OCTOBER 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 pulled this photo from my archive. It was taken in my backyard in 2012.
BOOK UPDATES
Chronicles of Avilésor (Book IV: Lab Rat)
The first round of editing for Lab Rat (Book IV in the Chronicles of Avilésor: War of the Realms series), is complete!
I survived the peak of event season and made it through some of my heavy hitters recently, including the Sunflower Fair and Wolf Hollow Witches Market. Last week, I had a very productive streak and made solid headway on the edits.
I’m about halfway through the manuscript now, which is a bit behind schedule (I’d wanted to finish and get copies to the beta readers last month), but prepping for events, crafting handmade products, and planning my 2025 event schedule has eaten up a lot of my time. I also made progress on the character list and pronunciation guide.
Inked: An Author’s Advice & Inspiration for Writers
I haven’t had a chance to work on this short nonfiction book, so it’s still sitting at 34 pages. Since my primary focus is on Lab Rat and events, this book is more of a side project that doesn’t have a target timeline or publication date.
Cobblestones
Cobblestones is also a backburner project. As of now, I’ve gathered 25 drawings, 20 photographs, and 10 poems. I also have a few photographs that I pulled from my archives that I’m considering for the cover design.
NEW PRODUCTS & DISPLAYS
Since the last newsletter, I’ve added several new products and designs in addition to upgrading my table display at events. Here’s what has been keeping me so busy:
The symbols I created for the Elemental Guilds in the CoA series aren’t just on the Ghost Realm map anymore… they’re also available as necklaces and brooches!
(If you can’t decide which element suits you best, I have a spinner wheel to let fate decide for you!)
The brooches are made the same way I make the necklaces; I create a sheet with the designs in Photoshop, punch out each one, glue it into a bezel tray, and seal it under a glass cabochon with UV resin. All handmade, all my own designs. The brooches have a butterfly clasp on the back.
Since the brooches and necklaces are the same size, I added my entire necklace collection, which means any art print or CoA graphic design on a necklace is now also available on a brooch as well.
I’m offering new candle options! In the past, I’ve carried the same sizes of the Ghost Realm candle that you’ll find on Old Soul Artisan’s website. I also sell wax melts, which are no longer available online.
Now, I’m offering tea lights for sale as well! This allows customers a cheaper way to test the candle first before deciding if they want to commit to a full-size candle, and it’s a wonderful little add-on to accompany the book, especially if it’s a gift for someone. I’m offering the tea lights by themselves, but I also have an upgraded option that includes a smoky-gray glass holder.
(Of course, I still have the small 4oz and large 12oz in stock as well! I’m very low on 4oz at the moment, but a new order has shipped and is on its way.)
Two new designs were added to my build-your-own bookmark station. Last month’s artwork “Sunflower Swallowtail” and this month’s art piece “Broken” have joined the lineup.
“Broken” features red paint splatters like I did with the Azar/Kovak book print, making each one even more unique in addition to having different text on each bookmark. (For those who might not be aware, I print all of my bookmarks on actual pages torn out of A Fallen Hero before I laminate them.)
See how my event display has changed:
SEASONAL KIT DESIGNS
Summer Kit has gone into the vault for a nap until next year, but Spooky and Boo are back for autumn! These seasonal designs are available as stickers and keychains for sale at my event booth and on my website.
ARTISAN COLLABORATION
Exciting news! Last month, I partnered with Rod of Freer Woodcrafts to feature some of my new brooches built into his handcrafted bottle stoppers.
I’ve done several events with Rod in the past, and we were set up next to each other again at the Chesterton European Market. It was my debut of the new brooches, and as I was showing them to him, he realized they were the perfect size (and exactly what he’d been looking for) to create a premium version of his popular wood bottle stoppers.
