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
You might have seen it already, but I sent fulfillment surveys out the other day! Completing surveys is necessary to get your campaign rewards. If you have any questions or need assistance, please let me know. Collecting this info, including what name you'd like listed in the acknowledgements section (not being in there is always an option if you'd prefer) is one of the last steps needed to get your books to you. A lot of you have already filled out your surveys (thank you!) and I'm hoping to lock surveys and charge for shipping in a couple weeks. You will receive an email before surveys lock in case you need to change any of your responses.
One of those other final steps is making sure the proof copies for both the standard and large print paperback are formatted correctly. Those are on their way to me as we speak! Assuming the proofs look good, it'll be quick work to add the acknowledgements section in once I have that info.
My goal is to send out ebooks and bulk order paperbacks by the end of this month. Once I have those paperbacks in hand, getting them shipped out to y'all will be my top priority.
And now for some other news.
As you might remember, this campaign was part of 2025's Book Bazaar. I'm incredibly pleased to announce that I will be participating in 2026's Book Bazaar as well! We'll have a mix of returning authors from last year and new people. The teaser page for my new book will be up soon. Plus I'll be sending out an email about this project that also includes details about my publishing plans for the near-ish future.
This year's Bazaar runs from the end of October until midway through November. Even if something happens to the anticipated timeline, Honeycomb Heart fulfillment will be complete before this new project's campaign runs. The novel I'll be crowdfunding will also be closer to completion at the time of funding than Honeycomb Heart was, so there should be less, uh, "wiggle room" in the expected vs actual fulfillment timeline for that project. This is my goal going forward with all my future campaigns.
As always, thanks for your patience and I hope you're doing well! —Madeleine
If you are still awaiting your rewards (all clothbound books!) I have good news! The printer says they are batched. I honestly have no idea what that means, but it feels like progress!
We are almost done with fulfillment. When the clothbound books get here, I'll finish up the rest of the books (case laminates and cloth along with any other rewards that you are awaiting!)
Just a heads up, I was invited to join Printopia which is coming up in September. I am planning on doing a hardback special edition of all the books in The Tale of Barathea and the Great Hunter. Right now, I only have half done and it's only digital.
I am thinking we could upgrade the cover and do an omnibus of all the books. (There are four!) Two of them are finished. And I am working on the other two. These are quick and fun to write. Let me know what you think!
I'm still hoping to get the prequel novella of Lineya's POV (The early bird bonus)out before I close out this campaign.
