Prints, packaging, and the final copy of the book have arrived!
Bookmarks and stickers are on the way, as are cartons upon cartons of books. That pesky spine and I fought hard, but it’s certainly behaving now.
Only 35 more days until release !
“I just didn’t know how to live. I still don’t, but I’m getting better. I’ve asked for help and everything. Where I was going with this, is that I know when it feels like the end. But I can promise you, there’s always another road. Don’t give up yet.”
-phantom and rook
🌈✨️📖
September is Suicide Awareness Month. This is an issue that is dear to me, in case that wasn’t evident by the struggles I put my characters through, Arlo Rook especially.
Some of my favorite books that deal with this are A Strange and Stubborn Endurance, Lore and Lust, Summer Sons, An Unnatural Vice, and Jack of Thorns.
In some of these stories there are on page attempts, while others have active or passive ideation, or there was an attempt in the past. Please check TW as a good few of these are dark and full of angst.
It is Hispanic Heritage Month, time for some queer reads to celebrate!
It’s Sapphic September, and I’ve rejuvenated the book rec stash with fresh titles! I have to say, I think my favorite types of sapphic stories are the ‘she’s a little bit fucked up and a lot bit haunted’ and the good ol’ ‘I shall protect you with my life, my lady.’
What about you?
After the chaos of the last year, and some consideration, I have decided to thin my Patreon tiers one last time. Instead of two tiers with content divided, there is now one which provides access to everything. Chapters excerpts, art, full short stories, the NSFW stuff, writing resources, all of it.
I hope this will make things more accessible, and less confusing. I have updated the layout, and collections.
When it comes to new stuff, the next few months are going to be chock full of it. Between the short stories, Mochizuki and Xlato, and Witchtober, there is a lot of new writing content coming to Patreon. As much as I love the explorers, it’ll be nice to switch it up and write about some new folks, and give you something different to read.
For art, there will be upcoming sneak peeks at the VOWP hardback cover, and a potential commission for one of my anthology stories.
For writer talk, I was thinking about a post-kickstarter discussion about what it was like to release a book that way, and how it’s gone so far.
Anything else you’d like to see from me on Patreon? I would love some feedback!
There was a distinct click behind him, one that had become familiar in the past week and a half. Watt looked over his shoulder, spying Cornelius looking a tad sheepish behind his camera. Three times now Cornelius had taken his photo, having asked before the first time if he had Watt’s permission to take candid shots.
Watt rather thought that him brooding in a hotel room was a waste of film, and was surprised to find himself saying so.
Cornelius chuckled. “Every explorer needs a good before and after photo, you know, before they’re beaten to hell by their perils.”
“Then what were the photographs on the ship for?”
“Practice,” Cornelius said. There was an easy air about him this morning, which Watt was grateful for. He wasn’t sure if he could handle prickly Cornelius today.
Watt straightened from the wall, extending a hand towards Cornelius. “Then you should have a before photo as well, yeah?”
Cornelius cleared his throat. “Oh. I suppose so.”
Moody Before the Perils illustrations by Gagakuma Draws! This scene is one of the early icebreaker like scenes with the fellas, and stuck out to us both of us when it came to Cornelius’ photographs. Their postures and expressions speak so much to their inner turmoils during the beginning. Watt wears his heart on his sleeve, while Cornelius hides everything behind that proud mask. And of course, this beautiful and romantic moment between the explorers.
He kept hearing Andrea’s words over and over again, followed by Severino’s distant plea from weeks ago. He hadn’t meant to eavesdrop either time, but last night had been the final nail in Watt’s heart. “They’re doing good work here, real work. I can go on alone. This isn’t—I won’t drag you into madness, Cornelius.”
Cornelius closed the small distance between them, slow enough to give Watt time to back away. He did not.
Cornelius gazed up at Watt, their chests inches apart. His steely eyes seemed to glitter in the dark, like Lake Michigan under full moonlight. “I made a promise, and I intend to keep it.”
“Aventurier,” Watt whispered, overcome with an intense desire to bend down, and kiss Cornelius.
