Tag: petitions

Song of the Week

Jesse Welles, “War Is a God”

Good morning!

I’m not sure if I can say I’m back yet, but I’m giving it a try. I’m almost done with Episode 9 of The Well Below the Valley, so that will be up on Patreon later this week (hopefully Wednesday), and then up here next week for free reading. As I work on the next episode, I’ll be trying to work out a sustainable posting schedule.

I’m also maybe two thirds of the way done with thumbnails for the first volume of the comic! Basically, I’m just sketching out panel layouts based on the script I’ve already completed. Once that’s done, I’ll be starting to draw.

Having given it some more thought, I’m not sure how much I love the title Chrysanthemum Dawn. It maybe has too many connotations of Imperial Japan, which I would like to tone down for two reasons: the setting is not Japan, though it takes some inspiration, and I’m opposed to imperialism generally as a human and more specifically as a human of Korean descent. I’ll do some brainstorming and get back to you. I’ll also take some pictures of the thumbnails to show you later this week.

Here’s some petitions that I’ve signed and you might like to as well:

Via Win Without War: Congress must pass War Powers Resolution

Via Civic Shout: Defend gender-affirming care to save lives

Via the Juggernaut Project: Don’t deport kids

As always, thanks for reading. I’ve missed you! Come by again soon.

Song of the Week

The Corrs, “My Lagan Love” (traditional)

Hello again!

What the Hex: Fates & Fae was a smashing success, though I may have gotten my name stolen by a fairy. I maintain that I did not give it up–she only noticed it on the front of a book. I did tell her that if she bought a book, she could have access to all the names within, but she didn’t take me up on my offer. I should be safe. At least she didn’t trick me out of my firstborn.

More to the point, I met some returning readers! These markets often have a different crowd every time, and I love meeting new people and talking about books, but it is so lovely to hear that someone liked my work (and in some cases, is coming back for more). So, thank you. You make all this worthwhile.

A new episode of The Well Below the Valley will be up on Patreon this week, hopefully by Wednesday. It’ll be up here for free reading next week. Sometime next week or the week after, baby should be here, and you won’t hear from me for a bit. I’ll be back with new episodes and some more about the comic sometime after the end of May, and I’ll be able to answer comments and emails through my maternity leave. I plan to be back to attending live events in July.

All of this is still up in the air, however, so I’ll keep you updated as much as I can.

A couple of petitions from my inbox this week:

Via No Business With Genocide: Strengthen the arms embargo on Sudan

Via Amnesty International: Return Kilmar Abrego Garcia and others

Via Free Speech for People: Investigate the Unlawful Kidnapping of Rümeysa Öztürk

Via Physicians for Human Rights: Keep immigration enforcement out of hospitals

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

Song of the Week

Al Stewart, “Time Passages”

Good morning! It’s Monday again.

This Sunday, I’ll be at What the Hex: Fates & Fae! Admission is only $3, and doors will be open from noon until 5. I’ll be joining a delightfully eclectic selection of magical artists and craftspeople, and there will be performances, workshops, and even a storytime for kids. I’ll have all three books available and some new bookmarks. After this, I’ll be going on maternity leave, so I’m hoping to see lots of people there!

I got a little swamped with appointments, nursery furniture, and an unexpected car problem last week and this past weekend (Milwaukee potholes are a class unto themselves), so I’m behind on The Well Below the Valley, but I’m planning on having a new episode up on Patreon sometime this week–it just might not be the usual Wednesday. I’m hoping to have one more (in addition to this week’s) ready before the baby comes, but at this point, my timeline may be quite short. I’ll keep you posted as much as I can.

I’m also still working on the comic script. I hope to finish and start some storyboarding soon, which will give me something to show you!

A couple of petitions from my inbox this week:

Via Civic Shout: Don’t give refugees a death sentence

Via the ACLU: Free those detained in El Salvador

Via Win Without War: Demand the release of detained students and call ICE to testify

That’s all for today. Thanks for stopping by.

Song of the Week

Kate Bush, “Never Be Mine”

Good morning!

On Wednesday, I’ll have the latest episode of The Well Below the Valley up for free reading. This one is the conclusion of the first act! Professor Ragnarsson’s murderer has been identified, but there is more still to uncover. Next up will be the start of the second act, where the investigators all pile into the car to travel to a small town on the moors that holds even more secrets. Something even more sinister than Nigel Blackthorne’s conspiracies about fish people lurks there.

