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We're closing in on the end of Space Wizard Year 3! Only four more books are releasing before we have a new campaign for Year 4, coming in June. There's already an amazing lineup of books for this, and I'm starting to get some cover images already, so stay tuned for that in a later update!
I just shipped out a bunch of books, and the next set will go out around when C.J. Hosack's The Traveler's Magic releases in March. Then there's Heather Tracy's book, Only a Chapter, coming to you in April, my nonfiction, How to Operate Your Body, in May, and we're capping the year off with J.S. Fields' new Ardulum book, now titled Mirrors of Andal!
For now, I've got three covers to show off. The first is Station in the Sky, by Caye March, which just shipped out! This book combines Caye Marsh's first story, Peace in the Sky, along with the all-new Station in the Sky, which follows the events of the first book.
Station in the Sky, by Caye Marsh. Against a purple sunset, a white space station at the top of the cover hovers over the title, which in turn is over a domed city in a wasteland, holding the only trees. Below that is the author's name.
Second, we've actually got a twofer for you. We have a new cover for C.J. Hosack's The Traveler's Magic, and Katie Cordy did such a good job with it, we had her make a new cover for The Slayer's Magic as well to match!
The Slayer's Magic and The Traveler's Magic, both by C.J. Hosack. On the left cover, a male and female silhouette sneak in front of compressing bookshelves inset into an outline of a vast library. On the right cover, the same outline of the library is in the background, but in the foreground is a great tree with a sword in a rock beneath it, and several mice gnawing at a branch from the tree.
Finally, I'm excited to show off Heather's new book, coming out in April! Only a Chapter is a sci-fi-lite romance with parallel realities and a bisexual protagonist!
Only a Chapter, by Heather Tracy. The title is at the top, and against a stylized rendition of the bi pride flag, a woman with red hair and green eyes, wearing a breast cancer awareness pin, has her body turned to a faceless male figure in a tux on the right, while her eyes go to a faceless female figure in a tux on the left. The author name is at the bottom.
If you're read any Space Wizard books and enjoyed them, I'd love it if you left a review on Goodreads, Amazon, or any other storefront. That really helps get the attention of new readers.
Finally, are you going to WorldCon in Seattle this year? If you have a voting membership, then you can suggest books for the Hugo award! Space Wizard has a lot of opportunities by some excellent authors. You can find a list of eligible works right here!
That's it for now, but I'll be back next month with more updates!
Hi Carrie,
I'm a Canadian backer. My plan for finishing the pledge was to have my pin sent to a US address alongside a couple of other parcels I would have been getting, in order to save on fairly horrific Canadian shipping costs. Well, I'm not doing the other purchases. I've been out of work for a while now. All discretionary spending is stopping for me for a little while. And of course, there are the political shenanigans, which make me trust shipping from the USA a bit less.
Please consider my pledge cancelled. Sadly. Your designs are lovely and I would like to support you in the future. If you care to refund any portion of my pledge that would be wonderful. If not, please put it toward something wonderful.
Thank you,
Geoffrey Smith
Hello again, everyone! Coming at you with a much more definitive timeline on how everything should be shaking out in regards to fulfillment and the next steps.
At the time of writing, the fulfillment schedule has become a little more ossified for me, and will hopefully continue on that path. Foxwright Apothecary is looking like it should be done and sent out some time in March, and Pride Potions is aiming for late March/April/maaaaybe May depending on how things go.
You have probably seen that yesterday I launched a new campaign, Decadent Orchard, for this year’s Pintopia (and is fully funded, hooray!)-- please don’t be concerned about these two outstanding projects! Foxwright Apothecary and Pride Potions have not been forgotten or swept aside, I promise fulfillment will be as swift as possible and in the campaign order. 2024 saw a lot of rapid growth for Key & Crow Studios, which I will admit is on a level that I was clearly not prepared for. However, I do know making pins and delivering a quality experience to your mailbox.
Orchard was originally slated to launch in late August or September, which obviously didn’t happen due to the assorted delays and personal life complications. I chose to hold off and push it down the line to be my Pintopia 2025 campaign (which snuck up on me since it’s happening almost two months earlier than last year’s event), and greatly scaled down scope from what I had initially intended to keep it manageable with the prior projects in mind. Taking everything into account, I’ve scheduled out expected fulfillment for Orchard for some time in the final quarter of the year.
