Minions #294 - Bar for the Course

Click cartoon discretely for secret bigness!

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Greetings, Broken Hipsters!


Wish I could say things were getting back to normal here at the lair, but I'm quickly forgetting what normal (or what used to pass for normal around here) is like.  In recent months, friends, acquaintances, and family members have shown a distressing tendency to drop dead and end up in hospitals or emergency rooms in bizarre and unusual fashions.  So I'm going to take the unusual step of sending some shout-outs to various friends-of-Miniondom.

In no particular order, wishes of cheer to artist friend Jonathan Kort, who just lost his grandfather and also tried (unsuccessfully) and remove his thumb with a sharp chisel.  Hang in there Jonathan!

Then some free-better-and-stay-that-way wishes to writer buddy Nathan Meyer (go check out his books and buy a few, why don't you?) who, even though his dance card was already pretty full recovering from a major illness, decided he could engage in a little bacterial research by trying out a nasty and rare new strain of pneumonia. Points for initiative, Nate, but really, I think everyone would be happier if you left the research for the CDC.  Glad you're finally home, and feel better soon!

And a special very-cautious-Minion hug out to long-time Minions-supporter Rose Prescott, who suffered a bad fall while visiting New York, managing to prang both arms, break her nose, and do something nasty to a toe just to have an even number of injuries.  And a bonus shout-out to husband Sean, who has been there for all her hospital adventures, and now has to get her home to Oregon in her battered condition.  We just feel terrible, guys.  Safe trip home!

Everybody out there, please take care, give your friends and loved ones a hug, and keep yourselves safe.  Remember, we're professionals here.  Let trained, professional Minions do the prat-falls off cat-walks into molten lava, play mumblety-peg with death-lasers, and battle disease germs the size of Chevy Tahoes.  It's what we're trained to do, and it's not for amateurs!

 We damned well better see you ALL back here next week!

                    - Minion Safety Master Steve

Support starving Minions in Lair-land! Your donations support Minions at Work!

Minions #228/#229/#230 - Three Heads Better than One

Click Images for More Better Bigness!

Stand by, following the usual Triple-dealing for a bitter betrayal by your Minion Master! Your interminable wait is important to us. To serve you better, a supervisor may feed the representative assigned to serve you to the Robotic Skull-munchers just before they can answer your call. It's just one more way of saying, "we care, just not about you."

 SUPPORT THE FORCES OF EVIL, WITHOUT WHOM YOU'D HAVE TO LIVE IN SOME BORING UTOPIA OR SOMETHING! While waiting for your impending doom, pick up a Minions at Work tee-shirt or other great souvenir of your visit to the Lair: THE MINION'S LAIR OF MERCHANDISE "Satisfaction guaranteed or we'll make make you buy something else!" and NUMBER TWO'S HOUSE OF NAUGHTY (For very small values of naughty.) Or just click on our "Donate" button and send us cash add to our "Buy the Minions a Camera Fund!" 100% of your contribution goes to allow starving orphans to buy blankets for kittens. Nah, not really, it all goes to ME, in order to further the cause of EVIL, and the photography thereof.

 KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE MINIONS: Join the Minions Reminder Email List. It's free, it's easy, and you'll never miss a Minions at Work cartoon (or if you do, it won't be our fault!) Or become one of our followers. See the follower box in our Mighty Sidebar! Or join our "Minions at Work" group on Facebook. And yes, I'm finally on Twitter. Follow me. I'm JSteveYork there (clicking on the previous link will take you straight to my profile page.) Eventually I'm getting No. 1 his own account for Minions-related-business, but one thing at a time. Still: We're everywhere! We're everywhere!

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Greetings, Hoard of Ignored!


Yes, I totally blew-off posting Minions last week.  So shoot me.  I've haven't done that too often in the years I've been doing this comic, so I feel like I had a freebie coming.  Besides, to make up for it, I posted an inventory-clearing TRIPLE FEATURE this week, based on the always-popular theme of "heads."

Actually, it was just the cartoon I intended to post last week, and a couple of dusty toons that have been at the bottom of the inventory forever.  Don't tell.  Heck, for all I know, these are the three funniest Minions at Work cartoons ever!  (But probably not.)