In slightly less than two weeks (Sunday, April 27), I’ll be attending What the Hex: Fates & Fae edition! This will be my last in-person event before I go on maternity leave, so I hope to see you there. I’ll have copies of all my books and some shiny new bookmarks to promote The Well Below the Valley and Chrysanthemum Dawn.

Couple of petitions from the depths of my inbox:

Via Win Without War: Congress must reject war plans for Mexico and Demand the release of detained students and call ICE to testify

Via Feminist Majority: Urge the United Nations to take action to protect women and girls in Afghanistan

That’s all for today. Stop by later for more things to read, or just to say hi. I should be able to answer comments even as I begin maternity leave in May.

Song of the Week

Kamelot, “Veil of Elysium”

Also check out the acoustic version.

Hello! It’s Monday again.

I’m so proud of and grateful for everyone who went out to protest on Saturday, especially because I am currently too big and round to attend myself. May this be the start of something momentous.

I’m also proud of Wisconsin for turning out to vote last week! The polling place where I work was so busy that we ran out of ballots, but with a little patience and the accessible electronic voting machine, we managed to get everyone’s vote counted.

I am definitely slowing down, and my body and brain are both tired all the time, but I’m going to do my very best to get you a new episode of The Well Below the Valley this week. The comic script is also coming along.

Here’s a couple of petitions for this week:

Via MoveOn.org: Protect LGBTQ and immigrant sanctuary communities

Via Action Network: Denounce attacks on immigrants fleeing authoritarianism and violence

Via The Intercept: Free Rumesya Ozturk

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

Song of the Week

Pancho’s Lament, “Perfect Place”

Good morning! Bit of a deep cut for you today.

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.

Some petitions for this week:

Via Daily Kos: Release Mahmoud Khalil

Via Just Foreign Policy: Allow humanitarian aid into Gaza

Via the Friends Committee on National Legislation: Restart refugee admissions

Via Amnesty International: End genocide in Gaza

That’s all I’ve got for you today. Stop by again soon!

Song of the Week

Mediaeval Baebes, “Erthe Upon Erthe”

Hi! It looks like I forgot to put a post up here about the newest episode of The Well Below the Valley being on Patreon. I promise it’s there! In my defense, I am very pregnant.

That episode (number 5, “And There Is Nothing Green That Remains”) will also be up here on Wednesday for free reading.

I had a lovely time at Story Keepers Books last week! My next excursion will be to Studio Moonfall in Kenosha on March 28. More on that as we get closer.

I’m just about done reworking the episodes of The Well that I had done previously, so we’ll be moving into uncharted (or less-charted, anyway) territory soon. I’m about a full episode ahead of you right now, so I’ll be starting Episode 7 this week. I’m also plugging my way through the comic script. I’m hoping to finish it this month and get started on thumbnails.

Some petitions I’ve gathered for this week:

Via the National Women’s Law Center: Stop the erasure of trans people

Via Save the Children: Demand a future for Syria’s children

Via Amnesty International: Save US foreign aid, save lives

Via the ACLU: Free Mahmoud Khalil

That’s all for today. Thanks for stopping by!

Song of the Week

Neil Young, “Rockin’ in the Free World”

Good morning! Here’s a classic for you.

On Thursday, I’ll be at Story Keepers Books (7035 W Greenfield Ave, West Allis, WI) for a reading and Q&A session! This lovely little secondhand bookshop just opened back in December, and the proprietors are so friendly and welcoming (and really know their books!). They’ve got a few copies of my books left if you’d like to pick one up ahead of time, and I’ll bring more. The event starts at 6pm.

I’ll have a new episode of The Well Below the Valley up on Patreon for you on Wednesday. I’m working on the next episode and more of the script for the comic, of which you can find a quick preview here.

Also, quick note, if you’re boycotting Amazon, my books can be found in all sorts of other places! If you can’t make it out to Story Keepers, I recommend bookshop.org, but most online retailers (including ebook-only platforms) will have all three titles.

Couple of petitions I’ve found this week:

Via the ACLU: Stop attacking transgender Americans

Via Win Without War: No more bombs for Netanyahu and Support the Neighbors Not Enemies Act

Via RootsAction: Sign the Pledge of Noncooperation with Mass Deportation

I hope to see you in person on Thursday! In any case, have an excellent week.

Song of the Week

Allison Russell, “Persephone”

Good morning!

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.

Couple of petitions for this week:

Via Left Click: Stand against the expansion of Guantánamo Bay for immigrant detention

Via Native Organizers Alliance: Stop racist mass deportations

Via Our Revolution: Stop weapons sales to Israel

That’s all I’ve got for today. Take care and have an excellent week.

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!