—
Update from the “my health wants to simply dissolve” front– right after I finished out my hellish semester and right before Christmas I had a fun trip to the emergency room via ambulance, as what I thought was some really mediocre chocolate sauce that came with a dessert was, in fact, nutella and I have a life-threatening tree nut allergy. So that was fun (and expensive). Otherwise, the source of most of my torment is the acute fungal sinus infection that has been festering unchecked in my head for who knows how long, and why my bloodwork has shown consistently elevated WBC and neutrophils levels to the point that myself and my healthcare team were suspicious it was lupus, or feared something worse. This has taken a tremendous toll on my quality of life and overall ability to function, all other health issues notwithstanding. Surgical intervention is the only treatment for this issue, and I am so grateful that my surgery is scheduled a week from today (Jan 31)– and good lord it cannot come fast enough. I had my last bit of pre-op bloodwork done today, and expect a fairly easy recovery.
—
I appreciate all of your continued support and patience through this rough patch!
(most of this update was drafted last night; I was far too exhausted by the end of the day to effectively complete it and proofread)
I just took several packages to the post office to fulfil orders for the release of Kristina W. Kelly's Tavern Tale! If you haven't seen the cover yet, this was drawn by the amazing Serene Chia, who also did the cover for Physical Magic. The lettering was done by Audrey Logsdon, another local artist I met through vendor markets.
Tavern Tale has been getting some great reception as always, and for this book, and any of the others from Space Wizard, if you've read and enjoyed them, putting a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or any other review site really helps the books get noticed!
Next month we'll see the release of Caye Marsh's Station in the Sky, the follow-up to last year's Peace in the Sky. This new version not only includes the new book, but includes Peace in the Sky as well, for your reading pleasure!
Finally, I have some amazing news connected to the second campaign I ran in 2024, for Lesbians in Space, the anthology.
Our final entrant count for submissions was 54 stories, and a total of almost 234,000 words! To put this in perspective, we raised enough money during the campaign to pay authors for about 20 stories or around 80,000 words...
That means we got enough stories to fill almost three anthologies!
Finally, we made the decision to have not one, but two anthologies! That means Lesbians in Space: Where No Man Has Gone Before will be releasing in June 2025, but we are also preparing a new campaign later in 2025 to raise funds for Lesbians in Space: The Sapphics Strike Back! This is along with Space Wizard's Year 4 campaign, still currently slated for June 2025, so be sure to watch for announcement for both campaigns!
That's it for now. I'll be back with more news next month!
I wanted to take a moment to provide some updates regarding the shipping process and address a few important points. I also want to apologize if previous updates haven't reached everyone—using mobile to manage these has caused some issues, so that's my oversight.
Shipping Updates:
Most of the shipping costs have been covered at this point.
The only outstanding shipping costs are for the Vee bags.
Stolitz bags are currently on heavy hold. Refunds for that specific BackerKit may need to happen, though I haven’t finalized that decision yet. I might need to find a new manufacturer for those bags since production has not yet started.
Funding Support:
The GoFundMe campaign raised approximately $200—while it may not seem like a lot, it has made a big impact. Thank you so much to everyone who contributed.
Commissions have also been a significant help in covering costs, so I appreciate the support there as well.
Specific Product Updates:
Pledges for solo plushies and King Clawthorne bags have been shipped.
Keychains for the King Clawthorne backerkit will be shipped separately. An email will be sent to those who ordered keychains with offers for other designs due to the delay.
Communication Issues:
Please STOP messaging me on Instagram and instead use my email for inquiries. I’ve stated this multiple times, but I need to reiterate it here.
Additionally, please stop harassing me. I understand the delays can be frustrating, but this is a one-person business—I handle everything entirely by myself. This includes:
Commenting excessively on my posts.
Messaging me repeatedly.
Tagging me unnecessarily.
I kindly ask for your patience and understanding as I work through the backlog.
Remaining Work:
Owl House and Hazbin bags will resume shortly. However, since this is a solo operation, I can only process a limited number of shipments each week.
Final Notes:
Thank you so much for your continued support, patience, and cooperation. I genuinely appreciate everyone who has stuck with me through this process. Your understanding means the world as I work to get everything completed as quickly and efficiently as possible.
This is a notification to let you know that this project is coming to an end and to provide you with the last shipping update, as well as end of project information.
All orders marked as "ready to ship" in Backerkit have been packed and are out the door, with the exception of Canadian backers.
