As it turns out, audiobook platforms have some very strict file requirements. Over the course of this week, I have gone from knowing nothing about audio editing to learning about RMS, noise floors, compression, and loudness normalization. All the files are now submitted and queuing up to be released to retail platforms!
Unfortunately, I don’t have a release date for you. Unlike my print books, I wasn’t given the option to set one, so for now I’m just watching and waiting. I’ll let you know as soon as I learn anything.
Special thanks to Beni and Rachael for lending their voices to this project!
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:
KURT Cross, private investigator who has already seen too much. Male, early 30s, New York accent.
Inspector ISKANDAR Meshkia, who still remembers how to use a sword. Male, late 30s, strong Turkish accent.
Father John WHITNEY, slayer of sacrifices and summoner of monsters. Male, early 50s, Northern English accent.
Eloise “ELLIE” Westmont, who always comes prepared. Female, mid 20s, posh British accent.
Three or more CULTISTS and residents of Whitmoor. Male or female, 30s or 40s, Northern English accents.
Sheriff Norbert OAKS, unofficially the second in command of the cult. Male, mid-40s, Northern English accent.
MARIE Campbell, not quite sacrificed. Female, early 20s, Northern English accent.
Dr. ERNEST Wilde, determined rationalist. Male, early 30s, Northern English accent.
JASMINE Indrani, staunch defender of the women’s shelter and its residents. Female, late 20s, could have a British or Indian Accented English accent.
JONATHAN Martel, butler and caretaker of the Westmont estate. Male, mid-50s, Northern English accent.
MARJANI Kaur, physician and practical optimist. Female, early 30s, could have a British or Indian Accented English accent.
CLAIRE Cooper, holy vessel. Female, late teens, Northern English accent.
Scene 1: Ext. Fields outside Whitmoor – Night
MUSIC: OPENING THEME.
The music fades into the howling of the wind over Whitmoor’s dry fields. In the distance, a copse of dead trees shake and rattle. Underneath the noise, a drone is present, steady and pervasive.
Something enormous and heavy is coming into being among those trees. A heavy footfall shakes the ground, and a dry branch snaps.
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.
In order to make any sense of what happened back at Milton’s, I had to start believing in magic, I guess.
It’s not regaining some childlike whimsy. I think it was more giving up on anything ever making sense again.
ERNEST:
I’m…sorry.
KURT:
Nah, don’t be.
It’s weirdly freeing.
As promised, there’s a new episode of The Well Below the Valley on Patreon! We’re concluding this arc (Chapter Two of the module) with a lot of violence, an escape in the dead of night, and a strange encounter.
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.
I tried all those fancy brushes last page, and I honestly think I like the simpler look better: just the one brush, using cross-hatching for texture and in-between shadows. I’m interested to know your thoughts.
Here we have a big sci-fi reveal. Image below the cut:
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.
Inspector ISKANDAR Meshkia, former Ottoman cavalry officer. Male, late 30s, strong Turkish accent.
JASMINE Indrani, practical ex-academic. Female, late 20s, could have a British or Indian Accented English accent.
KURT Cross, reluctantly courageous private eye. Male, early 30s, New York accent.
MARJANI Kaur, director and doctor of the women’s home. Female, early 30s, could have a British or Indian Accented English accent.
VIOLET, a resident of the women’s home after her house was lost in a fire. Female, 50s, Northern English accent.
BELLA, the young daughter of a women’s home resident. Female, four years old, Northern English accent.
WINIFRED, Bella’s mother and a war widow. Female, mid-30s, Northern English accent.
Dr. ERNEST Wilde, who far prefers the boring routines of his lab. Male, early 30s, Northern English accent.
JONATHAN Martel, defender of the Westmont estate and its young mistress. Male, mid-50s, Northern English accent.
Eloise “ELLIE” Westmont, who wants to keep her past and present lives separate. Female, mid 20s, posh British accent.
AURELIA Westmont, less than blissful in ignorance. Female, late teens, posh English accent.
JAMES MacDonald, refugee from the ransacked bookshop. Male, early 30s, Northern English accent.
Sheriff Norbert OAKS, cult enforcer. Male, mid-40s, Northern English accent.
Richard LESTER and Charles PICK, Whitmoor police deputies. Both male, mid-20s, Northern English accents.
Father John WHITNEY, Whitmoor cult leader. Male, early 50s, Northern English accent.
MARIE Campbell, unwilling cult sacrifice. Female, early 20s, Northern English accent.
Scene 1: Int. Whitmoor Area Women’s Home – Night
MUSIC: OPENING THEME.
The music fades out quickly, leaving the tense, empty quiet of the house. A floorboard creaks above; MARJANI and the residents are upstairs, while JASMINE waits by the front door. We can hear her breathing softly. Distant, muffled shouts indicate the activity in the town.
The loud, rapid pounding of a fist on the outside of the door breaks the quiet. JASMINE draws in a breath.
This page kicked my butt and adding text in Photoshop is not exactly a nightmare, but more like one of those frustrating dreams where you’re trying to do a simple task and your brain keeps generating obstacles.
I’m still working out the art style and used some fancy brushes for this one. Let me know what you think.
Space Whales Press 