mcahogarth

Historical Scanning (Sketchbook 5)

Going way back in time now for the historical scanning... it's January of 2023, and these are from Sketchbook 5, in 1994. That's almost thirty years ago! And it's a fun sketchbook, awkward but exuberant and full of energy and ink. And lots and lots of taurs. Soooo many Ciracaana (because yes, the Peltedverse setting is this old, and older).

Some things I liked from this week's scans:

• Tie a Yellow Ribbon - I'm dating myself with this reference, but I really l...
  2023-01-31 14:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post

Art Post - Historical Scanning, Sketchbook 44, End

Slim pickings as I finish up scanning Sketchbook 44, the first one I've gotten done from beginning to end since the new scanner appeared mysteriously on my doorstep... and the reason staggered me when I figured it out. I did TWENTY-THREE sketches on one day. Twenty-three! Of those 23, most were ragged quick things, barely a few lines on paper, and then I either moved on because I didn't like how it was shaping up, or I moved on because that was as much of that idea as I needed on paper... but...

Quick News

• Haley 6 came out yesterday!I think I forgot to mention that. Go get it! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BPPWNSCJ?tag=stardanorg-20
• I think I've fixed the issue with the Discord invite.Please note that someone needs to assign you a role or the server will require you to re-use the invite to get back on the server! 2023-01-25 14:08:35 +0000 UTC View Post

Instead of Art today...

...a group read link! In this case, the story subscribers voted for, about Jeasa and Haladir. Enjoy!

Livestream tonight!

I'll be drawing... something! At 6:30 PM EST. Come by!

Livechat Benefit Returns!

Patreon's auto-connect for Discord is really spammy, so we're doing this the old-fashioned way with an invite link. If you can see this, you can use it.

We hope to see you at the perma-JaguarCon! Stop by anytime!

Friday Art Post: Historical Scanning (Sketchbook 44 Con't)

Five scans this time from Sketchbook 44, in 1999, and a very random selection it is. Going through this one I'm surprised at how there will be a run of ten or eleven sketches from a single day, and all of them barely developed, until I hit one that I bothered to take any farther than a few hurried lines, just to get the idea out of my head. I still do this, but to a lesser extent; I'm more likely to linger than I used to be. This is great for both people who don't want to puzzle out a handful...

Vote on the next Pelted story!

I'm planning on writing some short stories after finishing up Haley to get back in the groove of the Peltedverse, and since I already have two done, a collection is the obvious next step. I'll do a "choose which shorts I finish" Kickstarter like I have with the last few, but this time around I'm going to let subscribers pick one too. So here's the list! Which short would you like to see go into the next collection?

Haley 6

As usual, here's the draft of the final Haley. I haven't edited it, so if you want to point out my errors I'll be grateful... and if you want to wait for the polished version later, it'll be out in a couple of weeks.

Those of you who want the "hang out in the google docs and read everyone's comments and react to them" experience, though... come on in, the water's fine!

Friday Art Post (Historical: Sketchbook 40), and News

I've been slammed this week trying to get the Haley draft done, so I only managed to get about 20 scans done (and that at the last minute!). But I've picked out the three most interesting ones to share from this week's crop in Sketchbook 40 (early autumn of 1998), so here they are!

• Alysha in space - The Alysha stories at this point comprised the majority of the Peltedverse's canon, so pictures of Alysha and the women of the Stardancer are more common. This one loo...
  2023-01-06 17:25:18 +0000 UTC View Post

Streaming Tonight!

Join me while I work on the last Haley cover! 6:30 PM EST. You can use the link to sign up for a reminder. Hope to see you later!

Meta-conversations: Guardian Ranks

“Do you love him?” I ask.

This question she does not deign to acknowledge, but I can tell it’s because she doesn’t want to talk about it, not because I’ve asked something outré. It’s not her fault I’ve noticed… I have grappled with Tsevet and Kor directly, and a little with Kef and Amath, and after four Shames’ worth of psychological prowess, one Guardian, no matter how exquisitely trained, is going to be an open book. She speaks in a lyrical mezzosoprano, and, as I e...

Historical Scanning, Sketchbook 44

Back to weekly scanning, making a dent in the backlog. Sketchbook 45, this time, and that puts us in 1999 (almost 24 years ago!). At this time I was writing the first draft of Sword of the Alliance and doing development for The Worth of a Shell. The Peltedverse existed almost entirely as the Stardancer stories, those being the only ones developed (mostly in short fiction). The Eldritch stories were still a glimmer in my notebooks, and though Vasiht'h and Jahir date back this far, I barely kne...