Anyway, it's been a week of it here.  Lots of behind-the-scenes stuff happening here at the Lair, some of it good, some of it Not Good.  Nothing I'm going to go into here.  Just distractions.  Also, shaking fist at one-eyed-yellow-Tylenol-Minions-Come-Lately!  Take that, you and your bazillions of dollars!

I'm also doing a lot of soul-searching about doing a major Site remodel, dumping our current Blogger Platform, and going to Wordpress with a nifty-looking web-comic-designed theme called CartoonPress.  Take a look here to see what I'm talking about.  It would look much more professional and be much easier to navigate (especially when looking through the archives).

On the down side, I've have to migrate 200+ old cartoons and a lot of other content over, do a lot of set-up and design work, and it would add monthly hosting fees (plus the suggested donation for the theme, which I'd feel-honor bound to pay).  I'd also have the issue about what to do with the old site.  Leave it up on blogger? Try and buy a new domain for the new site?  And since a lot of our traffic comes in from TVTropes.org where they have tons of direct links to cartoons.  All of these would be broken if I put the new site at www.MinionsAtWork.com.

So I'll probably do it, but how and when remain to be seen.  If you think it's a good idea, let me know.  You can also help keep the lights (and pay our hosting fees) by making a small contribution using the button below, shopping on Amazon using our links, or buying swag from one of our stores (and thanks to those of you already doing that).  One thing I'd REALLY like to tone down would be to eliminate the weekly pan-handling here and replace them with some discrete buttons, banners, and menu options.  So the move would all-around be good for you guys.

Let me know what you think.

                                                                            - Minion Master Steve

Support starving Minions in Lair-land! Your donations support Minions at Work!

Minions #168/169 - Overlord Double Feature

Stand by, following the usual Master Plan of Evil for a stern rebuke from your Minion Master!

Your interminable wait is important to us. To serve you better, a supervisor may drop the representative assigned to serve you into a lava-pit just before they can answer your call. It's just one more way of saying, "we care, just not about you."

HELP BAIL-OUT THE FORCES OF EVIL! SUPPORT "MINIONS AT WORK" BY BUYING STUFF YOU WERE GOING TO BUY ANYWAY!
We're now Amazon.com affiliates, which means that if you click on the Amazon link in our sidebar and make purchases from Amazon, a tiny little sliver of what you spend goes to support these fine (maybe even near-mint!) cartoons!

Or visit our Amazon Lair Gift Shop for Minions-recommended merchandise featuring villainy from across pop-culture!

Minions at work is inadequately supported during this financial crisis by your purchases from our web stores and our advertisers. Feed the economy and help us bleed green just a little more slowly by purchasing tee-shirts, buttons, calendars, hats, undies (we kid not!), and other fine Minions at Work items at one of the following stores.

While waiting for your impending doom, pick up a Minions at Work tee-shirt or other great souvenir of your visit to the Lair:
THE MINION'S LAIR OF MERCHANDISE
"Satisfaction guaranteed or we'll make make you buy something else!"

and

NUMBER TWO'S HOUSE OF NAUGHTY
(For very small values of naughty.)

Or just click on our "Donate" button and send us cash to support our future evil activities! We like cash! Small, unmarked, Paypal payments only, please!

Join the Minions Reminder Email List. It's free, it's easy, and you'll never miss a Minions at Work cartoon (or if you do, it won't be our fault!) Or become one of our followers. See the follower box in our Mighty Sidebar!

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Greetings, Overlord Compartments!

First, a quick announcement: I've got a new anthology story out this week in the great new fantasy anthology Swordplay! Click the link to check it on Amazon, or look for it in our sidebar to the right. Once again, in an anthology of magic sword stories, I suspect mine is about as atypical as you could imagine. But not all heroes wear armor, and not all damsels need rescuing in exactly the same way. I'm pleased with it.




Moving on, once again, I'm waiting till the workday starts to announce this posting. We'll see how that goes.

Slipping in some more Overlords at Work this week, and a double-feature as well, just to keep you on your toes. I feel like I'm starting to get a handle on Doctor Coldbood as a character now, and that's always a dangerous thing. I'm starting to appreciate his lecherous side, and it's fun. It makes him one conflicted lizard. Could be you'll be seeing him take a more active role in some of the regular cartoons down the road.

