mcahogarth

Caturday: Lazing Around

These photos of Ron Weasley the Cat are like a slide show of the softest spots in the house...

Anyway! It is September 1st, and next week there's going to be lots of content, with the progress and sales reports and both serials, etc. So instead of using Caturday for an update, instead I'll mention some books I spent the weekend reading:

Angel's Sigil, by L.Rowyn: Rowyn released Book 2 of this excellent series, which features...

Serial, Kherishdar's Exception, Episode 8: What I Notice

   “I guess we’re playing District tonight?” Ajan said, interrupting their tacit argument. “What season are we starting in?”
      “Winter,” I said. “We started in summer before.”
      Ajan unfolded himself with a luxurious stretch and dropped into one of the chairs around the table. “Why winter and not autumn?”
      “Because it’s easier. There are fewer condition cards, and ...

Caturday, with Poll!

First, the cat:

No, the cat has nothing to do with the poll, except that it's Saturday, which means random cat picture.

But seriously, the poll!

I have been making bookmarks for my Kickstarters as stretch goal gifts, and I've done that for several now and I'm wondering if people are burned out on bookmarks! Would people like something else instead? Tell me! I've put a couple of common requ...

Brainstorming New Vignettes

I'm preparing the Amulet Rampant print edition Kickstarter for next month, which is requiring me to come up with some fun "extra/deleted scenes" or "more context scenes" material, and I wanted to see if any of you had anything you wanted first!

To refresh your memory, because the vignettes should take place during the book, before it, or in the space between it and Only the Open, in PG3 we meet the Knife and the Queen, the Mother and the children in the nursery and their atte...

Serial, Kherishdar's Exception, Episode 7: Family

Episode 7: Family

      The room across from Shame’s study was a private family room—by that I mean it had a door. The first floor was organized around the tsuni, the great room, a large space open to the foyer, the kitchen, and the gardens, and that was typically where everyone gathered for pleasure. But the principals of the House were accorded some privacy, partly from custom and partly because Shame was the sort of man who needed s...

The Importance of One Line Reviews

Several of you asked why I thought one-line reviews were so important, so, as always, I am here to answer your questions!

I have talked several times about the importance of a broad audience to an artist’s viability, but for those of you just joining us, I’ll reiterate that particular lesson because of the 1000 True Fans thing floating around. The True Fan theory goes like this: “You don’t need millions ...

Caturday News!

Yes, it is time for your Caturday photo. Shameless cat, sleeping amid all the soft things. *shakes head*

Quick news!

• All the PG2 Kickstarter packages are away! Thank you, backers, for helping make the print edition possible. As you can see, the paperback is now at retailers! I have one left ove...
  2018-08-18 17:06:26 +0000 UTC View Post

Serial, Kherishdar's Exception, Episode 6: The Letter

Episode 6: The Letter

      There was no reading it at home. We lived in a big house, but not so big that there wasn’t always someone underfoot. And I, particularly, attracted attention; everyone wanted to make me feel welcome, as if being rakadhas was some sickness that required convalescence and the subsequent attention of doting nurses. And… maybe it was. In a way. But I didn’t feel sick and I hated feeling smothered, and worse, h...

Monthly Worldbuilding Q&A

I'm still deciding how this is going to work, but I think it'll go like this! On the 15th*, I will answer one or two of the questions asked, and then solicit new questions for next month! I think that's how I want to do it. I'm debating whether having the answers as a separate post would be better. I guess we'll just have to try it and see. 

In the future, these will be Coffee Cup Subscriber-level posts only. However, I want you all to all get a chance to do some asking, because that gene...

Caturday, and Books

Someone asked after Caturday, so I have supplied! Here is Ron Weasley the Cat, trying to assert his dominance over my territory, the round chair, by leaning on me. (You think I'm kidding, but he likes to sleep on it when I'm not on it, and when he found me on it, he lay down next to me and started biting me until I shoved him off a few times. Only then did he lie down next to me without being uppity about it. I am the top cat in this house, and I suffer no insolence.)

Having said this, though,...

