Song of the Week

Small Fools, “Bone to Bone”

Good morning!

I am still working on the latest episode of The Well Below the Valley, because my baby apparently had a big brain growth spurt and didn’t want to nap at all last week. There were so many interesting things to look at! She also has finally had her first round of vaccines, so I can take her out in the world and find her even more interesting things to look at.

So, I’m hoping to have Episode 10 done by the end of the week, and I’ll be starting the first page of the comic as well. Gods and babies willing, I can have both of those things for you soon.

Also, don’t forget: I’ll be at the Kenosha Book Festival on July 27!

A couple of petitions for this week:

Via Win Without War: Demand the White House urgently deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza

Via Native Organizers Alliance: Shut down “Alligator Alcatraz”

Via Rep. Pramila Jayapal: Stop criminalizing homelessness

Comic Update

Pencil sketch of a tall man with large ears and long hair seated behind a desk. He is dressed in a kimono, his arm and shoulder out on the right side, and sarashi bandages around his midsection. He holds a stack of papers in one hand and an ink brush with the other, holding the brush up to his face pensively. A stack of books sits at his elbow. An oil lamp in the shape of sort of a squat goblet sits in the foreground.

I still have to get my drawing tablet set up, so enjoy this pencil drawing. His name is Tomoya Daichi and he is pretty important and importantly pretty.

Also, we have a new title: Last Watch Before Dawn. It better reflects the secret demon-hunting organization at the story’s heart, and avoids some heavy, real-world cultural connotations that will distract (or at least will distract me) from the fictional setting.

I’ll be working on getting the tablet set up this week, which means that actual comic pages are not far off. Stay tuned!

Song of the Week

Emer Kenny, “Siobhán”

Good morning!

I was going to get you the comic’s new title last week, but I wanted to have a drawing to go with it and didn’t manage to do one. I’m working on that today, so expect that announcement later.

I’m also working on Episode 10 of The Well Below the Valley, but it probably won’t be ready until sometime next week. I appreciate your patience! Between new episodes and pages of the comic, I’m hopeful that I will have enough new content coming out to keep you checking in, but I’m still working out a writing/drawing schedule. My baby is still sleeping pretty erratically (she only woke up once last night, and I feel almost like a human, but I’m not anticipating that will happen again anytime soon). She is just about two months old! She has started smiling and it’s the best.

My next in-person event will be the Kenosha Book Festival on Sunday, July 27. I’ll have more on that as we get closer, but I’m excited to be back and hope to see you there!

Some petitions, if you’re interested:

Via Win Without War: No war in Iran

Via MPower Action Fund: Block the bombs and Co-sponsor Rep. Jayapal’s resolution for urgent Gaza aid

Via Rep. Rashida Tlaib: Demand the closure of Guantánamo Bay

That’s all for the moment. Stop by again soon!

The Well Below the Valley, Episode 9: Green Grows the Lily

A bleak, leafless tree against a sepia-toned sky. Text reads: Space Whales Press presents The Well Below the Valley, an audio drama

Table of Contents

Dramatis Personae
(in order of appearance)

CLAIRE Cooper, harbinger of the new world. Female, late teens, Northern English accent.

Dr. MARJANI Kaur, caretaker of the women’s home. Female, early 30s, could have a British or Indian Accented English accent.

JASMINE Indrani, no longer an academic. Female, late 20s, could have a British or Indian Accented English accent.

Dr. ERNEST Wilde, torn between horror and scientific curiosity. Male, early 30s, Northern English accent.

Eloise “ELLIE” Westmont, heir to ancient secrets. Female, mid-20s, posh English accent.

KURT Cross, who has accepted the occult but doesn’t like it. Male, early 30s, New York accent.

Inspector ISKANDAR Meshkia, believer in a better world despite all evidence to the contrary. Male, late 30s, strong Turkish accent.

The voice of Professor Emundr RAGNARSSON, speaking once more from beyond the grave. Male, late 50s, Icelandic accent.

JONATHAN Martel, long-serving butler of the Westmont estate. Male, mid-50s, Northern English accent.

AURELIA Westmont, sole resident of the Westmont estate and Ellie’s favorite cousin. Female, late teens, posh English accent.

Sheriff Norbert OAKS, Whitmoor gatekeeper. Male, mid-40s, Northern English accent. 

