Category: Random Asides

Lulling. I swear, I don’t do this on purpose, but every time I let a fanfic lull (in this case, Mood Stripes hasn’t updated on the fanfiction site in a couple of weeks), readers over there hunt down my website. I can only assume they’re checking to make sure I’m still alive. ::twinkle::

• I am alive! Thank you for caring so much about my stories!
• I currently have a book (10/22) & a short story (11/4) publishing back-to-back, and that’s made things busy.
• Lord Mettlebright’s Man has been updating daily. It’s an October tradition, and I will never apologize for prioritizing Jacques.
• On top of that, October is one of my most creative months. I’ve been cranking out new chapters (of my next book) nearly every day, but it’s all original stuff. Not fanfiction. I mean … it pays better? Gotta earn my keep.
• Mood Stripes will resume both here & on the fanfiction site SOON(ish). Thank you for always being patient with me. (And be grateful I’m foregoing NaNoWriMo this year, or you’d be waiting until December!)
• I haven’t forgotten that this Saturday is the 4th Saturday in October. I’m working up an Unexpected chapter to post on the 30th. We’ll see if Vassal also gets an update. Not sure yet!

So many stories! I’m good at juggling. Hey, I even find it fun. But sometimes I need to focus on one thing or another for a little while. This is one of those times. Again, I’m glad you’re eagerly looking forward to more. That’s a fine compliment! ::glomp::

So close. When I near the end of a manuscript, it’s all I can see. So I’m going to let Mood Stripes & Lord Mettlebright’s Man lull for a couple of weeks. Thank you for your patience.

You might be asking yourself:

• What about your May fandom event on Ko-fi? Will you update Unexpected? Yep. But because of how the calendar stacked up this month, we’ll convene on the 5th Saturday: May 29, 2021.
• Will Bard & Barbarian update next week on Patreon? Nope. I’m giving myself a week off (since I did already post one chapter for May).
• Whyyy? I need more Jacques in my life! Well, good. Because I’ll post a chapter-a-day of LMM for the month of June again this year.
• When will Fumiko and the Finnicky Nestmate release? I don’t like to set a firm release date until my manuscript is off to the editors. However … I will confide that Bk5 picks up in October after everyone returns home from their summer stay at Wardenclave in Bk4. So I’m leaning toward a fall release.

More fun stuff to come. I’ll keep you posted.

Poll on Patreon. I (almost) always teaser my art posts over on Patreon. This time, I’m having a hard time picking which illustration to post next. You can ALL help me decide since I’ve made the poll public. So go on over and vote!

Next Up Art >>

Question and Answer. I received a (probably unintentionally) loaded question in comments on my most recent chapter of Lord Mettlebright’s Man. It really kicked my brain into overdrive, and by the time I finished answering, I figured I’d bring it out of comments & make a blog post of it. If only because there’s a teaser tucked in there. So with all due respect, I’m reposting the question & my answer here:

So, when are you going to write an LGBTQ character that’s a normal person? Not in love with a married man, or these two who are basically siblings.

My goodness. What a loaded question. I’ve given it a ponder.

1. Define “normal.” Do you mean a human without reaver powers who fits somewhere within the LGBTQ+ spectrum? Because … that’s Jacques. And I am most definitely writing him.
2. Jacques is not “in love with a married man.” Argent was his first love, a boyhood crush that began long before Tsumiko was on the scene. And that devotion has been changing shape. I wouldn’t say Jacques has been “in love” for a while now. Patience.
3. Cat and Canary aren’t “basically siblings.” They’re childhood friends, unrelated by blood. And feline culture doesn’t conform to … much of anything. I’m sure we’ll brush up against it more in future books & stories. But it’s safe to say you shouldn’t try to interpret Amaranthine behavior by human standards. Leads to all kinds of trouble.
4. This is largely an aside, but … I am having a hard time coming up with ANY “normal person” in the Saga & Songs, regardless of their orientation. The series is usually stashed in the “paranormal romance” and “urban fantasy” categories, and my characters tend to be exceptional … or at least exceptions. ::twinkle::
5. Provided you’ll consider a Kith-kin as a “normal person,” Kip’s heart belongs to another male. And Melissa Armstrong has two mothers. A pair of kick-ass battlers who are a Big Deal in the new lineup of reaver-exclusive extreme sports in America. You may recall that the enclave where they’re from is in California. Oh, heyyy, isn’t that where Bk5 is set?
6. While I may know the sexual orientation of my cast (in much the same way I know their eye color and taste in shoes), I don’t think that orientation alone defines a person. But it shapes their choices, and that’s where things get interesting. At least for me.

