So I have been doing an attempt at illustration of a children’s book. I think I overestimated my own art.
I did some images in canva to see if I can do better and I think I did better there.
I managed to hire the same person to do Dylan and the Hotel Zombie as I had for Dylan and the zombie pet. I don’t see the person being willing to do another job (She dragged her feet on this job) so I don’t know if I will be writing more in that series. However, I will be releasing Dylan and the Hotel Zombie for kids week December 2025.
This year I will be releasing Pip, That is not yours! And Where is my Sugar. I don’t know what the second one is going to be next year… If I am even going to be releasing a second. I have a year to decide.
It was suggested that I should make a third one in Dylan’s series but make it a middle grade. Then I could use the same images from the previous books and allow older children to follow Dylan’s adventures. I have to think about it. I can see where it would allow me to broaden Dylan’s world a little bit.
I have a middle grade in the bedtime tales series. It might be a fun thing to do it for most of the series. I don’t see Pip ever getting a middle grade. That one is always the early readers.
I posted a week ago that I was dealing with the death of the family pet. My kid is still in grief mode… And I don’t blame them. I miss my favorite siren. But I don’t handle death well.
I have been upsetting my kid because I have accidentally started to use the cat to refer to Luna. I find myself trying to separate myself from the pain that she is gone.
We had her for five years. I am still struggling to process that she is gone.
Everyone has been offering condolences and I appreciate the thoughts….
But it feels so hollow because it doesn’t bring the pain to an end. That is why I struggle with what I should say when someone else is grieving. I hate that hollow feeling so I don’t want to give it to anyone.
So, Thank you for the well wishes… But I just don’t know what to do with them.
“So, what would you little maniacs like to do first?”
Watching through my fingers Watching through my fingers
Shuts my eyes and count to ten It goes in one ear out the other, oh One ear out the other, oh Burning bright right ’til the end Now you’ll be missing from the photographs Missing from the photographs
Watching through my fingers Watching through my fingers
In my thoughts you’re far away And you are whistling a melody Whistling a melody Crystallizing clear as day Oh, I can picture you so easily Picture you so easily
What’s gonna be left of the world if you’re not in it? What’s gonna be left of the world? Oh
Every minute and every hour I miss you, I miss you, I miss you more Every stumble and each misfire I miss you, I miss you, I miss you more
Watching through my fingers Watching through my fingers
Caught off guard by your favorite song I’ll be dancing at a funeral Dancing at a funeral Sleeping in the clothes you love It’s such a shame we have to see them burn Shame we have to see them burn
What’s gonna be left of the world if you’re not in it? What’s gonna be left of the world? Oh
Every minute and every hour I miss you, I miss you, I miss you more Every stumble and each misfire I miss you, I miss you, I miss you more
“If you want to be a party animal, you have to learn to live in the jungle Now stop worrying and go get dressed”
You might have to excuse me I’ve lost control of all of my senses And you might have to excuse me I’ve lost control of all of my words So get drunk, call me a fool Put me in my place, put me in my place Pick me up, up off the floor Put me in my place, put me in my place
Every minute and every hour I miss you, I miss you, I miss you more Every stumble and each misfire I miss you, I miss you, I miss you more
Watching through my fingers Watching through my fingers
‘Cause every minute and every hour I miss you, I miss you, I miss you more
My 2 cents –
First… Thank you to Andrew McDowell for introducing me to this band. I have been doing a deep dive on their discography since.
So I had to ask my kid if they knew about it. And of course they did. It created a conversation about the meaning of the band name and the fact that so many of the songs have sad lyrics. All have a great beat. But an incredibly sad lyrics.
The response I got was something along the lines of the happier the day the music starts to be less so. Because the beat is so much better on the sad ones.
Regardless I love the band and it had somehow escaped my life before now.
The purpose of this one is simple. Most likely everyone here knows I run Fae Corps Publishing and I have been doing this in the background for a while now. I plan on talking clearly about the tools I use for publishing, and the way that each one works. Demystifying what I do. Is that to say that I will be making my own self unnecessary? No, because my experience is valuable. I just feel like so much of the process is made out to be harder than it needs to be.
