JULY NEWSLETTER
On The Cobblestone Road
WHAT’S NEW THIS MONTH?
Welcome to the monthly newsletter with all of the latest updates about my books, projects, blog, featured artwork, news, and more!
About the photograph featured in the heading: I took this photo when I was living in Naperville, IL. I always loved wandering along the riverwalk in search of the local blue heron who was usually somewhere nearby!
BOOK UPDATES
Chronicles of Avilésor (Book IV: Lab Rat)
Unfortunately, I fell short of my goal to finish editing Lab Rat (Book IV in the Chronicles of Avilésor: War of the Realms series) by the end of the month.
My event season has a soft start in February and slowly ramps up to its official kickoff in May when I start having events every weekend. But June is when the season really gets rolling with higher intensity from now through November, and the beginning of the month was hectic with back-to-back festivals on the same weekend. I felt like I was playing catchup during the rest of June.
Currently, I’m on on Chapter 18 of the printed first draft. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to slow down a little in mid-July and wrap up this round of editing so I can pass the manuscript off to beta readers soon.
Inked: An Author’s Advice & Inspiration for Writers
I first announced this project on Patreon in April but mostly kept it under wraps as far as public updates. This will be my first nonfiction book. Since my primary focus is still on Lab Rat, this book is more of a side project that doesn’t have a target timeline or publication date.
I was inspired to create this book after meeting a local book club at my alma mater and realizing that I’m often approached by writers and aspiring authors who usually ask me the same questions. So, why not record my advice in a book for those who are interested in reading about the subject?
When I announced the new project, it didn’t have a title yet. I had tentatively named this book Wordweaver when I published a later Patreon update in May, but that has recently been updated to Inked. Needless to say, the title isn’t set in stone, so it might change again.
Inked is currently 34 pages. It’s divided into sections for writing, editing, publishing, marketing, and building a career. My intent for this book is to have each page feature my thoughts about a single topic or piece of advice. It will be a mix of printed text and my own handwriting with a minimalistic format. This book will focus more on big-picture writing advice; it is NOT an instruction manual for how to write and publish.
Cobblestones
This project has been in the back of my mind for a couple of years now, and I’ve only just started gathering the pieces together to make it happen. The original title was going to be Grayscale because this book will be a compilation of my art, photography, and poetry. Since 95% of my art is entirely grayscale, I was going to have a black-and-white interior… hence the title.
But, after exploring IngramSpark’s interior printing options, I decided that full color would likely be higher quality, and that reduced the self-imposed restrictions for grayscale imagery. I decided to rename the book Cobblestones to align with my website and brand — the ultimate connection piece linking the various creative facets of my business.
Cobblestones and Inked will be complete opposites. While Inked will utilize text and blank space for a minimalistic format that doesn’t include any art, Cobblestones will prominently feature my visual imagery in addition to my writing, sometimes with full-page artwork and scrapbook-style combinations of text/art/photographs along with other elements such as flowers, leaves, and feathers.
Cobblestones has a VERY long way to go before it’s ready, and it’s going to be a labor-intensive endeavor to bring my vision to life. As of now, I’ve gathered 23 drawings, 20 photographs, and 4 poems. I have several notebooks that are filled with poems and short written pieces from my local writing workshop; flipping through them and typing up selected poems for the book is something that’s still on my to-do list.
NEWS FEATURE
Two of my art prints — “The Raven” and “Snowy Flight” — and A Fallen Hero were featured on a short WSBT22 news segment promoting Rebel Art Fest! It was a pleasant surprise to get a phone call from family members who said they said my work on the local news!
PRODUCT UPDATES
Due to popular demand, I’ve introduced a new purchasing option for my notecards.
Previously, the notecards were available only as prepackaged bundles with all five notecards being the same print. But for the June events, I started offering individual notecards as an alternative option so customers could purchase in smaller quantities and mix-and-match the prints they wanted.
Both the notecard packs and the individual notecards are for sale at events and on my website, although I still need to update the photographs on the website.
In other product-related news, “Decay” and the inverted version of “Valdenar’s Bow” have been added to my bezel necklace collection.
Dark “Valdenar’s Bow” has also joined the puzzle collection, too!
ARTWORK OF THE MONTH
Rosebush Rabbit © 2024
Patreon subscribers can read about the art process, see my daily progress updates, and watch me draw this piece in the exclusive patrons-only timelapse video for Level 2 and 3 subscribers.
PATREON & SUBSTACK UPDATES
Subscribers get exclusive content sent straight to their inbox every time I publish a new post! I offer two types of premium subscription content on two different platforms.
Patreon is a fan-based community featuring behind-the-scenes content centered around my books and art. I offer three membership tiers with varying perks: Human ($5), Kálos ($10), and Alpha ($15). Here are the latest posts since the last newsletter:
• Upcoming event announcements
• Author Q&A: How do you get in the writing mood?