Been busy this week building a Moon-rocket. A Saturn V, to be specific. No, this isn't for Minions at Work, though it's plenty big enough. It's a party decoration (long story) and it will be about 8 feet tall when finished.

I've also been trying myself into (or out of) signing up for Twitter. I'm skeptical, but I'm told it might be a good way to draw traffic here to the site. What do you guys think? It's just hard for me to get behind an evil plan that involves "tweeting." But it could work...

See you next week.

- Your Overlord of Overlords, Steve

Overlords #148 - Snake Eyes

Stand by, following some new commercial jibber-jabber for a time-out from your Minion Master!

Your visit is important


NEW! SUPPORT "MINIONS AT WORK" BY BUYING STUFF YOU WERE GOING TO BUY ANYWAY!
We're now Amazon.com affiliates, which means that if you click on the Amazon link in our sidebar and make purchases from Amazon, a tiny little sliver of what you spend goes to support these fine (maybe even near-mint!) cartoons!

Later, we'll be adding a selection of Minion-recommended merchandise, but until then, use your imagination. Books, videos, electronics, games, maybe even ACTION FIGURES!
Minions at work is inadequately supported during this financial crisis by your purchases from our web stores and our advertisers. Feed the economy and help us bleed green just a little more slowly by purchasing tee-shirts, buttons, calendars, hats, undies (we kid not!), and other fine Minions at Work items at one of the following stores.

While waiting for your impending doom, pick up a Minions at Work tee-shirt or other great souvenir of your visit to the Lair:
THE MINION'S LAIR OF MERCHANDISE
"Satisfaction guaranteed or we'll make make you buy something else!"

and

NUMBER TWO'S HOUSE OF NAUGHTY
(Naughty is as naughty does!)

Join the Minions Reminder Email List. It's free, it's easy, and you'll never miss a Minions at Work cartoon (or if you do, it won't be our fault!)

Greetings, Stay-at-homes!

We're in sunny Florida this week for the Space Coast Writers Conference, so while we're getting carjacked and shot at, Minions at Work is on autopilot. Also, if you missed it, we posted a BONUS Minions cartoon mid-week. Go back and have a look. See you when we get back.

- Braced for a Water Landing Steve

Overlords #145 - Special Needs

Click on image for full-sized version!

Stand by, following some new commercial jibber-jabber for a body-shot from your Minion Master!

Your visit is important to us. Please give all your Christmas presents to the nearest Minion and we'll throw you down the chimney tonight.


NEW! SUPPORT "MINIONS AT WORK" BY BUYING STUFF YOU WERE GOING TO BUY ANYWAY!
We're now Amazon.com affiliates, which means that if you click on the Amazon link in our sidebar and make purchases from Amazon, a tiny little sliver of what you spend goes to support these fine (maybe even near-mint!) cartoons!

Later, we'll be adding a selection of Minion-recommended merchandise, but until then, use your imagination. Books, videos, electronics, games, maybe even ACTION FIGURES!
Minions at work is inadequately supported during this financial crisis by your purchases from our web stores and our advertisers. Feed the economy and help us bleed green just a little more slowly by purchasing tee-shirts, buttons, calendars, hats, undies (we kid not!), and other fine Minions at Work items at one of the following stores.

While waiting for your impending doom, pick up a Minions at Work tee-shirt or other great souvenir of your visit to the Lair:
THE MINION'S LAIR OF MERCHANDISE
"Satisfaction guaranteed or we'll make make you buy something else!"

and

NUMBER TWO'S HOUSE OF NAUGHTY
(Naughty is as naughty does!)

Join the Minions Reminder Email List. It's free, it's easy, and you'll never miss a Minions at Work cartoon (or if you do, it won't be our fault!)

Greetings, Overboards!

We're getting ready for our Florida trip next week, but don't worry, I'll program our loyal robot minions to deliver your regular Minions at Work entertainment while we're gone. Just about the time the next installment is posting, I should theoretically be boarding a plane for our scenic Chicago layover. Joy!

Hey, I was surprised tonight to discover that one of our readers has extensively cross-referenced "Minions at Work" into the "TV Tropes" site. TV Tropes is a wiki that documents the various tropes, idioms and cliches common to popular fiction, starting with television (thus the name) but moving on into movies, books, comics, web comics and other media. Kind of cool being recognized (in no matter how small a way) as a cultural touchstone.