If you have not received your package yet please check your email for a tracking email from Backerkit. Your package may have been shipped but has not yet made it to you. Your tracing email will have your tracking number for USPS.
If you did receive your order and are looking to order more Queer and Here pins, they are now available in the Etsy shop.
Canadian Backers
If you're a Canadian backer your order will ship out in 2025. I'm currently waiting for USPS to lift the restriction on shipping to Canada. Your orders/items are packed in envelopes and ready to go.
🚨 Incomplete Surveys
There are backers who paid for their pledge, but did not complete their survey. As well as backers with failed shipping payments. If you’re one of these backers, you have 30 days from today (December 20th, 2024) to fill out your survey and pay for shipping. If you do not complete your survey within the 30 days (by January 20th, 2025), per the terms and conditions of this project, that you agreed to when you submitted and paid for your pledge, you forfeit your rewards and will not be given a refund, or your rewards.
There are currently 2 backers with failed survey charges. This means that you filled out your survey and provided card details, but when we charged your card for shipping, the payment failed. If you do not complete your payment within the 30 days (today to January 20th, 2024), per the terms and conditions of this project, that you agreed to when you submitted and paid for your pledge, you forfeit your rewards and will not be given a refund, or your rewards
Please note that the project will close on January 20th, 2024. After that date we do not check the pledge manager. While you will still be able to complete your survey after that date, your order will not be fulfilled.
🚨 Charge Disputed
If your bank disputed your charge then you may have submitted your survey, but technically your order has not been paid for because the bank revoked the funds. If this happened to your order we sent an email with information on how to pay for your pledge. If we do not receive an email within 30 days of when we first reached out, you will forfeit your rewards and will not be given a refund.
📦 Orders that were returned to sender
If we receive an order that’s been returned to sender, we will email to let you know. That email will contain information on how to get your package sent out again. If we do not receive a response within 30 days of our initial email, you forfeit your rewards and will not be given a refund.
📦 Never received orders
If your order tracking email says “delivered”, but you did not receive your order, please first contact your local post office with your tracking number. Your post office is the best chance of finding the lost order. If your local post office cannot locate your package, please email us at [email protected]
If you did not receive your package because of an address change, or because you entered the wrong address, and did not notify us of an address change, we can ship your order again, but as backer you are responsible for paying a second shipping fee, per the terms and conditions of this project. If you did notify us of an address change but have not received your order, please email us at [email protected]
For any US backers who are unable to locate their package, you will have 30 days (today to January 20th, 2025) to notify us that you did not receive your package.
If you are an international backer you have 45 days to (today to February 5th, 2025) to notify us that you did not receive your package. If you fail to notify us within those timelines, that your package is missing, you will forfeit your rewards, a new package will not be sent, and you will not receive a refund, per the agreed upon terms and conditions of this project.
If you are a Canadian backer, due to the backlog from the strike, you will have 4 months to notify us of a package not received (April 20th, 2025)
We are willing to work with backers however we can to help get any missing orders into your hands. If you order is missing please contact us within the timelines stated above.
If you want to check the status of your order, please reach out to us at [email protected] with the name and email associated with your pledge.
Please do not leave comments on this campaign page asking for information about your order. Comments are not monitored daily and we do not respond to private inquires on this page. If you need information about your order, the best course of action is to email us.
📣 Ink and Enamel pins going for sale on Etsy
The remaining pins and b grades from this campaign are now available for purchase through our Etsy Shop. You can check them out here. ❤️ I want to thank all of you who have supported this campaign and any of my previous campaigns. You make it possible for me to run this business, and I am so happy and appreciative to have connected with and met so many people who enjoy my art.❤️
Two important updates before I take a short break until the new year:
All of the packages to US backers have been shipped! Please expect some delays in shipping times due to the holidays, but if haven't received your package by early January, do let me know by emailing me at [email protected]. And if you discover any missing or damaged items, please email me so I can make it right!
(I'm working on figuring out how to export the tracking numbers from Pirateship to Backerkit, but they may all be delivered by then so in the meantime if you need your tracking number you can also email me for that.)
Canadian backers - I am hearing that UPS & FedEx charge very high brokerage fees on the recipients end, up to 60% of the package value. I also understand that the postal strike is effectively over, but they are dealing with a TON of backlog. With that in mind, I am going to hold off on shipping the orders to Canada until after the holidays. Thanks for your patience and understanding.
