Not as catchy as It's Gonna be May (cue Justin Timberlake), but we make it work around here.
Howdy!
As per my last update back in January, we did indeed enter the Dead Zone of project updates, but I am now here to pop that bubble of silence.
First and foremost, I have received Monitored Activity's final edits this past Friday. You know, the whole point of the campaign? The part of this book you all so graciously helped fund? It is — officially — done. Shout-out to subvertebra over on BlueSky who has been an absolute thrill to work with. I genuinely could not have asked for a better editor.
This means we now get to enter the final formatting and the proof-ordering phase.
I cannot believe we're here, and way ahead of schedule, too. That late summer release date might just become early summer, but let's hold off on any major announcements for a bit longer.
The sticker sheets and bookmarks have long since arrived and are currently hanging out on my desk, eagerly waiting to be sent out to their new homes!
In the coming weeks, orders will be locked in and cards charged for any post-campaign add-on purchases as well as shipping.
Keep an eye on your inbox! Emails will go out a few days beforehand so you're not caught by surprise.
Also — please make sure you've completed your survey! I'm still waiting on a few. If you've somehow lost it in your sea of emails (I don't blame you; my main inbox has 6,400 unread emails...), do not hesitate reaching out to me. I can very easily resend it.
And that's about it, for now. I hope you are all as excited as I am! Monitored Activity is close enough to taste.
Until next time. Happy (almost) April, and stay hydrated.
Hello fairy friends! It's time for a very another update!
We have the final poll for this week's make-a-fairy ready for everyone to vote on. Go vote!
We have less than four days left before the campaign ends! Ah!
As a special weekend treat, I'm revealing the sketches for last week's fairy animal companion.
The fairy animal companion, a creature with a mix of traits
A cute, jellyfish-like creature carrying an umbrella.
The first of these sketches is the animal companion. He has lizard traits, a unicorn horn, fuzzy mammal fur, a mermaid tail, and the appendages of a insect. I chose praying mantis. The sword wasn't a winning thing, but it did tie with all the secondary traits. The winning accessory, a cute friend, is what the second drawing is of. The cute friend is wearing earrings and carrying an umbrella. I didn't quite know how to fit the sweater in without it being too much, sadly.
While these creatures look aquatic, and can swim if need be, they are more apt to levitating above the ground. They swim through the air.
I'm excited to ink these very soon! I hope you like them!
And be sure to vote on the polls for the latest fairy!
Fairy friends, we did it! We configured our first fairy. I'm going to put it in the kiln to cure. It takes about a week for the pieces to set. For review, here's what we used to craft out fairy (AKA, the poll winners):
A Crystal Theme
A regular fairy head (elven-ish)
OOPS! All Eyes
For wings, we had a tie. We just couldn't decide between delicate fairy wings and dragon wings. So we did something with both.
And the limbs of our fairy are animal-esque and end in claws.
What an interesting and beautiful fairy!
One of the high-fey, Blutterbarts, Princess of the Stink Swamp, is looking for an animal companion that's as beautiful as they are. As long as we make the companion with some fairy magic, we'll be still fulfilling our mission to make more fairies. We'll need to decide on body features and the kind of hat Blutterbarts' new companion should wear, as well as an accessory.
Check out the first of these new polls below. Then, go check out the other ones! Ah! A wild moth! Where did that come from? Well, I guess there's no harm in letting the little fella hang out.
Now, onto Book Bazaar news!
We've completed our first week. Yippee! Fairy Seasons is almost 50% funded! I think that's pretty awesome. We have two weeks left and I think we can reach the initial funding goal for this project.
Please continue to share Fairy Seasons with others. It helps more than you think! And share often! There's quite a few times that someone shared something several times, and at the right time, I saw it and got it. Perhaps, with a little luck, we'll all share this project at the right time.
On November 23rd, The Book Bazaar will be streaming a reading of my Fairy Seasons Sampler. It's read by the author (me!). Be sure to stop in and listen. It'll start at 6pm (CST).
Check the bottom of this post for your first assignment from the Plot Bunny Resistance!
Find a full list of the Mission Updates, and your next step, at the end of the post.
Hello Defiant One!
Thank you for supporting Hero: 10th Anniversary Edition! Whether you’ve been part of the Rebellion since the beginning or you’ve just stumbled through the wrong portal into the Hub—welcome!
💥 The Low-Down on the Situation
For newcomers: the Hub is the interdimensional network that connects every story in the Defiant Multiverse (aka. my various series). Normally it’s overseen by Vren, a snarky, wise-cracking cosmic dragon and official drama liz—Err, I mean Timeline Guardian™.
