I am 58,261 words into the new draft of Journey to the Water, and have rewritten through Chapter XXVIII. Almost halfway done! I’m currently debating whether to put the Svilsara arc where it sits now, or move it later, making it a quest that the sorcerer sends Eske to complete.
Tomorrow, I’ll be at Spooky Frog’s Horrifying Book Fair, Part Two, at X-Ray Arcade in Cudahy, WI, along with some other cool indie & local horror authors and spooky artists & craftspeople! Admission is free, unless you want to skip the line and get in an hour early for $5. The event runs from noon until 4, but VIPs get in at 11.
First order of business for this week: this Saturday, I’ll be at Spooky Frog’s Horrorfying Book Fair at X-Ray Arcade in Cudahy, WI. There will be horror books by indie authors, cool spooky art, and other local vendors! Here’s the Facebook event. The event runs from noon until 4, and admission is free, or you can get a $5 VIP ticket and come in an hour early. I’m looking forward to it, and I hope to see you there!
Third: in case you missed it, you can read Episode 1 of The Well Below the Valley here. I had started writing this script as a Patreon exclusive last year, but I had to leave it alone to finish The Book of the New Moon Door. I also wasn’t very happy with it–one twenty-minute (approximately) episode a month wasn’t enough to let me hit a good stride, but was enough to stress me out. This is a new and improved version! I hope to one day produce the audio drama, but for now, I hope you enjoy Episode 1.
Also, stay tuned for the first chapter/episode of a couple other projects over the next couple of months. I’ll hold a vote once they’re all out so you can choose my next serial project.
This is Not Another Bomb’s Week of Action for Gaza, and there are virtual and in-person events going on, if you’d like to get involved: click here.
I think that’s all I’ve got for you this week. I need to catch up on Journey to the Water rewrites, so I don’t think I’ll have another post for you until next week, but I appreciate you being here.
Also, tomorrow is the primary election for us Wisconsin folks, so be sure to get out and vote! We’re trapped in a two-party system, but primaries are among the best ways to put a hand on the wheel of power. There are also a couple of referendum questions on our ballot. Here’s a fairly nonpartisan explainer.
Rewrites of Journey to the Water continue. While I’m working on that, I’ll have a fun preview of one of my new projects up later this week, probably Friday.
In case you missed it, the original, serial version of Journey to the Water is now complete. You can read it in its entirety under the Stories tab above (under the Menu if you’re on mobile). In the meantime, I’m working on turning it into a proper book. I’m about a third of the way through my rewrite.
This weekend, I’ll be at Anime 414 at the Baird Center in downtown Milwaukee! This will probably be the largest event I’ve attended so far. For more information, including tickets, panels, and celebrity guests, go here. Hope to see you there!
Since I don’t have any more chapters for you at the moment, I’ll have another blog post about writing/editing this week, probably Friday, and an announcement about the Figuratively Speaking Mermaid Tarot Kickstarter, which I’m very excited about. Stop by again soon!
It’s Monday again. Scheduling content last week went…okay. Instagram ate one of my posts, but WordPress performed adequately. I’m not sure if it’s actually saving me any time or just rearranging the time it takes.
On Saturday, I went to the Feast of the Goat Queen! It was fantastic. If you’ve made your way here from there, hello! Our tent was right across from the wrestling arena, and I really haven’t interacted with any pro wrestling in my life, so this was a first for me. It was deeply silly and I can see why people get into it. There was a great crowd, the food was good, and I sold TWENTY-FIVE books, smashing my previous record of eighteen. I am now nearly out of books and am not looking forward to having to order more.
My next event will be Anime 414, the 10th and 11th of August. More on that later.
The last chapter of Journey to the Water will be up here on Wednesday, completing the serial version. If you’ve been following along, I appreciate you, and I hope you’ve enjoyed it. While I work on editing it, the plan going forward is to have more blog posts about writing and editing, as well as the opening chapters of a couple of new projects so you can eventually vote on which one you’d like to see next.
In the meantime, the entirety of Journey to the Water will be under the Stories tab above (under the Menu if you’re on mobile).
Also, before I forget, the newsletter will go out on Wednesday, so if that’s something you’re interested in (it does contain cat pictures), you can sign up at this link (be sure to check your inbox for a confirmation email afterward).
The world keeps turning, and injustice continues. Here are some petitions to try to turn the world a little more toward justice:
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!
This Sunday, July 14, I’ll be at the Kenosha Comic Con! The event runs from 10 until 3 and includes comic creators, writers, artists, and food trucks. You can find it outside of Studio Moonfall, 5031 7th Avenue, Kenosha, WI. Here’s the facebook event and here’s the website.
Also, I’m very excited to show you all five bookmark designs for Journey to the Water! You can pick up one (or more!) of your very own at the Comic Con! Also for more of Brooke’s art, go here.
It’s Monday again. I’ll have a new chapter of Journey to the Water up on Patreon tomorrow, and last week’s chapter will be up here on Wednesday. In the meantime, I’m working on rewrites.
On Sunday, July 14, I’ll be at the Kenosha Comic Con from noon until 5! This takes place outside Studio Moonfall, 5107 7th St, Kenosha, WI. There will be some cool local and local-ish indie writers, artists, and comic creators, plus at least one food truck. Here’s a link to the Facebook event, if that’s easier for you. I hope to see you there!
I’ve only got a couple of petitions this week, so here we are:
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.
Good morning! Fun fact: Burning Sister features my cousins-in-law on drums and bass/synth/vox. I finally got around to listening to them. Please enjoy!
What the Hex: Witch of the Woods was yesterday! What the Hex is always a delightful time. The performances were great, the vibes were excellent, and the crowd was very friendly. I’m only sorry that I ran out of copies of The Book of the New Moon Door! I paid for expedited printing, but they won’t get here until Tuesday. I have a second, non-expedited order that is still at the printers, and I’m hoping it’ll be here by the end of the week.
I’ll be at Studio Moonfall (5031 7th Avenue, Kenosha, WI) on Friday the 24th from 4-7 in the evening for a Meet the Author event! Come hang out in this adorable indie bookshop with me. I’m bringing double-chocolate brownies, if that influences your decision.
On Saturday the 25th, I’ll be at Graveyard Gallery’s AniMAYhem from noon until 5. This one is outdoors at Faklandia Brewing, 3807 S Packard Ave, St. Francis, WI. I’ll have more on both these events on Thursday, so be sure to stop by again later this week.
I’ll have a new chapter of Journey to the Water up on Patreon tomorrow, and last week’s chapter will be up here on Wednesday.
Petitions for this week, because the work is never done:
Space Whales Press 