CURRENT WIP
It’s dark fantasy season! DISINHERITED is coming soon!
Diving back into this fantasy world of mine is wild after about a year and a half of real neglect. Not that it ever leaves me and not that I ever really stop writing for it, but working on a whole project and releasing a new Draonir book is a big deal after not having a new release in that series since spring of 2024. I’m hoping to get back on track to having a new one come out every year, but we will see. Thankfully, I am not a pantser with this series, specifically. Everything is plotted out ahead of time because it is multi-pov, and I need to keep track of everything. I hope I haven’t lost my touch. I like to think that my writing has done nothing but improve since 2022, but there’s always that fear lingering in the back of my mind, you know? That maybe I’ve gone too deep down the grimy televangelist rabbit-hole to write effectively for a calculating royal anymore.
Working on the tabletop consecutively has helped me keep the wheels of my inspiration greased, however. So I’m really hoping that those who have previously loved Draonir’s world will enjoy this one.
CATCHING UP
COMPANY MAN is almost here!
I am so ready for Company Man! I am really happy with how it turned out. I ended up falling in love with Ed / Duke once I really dug into his head, which took me a little longer than usual to break into (people like Josiah, Jessie, and Dallas didn’t take me so long to crack open). But not only did I have a great time telling his story, it was also a pivotal book for pulling in the larger Dread South universe (with mentions of the Messiah/Josiah duo lip combo) and Tabernacle Broadcast / Records (the insidious religious broadcasting network that is becoming a main villain with threads running through several plot lines). And when I say I am obsessed right now with Tabernacle Broadcast and how far it spreads…I think their intentions are only going to get more sinister from here.
Company Man releases on March 31st! You can still pre-order on the LMHPUB website, I’ll include the link at the bottom as per usual.
An LMH Mini Bookshop is underway!
“Rev, what do you mean, a mini bookshop?” Excellent, so glad you asked. Having my own indie bookstore is something that I have always wanted, and over the past few weeks I have been digging, doing some research, and I’ve finally figured out a way that I can make it happen without having to lease an entire building (and in a way that is far more accommodating for my disabilities). So, I am going to lease a boutique booth (my application is for Raleigh or Cary, but I haven’t announced that officially yet, because I don’t want there to be confusion. So I will wait until the bookshop is actually set up to announce the location).
I’ve set up a Ko-Fi goal (not on my personal one, on LMH’s, so I will post that link down below as well) to try and get us a little boost for the first month, especially when it comes to purchasing things like inventory, shelving, and display items—etc. I want to focus on stocking as many indie horror titles as possible, of course, with an emphasis on queer works. We will have new and used books, as well as bookish merch, etc. etc. I think it’s going to be great to have a space that is -ours- that will be queer (and horror) friendly in the future to host book signings, etc. We’ll see how the first few months go and then evaluate that as a possibility!
Events from this past week…
I don’t really have any pics from this past week, except for selfies, particularly this one of me in the bathroom after a successful reading and then the pulpit that was sitting in the venue that I DEFINITELY wanted to steal. I really think I deserve my own pulpit, don’t you?? (It wouldn’t have fit in the car, the real issue).
On Thursday I read from The Devil Owns Primetime (which was a lot of fun, and several people really seemed to enjoy it) and on Sunday (appropriately) I had a signing for On Air With the Devil. Something about the lights on Thursday’s stage had me in tears the entire time I was reading, my eyes were going bonkers and streaming water and towards the end I had snot trickling, and I just knew that I looked so sweaty, but everyone of course was very kind and said they didn’t notice (you are all liars, but I thank you ❤ ).
I am looking forward to our markets we have coming up. We have applied for a few more, specifically in May and June, and we will see what happens!
New & Upcoming Publications
My short story “The Devil Comes At This Hour” is part of the upcoming anthology “ARE YOU REALLY AWAKE?” curated by Aiden E. Messer.
My short story “The Wonderful World of Moxie and Belly” is part of the upcoming anthology “STRANGE VIBES” edited by Sylvia Kay Rose.
GAME CORNER
UNCROWNED and CROSSXROADS
I am going to be running a Discord CrossXRoads campaign pretty soon. And then I am thinking about running an Uncrowned: Heirs of Gods campaign. I’ve had a lot of recommendations lately to run Uncrowned in game shops and during cons, which I would love to do, I just have to get over my complete terror of getting together with strangers. You know, if you have any advice about cold Game Master-ing, then I would love to hear more.
You know…
I said that I was going to slow down and then I wrote down my upcoming Dread South plans. What do you mean I have nine more books planned, another mini RPG, and a short story collection?
Is that even legal? Rev, please, take a breather.
(I can’t, actually. My sanity is at stake).
LINKS
Here are the links for things mentioned in this newsletter! Sharing and spreading the hype is always very appreciated. ❤
