Tag: folk music

Song of the Week

Jensen McRae, “Dead Girl Walking”

Good morning!

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.

Petitions for this week:

Via MPower Change: Tell Microsoft to stop partnering with Israel’s genocide

Via The Juggernaut Project: Denounce Trump’s hateful attacks on transgender Americans

Via Campaign for a New Myanmar: Call for a global arms embargo on Burma’s military junta

Via Win Without War: Don’t fund Trump’s Guantánamo Bay immigrant prison

That’s all I’ve got for today. Take care and stay warm!

Song of the Week

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:

Via Demand Progress: Block funding for the deporation machine

Via the American Friends Service Committee: Stop deportations now

Via Rep. Rashida Tlaib: Demand Palestinian self-determination and liberation

Via Action Network: Defend birthright citizenship

Via the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights: Hands off Palestine

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.

Song of the Week

Lord Huron, “The Yawning Grave”

Good morning!

So, to recap, the second episode of The Well Below the Valley is on Patreon now. It will be here for your (free) reading pleasure on Wednesday. The scripts have three different sets of formatting now: one in the original Google doc, one on Patreon, and one for WordPress, and it’s a huge pain, so I appreciate your patience as I put new episodes out.

I’ll be starting the third episode this week. They’re considerably longer than my usual serial chapters (6,000 to almost 9,000 words, compared to the normal 2,000), so I’m thinking I’ll have a new one for you every other week rather than weekly.

I did not manage to get more art out last week, but I’ll have it for you in the next couple of days. I’m working on some sketches of the protagonists. That will be available here as well as Patreon, so no paywall. Next up will be deciding on a title and outlining the first issue.

In lieu of petitions for today, here are a couple of useful things:

The ADC (American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee) has launched an emergency legal hotline for Arab and Muslim Americans to help with discrimination, harassment, immigration concerns, etc. You can call 844-ADC-9955 (844-232-9955) or email legal@adc.org. If you know someone who might need it, pass it along!

The administration has opened a “snitch line” to report secret DEI work. I’m not sure what “secret DEI” entails, exactly, but you can flood the line with nonsense to make it unusable. You can use Eko’s automated tool here, or you can look at that page for the tip line and send your own nonsense.

That’s what I’ve got for you today. Stop by again for some art and the next episode of The Well Below the Valley. Have an excellent week!

Song of the Week

Hozier, “Francesca”

Good morning! I’m back!

The Figuratively Speaking Mermaid Tarot Kickstarter was a smashing success. Thank you so much to everyone who pledged. As soon as I hear from Brooke, I will let you know when you can expect your decks in the mail.

I will be working on Journey to the Water until it’s finally done, so you won’t hear much from me. I’ll stop by on Friday for an update.

This month, I’ll be attending What the Hex: Season of the Witch on October 20 in Cudahy, WI, and the Fall Fon du Lac Spirit Fair on October 26. Links lead to their respective Facebook events. I hope to see you there!

It’s October 7 again, and the bombs are still falling and the hostages still haven’t been returned. Tens of thousands are needlessly dead.

Via USCPR: Tell Congress to stop arming Israel

Via Win Without War: Urge President Biden to de-escalate this crisis

Via AFSC: Tell Congress to prevent regional war

That’s all I’ve got for today. Thanks for stopping by!

Song of the Week

Brandi Carlile, “Mama Werewolf”

Good morning! I hope you have some rest from your labors today. Just a quick update for this week.

First, in case you missed it, the Kickstarter for the Figuratively Speaking Mermaid Tarot has launched! Click here to see all the cards and look at the rewards and stretch goals. I’ve backed it, and I highly recommend you do, too.

I’ll be going to the Awkward Nerd Book Fair on September 22! It’s a throwback to the Scholastic Book Fairs of our youths, but geared toward adults. More on that as we get closer, but you can go here for more information.

Journey to the Water rewrites continue, and I’ll try to have something interesting for you to read later this week, probably Friday.

