The Chronicles of Crosarth – A Steampunk Adventure

So we announced it a little while back, but I’m excited to say that the first print collection of Peregrine Lake is now officially on sale!

That’s right, all of Ethan’s gorgeous artwork (and my acceptable writing) could be in your hands right now for just $29.99. Besides the first “Chapter” of the comic, you’ll also get the now book exclusive mini-four page story “The Move” which was drawn by me (in the style of UnCONventional).

That’s… that’s it! It’s the comic! In dead tree form! And you can buy it!

I’ve been really happy the way the comic has been going. Peregrine Lake has been a true labor of love, and working with Ethan has been amazing. We’re two thirds of the way through releasing the pages that will go into the second book as well, and things will be ramping up quickly. It’s spooky, it’s funny, and it gives me an excuse to keep writing Lynn Baxter.

But I’ve talked about how important Lynn is to me before.

I honestly don’t know if all of my old UnCONventional readers know that Peregrine Lake is even happening. I talked to a couple this last weekend at No Brand Con who literally had no idea that the comic was happening.

Because it is.

And it’s fun.

And you should read it.

Anyways, I’m working on the final edits on the fifth Mia Graves novel which will come out later this year. I should be able to reveal the final cover and give you all a release date later this month. I also plan on talking more about the history of No Brand Con more this month, but I wanted to make sure I made a post about the new book first.

Lots of stuff is happening, and for the first time in a long time I’m not super stressed about it.

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So I’m in the middle of prepping for two events: UWEC Barron County GEEKCon on April 25th and No Brand Con the weekend after from May 1-3. And yeah, it’s as exhausting as it sounds like.

The con prep for UWEC Barron County GEEKCon is pretty easy at least. I’m going to do a stripped down table setup there as an experiment, to see how well it works. It’s just a one day con up at UWEC Barron County in Rice Lake, WI, so the stakes aren’t super high if it doesn’t work out. I’ve never done this event (though I’ve done its sister event down here in Eau Claire several times), so it’s all a question mark to begin with. But it’s a little one day con at a college, and I usually have a really good time at those, so we’ll find out I guess.

What’s really occupied my time though is prep for No Brand Con, but if you know anything about me that should not be shocking. I’m a co-founder of that event, and have been one of the most public faces over our more than twenty years of existing. What makes this year even more challenging is that this really is our attempt to revive the event and bring it back to some of its former glory.

I’ve taken on some responsibilities with this year that I normally wouldn’t have in the past, but I’m super excited about the con. No matter what happens, I’m confident that the con will be a very, very, very good time for everyone who comes. Our prereg numbers were right within our targets, and I’m super excited. Like I haven’t felt this excited about a con I was helping run in at least a decade, and I’m practically buzzing sometimes.

Here’s the thing though, even when everything is going right, running an event like this is incredibly stressful. I am looking forward not just to the con, but maybe also the weekend after the con. I was, at least, smart enough to take the Monday after the con off of work.

Now, obviously I’m not tabling at No Brand Con, since I’m the one in charge of the vendor room and artist alley, and that would be a massive conflict of interest. Ethan is though, so copies of the new Peregrine Lake book will be available for sale there for anyone interested. I won’t have my novels on hand, but if you ask nice enough, maybe I’ll meet you in the Tony Caponey’s parking lot at midnight and we can make a deal. ?

So yeah, if you want to know why I’m exhausted right now, that’s why. And there’s more work to do right now…

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So say you’re sitting down to dinner after a long day of travel. You’re in the dining room of one of the historic inns in the Indiana State Park system — let’s say, the Potawatomi Inn at Pokagon State Park on the shores of Lake James. You order food, sit back, and then realize something important.

There’s a good chance your waiter is a Nazi.

You see, he’s wearing an iron cross necklace. And while it’s true that this symbol isn’t exclusively associated with white supremacists, in the context of an American wearing that symbol today there are very few cases where it isn’t. Like yeah, it’s associated with biker culture here too, but nine times out of ten when I’ve seen someone with this symbol on them (and it wasn’t a He-Man reference)… they’ve been a Nazi.

So you’re sitting there, and he brings you your dinner, and in your head you’re asking yourself “Is this a Nazi?” He compliments your outfit. He asks if you’re staying in the hotel tonight. He’s overall being pleasant. But, like, in the back of your head you have to keep asking yourself if you’re safe here.

And it sucks, because this place has been a haven for you for over a decade. You stop here a couple of times a year even though it’s far from where you live. You’ve told all your friends and family about it. It’s been a part of your personal story for a long time. And now? Now it feels different.

And for the record, I did tip him. Did the normal 20%. Because I might be wrong. He might not be a Nazi.

But I’m never going to find out.

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