Unfortunately… Vren’s missing.
[🐰 'Usually this would be our moment to liberate all the stories from the Archives,' says Plot Bunny General R. Fluffington. 'But we have more pressing issues.']
Extremely pressing issues.
In Vren's absence, a mysterious gremlin is spreading through the Archives, corrupting the timelines and rewriting stories. Disaster is on the horizon.
Luckily the Plot Bunny Resistance, lead by General R. Fluffington, has taken command of the situation. They’re trying to locate the dragon and stabilise the Heroverse. Naturally, this involves forms, chaos, and a surprising amount of paperwork.
⚙️ The Operation
The Hero 10 campaign doubles as an interactive narrative—an ARG (Alternate Reality Game)—where you get to be part of the fun.
You’ll receive updates from Fluffington, discover secret transmissions, and maybe even file a few dubious reports with the Office of Narrative Compliance (ONC).
You don’t need any prior knowledge to join; every mission stands on its own. Participate as much or as little as you like – just know that the fate of the Heroverse may depend on you (and your ability to navigate bureaucracy).
👉 How to Participate
Stay Tuned: Major story updates and missions appear right here in the Updates tab, and in your inbox if you're a Backer and just Following the campaign.
Watch for Clues: Some transmissions will link to hidden files, ONC forms, or strange narrative anomalies.
Join the Hunt: Solve puzzles, vote in community polls, and help the Resistance find the lost dragon.
Relax: Everything is optional, and you can jump in at any time – even if you missed earlier missions.
Thank You
Your support keeps the Heroverse alive and helps the Rebellion bring Vren home. Whether you’re a long-time Hero fan or a brand-new Navigator, the Resistance welcomes you.
🧩 MISSION 0: Operation Find the Dragon
General Fluffington requests that all incoming agents register a callsign for secure communications across the Resistance network.
Comment below with your chosen callsign!
Until next time, safe travels through the multiverse
Hi everyone, I wanted to start by thanking y'all for your kind words on the last update. The last few weeks have found me in a much better place than the months before that. I finished the latest draft of Honeycomb Heart last week and have started reviewing it for what to work on next. I'm expecting the project to need at least one more developmental (story- and character-focused) draft, and a line-editing focused draft before it's fully completed.
I'm jumping into the next draft with renewed energy, as well as the new knowledge that repeatedly forcing myself to try to work on a chapter where the POV character is feeling depressed while I'm also feeling depressed is a bad idea, actually. It's a little embarrassing to realize you've been walking into the same brick wall over and over, but oh well. We keep learning, and spring eventually comes round again.
I'm also working on the polaroids in the meantime. Aquarium date, anyone? This is the original for the 3rd design; I make them larger for ease of stitching, but as a reminder they'll be printed as these smaller snapshots in the end. Once I've made some headway into the new draft, I'll post an update with my updated progress and a new estimated timeline.
Hello folks! Sorry it's been so long without an update -- I could have sworn I'd posted one but it seems it languished in drafts. I've had a health scare and been helping out with a family member, but here's the important stuff.
1) The books are printed and ready! I have everything on hand. However--
2) Some stuff has changed with shipping. I had a feeling this would be the case, but unfortunately it's mostly bad news. The first of these is that while GULA was able to be shipped by letter mail when I checked during the initial days of the campaign, that has changed and the book is now too large to go by lettermail. It's possible this is a matter of me not paying attention and the book size changing without me realizing the issue, but Canada Post has been making a lot of changes over the last year or so, not all of which have been appropriately publicized. As a result, Canadians will have to pay parcel prices instead of lettermail.
The second shipping issue is the fuel surcharge put in place by Canada Post as a result of the disruption in Iran. This one really has me mad. Essentially, it's an extra charge to counterbalance the skyrocketing costs of fuel. As a result, the shipping charges going out soon will likely be higher than hoped. I'll be getting them out within the next week or so, barring any further worldwide disruptions (eyeroll, I hate it here).
The good news is that the books are gorgeous, as are the prints. In fact, that leads me to number 3), which is that I have some more prints on hand right now of other art pieces. I'll be making another post in a few days, offering up some of these as extra prints, since they don't take up much space in packaging, as a gift to help counterbalance the unexpected extra shipping costs.
Finally, 4) -- I know the ebook trio is late! It is in fact finished, and will be posted either today or tomorrow. Thank you all very much for your patience.
