My dad Chris turned 80 back in April. As a gift to him, I printed a zine from a sketchbook diary I kept on a 5-day train trip we took together, along with my husband Jack, in 2023. My dad is a train fanatic, and this was my first time joining him for a big train trip as an adult – it was really special and I wanted him to have this record of it.
Initially, I made just a few copies for him, but with the help of the folks at BuyOlympia I was able to print more for a wider release! It’s called Riding Choo Choo With Father and it’s available now!
Most of what I’ve shared publicly about my dad is in What To Do When You Get Dumped, in which he is referenced as the man who broke my mom’s heart. It was strange to make a book with my mom about her being dumped by my dad, who was very much still in my life.
Sample phone call from that time:
Dad: How’s the book going?
Me, after taping a drawing of my dad to a chair and telling my mom to scream at it, in the middle of a writing session: Good!
It was a bit tangled for me, emotionally, but practically speaking it wasn’t a big deal. My dad, a lifelong journalist who often wrote about our family, had no qualms about being written about, even unflatteringly. It’s her story, he always said, she should tell it. He was supportive of the book, and called me when it came out to tell me how much he liked it.
When people ask about my dad in the context of Dumped, I always say, my dad is a good person who was not good at being married. The divorce was rough, but we made it through. I love my dad and I’m excited to share this zine, and for people to experience Chris Bateman in the placid, neutral zone that is a choo choo train speeding across Canada.
Below is a short excerpt. If you’d like to read the whole thing, you can order it here!
The full zine is 60 pages with color illustrations interspersed. Expect scenic views, family stories, and even a mystery on board the choo choo. A delightful, relaxing travel story for Hallie fans, train lovers and train lover lovers alike.
Thanks for being here,
❤️ Hal
HALMAIL is a free newsletter. But if you want to show support and help me pay for childcare and art supplies, it is much appreciated!
While you’re there, also grab my other new zine, My Breakup With Amazon
BuyOlympia also stocks Dumped so you can really just order them all at once, get the full experience
What To Do When You Get Dumped on Bookshop.org
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