• Early Access: First look at the list for Book IV’s pronunciation guide + invitation to submit additional words
• Worldbuilding: How Charms work in the CoA series
• Daily art-in-progress updates while I worked on the newest drawing
• Timelapse video of the latest featured artwork (“Rosebush Rabbit”)
Substack features business-oriented content for creative solopreneurs and artistic professionals. I discuss tips I’ve learned from my experience as an author, artist, and entrepreneur with over 140 in-person events ranging from book signings and artist pop-ups to festivals, markets, and conventions.
Subscriptions are only $5/month, and members have the opportunity to read, share, comment, and network with other creative professionals within the community. Just like Patreon, these exclusive posts are sent to your inbox when I publish them. Here are the latest premium posts on Substack:
• Author/Vendor Tip: Unique Aesthetic
• Vendor Tip: Finding Patterns in Customer Comments
• Author/Artist Tip: Finding Conventions (Free Resource!)
**These posts are partially visible for free subscribers, but to read the entire post, members need to upgrade to the premium subscription tier.
$5 a month isn’t much, but these small subscriptions add up and help me cover the publishing costs for upcoming books in the series along with many other business expenses such as vendor fees, liability insurance, website costs, and more. Thank you to my subscribers for your support!! 🖤
For more information about the membership tiers and how subscriptions/donations support my business, check out this FAQ page on my website.
RECENT BLOG POSTS
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My Thoughts on AI as a Writer, Photographer, & Artist
AI is having a massive impact on the creative community. What does that mean for writers and artists in the near future? I'm finally weighing in on the topic...
RECENT EVENTS
June 7-8: Strawberry Festival in North Liberty, IN
June 9: Rebel Art Fest in South Bend, IN
June 15: Pride Fest in Michigan City, IN
June 22: Twin Cities Pridefest in Benton Harbor, MI
June 29: Independence Day Celebration in Mishawaka, IN
UPCOMING EVENTS
Be sure to check my website for the most up-to-date list.
To receive event reminders, you can join my Discord server, follow me on Facebook or Buy Me a Coffee, or become a Patreon subscriber. Here's the current schedule of events as of now:
KOGAN CON
Saturday, July 06, 2024
10:00 am - 9:00 pm
Central Park Place
Grand Haven, MI
CHESTERTON'S EUROPEAN MARKET
Saturday, August 03, 2024
8:00 am - 2:00 pm
Broadway & Third Street
Chesterton, IN
PAWS FOR PRIDE
Sunday, July 21, 2024
12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Central Park Plaza
Valparaiso, IN
MICHIANA REN FEST
Saturday, August 24, 2024
10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Sunday, August 25, 2024
10:00 am - 6:00 pm
St. Joe County 4H Fairgrounds
South Bend, IN
Friday, August 30, 2024
12:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Saturday, August 31, 2024
9:00 am - 9:00 pm
Sunday, September 01, 2024
9:00 am - 9:00 pm
Monday, September 02, 2024
9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Centennial Park
Plymouth, IN
POPCORN FESTIVAL
Saturday, September 07, 2024
8:00 am - 6:30 pm
Downtown
Valparaiso, IN
SUNFLOWER FAIR
Saturday, September 21, 2024
8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Michigan Avenue
La Porte, IN
BIZARRE BAZAAR
Saturday, September 28, 2024
1:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Porter County Expo Center
Valparaiso, IN
WOLF HOLLOW WITCHES MARKET
Saturday, October 05, 2024
12:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Boone County Fairgrounds
Belvidere, IL
MIGHTY CON
Saturday, October 26, 2024
1:00 am - 5:00 pm
Tippecanoe County Fairgrounds
Lafayette, IN
Saturday, November 23, 2024
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Sunday, November 24, 2024
10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Porter County Expo Center
Valparaiso, IN
INDOOR SANTA MARKET
Friday, December 06, 2024
5:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Saturday, December 07, 2024
10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Lake County Fairgrounds
Crown Point, IN
CHRISTMAS AT THE CIVIC
Sunday, December 08, 2024
11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Civic Auditorium
La Porte, IN
19th ANNUAL GARDENING SHOW
Saturday, January 25, 2025
8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Porter County Expo Center
Valparaiso, IN
SHOP
This year, I finally launched my own ecommerce site so anyone in the U.S. now has the opportunity to order online directly from me. Many of my products are available, including notecards, keychains, buttons, postcards, bookmarks, stickers, mouse pads, novelty CoA merch, and autographed books. Some products, such as my canvas prints, puzzles, resin book holders, and build-your-own bookmarks, are still event-exclusive.
Browse my custom designs on apparel and accessories produced and shipped by Spring. Shop for Chronicles of Avilésor designs plus others inspired by reading and writing (and my popular banned books graphic).
In 2020, I partnered with Old Soul Artisan — a small USA business operated by an amazing woman solopreneur — to create a custom candle fragrance inspired by my book series. The “mystical forest” scent is a blend of apple, cedar, chrysanthemum, and green leaf that captures the essence of Avilésor. Online purchases help to support wolf conservation!