Thanks, whoever you are.

Well, tons to do, and no time to do it.
-

- Minions On Autopilot Steve

Minions #143 - How do you spell Xmas?

Stand by, following some new commercial jibber-jabber for a body-shot from your Minion Master!

Your visit is important to us. Please give all your government bail-outs to the nearest Minion and we'll continue doing things as we always have because, hey, that's been working for us so far, right?


NEW! SUPPORT "MINIONS AT WORK" BY BUYING STUFF YOU WERE GOING TO BUY ANYWAY!
We're now Amazon.com affiliates, which means that if you click on the Amazon link in our sidebar and make purchases from Amazon, a tiny little sliver of what you spend goes to support these fine (maybe even near-mint!) cartoons!

Later, we'll be adding a selection of Minion-recommended merchandise, but until then, use your imagination. Books, videos, electronics, games, maybe even ACTION FIGURES!
Minions at work is inadequately supported during this financial crisis by your purchases from our web stores and our advertisers. Feed the economy and help us bleed green just a little more slowly by purchasing tee-shirts, buttons, calendars, hats, undies (we kid not!), and other fine Minions at Work items at one of the following stores.

While waiting for your impending doom, pick up a Minions at Work tee-shirt or other great souvenir of your visit to the Lair:
THE MINION'S LAIR OF MERCHANDISE
"Satisfaction guaranteed or we'll make make you buy something else!"

and

NUMBER TWO'S HOUSE OF NAUGHTY
(Naughty is as naughty does!)

Join the Minions Reminder Email List. It's free, it's easy, and you'll never miss a Minions at Work cartoon (or if you do, it won't be our fault!)

Greetings, New Years Deresolutions!

Yes, one more swipe at Christmas before we move on to the new year. I finally got a half-way decent Santa, sort-of-in-scale, so I had to make use of him while I could.

You know, sometimes when you're doing a strip like this, you just don't know if what you're doing is funny, or terrible, or in horrid taste, or what. This is one of those occasions. Well, what I've learned is, go with it. Usually somebody will really like it, and the rest will usually forget it soon enough.

Go ahead. Start forgetting!

Other Reports from the Lair

Over the holidays, Mrs. Minion Master and I have been on a James Bond marathon. We now own all the Bond movies on DVD, except for Quantum of Solace (which will be added soon enough), the comedy version of Casino Royale from the 60s (which hardly counts to my mind) and the "unauthorized" Never Say Never Again (the non-Eon remake of Thunderball starring Sean Connery, released about the same time as the Roger Moore "Octopussy.")

A liquidator-type store near us got on a bunch of what were apparently anniversary releases from 7-8 years back. While the current Bond DVD releases are stripped down, these have tons of excellent documentaries, supporting material, and other extras, and they were priced at a too-good-to-pass-up $4.99 each. I got a couple, and before long, a couple more, and before we knew what we were doing, we had the whole danged set.

From a Minions at Work standpoint, it's been great to see all the villains, gadgets, and lairs again. I'm thinking about reviewing some of the films from a lair/overlord/minion-centric perspective. The best lair to my mind is still the volcano from "You Only Live Twice," but there are plenty of other great ones.

It's also interesting to check out the minions and their uniforms. Best dressed have got to be the painted-on red jumpsuits with black belts (on all-female minions) in "Octopussy," but there are other good ones, like the color-coded minions from "You Only Live Twice." Then there are a few that are terrible to behold. Yeah, I've got to blog about that here at some point.

Anyway, we're off to Florida in a couple weeks, but while watching Bond films, I built some interesting new set pieces, and there should be plenty of new cartoons to see us through the traveling.

Keep sharing the link with your friends! We've got a world to take over here!

- Goldblogger Steve

- Your Mastersaurus Rex, Steve

Holiday Bonus Minions #142 - Making the List

Hey, folks, a holiday bonus Minions at Work!

I know times are hard, and the weather's not much better for a lot of you, but chin up! Better times are ahead!

