First, a HUGE thank you to all of you. I'm excited to bring the Operation: Chocolate Overload (OCO) edition of Darkhaven to you, and thrilled that you're part of the journey. It's the best thing about crowdfunding – being able to chat to you and personally put books in your hands, digitally speaking.
Time for some housekeeping; if crowdfunding is old hat for you, skip on down for the cat photo and some pretty covers.
What happens now?
If you haven't been charged yet, you will in the next couple of days. Please keep an eye on your BackerKit emails in case there are any problems and follow their directions.
If you haven't voted in the Chocolate Polls (Very Important Life Questions, results of which will be included in the OCO edition), now is the time to do it. The polls close on December 20. Find them all here. Voting isn't mandatory, but it is fun!
Then we all relax a bit! It takes a couple of weeks for funds to find their way to me, and what with the Christmas/New Year period looming, not much will be happening. Don't worry, I won't hassle you with surveys and the like over the holidays!
Timeline
All going well, I expect to have digital goods complete around the end of January. Proofs of the hardcover will likely arrive towards the middle/end of February. If they're correct, I'll ship them asap; if not, it'll be late March for hardcovers.
This means backer surveys will come around the middle of January. Shipping will also be charged at this time.
Of course things might not go smoothly (I could, for example, be sabotaged by cat), but I'll keep you updated along the way.
In the meantime
If you like, find me on Bluesky or YouTube. Bsky I post erratically about book fairs, art and writing. YouTube is dodgy author vlogs where I ramble and flail about the creative process.
If you want to read something now, let me tell you about my romantasy fairy tale retellings! They're queer, they're angsty, they're dramatic AF and a little bit absurd. They're also set in the same universe as Darkhaven, which means there is a minor character cross-over! Oh, and miracle of miracles, they're short (unlike this update).
I love these books. Slightly smouldering* fantasy romance with some quirky adventure set against the backdrop of a devastating war and lots of dancing. Yes, I mix up all the vibes, it's my thing. These are very different to Darkhaven!
Start with Another World's Stars – enby/m Sleeping Beauty with portal magic, a lost dancer from Australia, a cursed prince doomed to destroy his world and kissing under mistletoe. Available on Amazon/KU books2read.com/AnotherWorldsStars
Note that the series is ongoing. As I Command releases in a few weeks, and I'm working on a sort-of sapphic (it makes sense, trust me, in as much as anything I do makes sense) Beauty and the Beast right now.
THANK YOU again, and I'll touch base before Christmas with any further news.
Read and be weird :D
Kel
*It ranges; book 1 is just kissing, book 2 is fade to black after getting naked, book 3 has a cheeky bit with a mast and some rope, and who knows about the rest! No graphic sex, though.
