Last Watch Before Dawn: Volume 1, Page 32

I would definitely prefer to have a backlog of pages, just to prevent service interruptions for you, but the one nice thing is that once I finish next Tuesday/Friday’s page, I’m done and can relax for a bit.

The mailer service I use for the newsletter appears to be back up, so I will get working on that soon.

I’m trying a new thing where I put the thumbnail I make for Instagram here before the cut:

A bloody snowbank with footprints and broken arrows.

In the meantime, here’s this next page. It’s got blood and violence, much more than the previous page, so be aware as you click below:

Continue reading “Last Watch Before Dawn: Volume 1, Page 32”

Last Watch Before Dawn: Volume 1, Page 29

Well, I’ve had so many crashes today that I haven’t finished Friday’s page, and have thus officially lost my lead. So it goes.

You’ll notice that Ichiro is carrying more stuff on this page. I forgot about his quiver before. This is what the first draft is for!

You’ll find the image below the cut:

Continue reading “Last Watch Before Dawn: Volume 1, Page 29”

Last Watch Before Dawn: Volume 1, Page 28

Not too many crashes since I last reported in!

Our friend Ichiro is still having a bad time below. I can promise it will get better, but not for a while.

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Last Watch Before Dawn: Volume 1, Page 27

I wouldn’t say I’m getting better at formatting text in Photoshop, but I am getting faster.

I did a panel with a detailed shot of the clan jito’s face on this page, and I’m considering leaving him in shadow when I do edits and redraws? Ichiro would definitely experience him mostly as a shadowy figure; this isn’t a close, affectionate family. Let me know what you think.

For the page I’m working on right now, a couple ahead of this one, I need to get one panel done per baby nap for the rest of the week. Wish me luck!

Image is below the cut:

Continue reading “Last Watch Before Dawn: Volume 1, Page 27”

Last Watch Before Dawn: Volume 1, Page 23

Past Me, being very dumb and kind of a jerk, decided that a top-down view would be the best way to establish the scene and the two characters in relation to one another. The version of me who had to draw this was very upset. I am comfortably two pages ahead of you right now, down from three, and I think this particular panel was why.

Anyway, we’re moving along in this chapter, which is the third of five. This one is earning us the “dark” in “dark fantasy,” so be aware of just a miserable situation including obvious addiction in the page below.

Continue reading “Last Watch Before Dawn: Volume 1, Page 23”

Year in Review, Part the Second

Here we are again!

Before I get into it, I want to remind you that the paperback sale is still on through tomorrow! All my books are 20-25% off (depending on the title) directly from the printer, which gives you a better price than other retailers and gives me a slightly better cut.

So, I had a baby this year instead of putting out another book. She’s now seven months old, smiling and laughing, trying all different kinds of foods, and almost crawling (she really, really wants to). She’s the best thing I ever made.

I did manage to make some progress on other projects. The Book of the New Moon Door is now an audiobook read by Beni Vaganov and Rachael Brolin. It’s available on several platforms (and possibly your local library app), though we’re still waiting on Audible.

Last Watch Before Dawn now has seventeen pages for you to read! I’m devoting all my working time to this project in order to get a new book out for you next year. The first volume will be about 90 pages, so I’ve got a ways to go.

I also got to thirteen episodes of The Well Below the Valley. Since it’s not likely to become a book that you can hold in your hands anytime soon, I decided to put it on hold for the time being. Eventually, I’ll come back to it, and it’ll be an audio drama and a script/art book.

Next year, I’m hoping to try out a few new markets and events and revisit ones I liked but had to miss this year. Last Watch Before Dawn will be several volumes, so I’m going to be continuing with that, and I’d like to get a second project going as well, time constraints allowing. I’m also planning on putting together hardcover editions of my three existing books, and maybe this will be the year I finally get my Patreon into shape! You’ll just have to stick around to find out.

So, as always, thank you for being here. You make this all worth it. I hope 2026 is a gentler year for all of us.

Last Watch Before Dawn: Volume 1, Page 13

This page has eight panels. This may be too many.

Onward and forward:

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Holiday Sale!

From now through the end of the year, you can purchase each of my books in paperback directly from the printer at a discounted rate!

Get Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea (super gay sword-and-sorcery) for $12/£10 (down from $14.99)

Get Journey to the Water (super gay sword-and-sorcery, part two) for $15/£12 (down from $19.99)

Get The Book of the New Moon Door (steampunk/Gothic horror/murder mystery) for $16/£14 (down from $20.99)

In addition to giving you the sale price, using these links also gives me a slightly better cut than I’d get from a retailer like Amazon. I hope this helps a bit with your holiday shopping!

Also, if the audio of The Book of the New Moon Door disappeared from your preferred audiobook source, it should be back shortly. There was an error in one of the files, and I believe I have fixed it.

Last Watch Before Dawn: Volume 1, Page 7

Here it is! Let’s see if I can do another one before the week is out.

Image below the cut to save your data:

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Song of the Week

Loreena McKennitt, “Between the Shadows”

Good morning and happy Indigenous People’s Day!

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.

Some petitions:

Via No Business With Genocide: Stop the UAE from fueling genocide in Sudan

Via Civic Shout: Hold ICE accountable for civil rights violations

Via the National Campaign for Justice: Demand governors fight Trump’s attempts to deploy their National Guard

That’s all I’ve got for today. Take care, stay warm, and stop by again soon!