All of us here at the Lair: your Minion Master, Steve, Mrs. Minion Master, Chris, the Cats-O-Evil Oz and Sydney, as well as all the Minions and Overlords, wish you and yours a happy holiday (of whatever flavor or flavors you choose to celebrate), and a safe and prosperous New Year!

- Steve

Overlords #140 - Bar Joke

CLICK ON IMAGES FOR LARGER VERSIONS

Stand by, following the usually commercial jibber-jabber for a body-shot from your Minion Master!

Your visit is important to us. Please give all your precious metals to the nearest Minion and stare mindlessly at the screen for a message of real change from your Maverick Minion Master, following the usual commercial interruptions.

Minions at work is inadequately supported during this financial crisis by your purchases from our web stores and our advertisers. Feed the economy and help us bleed green just a little more slowly by purchasing tee-shirts, buttons, calendars, hats, undies (we kid not!), and other fine Minions at Work items at one of the following stores.

While waiting for your impending doom, pick up a Minions at Work tee-shirt or other great gift:
THE MINION'S LAIR OF MERCHANDISE
"Where the beatings will continue until all customers are satisfied!"

and

NUMBER TWO'S HOUSE OF NAUGHTY
(Oh, come on. You know you want to be naughty!)

Join the Minions Reminder Email List. It's free, it's easy, and you'll never miss a Minions at Work cartoon (or if you do, it won't be our fault!)

Greetings, Minion Bar-flies!

This week, in honor of -- I dunno, a round number maybe -- I decided to bring the Overlords back, though in a completely different way. In fact, pretty much everything is different this week. Minions at Work sets tend to be bright and monotone. This one is dark and colorful. And of course, no Minions in sight.

Frankly, I just love bar sets, though I must confess that your Minion Master doesn't spend much time in the real thing. I rarely pollute my magnificent brain with alcohol, and never have. Not a big moral choice or anything. It's just the way I am.

But as I get older, I find I enjoy going with friends to a bar just to watch people. Same with going to Las Vegas, something I never figured I'd enjoy. Going to Las Vegas is like going to the giant mother-of-all-bars, one with no walls, one that never closes.

People do things in those surroundings that they'd never do in their real life. And while you might think it's the alcohol or the lack or restrictions, I think it's something different entirely. It's just that, in this one situation, they have an excuse to let a little of their real self show through.

Which is why it's fun to put the Minions, or the Overlords, in that situation. You find out who they really are behind the facade.

It amuses me that Doctor Coldblood and Doctor Head-in-a-jar go to bars together, even though they apparently don't like each other. I think it's just because nobody else wants to party with them. The unpopular people have to stick together. They don't get to pick and choose. The decision's been made for them.

But do these two really dislike each other as much as they let on? I've got to wonder. Maybe we'll learn more in future cartoons.

Save me a place at the bar. Seen you next time.

- Your Minion Mixologist, Steve

Minions #105 - Laugh Riot

CLICK ON IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION

Your visit is important to us. Please hand your wallet to the nearest Minion and stare mindlessly at the screen for a message from your Minon Master, following the usual commercial interruptions.

Minions at work is inadequately supported by your purchases from our web stores and our advertisers. Help us bleed green just a little more slowly by purchasing tee-shirts, buttons, calendars, hats, undies (we kid not!), and other fine Minions at Work items at one of the following stores.

While waiting for your impending doom, pick up a Minions at Work tee-shirt or other great gift:
THE MINION'S LAIR OF MERCHANDISE
"Where the beatings will continue until all customers are satisfied!"

and

NUMBER TWO'S HOUSE OF NAUGHTY
(Oh, come on. You know you want to be naughty!)

Join the Minions reminder email list or we will send a presidential candidate to kiss all your babies!* It's free, it's easy, and you'll never miss a Minions at Work cartoon (or if you do, it won't be our fault!)

*Actually, we're just going to send Minion Number Two and he's just going to bruise the little tyke's face with his gas-mask. This, however, is still better than being kissed by the candidate.)


Greetings, Bar-flies!

Okay, I'm late this week. First of all, TAXES. Second, we were out of town this weekend for a most unusual wedding. You really have to give chops to a wedding that lists "Bridesminons" in the program. (I'll post some on-topic pictures next week.)

Anyway, I'd hoped to do something new and tax-related this week, but just didn't have time. So instead I'm dipping into my inventory for something more generic. Hey, at least I had an inventory to dip into.

