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cartograffiti · 2 years

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Thank you Claire from Schuler Books: some data for Queen's Thief fans

The tl;dr of this post is that QT is having an unprecedented surge of interest right now, and I used GoodReads to deliver some facts and figures to the Discord (The Geninsula), and now to Tumblr!

Under the cut: sources of the uptick, beautiful numbers, and a couple fun excerpts from recent reviews.

Part 1: selling out is good

We can actually track the start of the surge back to 2020's publication of Return of the Thief, because the series being complete got it a lot of positive press, but the activity of the past couple months (especially February-now, I'm writing on May 31 2022), has been another thing entirely.

RotT, and Disney+ optioning The Thief, has meant we're getting a lot of new international editions. The UK is getting a beautiful release of new editions in paperback and audiobook. The series is being translated into Spanish and Italian for the first time, and we know in The Geninsula of translations underway into Hebrew and Bangla. (Parts of the series have previously been released in at least 15 languages, but until now only Romanian had kept up with the whole set.) MWT is currently on a tour of Italy and the UK to promote these new editions, and a number of giveaways and influencer spotlights were arranged by publishers to get The Thief | Il ladro in readers' hands.

In March, the independent bookstore Schuler Books (not, as it has often been misreported, a library or Barnes & Noble) *posted a TikTok* of some of their staff showing off books they wish they could read for the first time, again. (It's adorable, click the link if you haven't seen it.) This TikTok went viral, now with 17.5 million views, and it opens with Claire talking about The Thief.

Only two weeks later, The Thief was sold out in US paperback. I'm talking gone. Even Amazon cannot get you a new copy of either the 2017 (Joel Tippie) or 2005 (Vince Natale) covers anymore, previously readily available, let alone older ones. They have to reprint it! In the meantime, the Steve West audiobook seems to be doing very well, and the hardcover unremarkably. Several Geninsula members who are members of large library systems have reported long waitlists typical of bestsellers. I wholly attribute this attention to Claire. Claire is the best, our hero!

Lots of recent reviews (see below) also said Laini Taylor suggested it, but if there's a specific recent source for that (she's a known fan of long standing), I can't find it. Let me know if you know!

Part 2: GoodReads is useful sometimes

So GoodReads *has this nice feature* where they rank the top 200 books from each publishing year, with #1 being the one their users have most interacted with, and refresh it monthly [Edit: this was a mistype, it’s weekly]--so you can see which books of the same age have remained or become popular as of this month [Edit: week]. This does not mean it only accounts for what was interacted with within that month [Edit: week], just that it's that up to date.

Right now, The Thief is number 14 out of all of 1996. The books that beat it are all truly famous things like Bridget Jones's Diary, Angela's Ashes, Fight Club, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. (The only book ranked above it that hasn't been adapted for film is Neverwhere, which has received a radio play with a high-profile cast. [Edit: ...And is itself a novelization of a TV series.] [Edit: Infinite Jest has been a play, but not filmed.] I am making direct eye contact with Mickey Mouse.) Some of the other series marketed as fantasy it beats out include entries from Tortall, Discworld, The Witcher, and Redwall.

The Queen of Attolia is the only other one that is currently on the top 200 list for its year, but it's 77, above more Tamora Pierce, a boxset of A Song of Ice and Fire, and buzzy authors like Julia Quinn and Junji Ito.

The fact that a second book is ranking this high tells us people are currently working their way through the series in honestly what has to be large numbers. I won't be surprised if later books start ranking in the coming months.

It also tells us people really are actively reading them, not just marking the first one as possibly interesting--lots of users don't mark sequels as to-read until they've read the first, or the preceding one, etc.

Now, with the books ranked this high, how much interaction does that represent? Well, The Thief has 77,921 ratings, and 236,000+ shelvings, and considering that finishing without rating is somewhat uncommon…that's about 150,000 users who are planning to read, or currently reading, this book. The same math for QoA is less dramatic--about 20k people have it on the agenda--but when 20k is 50% of its all-time ratings, that's...still an explosion.

This of course only represents the people who a) use GoodReads and b) keep up with their to-be-read list there, so this is only a fraction of readers in general who are likely to read it in the near future.

Part 3: The reviews are in

Giveaways of advance reader copies in the UK led to a burst of reviews in February, which were a bit puzzling to read through, as a number of them seemed to me to have come from people who did not know the genre or even the age market for the book when they entered for it, and hadn't actually been drawn to the story therefore.

A much more striking wave of reviews came later, as the UK, Spanish, and Italian readers began to interact with it organically, and a large burst of people who specifically said they'd picked it up because of Claire from Schuler Books. (Or, more often, "A TikTok with a cute librarian [sic].") These reviews have the usual range of reactions, but an overall level of enthusiasm I feel is high.

