Category: Uncategorized

Some more notes on editing

This rant is brought to you by some writers in the fantasy book groups I’m in complaining that editing is too expensive, so they just…don’t do it? I neither recall their names nor wish to share them even if I did, so this is just sort of a general rant.

Editing is hard. Editing your own work is harder. As writers, we all have to learn how to do it, whether it’s to keep our manuscripts out of the slush pile, give our editors fewer headaches, or avoid annoying our beloved readers.

Continue reading “Some more notes on editing” →

Event Tomorrow: Feast of the Goat Queen

Tomorrow, Brooke and I are headed down to Rabid Brewing Co for the Feast of the Goat Queen! There will be live music, wrestling, burlesque and fire dance, and BABY GOATS YOU CAN PET. The event runs from noon until 11PM, but the market will close at 7 (which is good, because 11 is past my bedtime). Tickets and more information are available here. The address is 17759 Bretz Dr Homewood, IL (south of Chicago). Costumes are encouraged.

I’ll be handing out my shiny new Journey to the Water bookmarks, and I’ll have plenty of copies of Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea and The Book of the New Moon Door! Brooke has her new, delightfully spooky Macabre tarot set, as well as hundreds of other cards in all the combinations you could want. Hope to see you there!

Some notes on editing

I’ve finished my reread of Journey to the Water! Next step to get it into shape is a new outline, and then the Great Rewrite begins. In the meantime, I thought I’d share a little bit about my editing process, in the hopes that it will be helpful, of interest, or both. I’ve mentioned a few of the steps of my process before, but it will be good to have it all in one place.

Here are three things about me:

  1. I cannot afford to pay a good editor at the rates that they deserve.
  2. I have a Master’s degree in English literature. (Points 1 and 2 may be related.)
  3. I do my own editing, but I always, always have at least one other person whose taste and advice I trust read through my manuscripts before they go to publication.

In order to edit my own work, I need to first distance myself from it.

(This got long, so the rest is behind the cut:)

Continue reading “Some notes on editing” →

Events this weekend!

Tomorrow, May 24th, I’ll be featured in a Meet the Author event at Studio Moonfall, 5031 7th Ave, Kenosha, WI! I’ll be there from 4pm until 7pm if you want to hang out with me, talk about books, and check out the shop. It’s a lovely place and I’m so excited to be there. Here’s a link to the Facebook event if you’d like more information.

Then on Saturday, May 25th, I’ll be at Graveyard Gallery’s AniMAYhem outside of Faklandia Brewing, 3807 S Packard Ave., St. Francis, WI. The market runs from noon until 5, and there’s a cosplay contest afterward at 6! Here’s a link for more information.

It’ll be a busy weekend to conclude a busy month. I hope to see you at one or both of these events! Then I’m going to take a break for a month or so.

Event: What the Hex Witches’ Market

The Witch of the Woods edition of What the Hex Witches’ Market is this Sunday at Dresden Castle, 3775 East Underwood Avenue, Cudahy, WI. Doors will be open from noon until 5, and admission is only $3 (kids 12 and under get in free). I’ll be there, as will Brooke of the Figuratively Speaking Tarot and a plethora of other magic-workers and makers. There will also be workshops (creating your own witch staff, flower crown, and crystal bracelet) and drag performances. What the Hex is a wonderful time, and the venue is gorgeous. I hope to see you there!

New Patreon Post/ Journey to the Water Chapter LIX

“If you were hoping for another chance at the knife, my friend,” Cullen said at last, “I’m afraid your luck has run out.”

Chapter LIX: The Edge of the Forest

With the forest stronghold destroyed, Eske makes a choice. You can read this chapter right now on Patreon.

Event: Spring Spirit Fair in Sheboygan, WI

This Saturday (tomorrow!) is the first of many events I’ll be attending in May! The Spring Sheboygan Spirit Fair will take place at Lakeshore Lanes, 2519 S. Business Dr, Sheboygan, WI. The market runs from 10 in the morning until 5 in the evening, but doors open at 9 so you can book a reading appointment, if that’s your jam. Admission is one non-perishable food item or cash donation to the Sheboygan County Food Bank.

This will be my first time at this market (and possibly my first time in Sheboygan since I was in high school?). I’ll be there with Brooke of the Figuratively Speaking Tarot, as per usual. Hope to see you there!

May Events

Mark your calendars! If you got the newsletter on Tuesday, this is just a repeat of that.

On Saturday, May 11, Brooke and I will be at the Spring Spirit Fair at Lakeshore Lanes, 2519 S. Business Dr. in Sheboygan, WI. The market runs from 10-5, but you can come in at 9 to book appointments with the various readers and body workers. Admission is one non-perishable food item or cash donation to the Sheboygan County Food Bank. (I don’t see us on the list at that link, but we were offered a space after a cancellation).

On Sunday, May 19, What the Hex: Witch of the Woods will be at Dresden Castle, 3775 East Underwood Ave, Cudahy, WI. Doors will be open from noon until 5, and admission is $3 (I mistakenly said it was free in the newsletter). This is one of our favorite markets and is just a good time all around.

On Friday, May 24, I will be venturing back out to Studio Moonfall, 5031 7th Avenue, Kenosha, WI to host an Author Night from 4-7 in the evening. I’d love to see you there if you missed the Book Festival (or even if you didn’t). I’ll probably bring some baked goods.

Lastly, on Saturday, May 25, we’ll both be at Graveyard Gallery’s Animayhem! This pop-up market takes place at Faklandia Brewpub, 3807 S. Packard Ave, St. Francis, WI. It runs from noon until 5pm. If you have prayers, spells, etc. for good weather, please send them our way, as this is an outdoor event.

I hope to see you at one (or more!) of these events! If you have any questions, let me know, and I will do my best to find answers for you. As always, I appreciate you.

Event: Kenosha Book Festival, Chapter One

On April 28 (a week from Sunday), I’ll be at the Kenosha Book Festival at Studio Moonfall: 5031 7th Avenue, Kenosha, WI. It will be open from 10 in the morning until 3 in the afternoon, and feature a slate of very cool indie authors (if I do say so myself), food trucks, and special deals. Here’s a link to the Facebook event and here are Studio Moonfall’s other events.

I was a last-minute addition, and I’m very excited to be attending! Hope to see you there!

New Patreon Post/ Journey to the Water Chapter LIII

“His servant is only a child,” I said, “as much flesh and blood as you or I. As for the rest, I cannot say. I can only swear to you that I will spend no one’s blood but my own.”

Chapter LIII: Departing Once More

An old rival, a promise made, and a new journey: Eske sets out once more in the latest chapter of Journey to the Water, now available on Patreon.