This one is about the various people that are useful to a publisher… Some of them I have been doing the job for. Some of them I have to find myself on occasion.
Editor – most of the time people don’t realize that this is an umbrella term. It breaks down into a couple of different things. Line/copy editing is what I do. It is going over and checking for spelling and grammar issues. It’s the most basic form of editing. This is the one that catches the typos and the spelling oops that makes a manuscript look like it was written by less than a professional. It is a necessity. There’s also Developmental editing. I am not capable of this. (well I might be capable but I don’t want to.) I have a short list of people that I refer the authors who need this to. They have to deal with the cost of the editor at that point.
Social media management – this is also known as a publishing Assistant or a PA. I am so lucky to have Jenny Elliott in this role and we have gotten to the point of needing others to help. I currently have Cindy Pilcher and Angel Ellison doing this as well. People can’t buy the books if they don’t know about it. So our street team is there to see the marketing images get seen.
Illustration – Fae Corps is currently looking for illustrators willing to be recommended. I can do some. I am not always going to be what the author wants. I would love to have a similar list of illustrators as I do with my developmental editors.
Narrators – this is a fairly new one for us. We have one that is in the process of getting set up so we can do audio books, and we have an agreement to share the royalties for payment. I would love to have a couple more options for the authors.
Cover creator – So far I have been the one who does this, but I have accepted it when my authors have brought me covers from other places. I only have a few rules (No Ai. They have the license. Not prepublished)
The last one is the reader… Especially when you leave reviews. The reviews are not for me or the author… They are to feed the algorithm. They are to tell other readers that this book is worth the read. Even if you get a book from a library, I would encourage you to leave a review on goodreads.
I will leave on the bottom of the post the upcoming calendar. I feel like that will help. As You can see this changes slightly each week. Things get adjusted because Authors are not ready or I get a book that I had promised space.
July –
19th – Falling Flames by Ashira Datya
August –
16th – Darkness lies heavy in the heart by Joshua Pavelsky
23rd – Beneath the Deep Wave by Andrew McDowell
September –
6th – The Fall by Mariah Lynde
20th – The Magick Saga Collection by Ashira Datya
27th – Human Shaped Verse by Patricia Harris
October –
18th – My Gothic Angel by Laj & Khoury Hawkins
25th – Anthology – Nightmare Whiskers
November-
8th – Thoughtfish by Ruan Bradford Wright (2nd Edition)
15th- Would You Like Fries with That By Mariah Lynde
December –
1st – unknown by Raz T Slasher (middle grade) (*though I don’t normally have an unknown in my list of release dates… from a couple of authors I will take the chance for “kids week” and save the spot. If I don’t get the book from them I will just have an empty spot for the day. But I think that they are worth it.)
2nd – Where’s my Sugar by Patricia Harris
3rd – Pip 4: Pip that is not Yours! By Patricia Harris
4th – Anthology Fae Recipes
5th – Unknown by CM Snow
6th – Spoiled Naughty Ponies by Capri Summers
7th – kids week open
8th – Hood of Sedna by Mina Skye
13th – Anthology Honesty in Verse
2025
I will get those listed closer. I feel like if I were to put them on the blog it would put too much pressure. I have “penciled” in dates for several authors for 2025 already.
If you are a facebook friend or follow my Instagram… you have seen me post yesterday that our family cat has passed. That means I am a true mess. My Child is the Intern doing the Fae Corps blog…So I scheduled it for them…because in so many ways Luna was their baby. We are going to be okay…but it will take time. This is probably the only post I am doing for Wednesday & Thursday here. I will schedule my usual Friday post. By Monday I should be back to my routine…but if not then I will try to pick it back up as soon as I can. We are used to a very vocal baby who is now silent. This will be hard.
