Tag: status update

State of the Pixelvania, August 2019

Posted onLeave a comment

Introduction

Like a lot of entertainment, much of story writing is an invisible process to the end audience. While I’m hard at work on projects, y’all see nothing but a silent website. I want to change that.

At the same time, I don’t want to post for the sake of posting—that would just add to the tsunami of digital clutter that’s already got us addicted to checking our devices (read: miniature slot machines). With that in mind, I’ve decide to start a semiannual post, tentatively titled “The State of the Pixelvania” where you can get a picture of what’s going on around here and what might be showing up in the future.

This semiannual post was inspired by a recent video by Christopher Barnatt at ExplainingComputers.

What I’ve Been Working On: New Stories

Last year I realized I had a fair amount of stories under Horror and Humor but not even a scant handful in Wonder. Yet here I am on a purple website, calling myself a scifi/fantasy author! So I set out this year to fill out the Wonder section of my works, starting with a one-story-a-week challenge in Feburary! It…didn’t go so well.

This was also the first year I’ve tried submitting to the magazines. It’s been a good experience, though I haven’t had any stories accepted yet! Let’s look at this year’s crop o’ stories so far. Read More …

Sneak Peek: Gingersnap Cat print novel in progress!

Posted onLeave a comment

Screenshot of A GINGERSNAP CAT CHRISTMAS as it's being worked on in Scribus

As previous reported, A Gingersnap Cat Christmas was written last year but didn’t get out in time for Christmas 2017. So once I was finished, I vowed to use the extra time before Christmas 2018 to turn it into a print book.

So here it is! Being worked on in the free program Scribus.

I’m sitting here realizing that it’s kinda wild that I went from knowing nothing about book production to, you know, making pages of a novel I wrote. When the proof’s actually in my hands, though, then I’ll know I can conquer the world.

Serendipity and Smoked Glass

Posted onLeave a comment

Hi, everybody! Last week I hit 50K words on my nosferatu novel. Very exciting!

Since then a scene’s come up where a fire faerie needs to create some smoked glass for the nosferatu prince. Now, I don’t know the first thing about how you’d make sunglasses in the old days, so over the past day or two I googled up information…but it always stuns me how so much of the information and inspiration I need for any given book just…floats into my life.

Today the ocean of inspiration sent me a post from Gurney Journey that mentioned Lorrain Mirrors. When I clicked on the link, I got an entire article about darkened mirrors and smoked lenses used in the past, and a simplified way to make one.

Ain’t serendipity wonderful?

A GINGERSNAP CAT CHRISTMAS cover reveal, plus vampire novel news

Posted onLeave a comment

Hi, everybody! February knocked me down with a nasty cold/bronchitis illness so I’m still getting into the swing of things.

A Gingersnap Cat Christmas was finished, um…January, probably? And is in “post” so to speak. But since I missed my deadline, rather than releasing it right away, I’ll be looking into making it into a print book for next Christmas!

In the meantime, please enjoy the fabulous finished cover!

A GINGERSNAP CAT CHRISTMAS Book Cover: A ginger cat with a halo smiles at a terrified black and grey kitten hiding behind him.

(My husband desperately wants me to animate the kitten rising up…Any volunteers?)

In other news, my nosferatu novel hit 40K…and it’s just getting started! Hoo-wee!

The fate of the Kitty Christmas Story…

Posted onLeave a comment

The good news is: the content’s finished (almost made it to 40K!), it’s in my proofreader’s hands, and the story’s cute!

The bad news: I missed my Christmas deadline (obviously)!

But that’s OK. As soon as it’s ready, it will be posted here for your reading pleasure (even if you don’t get to it ’til Christmas 2018!).

Thanks for sticking with me, folks!

Currently on the docket: Frenchies 2, Nosferatu Novel, SCVK edits.