The Pixelvania Publishing Proclamation o’ Progress, August 2022 Edition

The Pixelvania Publishing Proclamation o’ Progress is a semiannual post detailing what’s going on around here, and what might show up in the future. It also includes reviews of shows, books, games, products, etc. you may also like. It’s only posted twice a year so as not to clog up your valuable, beautiful brain space.

Cute kitty photos at the end.

Recap

Here’s what’s been published since last post:

Coming Soon

Bad Tidings From Queen Sophie

This kitty-with-talking-buttons horror story (previously heard on the NoSleep Podcast) will be released very soon! Dig this minimalist cover!:

Cover for BAD TIDINGS FROM QUEEN SOPHIE: An eerie cat's face emerges from the dark below the title text.

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The Accuser

A Christian horror story with a tough guy and his kitty. This one’s still making the rounds at the magazines.

Bona Ossuaria

Freaky horror short story about a home reno gone really, really wrong. This one didn’t get into the anthology I wrote it for, so it’s currently making the rounds at the magazines. My friendly reader for it says now that she’s read it, she can never watch Good Bones the same way again. Heh heh heh.

Currently in Production

Salute A Pooch! (Fashion Frenchies #2)

Started writing this at the beginning of the year, but tapered off because I found all my creative energy siphoned off towards a certain book cover, which I’ll show below!

The Guests of Crooked Neck

(AKA the sequel to Steel City, Veiled Kingdom.)

I. FINISHED. PAINTING. THE. COVER. Behold!
Cover for THE GUESTS OF CROOKED NECKThe manuscript’s done. Once I finish painting some digital wallpapers and do some other planning, I’ll be premiering this on Kickstarter! I like this story and am excited to share it with you soon!

Sign up and I’ll email you when the CROOKED NECK Kickstarter launches!

Future Plans (AKA Plotting and Scheming)

I really want to finish FASHION FRENCHIES 2. I also have another couple of value collections in mind, and, yeah, I gotta hop back on the nosferatu novel(s).

Still plan to release Purrfect Christmas and Fashion Frenchies #1 in paperback, but the Crooked Neck Kickstarter is eating all my brainspace. 🙂

Recommended Reads, Watches, Plays, and Products

The Face, by Dean Koontz

Mysterious thriller with a super uplifting ending. Loved the characters! I even had a nightmare where I was chased by the villain! And usually all my nightmares are about credit scores and being late and other mundane things. 5/5 Pixel Snackies

Yoku’s Island Express

(game: Switch, Steam, other systems)
I had this on my Steam wishlist so long, I forgot what it even was. But then I saw a demo of it on the Switch and I tried it and WHOA so glad this was on my radar! Explore a tropical island using pinball moves (instead of typical running and jumping). The world is colorful, and cheerful. It reminds me in a lot of ways of Toki Tori 2+ (though I wouldn’t call Yoku genius like that game was). Relaxing soundtrack, too, the opening area is so beachy and fun, then it goes over to this relaxing Massive Attack-like jungle groove. (The GDC talk about how the music and sounds were made is well worth watching, if you’re into that!) 4/5 Pixel Snackies.

INSCRYPTION

(game: PC and other systems)
Folk Horror done OH-SO right…but then more is revealed. OOZES with ambience!!!! Loved the game, was completely enthralled with the mysteries surrounding it, but was disappointed in the ARG (which requires knowledge of the developer’s previous games, so good luck. :P) There’s a reason this game took so many awards. It does things that could only be done in this medium. NOM!! 5/5 very delicious Pixel Snackies.

WRECK-IT RALPH

(Movie, Disney+ and other places)
Been a while since I watched this. Forgot how tightly plotted it is. Plus the visual communication is absolutely STELLAR. 5/5, a veritable FEAST of Pixel Snackies.

DUNGLEON

(Free daily browser game) Dungleon.com
Mastermind/Wordle-like with neoncolorful little fantasy dudes! 4/5 Pixel Snackies, cuz there’s no practice mode.

SQUAREWORD

(Free daily browser game) Squareword.org
Wordle on steroids, but not as difficult as Quordle, which rubbed me the WRONG WAY. Makes words up and down as well as left and right, which can help with your guesses. 4/5 Pixel Snackies.

WAFFLE GAME

(Free daily browser game) WaffleGame.net
A word game where you switch letter tiles to form words laid out in a waffle-esque pattern. A solid puzzler!

Our Mascot, Pixel J. Cat

An orange cat with a white blaze and white paws folds his paws elegantly while lying on scratched-up cardboard

…and his new brother, Barnaby Jones!

Barnaby Jones, a beautiful grey and white shorthair tabby, lounges on the floor in his Glamour Shot

I had a million reasons not to adopt this little guy. But Fate said he needed to be with us, so…here he is! He’s one year old and very goofy and chill.