Category: music

Song of the Week

Huun-Huur-Tu, “Orphan’s Lament”

Good morning!

I had a lovely time at Story Keepers Books on Saturday. I love meeting readers the best, but I often meet other authors, and since I’ve been doing this for a little while, sometimes they ask me about independent publishing. This happens often enough that I think IngramSpark should give me a sponsorship for all the free advertising I’m giving them.

Even though they definitely won’t, I can still answer your questions. I’m mostly making things up as I go along, but I did finish three books and get them out into the world, so I guess I know something? Comments are open, in any case.

My goal for this week is to finish the next page of Last Watch Before Dawn today or tomorrow and finish another page by Friday. We’ll see how it goes.

Some petitions:

Via Save the Children: Speak up for Afghanistan’s children

Via Civic Shout: Stop Trump’s anti-trans passport rule

Via Win Without War: No US arms to the Israeli government

Via Eko: Stop arms for genocide in Sudan

That’s it for now. Thanks for being here, and stop by again soon!

Song of the Week

Hozier, “Empire Now”

Good morning!

In case you missed it, The Book of the New Moon Door is now available on more audiobook platforms. It may also be available from your library’s digital catalogue! If it’s not, you can always request to be notified if and when it’s available. If enough people do that, the library will buy a copy.

I’m working on another page of Last Watch Before Dawn, and I should have it ready by Wednesday. I’m hoping to get to a pace of two or more pages per week, so as to finish the first volume before the heat death of the universe.

On Saturday, I’ll be at Story Keepers Books in West Allis, WI for a Meet the Author event! The address is 7035 W Greenfield Ave, and the event runs from noon until 3. Bring books for me to sign! The shop has a few, also. More information can be found here.

A couple of petitions:

Via Women’s March: Abolish ICE

Via IfNotNow: Stop home demolitions in Umm al-Khair

Via CHN Action: Governors must demand SNAP funding

Via Civic Shout: Call for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan

That’s all I have for today! I’ll be back later with more comic, and I hope to see you at the bookshop on Saturday.

Song of the Week

Chasing Abbey, “Íorónta”

Good morning!

I hope you had a happy and safe Halloween. I would like to report that my baby was extremely adorable in her dragon costume.

I was hoping to get some drawing done last week, but the audiobook ended up taking up all my time. In related news, THE AUDIOBOOK IS LIVE! I’ll be back shortly with links and things for you!

So, I’ll be drawing this week, and will hopefully have a page for you by Wednesday. Now that the audiobook is done, I will try yet again to get back to a good working and posting schedule.

A couple of petitions for today:

Via CHN Action: Governors must demand SNAP funding for November

Via Win Without War: Tell governors to resist occupation of our cities

Via No Business With Genocide: Stop the UAE from fueling genocide in Sudan

I think that’s it for now. I’ll get to work on those audiobook links.

Song of the Week

Guante & Big Cats, “Dog People”

Good morning!

I am almost done uploading The Book of the New Moon Door to Author’s Republic, which appears to work similarly to IngramSpark in that it distributes audiobooks to various platforms such as Audible, Libro.fm, and so on . After that, the files all undergo a validation report, to make sure they meet the platform’s requirements. If that all goes well, we could see a release as early as next week!

Other than that, I’ll be working on Last Watch Before Dawn, and I hope to get a couple of pages finished this week for your reading/viewing pleasure. The Well Below the Valley will also resume, slowly, as it doesn’t seem to be attracting many readers, but I still want to get it done.

I will be back with updates soon! In the meantime, here are some petitions:

Via Amnesty International: Free Palestinian pediatrician and hospital director

Via the ACLU: Protect our free press

Via The Intercept: Don’t deploy the National Guard

That’s all for today. Take care of yourselves, and stop by again soon.

Song of the Week

Mazan Poshtarov, “Steppe of My Homeland”

Hello and happy Monday.

I had a lovely time at both Spooky Frog and What the Hex this past weekend! What the Hex was interrupted by a church group handing out flyers about how we’re all going to Hell, but they were eventually driven off.

I also realized that I’m seeing a lot of people who have already read one or more of my books! It is really great to recognize faces and be recognized in return, but I need to get some new material out! To that end, I’ll be trying to focus more on the comic than The Well Below the Valley for a little while, though you should expect new content from both to gradually make its way to you.

Last week’s episode of The Well Below the Valley will be up here on Wednesday for free reading.

The recording of The Book of the New Moon Door is finished and edited! I’ll be uploading it to the audiobook platform this week. Expect a release date soon.

Here are some petitions:

Via RAICES: Medical care is a human right

Via Justice Democrats: Hold Israel accountable and end the occupation of Gaza

Via Demand Progress: End violent ICE raids

Via Hip Hop Caucus: Stop using military troops and ICE to invade American cities

That’s all I’ve got for today. Stop by again soon!

Song of the Week

Loreena McKennitt, “Between the Shadows”

Good morning and happy Indigenous People’s Day!

I am running on very little sleep, but I should have the next episode of The Well Below the Valley ready today. It’ll go up on Patreon on Wednesday. I’ll also be starting a new page of Last Watch Before Dawn this week, in which we’ll finally get some dialogue!

The audiobook of The Book of the New Moon Door is coming along. I think I can safely say that it will be out sometime in November, hopefully early. I’d love to have it ready so that it’s available for anyone who needs something to listen to during holiday travel. I’ll update you as the process goes!