The manufacturing delays with the Foxwright Apothecary have resulted in the whole schedule for K&C shifted a lot further backwards than I expected or would have wanted them to, and for that, I apologize. I will readily admit I’ve been stretch waaaaaay too thin this year on all fronts, and am fighting to keep everything on the rails while struggling to grasp the passage of time.
Copied from the update over there: ----- On a personal note, the ongoing Sinus Saga™️ has finally had some light shed on the situation— as I’ve alluded in previous updates, I have been grappling with an ongoing sinus infection that never has completely gone away for 10+ months (though after some reevaluation, I think it’s actually been persisting for more than a year at this point) despite many, many visits to my PCP/urgent care. It oscillates between a level “status quo” level of something I’ve just been living with, constant mucus isolated to the right side, occasionally flaring up to be all-encompassing and prompting doctor’s visits for a round of antibiotics that bring it back down to the “normal” level.
I finally managed to get in with specialists and have imaging done, which has been very enlightening— evidently, I have a severe fungal sinus infection that has been growing unchecked in my head for over a year (which is a little horrific) and the entirety of my right side sinuses are obstructed. It certainly explains a lot. Surgical intervention is the only treatment, which I am waiting to get the call for scheduling.
Having now seen my imaging, coupled with what my daily life has looked like, I’m personally shifting blame for my all-encompassing and heavily debilitating malaise from my other chronic conditions to this beast that’s been growing in my head, horror protagonist style. Here’s hoping that after surgery I’ll be of a far more sound mind and body. Though an invasive kind of procedure, I’m unbothered by the prospect of sinus surgery— I had a septoplasty/ethmoidectomy/turbinate reduction in 2020 on my left side (after going my whole life to the age of 20 with one functioning nostril as a result of a severe deviated septum + bone spur) and of all the procedures I’ve gone through, sinus surgery is by far one of the easiest recoveries.
-----
My apologies for the delay in getting this update posted, it’s been hanging out in my drafts while migraines and the nightmare of the end of my semester has been kept me from proofreading and adjusting it. I also apologize for how long it has been since the last update, I didn't realize that it hadn't been only a couple weeks since it was posted.
This update is for the current progress on the Queer and Here shipping!
As of right now, all orders have been packed, but not all orders have been shipped. The two sets of people with orders that have not yet shipped are, anyone with the asexual pin in their order, and canadian backers.
If you are not a Canadian backer, and you did not order the asexual pin then your order has already shipped and you should have received a tracking email from Backerkit.
Canadian Backers
I checked today and it appears that the strike will either be ending, or will be put on pause. As soon as the USPS lifts the suspension on shipping to Canada I will be printing your labels and shipping out your packages. All your items have been packed in envelopes labeled with your name, meaning all items you ordered are set aside. I say this because I will soon be listing the extra pins on Etsy and I don't want anyone to assume that I'm selling items that belong to backers. The packages and items have been set aside and will be shipped out as soon as I can buy those shipping labels.
I also want to thank all the Canadian backers who reached out to me to let me know it was okay to wait till the strike ended. Thank you all so much for your patience and cooperation! As a small business owner I can't say enough how much I appreciate backers patience when things like this happen.
Asexual Pin
If you remember from a few updates ago I mentioned that the factory applied the wrong colors when manufacturing this pin, and I had to have them remade. They are shipping out the correct asexual pins today, meaning they should be with me in a couple days. If you are a backer who ordered the asexual dagger pin, your order and items have been packed and set aside. As soon as those pins arrive here, I'll be packing them and shipping out your orders. Thank you again for your patience.
EU Backers
If you are a backer in the EU your order was shipped first, due to the GPSR laws that took effect on December 13th. This means that if you are an EU backer, and you ordered the asexual pin, I had to pack the one with the incorrect pink flower on it. The "incorrect" asexual pins had one color misplaced on a flower, but are still passable. If you do not like the incorrect pin please contact me at [email protected] and I can refund that pin from your order. I am not able to ship you the new corrected pin because it is now past December 13th. Once all the orders ship I will post one last update to wrap up the campaign and let you know all the procedures for lost or never received packages, as well as unanswered surveys, and unpaid shipping fees.
![Heavenly Embassy - Ita Backpacks ! [WAVE 2]](https://bk-prod.imgix.net/active_storage/backerkit_production/blob/d8smdwjjawtl4kawd1ip7d65d138?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&lossless=true&w=300)
