And I the unworthy Brother Bran begged the Northmen to spare us with the promise of greater riches to the north at the hollow island.
They departed with their plunder, and they will not return.
I fear I have done the unforgivable, and I pray God might have mercy on our humble souls and on the souls of the heathens.
A brand-new episode of THE WELL BELOW THE VALLEY is now available on Patreon! Our intrepid investigators meet the late professor’s next of kin and uncover one of his many secrets, decoding the document he had with him when he died.
I had a lovely time at the Spooky Frog Book Fair! Thanks to everyone who climbed the stairs to see us. I hope you enjoy the books!
The newsletter will go out on Friday, so if you haven’t signed up yet and want to (there are bonus cat pictures in it), you can put your email in the box at this link. Be sure to check your inbox for a confirmation, or it won’t add you to the list. If you signed up at the book fair, I’ll be adding you today; no need to do anything.
On Wednesday, the next episode of The Well Below the Valley will be up on Patreon! We’ll get to know some new characters and solve the puzzle the late professor was carrying around in his briefcase. I’ll be working on Episode 5 this week, as well as the first issue of the comic. I’m hoping to finish the comic script soon and get started on storyboarding, which is a much more interesting thing for you to look at, but I’ll see if I can post a bit of the script on Friday as a fun teaser.
Wisconsin readers: tomorrow is the primary election for State Superintendent of Schools. I’ve been working at a polling place every election for the past few years, and usually for these local races, I spend most of the day reading (and get through 2-3 entire books). I really want to encourage you to get out and vote. These smaller offices have more of an impact on your daily life than positions at the federal level, and a lot of the resistance to illegal executive orders over the past few weeks have come from state-level authorities. If you need help registering or finding your polling place, myvote.wi.gov has everything you need.
I’ll be at the Spooky Frog Horrifying Book Fair this Saturday! This is my first event for the new year. I’ll be joining a delightfully eclectic collection of horror authors and artists from 11-5 at The Factory on Barclay here in Milwaukee. Here’s the Facebook event with more info.
On Wednesday, Episode 3 of The Well Below the Valley will be up here for free reading. I’ll be starting Episode 5 this week, and I hope to have some more updates on the comic as well by Friday.
Leather seats, a modern suspension, and we’re not being shelled. What more could you ask for?
Our intrepid investigators all pile into a Model T and drive to Oxford University in search of clues in the latest episode of The Well Below the Valley, now available on Patreon. It will also be here next week for free reading, but Patreon subscribers get early access and bonus art. I’m working on getting you some more rewards, too, as I get some of these projects off the ground (comic-themed stickers, maybe?).
I am also happy to report that Episode 4 is done, which means I have a backlog for the first time in years!
This week, I’m working on Episode 4 of The Well Below the Valley, as well as the script for the first issue of Chrysanthemum Dawn. Episode 3 of The Well will be up on Patreon on Wednesday! It’ll be here for free reading next week.
I am still a ways off from posting any of the comic. After scripting comes storyboards/thumbnails, and then the actual drawing, plus lettering and other formatting worries. I am both blessed and cursed to live in a time where I can do most, if not all, of this myself, rather than relying on a small army of artists. In any case, I’m very excited to be making this idea a real thing, and I hope to have more things to show you soon.
Here are some petitions I’ve gathered for you this week:
I didn’t have time to scan/render this one, but here’s a pencil sketch of a temple built into the side of a cliff and a giant robot skeleton embedded there. As always, myPatreonis only $3 a month, and you get access to early chapters and bonus art. Plus, you get to support an independent creator and keep her cats happy.
I’m currently scripting the first issue of Chrysanthemum Dawn! It’ s happening! After that comes storyboarding/thumbnails, and then the actual drawing.
Thanks to Studio Moonfall for putting this together! You can find all my books on the shelf there: 5031 7th Ave., Kenosha, WI. If you haven’t been there before, it is the tiny bookstore you dreamed about discovering while on a walk one day.
The Decemberists, “Won’t Want for Love (Margaret in the Taiga)”
Good morning!
This week, I’ll be finishing up Episode Three of The Well Below the Valley and working on an outline/script for the first issue of the comic, which now has a title: Chrysanthemum Dawn. In case you missed it, Episode Two of The Well can now be read for free here.
My first event of the year will be Saturday, February 22: the Spooky Frog Horrifying Book Fair! I’ll be amongst an eclectic collection of other horror authors and spooky artists at The Factory, 1120 S Barclay St, Milwaukee. Admission is only $3, and the event runs from noon until 5.
Also, you can find my books on the shelves at Storykeepers Books in West Allis! I’ll be there for a talk in March, so I’ll have more information about that later. I’m very excited to be working with another independent book store.
I am incredibly overwhelmed with everything that has been happening, but here’s something I can do:
The petitions I share are based on the roughly 200 emails I receive every day, and all the important issues are not covered (e.g., I’m very concerned with the stripping of rights from our trans friends and siblings). If you have some helpful things to share, please do!
Okay. That’s all for today. I love you, thanks for being here, be gentle with yourself and others this week.
Dr. Howard COMPTON, remarkably cheerful coroner. Male, mid 50s, London accent.
Inspector ISKANDAR Meshkia, Scotland Yard detective troubled by poor sleep. Male, late 30s, strong Turkish accent.
Dr. ERNEST Wilde, University of London adjunct botanist. Male, early 30s, Northern English accent.
Richard PRYCE, grower of rare orchids. Male, early 40s, posh British accent.
Henry CARLTON, Ernest’s army buddy. Male, early 30s, London accent.
Two or three CULTISTS, all male; accents and age can vary.
Eloise “ELLIE” Westmont, intrepid lady detective. Female, mid 20s, posh British accent.
KURT Cross, her long-suffering assistant and face of the operation. Male, early 30s, New York accent.
Constable John TAYLOR, cog in the machine. Male, early 20s, London accent.
Chief Superintendent Winston PEMBROKE, Sr., Iskandar’s superior and keeper of a certain sort of peace. Male, early 60s, English accent with audible mustache.
William “WILL” Grey, bartender who regrets several of his life choices. Male, late 20s, London accent.
NIGEL Blackthorne, a man who has read too many tomes of forbidden knowledge. Male, early 30s, posh British accent.
The memory of HALIME, Iskandar’s young daughter, now deceased. Female, seven years old, could speak with an English or Turkish accent.
Space Whales Press 