We’re gathering the Crew to help us pick our next big project. Three paths are on the drawing board, and each one has its own kind of magic. Cast your vote, share your thoughts, and help us steer the ship.
No pressure—just a fun little studio huddle with friends.
With countless weeks spent in the Rude Dude home finalizing the Studio Preview Edition of Nexus, we’ve been scrambling to figure out what we can offer for holiday sales. (A bit last minute, we know) On top of offering a bundle for families of troops, we’ve squished it down to 4 options.
We would love to hear your feedback on what you’d like to see. (Of course if you have anything else in mind, we’d love to hear it!)
So, this funny little scene won't get out of my head.
If we hit the next goal of $6000, I'll finish writing both the scene and a fun epilogue that kinda more or less inspired the scene.
This is involving the two main characters from the second book, Sorin, a dragon shifter, and Gia, a rather unique sort of Fae.
FYI...both speak sarcasm, but Gia is more...fluent than Sorin. What can I say...he's old and hasn't exactly kept up with the times. Gia's bringing him in the modern era, though.
Scene
Gia cuddled against Sorin's chest, body humming with satisfaction.
A deep sound rumbled out of him and she lifted her head, caught the sight of the smug smile on his face. His eyes glowed under heavy lids. One big hand came up to cradle the back of her head as he slanted his gaze her way. "Witchling."
"Dragon." He'd melted her brain. Again. And he knew it. She wasn't complaining, either. But...the smug arrogance...well, dragons were already arrogant enough. If she didn't do something on occasion to nip that arrogance in the bud...well, one of these days, he might try to come through the door and he'd find his head too big to fit through.
Pushing up onto her elbow, she traced the tip of her finger through a light smattering of chest hair. "I've been thinking..." She kept her voice thoughtful and her shields locked down tight. They were connected on a deep, deep level and she couldn't afford to let any of her thoughts leak out.
"Thinking." He chuckled. "Is that what we were just doing?"
She caught his chest hair and tugged. "I'm serious. Pay attention." Giving him a somber look, she added, "You mentioned a few months ago that you wanted me to think about having a child."
His brows arched and his lips parted.
She touched his lips. "I'm not saying I'm ready to, Sorin. Things are still really unsettled around us. But...well, I...I've got questions, baby."
"Talk to me," he urged, capturing her hand and pressing a gentle kiss to her palm. It was so gentle, she almost decided to let the joke go. Almost.
"Well...it's just...Sorin. You're part dragon." Giving him a wide-eyed stare, she hesitated.
"And you're Fae."
"Dragon, Sorin." She poked him in the arm. "I mean...that's almost like being...I don't know...oh, man. I can't ask this."
He sat up, his brows furrowing over his eyes. "Gia, what's wrong? What does me being dragon have to do with us having a child?"
"I feel silly now," she whispered, ducking her head. "Just let it go."
He cupped her chin. "Talk to me," he said again.
Finally, she huffed out a breath. "How is a pregnancy supposed to work, Sorin? Will I be pregnant...or will I...I dunno...lay an egg?"
For a moment, he just stared at her. After several heartbeats, he blinked. Then, finally, in a very careful voice, he said, "Did you just ask if you would lay an egg?"
Yes, I can write. I can even take pretty decent photographs. But... my 'art' skills are lacking.
Some of the fault is mine. I'm impatient. I always want to rush and I'm pretty sure when it comes to things like wet paint? That's a bad idea.
Words are better. Words don't drip and run together.
But I need a sign. I'm going to have a booth at a local Ren faire... for those in the general Louisville, Ky area, I'm going to be at the Louisville Ren Faire... and it's on the grounds of a castle. I've already got my garb. I've got books ordered. I've got the tent. Decorations for the tent are en route. But I need a sign. So I'm trying to make it. Hopefully it doesn't suck.
One thing I am good at?
Finding good artists.
Rinfuling is done with the first piece of art. This is Zee (short for Zinnia), from book 1.
I think I'm going to go with simple paintings like this for each of the characters individually and then have a more detailed one of each couple, although I'm not entirely sure yet.
But I'm excited! Do you like Ren Faires? If so, which ones have you been to?
We're trying something fun this campaign. Whoever's at the top of our BackerKit leaderboard when we wrap up gets a free sketch from me.
The cool part? You can start earning points right now, even before we officially launch.
Here's how BackerKit awards Engagement Points:
Create a discussion: 50 points
Leave a comment: 25 points
Vote on a poll: 10 points
Like something: 5 points
Pretty simple. Just hang out, chat with us, and see where you land. Full details here if you want the technical stuff.
So... who's it gonna be?
Let's see what happens! 🎯
The Rude Dude Team
PS: Almost forgot...Those ornament reservations are only $5 on presale (which is actually less than what they cost us) – our way of saying thanks for backing early. They ship flat and spiral open with the Return to Earth logo in the center. They disappear once the campaign goes live, so you've got maybe 2 weeks left.