He—he wanted to kiss Cornelius.
He wanted Cornelius.
Cornelius’ eyes flared and he lifted his chin a fraction of an inch, lips parting.
Oh, and he was wanted in return. He was wanted by, and wanted, a man. Not just any man, but his—his Cornelius. He wanted to. It could’ve been easy, should’ve been easy.
But no matter how much he wanted to, Watt could not break through that wall. It would shatter everything, demolishing the foundations of everything they had built in the last few months. And he couldn’t—he wasn’t—
Cornelius’ lips curled into a small, sad smile. Like he knew. And he probably did, because who else knew Watt better than this man?
His best friend. Because yes, that was what Cornelius was to him, now and always.
🧭
There are now 94 backers! Hello to all of you, and thank you so much for supporting this campaign. We only have 22 hours left, then it’s time for Kickstarter to do its thing so I can do my thing and order books, stickers, bookmarks, art prints, all that good stuff to pass onto you. With all of the new art that has come out seen the Kickstarter began, don’t be surprised if there are extra goodies in the adventure boxes.
whispers: Do you think we can reach an even 100 backers?
Big thanks to Gagakuma Draws for drawing the gay explorers in love!
Thank you to everyone who has backed the Kickstarter, it is now fully funded !
Not only that, but we have hit our first stretch goal, a short story that takes place after The Voice of Wild Places, and there is a chance we may reach the second one, a special edition hardback!
Despite my Big Feelings about all this love for the Kickstarter, I have already set to work on the short story, it feels so good to be with these characters again. Yes, I know we haven’t been separated for that long, but it still feels like coming home.
Speaking of coming home, I wanted to take a moment to talk about the Adventures in Levena books, which some people added to your pledge. It is cozy season after all, which is what these books feel like. There is some angst as characters heal and face the past, but they are overwhelming wholesome and romantic.
There are currently two novels and two novellas out, each book follows a different couple. The first novella has multiple perspectives, and an interesting first half that technically takes place after all the books. It’s an immortal thing, you know?
The third book, Mochizuki and Xlato, comes out in October of next year. Illustrated by Crossroad Art, the same artist who we hopefully will have for the special hardback of The Voice of Wild Places!
You can find out more about the series here.
I can’t wait to order prints, bookmarks, stickers, and wield my new highlighter and pens to go full historical nerd mode for annotating time. Not to mention signing and/or painting the books themselves.
A couple of weeks ago I asked for queer indie books, and you all delivered. I have so many more in my arsenal, but these are all I could fit in a post!
Should we do a part two?
🧭 The Author Behind the Book 🧭
Over the years, I’ve done a few different meet the author type posts. I could tell you all again that my stories have threads of found family, fighting oppression, and finding love in all its vast forms. Mental illness and disability representation are also very important to me, and exist in my stories in one form or another.
I could also tell you I’m one of the hosts on an indie author podcast called Right Here, Write Queer. I love self publishing, and will always be team human. Team real creativity, and community, and supporting each other.
And I could also tell you that every week I try to share book queer recommendations, and I’m more active on Bluesky and Tumblr than anywhere else. I have a Patreon where I share writing excerpts, resources for authors, and first looks at new art.
But as of late, there’s something else I’d like to tell you.
I am not going anywhere.
I am a queer millennial who lives, and writes, in the mountainous rural arms of Upstate NY. And nothing will stop me from writing, reading, and sharing queer stories.
All while spilling coffee left and right, pins and crystals falling out of my bag as I go. Maybe even a scrap paper or two.
I’m pretty proud of myself, only … most of these were rereads. Ah, well. When the serotonin is low, you gotta do what you gotta do.
I did read The Voice of Wild Places in paperback version, and it was so great to read it ‘as a book.’ Viscounts and Villainy was a great conclusion to the series, if not a little repetitive with how much they were gushing about each other. They deserve it.
An Unseen Attraction was so fun, an unusual take on historical fiction aka taxidermy in the late 1800s and all the weirdness that comes with it.
Neshama Publishing 