I expected the Book Gymboree to be a bit chaotic, with so many authors there, but it ended up being lovely. I was at a table next to Nikki Day, a singer/songwriter and poet, so I’m sharing one of her songs with you! I hope you enjoy.
There are ten more pages of Last Watch Before Dawn remaining. Two of them will go up this week. The end is in sight. I’ve replaced the battery in my tablet pen twice since I started, and I should have replaced the nib a long time ago, but I’ve got some more on the way.
Chapter Five of Last Watch Before Dawn begins tomorrow! I am busy drawing a town and hating every minute of it. Buildings are both difficult and boring to draw, especially in groups. Regardless, new pages will be up Tuesday and Friday.
I’m headed out to a book fair on the 15th! The Book Gymboree is organized by Wisconsin author AJ West, and it will take place at the RecPlex in Pleasant Prairie. Admission is free, and there are more than 40 authors who will be in attendance, so you’ll be sure to find your next favorite book!
We’ve arrived at the end of the month again, so if you’re signed up for the newsletter, it will be going out noon my time (US Central) on Friday. If you’re not signed up and would like to be, put your email in the box at this link. Be sure to check your inbox for a confirmation afterward.
Tomorrow will be the last page of Chapter Four of this volume of Last Watch Before Dawn, and on Friday I’ll have some bonus art, which will be available for paid subscribers on Patreon (and, eventually, in the published version of this volume). The fifth and final chapter will begin next week.
Here are a couple of petitions I’ve signed, and you might want to too:
Peter Hollens, “I See Fire” (Ed Sheeran cover, from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug)
I like this version better than the original, so here you are.
I’ve just ordered many books in preparation for going out to events again starting next month. I’d love it if you would come see me and take them off my hands! First up will be the Kenosha Book Festival on April 26.
This week, we’ll be finishing up this chapter of Last Watch Before Dawn, with a page on Tuesday and one on Friday.
Not much to report; I’m still working on the next page of Last Watch Before Dawn and the next episode of The Well Below the Valley. If you’re not caught up on either of those things, now’s a good chance! Head on over to the Stories tab above (under the Menu if you’re on mobile).
On Sunday, September 21, I’ll be heading out to the Kenosha Book Festival one more time. Here’s the website and here’s the Facebook event. Back in July, it was nearly ninety degrees out, so I’m hoping for a pleasant fall day. I’ll be joining a collection of local & indie authors across from Studio Moonfall, 5031 7th Ave., in Kenosha, WI from 10 until 3. There will also be a huge used book sale, and the first 100 guests get a goody bag, so plan to be there early!
Good morning! Milwaukee is somewhat underwater right now, so I hope you’re safe. My basement is leaking, but the drains didn’t back up, so I am thankful that it wasn’t much worse.
In case you missed it, the first page of Last Watch Before Dawn is live right here. You can also access it on Patreon as a free or paid member. Paid members also get bonus art!
This week, I’ll be starting the next page, as well as finishing the latest episode of The Well Below the Valley. I’m hoping to get the latter up this week, though I don’t know if it will be on my usual Wednesday. One day, I will manage my time well enough to get ahead on my work, but that isn’t today.
On Sunday (the 17th), I’ll be at What the Hex: Arbor and Alchemy! Doors will be open from noon until 5 at Dresden Castle on Underwood, Cudahy, WI. I’ll be joining an eclectic collection of magical artists and craftspeople, including my best friend and business partner Brooke (of the Figuratively Speaking Tarot). Admission is only $3 (free for kids under 12), and there are three free classes you can join throughout the day. What the Hex is a delight every time, and I hope to see you there!
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.
On Friday, I’ll be at Studio Moonfall, 5031 7th Avenue, Kenosha, WI for an Author Night! I’ll be hanging out from 4 until 7 in the evening, and I’ll have plenty of books to sign (but feel free to bring a copy you’ve already acquired!). It will also be Free Book Friday, so you can pick out something from the shop’s secondhand collection while you’re there.
I’ll have a shiny new episode of The Well Below the Valley up on Patreon for you on Wednesday. I’m coming to the end of my previously released material, and I’m eight weeks away from my due date, so I may be slowing down on this project. I’m going to do my best to keep up this fairly relaxed posting schedule and build up more backlog over the next couple of months.
Based on my rough calculations, I’m about 60% of the way through the comic script. The outline already contains 39 pages, much more than the standard 22-24 (I was planning on this first bit being an issue like one would find at a newsstand or get in the mail). Maybe it’ll end up long enough to be a graphic novel on its own, or maybe I’ll split it up. The page count may also change as I finish the script and move on to storyboarding.
Also, a quick note, if you’re boycotting Amazon, all my books are available on plenty of other platforms! You can find most of the major ones under the Buy my books tab, including Thriftbooks and Bookshop.org, but some searching on whatever your favorite platform is should turn them up.
There was an error with the registration of my domain, and ICANN shut it down yesterday (or, at least, I noticed it yesterday). As of this writing, it’s back up, and hopefully it will stay that way.
I was planning on participating in the Tax Day Strike for Gaza yesterday anyway, so in any case, my regular posting schedule has been moved back a day, as you can see because this post is going up on a Tuesday. I’ll have a new chapter of Journey to the Water up on Patreon tomorrow, and you’ll find last week’s chapter here on Thursday.
Since I couldn’t put them up yesterday, here are some petitions:
In case you missed it, The Book of the New Moon Door is now available! Check out the “Buy my books” tab above (under the Menu if you’re on mobile) or take a peek at the sidebar. You’ve probably also noticed a few other changes, mainly that the serial version of this book has been moved to the bottom of the Stories page, and the Directory post at the top of the blog has been condensed to help with the visual clutter.
I’ve written a brief little chapter of Journey to the Water to get us back on track with that serial novel, and it will be available on Patreon tomorrow and here on the blog next week. I’m still finding my footing after leaving it for so long, but I want to make sure I’m providing new chapters on a somewhat regular basis.
Along with Journey, I want to get the audio play of The Well Below the Valley going again, and I want to make some changes to my Patreon and Ko-fi pages and create some better rewards. Stay tuned for more updates over the next few weeks.
Before you go, I’ve been collecting all the petitions surrounding a ceasefire in Gaza on Instagram. There’s a story highlight labeled “CEASEFIRE NOW” that has all of them together. If you haven’t signed any of them, I encourage you to do so. I think I have four or five of them from different organizations there.
As always, thanks for being here. I appreciate you.
Space Whales Press 