Serial, Kherishdar's Exception, Episode 5: Broken Tool

My intent posting this on my blog was to get comments going over there, but people don't really comment over there. So let's try moving it here. (Discussion in the Discord chat, of course, stays in the Kherishdar channel, #tsuni!)

***

 Episode 5: Broken Tool

      It’s a given that all Ai-Naidar love Thirukedi. Farren wouldn’t tell you this aphorism, because it is old and more in keeping with Kor’s way of looking at reality, ...

Restructuring! And Jaguar Sketches

As always, I'm trying to figure out the best combination of transparency, effort, expectation, and coolness for this Patreon, something I do by watching my own behavior and guessing at what people would want based on what I would want, since I'm a pretty average sort of person. Then I run it by the Discord people. Who also see the lion's share of the worldbuilding and art content. They were the ones who suggested posting that stuff back to the Patreon proper, so after some brainstorming...

Lunchbag Art: Skunkmom!

Because skunks don't get enough love. Poor skunks.

The Kickstarter ends in two hours, at 9 am EST! Check it out if you haven't already and want to: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mcahogarth/some-things-transcend

Also, for those of you who requested it, you can now buy my bookmarks in sets on Etsy: 2018-08-03 11:21:55 +0000 UTC View Post

July Progress Report!

July has ended! And such a July. It is time to discuss what I’ve been up to the past month! But first, some unavoidable factors affecting my pace: I lost about nine? Days? This month of work: 4 for Anthrocon, and 5 to the worst stomach virus I’ve had in ages. I was hard down for almost two days, like ‘I can’t even get out of bed’, and lost almost six pounds! Ridiculous! But then I got up and kept going. 

Writing progress

My main focus for July was Sediryl�...

Kherishdar's Exception 4: Outrageous

Ooooh, oooh, NESTHAE

http://mcahogarth.org/2018/08/01/serial-kherishdars-exception-episode-4-outrageous/

The Grand Unboxing, Part 1!

Gouache are wonderful. They're like time-travelers. You squeeze them on a palette and they are creamy and soft and wonderful, and you use them and then put them away... upon which point they dry up into these chrysalises just waiting for revival into gloriousness with the application of water. I had literally left these paints on the palette for two years before starting on the Alysha covers earlier this month and boom! A little water and they were ready for action.

*hugs her gouache* You so n...

Rebranding Complete

I am soooooooooooo happy with how this series looks now. :D

Spines too!

The Sword paperback is now ready--I literally just clicked 'go' on it an hour ago--so I've pushed the launch to August 1st to give Amazon time to link up the editions. Some of you have already found it, though, which is great! If any of you feel like reviewing it before launch so there's some "hey, this was a good read" evid...

Kherishdar's Exception 3: Pride

Is now up! Go enjoy, and stop by Discord to chat about it if you want!

http://mcahogarth.org/2018/07/25/serial-kherishdars-exception-episode-3-pride/

Some Things Transcend (PG2) Kickstarter is Live!

I'm hoping we get to the stretch goal where I get to write Sehvi and Vasiht'h talking! But I can't look because I've got errands to run, so... *crosses fingers and hopes it goes well while she's gone*

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mcahogarth/some-things-transcend

Exciting Week!

...the forthcoming one, that is!

Tuesday, we get the PG2 Kickstarter launch! One week to $500! We can do the thing! I'm already working on the bookmark art. Just, you know, in case. I'm hoping I get to write the extra fiction bits in the stretch goals, though, 'cause those are going to be fun. One of them is of Vasiht'h talking to Sehvi, which is always fantastic. :D

Thursday we get the Sword launch! I'...

Serial Post: Kherishdar 2: "And You Knew"

Serial post today! Go get it at my blog!

http://mcahogarth.org/2018/07/18/serial-kherishdars-exception-episode-2-and-you-knew/

*whistles innocently*

*whispers: coming soon*

Attention, Sword First Readers!

If you did first-reading for Sword (first or second time around) and would like your name in the acknowledgments, please tell me (here or in dm or email) how you'd like to be called out. I default to 'observe privacy' which means not mentioning people, so please tell me if you'd like me not to. :)