JAMES MacDonald, friendly neighborhood bookbinder. Male, early 30s, Northern English accent. 

The voice of ESTRILDA de Westemond, witch in captivity. Female, early 20s, Northern English accent.

Scene 1: Int. Whitmoor Area Women’s Home, upstairs bedroom – Day

Continue reading “The Well Below the Valley, Episode 9: Green Grows the Lily” →

Song of the Week

Tinariwen, “Nànnuflày”

This week, I bring you this song from a Touareg blues group.

I’m bringing you some other things too! The newsletter will be going out today at noon. On Wednesday, the latest episode of The Well Below the Valley will be up here for free reading. I’ll be working on the next episode and some preliminary drawings of the comic, as well as a new title for said comic, throughout the week.

That’s basically it for today. As always, thanks for stopping by, and I hope you come again soon.

Comic progress!

I’ve finished sketching the layout of every page. The art and science of comics is to guide the reader’s eye in the correct direction, ensuring they pause where the pacing needs to slow and move quickly when it needs to speed up. We’ll see how well I managed when I start drawing.

I guess I have to start drawing now. It’s intimidating, but I did this all to myself.

I’ll be working on a new and improved title, as well. I’ll be back with more updates when I have them.

New Patreon Post/ The Well Below the Valley, Episode 9

Everyone thinks I’m just a silly little girl, and he tricked me, but that’s not true at all. 

I wouldn’t have been chosen if I wasn’t worthy.

Soon, I’ll give birth to the new world. 

What’s this? New content?

Our intrepid investigators start uncovering the secrets of the town of Whitmoor and the Westmont family. Warning for implied body horror and reproductive coercion.

You can read this episode right now on Patreon!

Song of the Week

Jesse Welles, “War Is a God”

Good morning!

I’m not sure if I can say I’m back yet, but I’m giving it a try. I’m almost done with Episode 9 of The Well Below the Valley, so that will be up on Patreon later this week (hopefully Wednesday), and then up here next week for free reading. As I work on the next episode, I’ll be trying to work out a sustainable posting schedule.

I’m also maybe two thirds of the way done with thumbnails for the first volume of the comic! Basically, I’m just sketching out panel layouts based on the script I’ve already completed. Once that’s done, I’ll be starting to draw.

Having given it some more thought, I’m not sure how much I love the title Chrysanthemum Dawn. It maybe has too many connotations of Imperial Japan, which I would like to tone down for two reasons: the setting is not Japan, though it takes some inspiration, and I’m opposed to imperialism generally as a human and more specifically as a human of Korean descent. I’ll do some brainstorming and get back to you. I’ll also take some pictures of the thumbnails to show you later this week.

Here’s some petitions that I’ve signed and you might like to as well:

Via Win Without War: Congress must pass War Powers Resolution

Via Civic Shout: Defend gender-affirming care to save lives

Via the Juggernaut Project: Don’t deport kids

As always, thanks for reading. I’ve missed you! Come by again soon.

Quick check-in

A baby wearing a black dress with gold hearts lies on a stack of books, including the Edge of the Empire RPG sourcebook, the D&D Monster Manual, Player's Handbook, and Dungeon Master's Guide, The Art of War, the Norton Shakespeare Anthology, The Golden Compass, Dune, The Night Circus, and Gulliver's Travels. She is turned toward the camera, eyes closed, her hands in her face.

This is Miranda. I made her out of love and…mostly cheese (I had gestational diabetes). She is here and real and healthy as can be–almost a month old now.

I’m not quite ready to get back to regular posting, but I wanted to let you know that I’m still alive and slowly picking my work back up. I’ve finished the script for the first volume of Chrysanthemum Dawn! I’ll have some sketches for you soon. I’m also outlining the next episode of The Well Below the Valley today, and should start writing it this week.

I’ll check back in again soon. In the meantime, happy Pride, and thanks for stopping by!

Announcement: Maternity Leave

Hello friends!

I will be absent from posting starting May 8, 2025. I plan to have new content starting sometime in June, and return to in-person events at the end of July, but I’ve never done this before and will have to adjust as I go along. I should be able to answer comments here or on social media (Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky) if you need me. Thanks for your patience, and wish me luck!

All my books are available wherever books are sold (but here are some options), and you can catch up on free reading as well. I appreciate you!