I mostly do the same things every week these days, so this I know this space doesn’t really offer much in the way of news, but I do enjoy the opportunity to bring you some new music.
On that note, two more pages of Last Watch Before Dawn this week. We’re about to get our protagonists, and the plot, moving along again.
I apologize for the video thumbnail staring into your soul.
I’ll have some Bonus Art for you tomorrow on Patreon, and a new page of Last Watch Before Dawn by the end of the week. I’ve just finished the first “chapter,” and we’re moving on to meeting some new characters next.
This weekend, I will be out and about! Story Keepers Books is having their first anniversary sale this weekend, and they’ve invited some local authors to help celebrate. I’ll be there on Saturday from 10 until noon: 7035 W. Greenfield Ave., West Allis, WI.
On Sunday, I’ll be at the final What the Hex for the year, noon until 5 at Dresden Castle on Underwood, Cudahy, WI. Entry is $3, and gets you access to a whole market of artists, craftspeople, and readers, as well as free workshops and performances!
I’ll be back to remind you about these events later this week.
The latest episode of The Well Below the Valley is up on Patreon now, and on Wednesday it will be up here for free reading. I am putting the finishing touches on the next page of Last Watch Before Dawn, and it will be up later today. The next page is a single panel, so I’m hoping to get it out this week as well.
I’ll also be writing the newsletter today, and that will go out tomorrow. If you’re not signed up and would like to be (it has cat pictures), here’s a link. Be sure to check your inbox for a confirmation afterward.
This is almost certainly going to be the last weekly update before I go on maternity leave. My baby is proving incredibly stubborn and likely won’t be born without some help (she’s still head-up and seems very comfortable there), so I’m going in on Thursday to get that help.
The latest episode of The Well Below the Valley will be up here on Wednesday, then you won’t hear from me for a little while. I plan to return you to your regularly scheduled nonsense sometime in June, probably later in the month. I’ll have a new episode (and, baby willing, a new posting schedule) and some comic sketches shortly after. There will also not be another newsletter until the end of June, and I won’t be at any in-person events until the July edition of the Kenosha Book Festival.
If everything continues to go according to plan, I’ll put some maternity leave announcements up here and on my social media on Wednesday. I’ll be able to answer emails and comments (though likely not immediately) if you need me for anything, and of course, my books will be available from wherever you buy books.
In the meantime, wish me luck, and I’ll be back soon! Thanks for reading.
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.
This week, I’m working on Episode 4 of The Well Below the Valley, as well as the script for the first issue of Chrysanthemum Dawn. Episode 3 of The Well will be up on Patreon on Wednesday! It’ll be here for free reading next week.
I am still a ways off from posting any of the comic. After scripting comes storyboards/thumbnails, and then the actual drawing, plus lettering and other formatting worries. I am both blessed and cursed to live in a time where I can do most, if not all, of this myself, rather than relying on a small army of artists. In any case, I’m very excited to be making this idea a real thing, and I hope to have more things to show you soon.
Here are some petitions I’ve gathered for you this week:
On Saturday, I discovered that my orange boy, Solaire, had swatted my Bluetooth earbuds off the table. He then proceeded to chase one of them to places unknown. Because it was out of its case, the earbud connected to my phone, so in a rare stroke of genius I decided to turn the volume all the way up and play something loud so I could find it. This was the first song that came up that fit the bill.
Since the small object had stopped moving, Solaire was only mildly interested in the proceedings.
Anyway, my headphones have been recovered, and it’s Monday again. It’s horribly cold here, and the air is so dry that my nose keeps bleeding, so I hope you’re staying warm and have enough lotion to submerge yourself.
I’m also feeling my baby move! Relatedly, I have increased in size enough that a nice man held both doors open at the post office for me.
This week, I’ll be working on the next episode of The Well Below the Valley and doing some prep work for my comic, as well as a long-overdue Patreon cleanup. I’m hoping to have some good stuff over there soon–extra art, maybe stickers?–as well as the usual new chapters/episodes in advance.
Petitions have been thin on the ground lately, but here’s what I’ve got:
Scorpio Market 2024 was a lot of fun! It was nice to be back in Madison, and I met so many cool people. I look forward to going back! I also look forward to not having any markets for the rest of the year.
I am very close to being done with the rewrites of Journey to the Water, and when that happens, I’ll give you a release date. While I’m working on formatting, I can show you the cover and the first chapter. Thank you so much for your continued patience. I think the wait will be worth it.
If you’re struggling, I’ve got a post pinned over on Instagram with some support lines. Don’t give up without a fight. Don’t comply in advance.
And if you feel the need to stand up and be counted, here are some petitions:
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.
On Sunday, March 10, I’ll be at Witch-o-Rama in Blue Island, IL! Doors will be open from noon until 5PM at the Blue Island Beer Company on Olde Western Ave. Here’s the Facebook event, which will have all the information you need, or the event’s website, if you prefer. After being rerouted to Washington, DC, my box of new books arrived yesterday, so I will be prepared with plenty of stock. I hope to see you there!
I’ll have a new chapter of Journey to the Water for you on Patreon tomorrow, and last week’s chapter will be up here on Wednesday. It’s officially March, so I’m sprinting toward the end of the draft. Wish me luck!
Two petitions today, because the pressure might be starting to work?
Space Whales Press 