Laini Taylor was the second-most successful recommender. Many people compared The Thief favorably to Rick Riordan, Leigh Bardugo, GRR Martin, and Sarah J. Maas. (This was the first time I'd seen the series pitched to SJM's fans! I haven't read her work, but hadn't thought it was in a similar niche.) I was delighted to see several people calling it the best fantasy of travel and landscape they've read since JRR Tolkien!

The apparent age range of reviewers is quite wide, which reflects my experience of the fandom, where I've regularly chatted with people from 13 to their 60s, and likely older. There were some very cute reactions from reviewing tweens and teenagers who said that they were surprised such an OLD book from the nineties held up.

Some other book trend remarks I found interesting: lots of surprise there was no romance, including some people who, looking for a potential romance among the traveling party, proposed both Gen/Sophos (fine) and Gen/the magus (insane, thank you so much, I have questions.) A number of people who remarked that they were pleased to find a fantasy that wasn't "too fantastical," lots of positivity about feeling it had a "timeless" style, and one person who said they have found it difficult to find engaging recent YA books with boy protagonists.

Delightful excerpts from reviews of TT:

a novel that is a credit to the English language.

I loved the world MWT created, had it been an artwork it would perhaps have been more Claude Monet than Michelangelo

[Original review in Spanish, from Argentina] Gen is the best thing that has ever happened to me

The Thief also pairs very nicely with cheese and dried fruit.

The importance of narrators:

I'm giving this a 5 star rating because I listened to it as an audiobook and the narrator sounds like Henry Cavill and I have a crush on him. So, 5 stars.

And my favorite reaction to The Queen of Attolia:

This is shockingly...kinky???

Okay, thanks for reading! I'm really excited, since it looks like the fandom is in the process of...tripling? Something like that. If you have news about how the book is being promoted, or new translations/re-releases, I'd love to hear!

#Queen's Thief #The Queen's Thief #Megan Whalen Turner #The Thief #The Queen of Attolia #bookblr #long post

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connordavidscamera · 2 years

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Life Update!

Hi, my lovelies!

I know I’ve been pretty MIA on this blog the past few months. I do want to let you know that I haven’t completely abandoned it or anything like that. (I still very much am following Connor’s career, still adore him, still always want to talk about him lol), I am however not posting any new fics right now. This is not for a lack of ideas, but because I am using these ideas for more personal writings.

For those of you that are unaware, I published my first novel, Love in the Classroom, earlier this year, in April. Since then I have been focusing on writing my novels.

I have two more coming out at the beginning of next year. One on January 24th, and another on May 31st. January’s release is titled You Were Never the Plan, and May’s is My Boy(s) of Summer.

All three of these stories hold a very special place in my heart, and if any of you happen to be missing my writing and are wanting to support, all three books are available on Amazon. Love in the Classroom is currently available in both paperback and on Kindle (and if you do read it, the characters may seem a little familiar...). The other two are only available to pre-order in the Kindle version, but will be available in paperback on the release date.

I also now have a website that you can check out. It tells you a little bit about me, my works, where to get them (Love in the Classroom is also available on Barnes and Noble’s website!!), and some extras/sneak peeks into my new releases.

If any of you are interested, I’ll leave the link below and you can get a sneak peek into January’s release, and maybe even pre-order if you’re feeling a little crazy. My website also holds links to order and pre-order under the “Works” tab.

I also just want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart because if it wasn’t for your continued support on my writing, I wouldn’t have been able to publish my first book as soon as I did, or at all. You have all been so amazing, and I am truly grateful for everything that you have done for me, and the friendships that I have made on here.

I will keep you guys updated on any other life events (and a two books series about twin musicians that I’m working on as well.🤫)

Thank you, and I love you ! 💙💙💙

https://www.storitellerwriting.com/

#yes it's me #personal update

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ibgreys · 2 years

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Old idvd themes

#Old idvd themes mac os x#

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In the meantime, have a fun weekend with Tiger. I'll have more to say about it next week. In QuickTime 7, the QuickTime Player is a much more sophisticated beast.

#Old idvd themes mac os x#

Apple has made the new QuickTime 7 available now, and it works with Panther (specifically, with Mac OS X 10.3.9). But you don't have to wait for Tiger to get one of the enhancements that comes with it.

#Old idvd themes free#

Mac is for you? Take a tour or sign up for a free 60-day trial.Mac costs $99 per year, but you can order it through Amazon for $79.88.Īs every real Machead knows, Apple's Tiger operating system ships later today. Mac also adds a much more functional home page that lets you easily access calendar, email, and address book information. Mac has always been a great complement to iLife, thanks to its HomePage Web albums, which make it easy to share photos and movies.

#Old idvd themes series#

Mac Learning Center, there's a series of QuickTime movies in which I showcase some of iPhoto 5's new features. Apple adapted ten tips from the iPhoto section of The Macintosh iLife '05 and is running them on a lovely page of their own. Mac are a series of "expert tips" and video tutorials from yours truly. Mac Internet service an overhaul, changing its design and adding several new features, including some new designs for the HomePage photo albums that you can create with iPhoto.Īmong the other new features on. ( Read the terms and conditions.)Īpple has given its. Your photo must also be accepted by 's content police, so keep it clean and keep it colorful-black and white photos are prohibited. Pricing is the same as last year: one sheet of 20 stamps costs $16.99 (about twice the stamps' face value), and additional sheets cost less. Alas, they were short lived, thanks in part to some jokesters who decided to order stamps of, shall we say, some controversial subjects.