Petitions for this week:

Via Amnesty International: Join the call for a ceasefire and weapons suspension

Via Rep. Rashida Tlaib: End repressive tactics against pro-Palestine protests

Via Win Without War: Pass the Afghan Adjustment Act without delay

That’s all for today. Thanks for being here.

Song of the Week

The Oh Hellos, “Soldier, Poet, King”

Good morning!

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!

Second: the Figuratively Speaking Mermaid Tarot launches on Kickstarter August 30! Be sure you save the project so you can get the notification. I’m finishing up the guidebook today!

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.

Lastly, petitions for this week:

Via Rep. Rashida Tlaib: Support the People’s Response Act and invest in public health alternatives to policing

Via Jewish Voice for Peace: Stop Biden’s $20 billion weapons sale to Israel

Via Afghans for a Better Tomorrow: Congress MUST Pass the Afghan Adjustment Act

Via Justice Democrats: Demand the Democratic Party and Harris-Walz campaign support a ceasefire in Gaza

Via Our Revolution: Not another nickel for Netanyahu’s war

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.

Song of the Week

Yaelokre, “Harpy Hare”

Good morning!

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!

Petitions for this week:

Via MPower Action: The US must welcome Palestinian refugees

Via International Campaign for the Rohingya: Pass the Rohingya Genocide, Accountability, and Protection Act

Via Jewish Voice for Peace: Demand Biden reinstate UNRWA funding

Via CODEPINK: We need a ceasefire and arms embargo NOW

Via Win Without War: Secure a ceasefire & de-escalate this crisis now

That’s all I’ve got for you today. I’ll be back soon; stay hydrated and have an excellent week.

Song of the Week

Hozier, “Work Song”

Good morning! Bit of a throwback today. A moderate throwback.

I am experimenting with scheduling content this week. I normally post everything by hand, if that’s the correct term, which you have probably noticed, because chapters are sometimes a few hours late. I try to post them at noon on the appointed days. The first time I tried to use a third-party scheduling app for Instagram, it tanked my already abysmal engagement, so I haven’t really messed with it since. However, I’ve been told that scheduling content is the way to save me time and energy, and I want to keep a consistent posting schedule while I’m spending all my time on rewrites, so here we are. Don’t worry, I still get notifications for comments and things, so I won’t be absent from the blog.

On that note, I’ll have the LAST CHAPTER of Journey to the Water on Patreon tomorrow, and the second-to-last chapter will be here on Wednesday for free reading. If they post at 12PM Central on the dot, you’ll know I succeeded with the scheduling.

Not too many petitions this week, but here’s what I have:

Via USCPR: Call Congress–stop arming Israel

Via MoveOn: Call on Congress to skip PM Netanyahu’s speech

I think that’s all for today. I love you, stay hydrated, and have an excellent week.

Song of the Week

Joshua Burnside, “And You Evade Him/Born in the Blood”

Good morning!

I had a great time at the Kenosha Comic Con yesterday! Thank you to everyone who escaped the oppressive heat by stopping in our tent and saying hello.

Journey to the Water rewrites are still under way, and I’ll have a new chapter for you on Patreon tomorrow and last week’s chapter here on Wednesday. I will still be working on rewrites when the serial version finishes in a couple of weeks, but I’ve got some other stuff in the works for you, so stay tuned.

A couple of petitions today:

Via ADC: Khan Younis Massacre Kills Hundreds, U.S. Must Stop Selling, Transferring Weapons to Israel

Via Save the Children: Tell Congress to protect Food for Peace

I’m not here for political commentary, and I’d assume neither are you, so I’ll just say that no matter what happens, our job remains the same: take care of people, take care of ourselves, vote and petition where we can, and believe that a better world is possible.

I appreciate you. Take care and stay hydrated this week.

Song of the Week

First Aid Kit, “The Lion’s Roar”

Good morning!

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:

Via World Beyond War: Urge Governments to Use UN General Assembly Res 377 “Uniting For Peace” for Peace in Palestine

Via Justice Democrats: Oppose the amendment to censor Palestinian casualties

Thanks for being here. Have an excellent week.