Anyway, back next week with something new, because... Well, actually, because the inventory is empty now. Time to stock up again...

Well, enough delay. Time to post. See ya'll next week.

-Steve

Minions #58 - Blue Collar in Black and White

Click image for full-sized version.

Visit:
THE MINION'S LAIR OF MERCHANDISE
Shoplifters cheerfully disintegrated!

and

NUMBER TWO'S HOUSE OF NAUGHTY
(It's only as bad as you think it is!)

Join the Minions reminder email list or we will blot out the sun*. It's free, it's easy, and you'll never miss a Minions at Work cartoon (or if you do, it won't be our fault!)

*Actually, we're just going to send the Penguin to stalk you with a big, black, umbrella. Budget-cuts and all...

An after-work Martini-gram from from Minion Central:

Greetings, Real Minions,


As you may have noted, we had some problems with the images in our Cafe Press stores last week, but they were fixed over the weekend and everything seems to be back in order.

This marks the second appearance of the "other-Minions." Our guys last ran into them in this very same bar back in Minions #25. So I started to wonder, "who are these guys?" Now, maybe they just work for some other overlord, but our guys get around, and something about those yellow helmets and translucent sleeves somehow suggested that they were dedicated techies of some sort. And given that, could there be some friction with our work-a-day Minions? Quite possibly. I'll bet these guys have quite a rivalry when they play softball at the company picnic...

Anyway, I doubt this is the last you'll see of these guys. Since, in the novel I'm working on, I've dubbed our original Minions "White Team," then let's call these guys "Blue Team."

(By the way, does anybody else think that Mike Rowe of Discovery Channel's program Dirty Jobs really needs to hook up with the Minions?)


See you next week...

- Steve, Master of Multiple Minions

Minions #32 - This guy walks into a bar...

Click image for full-sized version.

Posting (slightly early)remotely today from the Space Center at Huntsville, Alabama. Chris and I have done drive-by book-signings at Dothan, Montgomery, as well as here in Huntsville. Headed back west to Oregon tomorrow. If all goes well, I'll be back at Minions Studios Monday evening.

Note, I'm traveling for about two weeks with limited internet access, so if things fall a little off schedule, forgive me. The cartoons for the next few weeks are lined up and ready to go, but I have to get to the internet to set them free! This could disrupt the reminder list as well. What access I do have, getting the cartoons posted gets priority over everything else.

Speaking of the reminder list, JOIN!:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MinionsAtWork/

Minions #30 - Listen to your friends

Click image for full-sized version.

Please! Share Minions at Work with your friends, family, enemies, and perfect strangers on the street! Heck, even if they're imperfect. You know, like one eye is just a little bit higher than the other.

And a different color.

And on the back of their head.

Don't miss out on any Minions fun! Join the Mighty Minion Mulching Society by signing up for our weekly email reminder list. To join, visit:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MinionsAtWork/

Get that guy with the funny eye to sign up too.

Minions #28 - Pick Up Line

Click on the image for full-sized version.

Be sure to check the previous post for some exciting news and some bonus Minions content, with more to come throughout the week! That's right, keep checking back for some extra-special guest Minion cartoons. No waiting till Monday this week! (Though we'll be back Monday anyhow.)

Remember, just click the booby-trapped envelope icon below (no, it's harmless -- really -- probably --) to send this week's Minions at Work cartoon to a friend! Or an enemy! We really don't care!

Minions #25 - Two Minions Walk into a Bar

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Goofy jump-suits. They just seem to go with the job.

Note that we've added the little envelope icon to the bottom of each post. Clicking on these makes it easier to email your favorite "Minions at Work" cartoon to a friend. Try it now!

Minions #21 - Heel!

Click picture for full-sized image.

Meanwhile, those with a taste for black, topical, humor are invited to check this new parody movie poster on my writing blog, J. Steven York's Multiplex of the Mind.

Next week: Something. The inventory is again depleated I think, so it's time to shoot some new panels. I've got ideas waiting. It's just a question of which one(s) I'll set up.

Please pass our link to your friends.
http://minionsatwork.blogspot.com/
or if that's too hard to remember, you can always link in through our web page at:
www.yorkwriters.com
Thanks!