Can someone tell me I’m not going crazy? The thoughts in my head make me hate me Maybe I’m too far from saving Can someone check that the room isn’t spinning? Seems like the oxygens thinning The monsters in my head keep on winning
I’m bigger than the bad thoughts I’m better than the way they make me feel I won’t let the bad thoughts take the wheel I’m bigger than the bad thoughts I’m brighter than the light they’re trying to steal So why do they feel so real?
Breathe in, breathe out Sometimes I don’t like the cards that I’m handed Life can seem too hard to manage I’m proud of myself for just standing When light feels too real that the door shuts on reasons Voice in my heads preys on my biggest weakness I count my breath, one, two, three, four
I’m bigger than the bad thoughts I’m better than the way they make me feel I won’t let the bad thoughts take the wheel I’m bigger than the bad thoughts I’m brighter than the light they’re trying to steal Why did it feel so real? When I know they’re not real
Breathe in, breathe out
Just ’cause I think something don’t make it true Been here before but I’ve gotten through Maybe not now but I’ll be okay soon Maybe not now but I’ll be okay soon
I’m bigger than the bad thoughts I’m brighter than the light they’re trying to steal I won’t let the bad thoughts take the wheel I’m bigger than the lone nights I’m brighter than the light they’re trying to steal So why do they feel so real? I know they’re not real Bad thoughts aren’t real
I’ma be alright I’ma be alright I’ma be alright I’ma be alright
I’ma be alright I’ma be alright I’ma be alright I’ma be alright
I’ma be- I’ma be alright I’ma be alright I’ma be alright I’ma be alright
I’ma be alright I’ma be alright I’ma be alright I’ma be alright
I’ma be alright I’ma be alright I’ma be alright I’ma be alright
I’ma be alright I’ma be alright I’ma be alright I’ma be alright
My 2 cents –
I am slightly overwhelmed lately with life. But I’ma be alright.
The purpose of this one is simple. Most likely everyone here knows I run Fae Corps Publishing and I have been doing this in the background for a while now. I plan on talking clearly about the tools I use for publishing, and the way that each one works. Demystifying what I do. Is that to say that I will be making my own self unnecessary? No, because my experience is valuable. I just feel like so much of the process is made out to be harder than it needs to be.
This week I want to talk about the details.
Each site I use to publish has a different set of requirements for the manuscript and cover.
The title has to be each word capitalized. The author has to have two names.
The manuscript has to be at least 24 pages to be published.
The manuscript has to be as free of errors as possible.
I will leave on the bottom of the post the upcoming calendar. I feel like that will help. As You can see this changes slightly each week. Things get adjusted because Authors are not ready or I get a book that I had promised space.
July –
1st – The Life Collection by Ashira Datya
5th – The Lightning War: Grounding Unit by Parker LaVitte
19th – Falling Flames by Ashira Datya
August –
16th – Darkness lies heavy in the heart by Joshua Pavelsky
23rd – Beneath the Deep Wave by Andrew McDowell
September –
6th – The Fall by Mariah Lynde
20th – The Magick Saga Collection by Ashira Datya
October –
18th – My Gothic Angel by Laj & Khoury Hawkins
25th – Anthology – Nightmare Whiskers
November-
8th – Thoughtfish by Ruan Bradford Wright (2nd Edition)
15th- Would You Like Fries with That By Mariah Lynde
December –
1st – unknown by Raz T Slasher (middle grade) (*though I don’t normally have an unknown in my list of release dates… from a couple of authors I will take the chance for “kids week” and save the spot. If I don’t get the book from them I will just have an empty spot for the day. But I think that they are worth it.)
2nd – where’s my Sugar by Patricia Harris
3rd – Pip 4: Pip that is not Yours! By Patricia Harris
4th – Anthology Fae Recipes
5th – Unknown by CM Snow
6th – kids week unannounced. (details are not available yet)
7th – kids week open
8th – Hood of Sedna by Mina Skye
13th – Anthology Honesty in Verse
2025
I will get those listed closer. I feel like if I were to put them on the blog it would put too much pressure. I have “penciled” in dates for several authors for 2025 already.
Pattimouse 