As the Saga continues, I can’t promise you much in the way of “normal,” but there are interesting choices ahead. For everyone. Including Jacques.

Looking Ahead. I’m not sure pantsers can have resolutions. Too many rules. Too much structure. I do have a vague idea of what I want to accomplish this year, and I’ll be making the rest up as I go along. Gotta stay flexible. Gotta be nimble. Gotta take life one day at a time! ::twinkle::

With that in mind, stick a whopping “if life cooperates” in front of all of these:

• I’ll publish the next Songs of the Amaranthine title. (That one’s easy to list since it’s already available for pre-order.) Captured on Film will release on March 4, 2021.
• I’ll also publish the next title in the Amaranthine Saga. Nope, I don’t have a firm release date for this one. Circumstances beyond my control (jury duty) set me back nearly two months, but I’m back to my regularly scheduled life starting Monday. So… guess we’ll see! Fumiko and the Finicky Nestmate will release sometime in 2021!
• Lord Mettlebright’s Man will resume its twice-weekly pace for updates. Jacques gets Mondays & Thursdays whenever I’m not pressured by looming deadlines.
• In 2020, I gained 100 patrons over on my Patreon account (wow). That puts us a quarter of the way to my Community Goal of 400 (and the debut of a serial called Kimiko and the Cycle of Moons). For 2021, I’d love to see another 100 join the ranks & nudge us closer to the Miyabe sisters & the mayhem at Kikusawa Shrine after the events of Kimiko and the Accidental Proposal! (It’s gonna be so much fun!)
• ART! I’ll be commissioning MOAR art throughout the coming year. Fox and I have been working pretty steadily on bringing you new pieces. And I have, hmm … four pieces from other artists that are pending. I do love to splurge on story art.
• Ko-fi is going to become a thing this year. I’ve come up with a couple of ways to put my new account to use. We’ll test one of them in February, when I make my Quarterly Art Card for spring available (just this once) to followers who can’t commit to Patreon … but are willing to buy me a ko-fi. I’ll be revealing that art card on Valentine’s Day for a March mailing. ::coughTSUGENTcough::
• I’ll also be utilizing Ko-fi as a hub for some fandom shenanigans. Some of you may have been around for the old drabble/drawble nights that were part of the Sess/Kag fandom on Dokuga. I’ll be reviving this tradition & adapting it to my purposes. Expect interactive day-long events once a month, during which I use your prompts to add new chapters to Vassal … and to Unexpected. ::eyebrow waggle:: (This is me, committing to the time it will take to finish what I’ve started.)
• Audio Books! The quarantines have thrown so many peoples’ schedules for a loop, and that includes Tantor Audio. All their production was delayed in 2020, and I’ve been patiently waiting my turn on Travis Baldree’s docket. Good News! Governed by Whimsy: The Anthology AND Mikoto and the Reaver Village are scheduled to release in August 2021. ::confetti toss::
• I’ve joined the annual Goodreads Reading Challenge with the same goal I had for 2020. Planning to read/reread 200 manga this year. At this rate, I’ll also need to add another bookshelf to my living room. The manga collection keeps growing!
• Tuesday Totes. We took a break for the holidays, but we should be back this week with a weekly fandom cover reveal & related store links. The Twinkle Press storefront (on Threadless & TeePublic) offers tote bags, masks, gaiters, note cards, journals, and so forth. Throughout the year, we’ll work our way through more of my fandom backlist (which is surprisingly large) to add to the pretty, pretty offerings.
• If all goes according to plan, you can also look forward to a couple of cover reveals in 2021. Because I’ll unveil my plans for Bk6 when I release Bk5. And while it’s not on my writing schedule yet, I do know what I’m writing for Songs #7. Maybe I’ll get to it before the year plays out. Hope so.

Here’s to new things & continuing things & quiet days & steady habits & home.

Happy New Year!