We started out with five for a test batch that included:
“Sunflower Swallowtail”
“Valdenar’s Bow” (Dark)
“Yule Stag”
“Snowy Flight”
“Lunos”
As of now, these are available ONLY at the Freer Woodcrafts booth during event season. You can find him at the Chesterton European Market on 10/12 and 10/16, and he’ll be at the Hometown Hocus Pocus Indoor Market in Crown Point on 10/25-10/26.
I don’t have any for sale at my booth, and they are not for sale online... although I might be able to offer a custom order option on my website in the future. I would have to figure out the logistics to make sure customers could select the art print and type of wood they want (or let Rod choose based on his expertise and supply).
NEW WEBSITE PAGE
You can now find a list of every event I’ve done since publishing AFH in 2018. From book signings and conventions to local markets and festivals, they’re all listed here!
ARTWORK OF THE MONTH
Broken © 2024
I ventured far outside my usual art style with this one! The inspiration for this piece is an interesting story. Level 2 and 3 patrons can learn more about this and watch me draw “Broken” in an exclusive timelapse video.
PATREON & SUBSTACK UPDATES
Subscribers get exclusive content emailed 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
• First look at the new brooches and tabletop displays before their official debut
• Early announcement about the collaboration with Freer Woodcrafts
• Early sneak peek at the first bottle stopper when it was made
• Invitation to ask worldbuilding questions
• Video overview of the Ghost Realm map as I highlighted key landmarks and towns
• Behind-the-scenes video showing some of the techniques I used when drawing “Sunflower Swallowtail”
• Timelapse video of “Broken” + details about the inspiration and process
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 after doing over 150 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. Some of the topics I’ve discussed on Substack:
• How to make discontinued or slow-moving merchandise sell
• Money-saving hacks to help weather the slow season
• Ways to tastefully accept tips or donations without obnoxiously asking for money
• Red and green flags to be aware of when researching potential new events
• In-person networking tips when you meet successful vendors at events
• Realistic goals and expectations for your newsletter
• Finding patterns in consumer comments and applying that data to your strategy
• Using your display to build a unique, on-brand aesthetic
• Upselling with bundle discounts
**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
60+ Quality Blog Post Topics and Ideas for Fiction Authors
After growing frustrated with the generic suggestion lists populating on Google when I was struggling to come up with blog post ideas, I decided to make my own list specifically tailored for fiction authors.
Author Tip: How to Perfect Your Elevator Pitch
Nailing the elevator pitch is a surprisingly challenging hurdle for many authors. I share some of my tips and methods to help craft a winning sales pitch.
RECENT EVENTS
September 14: European Market in Chesterton, IN
September 21: Sunflower Fair in La Porte, IN
September 28: Bizarre Bazaar in Valparaiso, IN
October 5: Wolf Hollow Witches Market in Belvidere, IL
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:
UNDER THE HARVEST MOON FESTIVAL
Saturday, October 12, 2024
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Front Street
Dowagiac, MI
SOUTH BEND COMIC & COLLECTORS CON
Saturday, October 19, 2024
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
St. Joseph County Fairgrounds
South Bend, IN
MIGHTY CON
Saturday, October 26, 2024
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Tippecanoe County Fairgrounds
Lafayette, IN
Saturday, November 02, 2024
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sunday, November 03, 2024
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Will County Fairgrounds Atrium
Peotone, IL
Saturday, November 16, 2024
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Sunday, November 17, 2024
10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Century Center
South Bend, 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
HOMETOWN HOLIDAY MARKET
Saturday, November 30, 2024
8:00 am - 2:00 pm
Broadway & Third Street
Chesterton, 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
MICHIANA REN FEST
Saturday, August 23, 2025
10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Sunday, August 24, 2025
10:00 am - 6:00 pm
St. Joe County 4H Fairgrounds
South Bend, IN
Friday, August 29, 2025
12:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Saturday, August 30, 2025
9:00 am - 9:00 pm
Sunday, August 31, 2025
9:00 am - 9:00 pm
Monday, September 01, 2025
9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Centennial Park
Plymouth, 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!
