Chateau of Shadows #3 - Market Days
Happy The Day After Halloween, my dears! The most haunted of holidays may be behind us, but I carry the spirit of Hallow's Eve in my heart all the year 'round. We dig through the ditches and burn through the witches here, y'all.
I have a big announcement, so big that it can't wait for the semi-boilerplate promo stuff at the end of the newsletter! Last week, I finished the rough and first drafts of Amelia Temple Book Three! The draft currently stands at a respectable 90,008 words, which is sure to grow once I really dig into the second draft. For now, it's going to rest for a couple of months while I move on to another project. Ain't no rest for the wicked.
Ever since Blue Fortune Enterprises picked up The Amelia Temple Series, my goal has been to turn it into an annual release. I started Book Three in January of this year, so finishing it in ten months (some of which were spent working on other projects!) is a big step toward that. My awesome publisher Narielle Living has been completely onboard with that idea from Day One, for which I'm very grateful. If I can repeat this feat next year with Book Four, you'll have a new adventure with Amelia Temple on the shelves every March.
Market Days
Speaking of Blue Fortune, I've had the pleasure of joining Narielle and my fellow writers at their table for Yorktown Market Days this past year. Since Blue Fortune picked up Beneath Strange Lights this past March, we've sold ninety copies. I think that's pretty impressive for a small press book with a humble PR budget!
A big portion of those sales come from Market Days, where I get to meet my audience and pitch to them directly. It's especially rewarding when I get to meet young queer readers. They're always so excited to see someone like themselves not just in a book, but writing it. I've joked that I am my brand, but it's sort of true. I'm a queer weirdo, and if you're into that sort of thing, I've got a great read for you!
We're done with the Yorktown Market for 2023, but we'll be back next year, and with a whole new volume of Amelia Temple's adventures. In the meantime, I have a few other events with Blue Fortune coming up, and we're looking into new opportunities for the coming year. I'm hoping to start tabling at cons soon, too; I was surprised by how fun it is meeting potential readers in person! If I do this well at a venue where people aren't necessarily looking for queer horror, imagine how I could do at a nerd fest!
Stay A While And Listen
Last month, I joined Mae Murray of Medusa Publishing Haus and two other Queer Saints on Our Lives In Horror to discuss The Book of Queer Saints Volume II. Tune in to hear four queer horror nerds talking about embracing negative representation, reading Stephen King's IT way too young and my ability to drag the X-Men into any topic.
Upcoming Work!
The Amelia Temple Series continues! I'm working with my awesome publisher, Blue Fortune Enterprises, to put Book Two out in March 2024. My amazing wife and cover artist, Frankie, is creating an incredible cover illustration. I can't wait to share it with you!
Upcoming Events!
I'll be participating in the Billsburg Book Club along with fellow Blue Fortune authors E. Compton Lee and Narielle Living! Beginning November 1, Billsburg Brewery will be hosting a different local author on the first Wednesday of each month. I'm scheduled for May 1st, but don't hesitate to check out the other authors.
Available Now!
Beneath Strange Lights, Book one of The Amelia Temple Series, is available to order now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and wherever books are sold!
My short story "It's Really For The Best" is included in The Book of Queer Saints Volume II from Medusa Publishing Haus. This anthology is all killer, no filler. BoQS2 and a new edition of Volume I are both available now in print and ebook!