"Variations on an Apple": one terrific vision
I have to share this - a while back a concept artist and illustrator, Eva Elizabeth, asked for permission to use my Iliad space opera story "Variations on an Apple" for a project for school (University of Edinburgh). I said yes and Eva did an amazing job, from design to animatic. I'm thrilled and honored, and I hope Eva lands the best jobs/gigs!
(This isn't Eva, this is me: I've got to stop using the word "effervesce"…)
FAQ (Foxily Asked Questions)
What are you working on?
Still hard at work on CROWNWORLD, book 3 of the Moonstorm trilogy. (Book 2, STARSTRIKE, will be out in, probably, August 2025.)
Also hard at work on my part-time M.A. in Professional Media Composition at ThinkSpace Education. I am working hard on remedial mixing and percussion—among other things, but I can only focus on a couple things at a time! I love the program though.
What are you reading lately?
I’m enjoying Elva Birch’s A BEAR IN A BIRDBATH, which you can find on Amazon. It’s a sweet-and-spicy threesome with shifters and mythological beings, humor, and heart! It can be read as a standalone but if you want to start at the beginning, the first book is the delightful THE FLAMINGO’S FATED MATE. It’s exactly the sweet, comforting read that I need right now.
On the nonfiction front, I’m dabbling in Attabeira German de Turowski’s THE ART OF ONE-LINE DRAWING from Rocky Nook. This is an art style I’ve seen but I’ve never realized it could be approached systematically (for those who want that), and the book is extremely cool.
What are you listening to lately?
Terrific music by my classmates! Besides that, I recently picked up Le Sserafim’s EP Crazy (K-pop). I listen to a lot of K-pop because (a) high-energy for working to (b) I get to listen to Korean, which is not super common in Baton Rouge.
What are you watching lately?
My husband and I are now hooked on Bridgerton and the related Queen Charlotte mini-series. Terrific writing, terrific actors, terrific music, terrific cinematography, terrific everything. This show gives me so many FEELINGS. <3
What’s a game you’re playing lately?
My new obsession is Dungeon Solitaire: Labyrinth of Souls by Matthew Lowes. This is an elegant solitaire dungeon crawler that runs off a Tarot deck. You can get the special Tarot deck made for it or use your own. (It’s a particularly eerie experience when you play this using the licensed Supernatural Tarot deck! I usually run it with a mini Mystical Manga deck because it’s ickle and lets me fit more cards into my desk space.) If you’re interested in a taste, Dungeon Solitaire: Tomb of Four Kings runs off a regular poker deck, and has the rules available as a free PDF in English, Spanish, and…Korean! (Scroll down the link above; a bunch of games are listed on that page.)
I was skeptical at first that a solo dungeon crawl with a lean ruleset could deliver a satisfying experience…four hours later and I knew I was hooked. I’m leaning hard into solo games lately because I don’t have to wait for my husband to get home to have an adventure!
Who’s an artist you’re enjoying lately?
I recently bought a gorgeous necklace from Bleeding Hart Studio on Etsy (also the terrific writer Vivian Shaw; I loved her cozy supernatural novel STRANGE PRACTICE, first of the Greta Helsing trilogy). She has a lot of terrific offerings if you’re looking for necklaces or earrings.
I have a foxy question you haven’t answered here!
Sure, please email deuceofgearsart@gmail.com and I'll get back to you!
And the obligatory catten pic:
That’s right! Bridgerton, where I learned that Cloud is actually a corgi!