I’ll be out and about this weekend, so if you’re free and in the Milwaukee area, I’d love to see you! First up is the Spooky Frog Horror Book Fair on Saturday the 18th. We’ll be at the Sheraton Milwaukee Brookfield Hotel from 11AM to 4PM. There will be horror authors as well as artists and craftspeople, free hors d’oeuvres while they last, and a live DJ set by Goth Barge. Entry is only $5. If you’re going to the protests that day, I wish you power and safety, whether or not you can find the time to stop by.

On Sunday the 19th, I’ll be at What the Hex: Dia de Muertos from noon until 5PM at Dresden Castle on Underwood, Cudahy, WI. Entry is only $3 and gets you access to the market, live performances, and workshops on magic and healing. What the Hex is always a fantastic time, so if you’ve never made it to one, I highly encourage it.

Some petitions:

Via No Business With Genocide: Stop the UAE from fueling genocide in Sudan

Via Civic Shout: Hold ICE accountable for civil rights violations

Via the National Campaign for Justice: Demand governors fight Trump’s attempts to deploy their National Guard

That’s all I’ve got for today. Take care, stay warm, and stop by again soon!

Song of the Week

Sinéad O’Connor, “House of the Rising Sun” (traditional)

Good morning! This is my favorite version of “House of the Rising Sun,” so I hope you enjoy.

I have a new page of Last Watch Before Dawn for you, and it will be up tomorrow. I’m working on the next episode of The Well Below the Valley.

I also have some very exciting news, which is that The Book of the New Moon Door will be available as an audiobook soon! I’ve been working with two talented and hardworking voice actors, and they’ve just finished the recording. I’m hoping for a Halloween release! I’ll update you as we go. I’ve maybe mentioned the audiobook before once or twice, but I didn’t want to promise anything before I had an idea of the timeline.

Also, please mark your calendars for the Spooky Frog Horror Book Fair on Saturday, October 18 and What the Hex: Dia de Muertos on Sunday, October 19!

Here are some petitions:

Via Win Without War: Don’t silence dissent with tear gas

Via Ekō: Protect the Sumud Flotilla now

Via The Intercept: Demand Big Tech cancel contracts with Israel’s government

That’s all for today. Thanks for stopping by!

Song of the Week

Kira Mac, “Hellfire and Holy Water”

Good morning! I have new content for you!

The latest episode of The Well Below the Valley is up on Patreon now, and on Wednesday it will be up here for free reading. I am putting the finishing touches on the next page of Last Watch Before Dawn, and it will be up later today. The next page is a single panel, so I’m hoping to get it out this week as well.

I’ll also be writing the newsletter today, and that will go out tomorrow. If you’re not signed up and would like to be (it has cat pictures), here’s a link. Be sure to check your inbox for a confirmation afterward.

Some petitions:

Via National Campaign for Justice: Birthright citizenship must be protected

Via Win Without War: Stop Trump’s march to war in Latin America

Via Drop Site: Grant safe passage to the Global Sumud Flotilla

Okay, I think that’s everything for right now. I love and appreciate you. Stop by again soon.

Song of the Week

Khaled, “Alech Taadi” (from The Fifth Element)

Hello again!

I had a lovely time at the last Kenosha Book Festival of the year. It was still pretty hot, but the rain stayed away. Next month, I’ll be heading to the Spooky Frog Horror Book Fair and another What the Hex! More on that later.

The last couple of weeks have been difficult for me in terms of work; I managed to qualify for a home weatherization program, so I’ve had a crew coming in and out of the house and disrupting everyone’s schedules. I’m very grateful for the assistance, and will be even more so when winter hits, but it did prevent me from getting all the writing and drawing done that I wanted to (and poor Shepard, my small and cowardly cat, hid in the basement ceiling for the better part of several days).

That being said, I think I can get the next page of Last Watch Before Dawn done this week, and the latest episode of The Well Below the Valley should be out next week. I appreciate your patience.

A couple of petitions:

Via Drop Site: Grant safe passage to the Global Sumud Flotilla sailing to Gaza

Via Doctors Without Borders: Stop the Genocide, let Gaza live

As always, thanks for stopping by! I’ll be back again soon.

Song of the Week

Taqbir, “Aisha Qandisha”

(Lyrics and more information here)

Hello!

I promise I am working on getting you new content. Our house has undergone several days’ worth of weatherization work over the past week, and there’s still more to do. In addition, my baby has just learned how to roll over and wants to do nothing else. She hasn’t figured out how to roll back yet. There will be a new episode of The Well Below the Valley and a new page of Last Watch Before Dawn soon. I appreciate your patience.

I’m going to the Kenosha Book Festival this Sunday (the 21st)! It’s looking like rain, but I promise it’ll be worth it. There will be a gathering of indie and local authors eager to talk books with you, a huge used book sale, delicious food, and goody bags for the first 100 guests (so plan to come early!). We’ll be there from 10 to 3 across from Studio Moonfall, 5031 7th Ave., Kenosha, WI. Here’s the Facebook event and here’s the website.

Here’s some petitions:

Via RootsAction: Pass War Powers Resolution to prevent war on Venezuela

Via Demand Progress: Stop Trump’s military takeover of US cities

Via Feminist Majority Foundation: Stand with Afghan women

Via Civic Shout: Investigate cruelty at ICE detention centers

Thanks for being here. I’ll be back again soon.