SEPTEMBER 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 in Luhr Park in 2021.
GENERAL UPDATES
I survived the peak of my event season… but just barely!
My busiest time of the year is from the middle of August through the beginning of September with three heavy-hitter events — the Michiana Ren Fest, Blueberry Festival, and Popcorn Festival. Having these three land back-to-back-to-back is a challenge for me to keep enough inventory in stock and make enough wax-sealed envelopes to go with the books.
This year added some extra challenges when my printer died and I ended up falling sick right after the Blueberry Festival. After four long days manning the booth (five if you count the extra day before the festival started to drive to Plymouth, set up the tent, and unload all of the totes), I was pretty run down and wasn’t able to bounce back right away. I lost several days in between Blueberry and Popcorn that I really needed to prep and restock.
Somehow, I survived the peak despite being sick, and now I’m trying to strike a balance between recovering and catching up. After replacing a part on my printer, I do have it operational again.
I was overwhelmed by the support I had from both old and new fans at these events! I ran out of paperbacks of Books II and III on the first day of the Renaissance festival due to people buying full sets at a time. Although I was restocked for Blueberry, I ended up selling out of ALL titles and formats by the end! That’s the first time that has ever happened! I’ve sold out of one or two titles in paperback or hardcover before, but I’ve never sold every single book that I had with me. Luckily, I was restocked again in time for Popcorn.
Fans and friends treated us to ice cream, handmade bracelets, tea, fan art, and other gifts at these events. Some even made a special trip just to see us! I’m exhausted, but it was a good time.
BOOK UPDATES
Chronicles of Avilésor (Book IV: Lab Rat)
My goal was to finish the line edit before the Michiana Ren Fest kicked off the craziest stretch of my event season… and I did! With the completion of the line edit, cover, and map, the final pieces are falling into place.
I’m now working on editing the supplemental material and formatting the interior layout to put it all together. If I stay on schedule, I should have the proof copy (or at least have it ordered) by the next newsletter! I still don’t have an exact publication date set yet, but it should be available before the holidays.
As a reminder, the Book IV preorders are still LIVE on my website! These preorders are for a special collector’s bundle that includes a numbered hardcover from the first print run, a bookmark featuring the cover image, the five buttons I designed for the novel, and a mini Ghost Realm candle by Old Soul Artisan.
NOTE: if you select the local pickup option at HotSpot Café, Square might tell you that your order is ready. This is not correct. Preorders are technically a paid upgrade feature that I don’t have, so Square doesn’t know these are preorders rather than regular orders. (Hence why I put PREORDER in all caps in the title so customers know even if Square doesn’t.)
For more information about preordering Lab Rat, be sure to check out my blog post.
Inked: An Author’s Advice & Inspiration for Writers
No updates to report since my focus has been completely on Lab Rat.
Cobblestones
No updates to report at this time. So far, I’ve gathered 30 drawings, 20 photographs, and 15 poems. I’m planning to type the poems on an old-fashioned typewriter rather than the computer to give the book a little extra charm!
MAP UPDATE & FIRST PRINTS
If you recall in the last newsletter, I mentioned that the Project Alpha map would need a minor update to change the configuration of the staircase around the elevator. That change has been made, and I printed five posterboards of the new map to have at events.
This will likely be the final version that is printed in Lab Rat, but it’s still possible that it might need some small adjustments between now and publication, which will make those five posters limited editions (beyond simply being part of the first print). Four of the five have already been sold, so I have only one left! This is an event-exclusive item that is not listed on my website.
NEW KEYCHAINS & STICKERS
I was relieved to receive an order of new keychains and stickers just in the nick of time to feature Popcorn Kit at the Popcorn Festival! New to the keychain collection:
Popcorn Kit
Birthday Kit
Sleepy Kit
Bookworm Kit
It’s a Good Day to Read
I Support Diverse Books
I Support Indie Authors
I Support Artists
Sorrow Angel
Consumed Angel
“Full Moon” and “Read Banned Books” are not NEW keychain designs, but they’ve been slightly modified from the original versions.
The Kit emoji sticker collection is finally complete with all of the new emojis I’ve released this year, including Birthday, Popcorn, Bookworm, Wink, Unamused, Kiss, and Exasperated. Level 2 and 3 Patreon subscribers have received these new Kit stickers (or will very soon) to complete their collection as part of their membership perk.
“It’s a Good Day to Read” also joined the sticker collection, although it isn’t pictured in this photo.
This sticker batch was small because I was testing out a different company than the one I’ve used in the past. It did pass my quality control standards, so I’ll likely be ordering more soon.
The new stickers and keychains have been added to my website, and they’re also available to purchase in my event booth.
BOOTH UPGRADE
My booth is always evolving, but it’s had some big changes recently to make it truly booktok-worthy. You can tour the booth in this TikTok video.
I’ve added new forest tapestries on the sides to fully enclose my booth space and create an immersive, mystical vibe. These backdrops separate my booth from the vendors on either side of me and really make the art pop since it’s easier to focus on my displays without seeing other vendors, customers, and wares in the other booths behind them.
