May 2025 (BIG News!)

Hello my friends! As the subject line suggests, I have exciting updates to share with you all. As such, I've decided to make this newsletter public. If you're new here, or if you haven't read anything from me since my move from Substack (welcome back!), things run a little differently now: all fiction remains free, but at $2/month you receive a monthly newsletter with exclusive and behind-the-scenes content.

But on to the big news: I have a cover reveal, a kickstarter announcement, and a Sheridan Bell update for you.

FRACTURED MAGIC: Kickstarter and Cover Reveal

As of Monday, there are FOUR CHAPTERS LEFT of Fractured Magic Volume I. When last chapter goes out, I'll be launching a pre-order campaign on Kickstarter! If you're someone who reads better with a paperback in your hand, or if you simply want a copy of Fractured Magic on your shelf, your time has come! There will also be a tier offering EPUB and PDF versions of the story for those of you with e-readers.

While the campaign hasn't officially launched yet, you can have Kickstarter notify you when it's live at the link below. As a note, the number of people following the Kickstarter page will be really helpful to me in figuring out funding and stretch goals, so if you have any interest in the campaign, please go give it a follow!

But Em, what will this paperback look like? I'm glad you asked. It will look like this, with an INCREDIBLE cover by littlestpersimmon:

Once the kickstarter is live, I'll be going on hiatus to 1) finalize Volume I for print, and 2) work on the next Sheridan Bell mystery. Which brings me to...

Sheridan Bell: Mystery #2

I finally have a broad release date for the second big Sheridan Bell mystery: August 2025! I've teased this information to my paid subscribers already, but I can tell you all as well: the next mystery will involve a seance gone wrong and a client who believes someone is out to kill her.

If you've read the Vanishing Beast, then you know of the client already, though you haven't met her: it's Urenna ("Renna") Amaike, the daughter of Henry's downstairs neighbors, Joseph and Ines! She's also a childhood friend of Henry's. Here's my initial concept art of her:

Henry will also have a helper for this mystery, one you know well: look forward to seeing more of Taise!

Other Updates and What I've Been Up To:

May has been busy. I'm currently training to join the Board of Trustees for Lambda Literary, volunteering at Quatrefoil Library (the second oldest circulating LGBTQIA+ library in the United States! How cool!), and was accepted as an editor for Twin Cities Geek (though my editor page isn't online just yet).

A short story I published through Heartlines Spec was also released to the public today. I highly recommend checking it out – it's about a portal witch who lost her heart and has to retrace her steps through the known universe to find it. It's about an experience many queer people share: the strange disconnect of outgrowing people and places, of holding fond feelings for a place or a person who no longer exists.

Creative Behind-the-Scenes:

I took these pictures for a zine I ended up backing out of (for bad AI stances), but it seemed a waste not to use them, so: here's a look at my creative space!

This is my office, complete with my Fractured Magic binder and drafting journal, my Fractured Magic playlist, and my wall of Fractured Magic art commissions.

Media I've Been Into:

I've been really enjoying black sun by Rebecca Roanhorse! Complex epic fantasies that make you sympathize with multiple factions are my favorite. I'm only halfway through, so don't tell me if he does anything terrible or if anything terrible happens To Him, but Serapio is easily my favorite.

I hate subscriptions as much as the next guy, but I recently got a Masterclass subscription so I could watch N.K. Jemisin, Roxanne Gay, and Salman Rushdie's writing courses. I'm currently halfway through N.K. Jemisin's; it's great for writers who may be intimidated by large-scale worldbuilding. It's also gives great advice for creating believable characters and creating cultures while being sensitive to and considerate of cultures that still exist in the world today. (I'm also really enjoying the creative insights into the Broken Earth trilogy!)

And that's all for now!