Please help Lea Hernandez

[Black Kitty]

I'm not sure if this is acceptable here so if not, feel free to move or lock this. But I figure I'll pass the news around to the places I hang out at. I don't know Lea Hernandez personally but I did hear the interview she did with the Gigcast and she sounded like a smart and fun lady with loads of experience in the comic industry. She also organized the Nan Grant, a grant for women webcartoonists.

From PvP:

Please Help Lea Hernandez
Posted on Wednesday, September 6, 2006

From Gail Simone's website:

"Early this morning, the Texas home of award-winning writer/artist Lea Hernandez, my friend and co-creator of the graphic novel Killer Princesses, caught fire and burned. Half her house is now gone, and the rest is smoke-damaged. In addition, she lost at least six of her family’s beloved pets, two dogs and four cats. If you knew Lea, you’d know how devastating that is.

She’s lost a great deal of her family’s possessions, including irreplaceable art. She doesn’t yet know the full accounting of what’s been lost at this time.

Most know Lea as the brilliant creator of such works as Rumble Girls and Cathedral Child. She drew the Marvel Mangaverse Punisher book, and has drawn for Transmetropolitan, among many other accomplishments. She is also the co-founder and original editor for Girl-A-Matic, one of the most important venues for female-friendly comics created to date.

She’s also my friend, and it’s entirely possible I wouldn’t have a career in comics if she hadn’t asked me to write Killer Princesses for her to draw.

And finally, Lea is one of the last great firebrand hellraisers in comics.

Lea has two (wonderful, amazing) special needs children and right now they need a place to stay and some clothes to wear. More than that, they need some help, and fast, in the form of donations to her paypal account. Lea’s a proud person so I’m going to ask FOR her. This is important, and a great chance to do a wonderful thing for a creator who has consistently enriched this industry we all love so much. Please, take a moment and send WHATEVER YOU CAN to Lea’s paypal account and help make this time a little bit less painful for someone who would do the same for you if the positions were reversed.

If you’re a retailer, I ask that you set up a donations jar. If you’re a creator, I ask you to think of how devastating this would be to your career and donate what you can. If you’re a reader, I’m asking you to take a moment and hit the paypal link. You’ll be doing something heroic and you’ll feel great about it, I promise.

Read what Lea had to post on a neighbor’s computer while wearing her pajamas at: livejournal.com/users/divalea

Donate (PLEASE) to her paypal account at: divalea@gmail.com

Finally, if I understand the story correctly (as told to me by Lea’s good friend and current Girl-a-matic editor), it was Lea’s daughter hearing the smoke alarm that allowed the family to get out in time, so for God’s sake, do everyone you love a favor and CHECK YOUR SMOKE ALARMS.

Thank you so much for helping. Really, any amount you can send will make a difference. That’s all I can say.

Sincerely and gratefully,

Gail Simone"

[Kisai]

I'll allow it, I listened to that gigcast too.

[Rkolter]

I'd like to hear if she has insurance, and if not, for how long as she not had insurance. If she does have insurance, what will it cover and will it provide her with living expenses.

Her art may never be recovered, and donations won't help with that. Her living expenses may be fully reimbursed or be pre-covered to some extent.

If there's a legitimate shortfall, then yeah... it's worth considering donating.

[Black Kitty]

Her blog mentioned a bit about that. It seems like the insurance will cover it but there will be a shortfall since she'll have to replace all her and her family's necessities as well.

Right now, crass be damned, money is what we need so we can go buy clothes and shoes and replace my computer and art supplies so I can work. (Yes, I need to work.) And we will likely be in a rental for at least a month, since half the house will need to be rebuilt, and oour insurance only pays so much for that. (Bless Roxanna Rubio, who wrote our insurance payments into our house payments!)

[McDuffies]

[MixedMyth]

Oh man. Poor Lea! But...just emailed her a few weeks ago. How sudden.

[4thalord]

i would pray for her


if I still prayed

[Sincerely]

i would pray for her


if I still prayed

That was just a tad inappropriate.

[Rock_dash]

i would pray for her


if I still prayed

That was just a tad inappropriate.

No kidding.

This really sucks. Makes me wonder what we'd do if our house burned down

[Blackaby]

Gah, that's horrible for her + family. :/

I'm trying to get something together for someone in an even worse situation from another forum, so can't chip in - but yeah, what everyone else said. Sucks.