Going live in five minutes, join me!

We'll chill!

Thursday Night Livestream!

Back to work again... join me at 6:30 PM EST, I'll be doodling in books. :)

https://youtu.be/SAa0-1TRQ2o 

More Christmas Gifts: Audio This Time

This one was from JudasComplex and I have permission to share: the audio edition of the Christmas Lullaby story. JC's rendition of Alysha remains my favorite, and I want to write MORE Brighthaven/Alysha just for the chance to hear how JC would portray it... wouldn't you??

So fun! Enjoy it and let JC know what you think.🥰

Merry Christmas, All

🧡

Might Work?

My goal is to see if I can do at least three Peltedverse covers in this style before I commit to redoing *all* of them this way. Still iterating this one, but it has promise. I think? I've added the Healers' Wedding one (which is mostly done) for comparison. After Wingless, I will either try Mindtouch or Earthrise.

New Book Cover Experiments Continue

From last night.

Cleaning Up the Backlist

As I'm trying to re-invigorate my backlist, one of the things I'm noticing is how many of my older books have wonky formatting. Unavoidably—back then it was hand-code or bust, and then it was Sigil-and-handcode or bust, and if there was a paperback edition someone else was doing the layout and it looked much different from the e-edition.

This isn’t a huge deal, except that it meant that I could only ever make adjustments to the ebooks. I don’t have the software to tweak the paperb...

Tis the Season For Much Baking!

This challah recipe has been in my family for… well. One generation, since my mother clipped it from the Times Picayune newspaper. But it’s been a perennial favorite since, and when Daughter made it earlier this week I was reminded how good it is. Alas, and obviously, it is not gluten-free. But for those of you who can make bread, here’s the recipe:

Times Picayune CHALLAH

Makes two loaves

• 2 ¼ cup very warm water (105 to 115 F)
• 2 package...
  2022-12-21 22:02:05 +0000 UTC View Post

Vasiht'h Keychains

I have 10--well, five now--so if this was on your wishlist, grab one. :)

Haley 5 is Out!

In KU, ebook, paperback, and hardcover...! Grab it if you want! The pre-order for Book 6 is also up, if you want to snag it.

Subscriber Survey Results!

Responses on my Patron Check-Up survey have petered out after netting a respectable 123 responses, 66% of which were current subscribers and the remainder either considering it or… just using the survey to express opinions? Sure, why not, all are welcome!

As usual, the “what’s your favorite content” question gave me expected results: for the most part, people like everything I post, and don’t seem to care what goes up. Cut scenes/sneak peeks were the highest rated, and “acce...

Your Pelted Holiday Story

Edited, cleaned-up, and adjusted, formatted and cover-arted for your enjoyment this holiday season. Go get it. :)

https://bookhip.com/RDACCCC

The Haley Experiment

One of the requests in my patron survey was ‘more of that business stuff’, so here’s a brief digression about my foray into LitRPG, a genre with minimal crossover with my existing audience. For those of who you haven’t read Haley (or heard of LitRPG), the genre is basically “game elements are applied to the story, or playing a game is an essential plot point.” Think of things like the recent Jumanji movie, or Ready Player One, and you’ll have a sense of it.

The audience fo...

Haley 5 Pre-Order is up!

And the soft and hardcovers are available. Get your copy now (or wait until next week for KU)!

https://books2read.com/haleylitrpg5 

December Art: Runeknife

Never could make the 'weird glowy eyes' thing work for me.

Inventory of Doodled/Signed Books

I was asked about my inventory of signed/doodled in books… and while I can get anything you might want, I’d have to order some of them and it would take a while. 

These are the books I have on hand immediately (and some of them are already drawn in!) All of these can be bought via my Etsy listing with a few exceptions… the 1st edition covers of the Admonishments and the Aphorisms (the ones with Farren and Shame on them); the 2nd edition cover of Shell (with Dlane in the Art N...

Haley 5 Group Read!

I haven't even re-read this one, it's so fresh off the keyboard. Have a look, enjoy! This one goes up for sale the second week of December.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CS_JIsIoRKPZI_x1yMnKxTyOQ6K-6JkN/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=101729216421489412615&rtpof=true&sd=true