns, a sphinx sculpture, a Black actress with tight curly hair, a Roman-Egyptian burial portrait, a man's hand squeezing a woman's thigh, a detailed model of Roman architecture, a girl in Egyptian sheer dress looking out at an Egyptian town

Lara Willard@larathelark· Jun 19

@wordpress.org I got a comment at 3:13, went to read it at 3:25, and I get this??? No email, no notification in my account at all. What is going on?

Lara Willard@larathelark· Apr 24

Anybody who has read X-Men comics or watched the animated series knows that any politicians who want a registry of people are unequivocally the bad guys. – @literallyneil.bsky.social

Comic panel from X-Men with Magneto on the left and Storm on the right. He says, "No. the horrors of my childhood, born again. Only this time, mutants are the victims, not Jews."

Lara Willard@larathelark· Apr 17

Share to save a book. By the power vested in me (because it’s my birthday), I hereby declare April 17 to be Buy That Book You Wanted from an Indie Bookstore Day (or anything other than Amazon. Local shops deliver! Online, try @bookshop.org!)

Lara Willard@larathelark· Apr 12

Frozen II:

Lara Willard@larathelark· Apr 12

My daughter has now watched Frozen and Frozen II 345 times, which means I've watched them 345 times. These are the parts from each movie that never get old. Frozen I: (tap to expand)

Lara Willard@larathelark· Mar 29

Remembered I had a Tome account, saw all the fandom profiles on the app, and made mine entirely Mr. Tiger Goes Wild themed. (Hi, @peterbrownstudio.com. If this tribute is too infringing, I will absolutely change my theme! Just wanted to share my love of your art 🧡)

Lara Willard@larathelark· Mar 21