Tag: song of the week

Song of the Week

Delgres, “Vivre Sur la Route”

Good morning!

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:

Via Amnesty International: Save USAID, save lives

Via Rep. Rashida Tlaib: Permanent ceasefire and self-determination for Palestinians

Via Native Organizers Alliance: Stop mass deportations

Via Civic Shout: Denounce attacks on transgender Americans

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

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

Tarja, “Poison” (Alice Cooper cover)

I remembered this song existed last week, so enjoy! Once upon a time, I had a beautifully curated iTunes library, but two laptops and a bunch of other devices later, it’s long gone.

The next episode of The Well Below the Valley should be finished and up on Patreon late this week or early next week, depending on how much time I have between my many appointments that somehow all piled up this week. I should also have some more art up for you both here and on Patreon.

Petitions for this week:

Via Win Without War: Block arms deals that enable atrocities in Sudan and beyond

Via Amnesty International: Join the call for a permanent ceasefire

Via the Friends Committee on National Legislation: Support the UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act 

Via No Business with Genocide: Save Uyghurs from imminent deportation to China

Take care of yourself today. I hope you stay warm, wherever you are.

Song of the Week

Depeche Mode, “Personal Jesus”

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:

Via People for the American Way: Urge the House to reject anti-trans rules bill

Via Justice Democrats: Tell Biden to use the rest of his presidency to end the genocide in Gaza

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

Song of the Week

Keane, “A Bad Dream”

Good morning!

Fun fact: this song contains lines from W.B. Yeats’ “An Irish Airman Foresees His Death.”

I’m getting some things lined up for new projects this week, so if you haven’t yet, be sure to read the first episode of The Well Below the Valley so you’ll be ready for new episodes!

Also, Journey to the Water has arrived at Studio Moonfall in Kenosha, WI, if you’re in the area and want to see it on the shelf. The address is 5031 7th Ave. I’ll be there in March to host an Author Night, and I can sign your copy then.

A couple of petitions for this week:

Via Amnesty International: Join the call to end genocide in Gaza

Via Win Without War: End US complicity in Gaza and beyond

Via Cedar Key Progress: Reject Trump’s mass deportation plan

Thanks for stopping by!

Year in Review, Part the First

As is tradition around here, I have gathered all the Songs of the Week for 2024 into a single playlist (making sure that they’re all included, because sometimes I forget to add them and sometimes YouTube eats them). Enjoy!

The last bit of holiday travel has impacted my schedule, as you can tell from this post coming out on Tuesday rather than Monday. I’ll have the second part of the Year in Review up tomorrow, and the newsletter will also go out tomorrow. If you aren’t signed up for the newsletter and would like to be, put your email in the box at this link, and then check your inbox for a confirmation.

Thanks for being here. I hope 2025 treats you well.

Song of the Week

Regina Spektor, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (Beatles cover, from Kubo and the Two Strings)

Good morning!

In case you missed it, Journey to the Water is now out in the world! You can find it wherever books are sold, or visit the “Buy my books” page to save yourself a few clicks. You can also read the first chapter as a preview if you’re on the fence.

Also, today is the LAST DAY to get 20% off the paperback of Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea through this link.

I’m taking off for holiday festivities, so I’ll be back next week with the traditional Year in Review posts. I hope you have a nice, cozy week, and whatever holidays you celebrate are gentle to you.

A couple of petitions for this week:

Via Civic Shout: Reunite separated migrant families

Via Amnesty International: End genocide in Gaza

Via Win Without War: Immigrants are our neighbors, not our enemies

Thanks for being here!

Song of the Week

Stromae, Pomme: “Ma Meilleure Ennemie” (from Arcane)

It’s Monday! First up: Journey to the Water releases on Friday! That’s four days from now!

If you haven’t yet picked up your own copy of Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea, you can get the paperback for 20% off (and pay your writer a little bit more) at this link. The sale is on through the 23rd (next Monday).

I’ve said it before, but it can’t be said enough: I appreciate your patience as I’ve been working to get this book out. I hope it’s worth all the waiting.

Also, if you Kickstarted the Figuratively Speaking Mermaid Tarot and you haven’t received your deck, please reach out to Brooke via Kickstarter. A few folks still haven’t confirmed their shipping addresses.

Petitions I’ve gathered for this week:

Via Our Revolution: Call for a ceasefire now (link now fixed!)

Via Ekō: Suspend the EU Israel Association Agreement for human rights violations

Via USCPR: Stop the forced famine in Gaza

As always, thanks for being here, and have an excellent week.

Song of the Week

KALEO, “Broken Bones”

Good morning!

First things first: Journey to the Water comes out in eleven days! You can check out the cover, back-of-the-book blurb, and first chapter under the “Buy my books” tab above (under the Menu if you’re on mobile). After I’m done writing this, I’ll make sure the sidebar is updated as well.

I’ll mostly be counting down to release day until it happens (December 20), but afterward, I’ll be talking about new projects and things going on with me. This will also include why this book took so very long. In the meantime, please get hyped with me for the release!

Here are some petitions I’ve gathered since last time:

Via Amnesty International: End genocide in Gaza

Via Mercy Corps: Protect civilian lives amid conflict and crisis

Via Ekō: Tell Chevron CEO to stop fueling genocide

Via Our Revolution: Tell President Biden and Congress to stop enabling Israel’s wars

Have an excellent week and stay warm (or cool, I have an occasional visitor from the other hemisphere) this week. May we all one day be free.