See the difference in these photos from the Chesterton European Market last month (top) vs. the Popcorn Festival this past weekend (bottom):
While the wisteria draped through the frame isn’t new, I typically brought it out exclusively for Renaissance faires in the past. But it complements the new tapestries so well that it’ll be part of the normal display now.
As space opened up when the discontinued puzzles were sold, I made some changes to the table setups by moving the keychains and stickers over to the art table so I could make room to display all four of the maps on the book table… and make space for a new (pending) collaboration with a local business! I’ll hopefully have more details about that in the near future…
ARTWORK OF THE MONTH
Heartless © 2025
I didn’t think I’d have enough time to create a featured art piece after losing precious time being sick during the peak of event season, but I did manage to create this poor little guy yesterday. The newest addition to my angel collection pulls elements from its three predecessors: Broken, Sorrow, and Consumed. Since I was limited on time and still not feeling great, I wanted to do a simple piece and ease myself back into sketching.
Level 2 and 3 Patreon subscribers can learn more about this latest featured artwork and watch me create it in an exclusive timelapse video. Non-patrons can access this post for $3, which is the lowest price that Patreon allows me to set.
PATREON UPDATES
Subscribers get exclusive content emailed straight to their inbox every time I publish a new post! I offer three membership tiers with varying perks: Human ($5), Kálos ($10), and Alpha ($15). New patrons, depending on their tier, can unlock over 440 posts! Here are the latest posts since the last newsletter:
• Upcoming event announcements
• Updates about the new pending collaboration with a local business
• Worldbuilding post exploring the power of oneirokinesis in the Chronicles of Avilésor (and the hypothetical outcome of a Sandt vs. Ero face-off)
• Book IV milestones, progress, updates, and final steps for publication
• New Kit stickers sent to Level 2 and 3 patrons as a membership perk
• Timelapse video of this month’s featured artwork
$5 a month isn’t much, but these small subscriptions really do add up and help me cover the publishing costs for upcoming books in the series along with other business expenses such as vendor fees, 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
Do Artists Need Liability Insurance to Have a Booth?
I discuss the business side of having an artist booth at events and whether or not these types of vendors need to have insurance before they can set up.
RECENT EVENTS
August 9: Art Beat in South Bend, IN
August 16: OUTFest in Lafayette, IN
August 23-24: Michiana Ren Fest in South Bend, IN
August 29 - September 1: Blueberry Festival in Plymouth, IN
September 6: Popcorn Festival in Valparaiso, 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:
NWI PAGAN PRIDE
Saturday, September 13, 2025
10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Lake County Fairgrounds
Crown Point, IN
SUNFLOWER FAIR
Saturday, September 20, 2025
8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Michigan Avenue
La Porte, IN
BIZARRE BAZAAR
Saturday, September 27, 2025
1:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Porter County Expo Center
Valparaiso, IN
WOLF HOLLOW WITCHES MARKET
Saturday, October 4, 2025
3:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Boone County Fairgrounds
Belvidere, IL
HALLOW-FEST
Saturday, October 11, 2025
10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Sunday, October 12, 2025
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sheraton Lisle Naperville Hotel
Lisle, IL
TABLETOP ADVENTURE CON
Saturday, October 18, 2025
9:00 am - 10:00 pm
Sunday, October 19, 2025
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Warsaw Community High School
Warsaw, IN
LODGE CON
Saturday, November 1, 2025
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sunday, November 2, 2025
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Will County Fairgrounds Atrium
Peotone, IL
Saturday, November 15, 2025
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Sunday, November 16, 2025
10:00 am - 3:00 pm
The Century Center
South Bend, IN
OLD TOWN KRAMPUSNACHT
Saturday, December 6, 2025
4:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Old Town District of Turner Street
Lansing, MI
20th ANNUAL GARDENING SHOW
Saturday, January 31, 2026
8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Porter County Expo Center
Valparaiso, IN
KALAMAZOO COMIC-CON
Friday, April 10, 2026
12:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Saturday, April 11, 2026
10:00 am - 7:00 pm
Sunday, April 12, 2026
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Kalamazoo Expo Center
Kalamazoo, MI
MICHIANA REN FEST
Saturday, August 29, 2026
10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Sunday, August 30, 2026
10:00 am - 6:00 pm
St. Joe County 4H Fairgrounds
South Bend, IN
BLUEBERRY FESTIVAL
Friday, September 4, 2026
12:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Saturday, September 5, 2026
9:00 am - 9:00 pm
Sunday, September 6, 2026
9:00 am - 9:00 pm
Monday, September 7, 2026
9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Centennial Park
Plymouth, IN
SHOP
If you can’t catch me at a local event, my website is the next best place to shop! Many of my products are available online, 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 amazingly creative woman — to make a custom candle fragrance inspired by my book series. Ghost Realm is a blend of apple, cedar, chrysanthemum, and green leaf that captures the essence of Avilésor. Online purchases help to support wolf conservation!