#Old idvd themes trial#

Mac, and QuickTime 7 for Pantherįriday's fun: Last September, I wrote about PhotoStamps, a trial project from that would enable you to put your own photos on honest-to-gosh US postage stamps. (You can also get a hefty discount from Barnes & Noble or Peachpit Press.) So until Amazon gets its discounting act together once and for all, there's another great source. Meanwhile, a reader kindly writes to let me know that Micro Center is selling The Macintosh iLife '05 for $20.95-40 percent off the $34.99 cover price. Huge thanks to David Weeks and everyone at for the kind and very gratifying words.

#Old idvd themes professional#

I watched the entire DVD, and was again impressed by the completely professional presentation and useful content. The DVD will appeal to those who learn best by watching as opposed to reading. The production values are as good as ever The Macintosh iLife '05 is big and pretty. I've been using the iLife applications (Garageband excepted) since they were first released, and I was very pleasantly surprised to find that there are more good tips and tricks still to learn. Jim Heid has been writing and teaching about the iLife applications for quite a while, and his expertise is visible on every page.Įach application gets plenty of coverage, but Heid balances space between the fundamentals and advanced (yet not-too-demanding) tips. The new edition.is even better than its predecessor, if that's possible. Reviewer David Weeks pens several blush-worthy phrases of praise: The good folks at have published a review of The Macintosh iLife '05. (Newsreader users: To subscribe to my photostream, drag this link into your newsreader.)įive Out of Five: Reviews MyBook I love the Flickr photo sharing service here are my most recent shots. Out what all the buzz is about: view samples of this beautiful Patronize your local bookstore or buy from Amazon for just $22.04 (37 percent off!). Get your own copy of "The Macintosh iLife '06". Learn more or buy from Amazon for just $16.49 (34 percent off). Sell It on eBay: A Guide to Successful Online Auctions, Second Edition, by yours truly and Toby Malina.Ĭompletely revised and featuring the same beautiful, full-color design as my iLife books. Now shipping! The iLife '06 edition of my book is off the presses and beginning to ship you can order it from Amazon for 37 percent off the cover price. If you like this site, you'll love the book. Published by Peachpit Press and Avondale Media. This site is the online companion to my book, "The Macintosh iLife '06",

#Old idvd themes

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theonyxpath · 4 years

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Yes, that’s right, we actually do not have a Kickstarter running this week. Weird, huh?

Legendlore just wrapped up with a very strong (and unexpected but delightful) final 48 hours last week, and we have not yet launched the They Came From Beyond the Grave! KS.

So instead, let me tell you about the guy I illustrated for the cover shown above. In-universe (or Continuum), that’s Duke Rollo, the gonzo journalist/commentator of the TC: Aberrant setting.

But.

He’s also Justin Achilli, who originated the character and wrote both small Duke Rollo books – one for first edition Aberrant and now the book pictured for Trinity Continuum: Aberrant.

I originally pictured him as Justin appeared back then, piercings and all, and with a very gonzo attitude to life, and work, and especially after-hours playtime. The version above was drawn to still be the same character, but seasoned. More experienced, but still railing against the inequities of the TC: Aberrant world.

I bring this up because real-world Justin has amassed even more experience and knowledge since the WW days, and has explored game design in the electronic gaming sphere very successfully, and yet has never stopped applying what he has learned to TTRPGs, and specifically the World of Darkness and Vampire: The Masquerade.

His experience with party deduction games led to his working with us on The Prince’s Gambit card game, for example. And his online design theory posts through the years are rife with game design theory that could be applied to electronic games, or right back in TTRPGs.

And in fact, he himself, is also right back in TTRPGs with last week’s announcement that Justin is the new Creative Lead for the WoD 5th Edition efforts over at Paradox!

Congrats, Justin!

Now, I have a long history with Justin, going back to when he was developing the RAGE card game at WW. (A “dragon biting some clown in half”, anybody?) He was developer and I was art director for years on VtM Revised, we worked on the late, lamented, WoD MMO together, and he was the first developer for V20, and then helmed many V20 books for Onyx Path.

And yet, even I really don’t know what he’s planning for V5. The Covid situation here and in Sweden, where Paradox is based, has complicated matters, so we’re still looking forward to what’s going to happen next.

As they say, more news when we have it!

Let the Streets Run Red art by Sam Denmark

Surely You Have Something Kickstarter-y?

OK. Fair enough, I hear ya!

You want to know more about They Came From Beyond the Grave!, especially since that’s going to be the subject of our next Kickstarter.

Well, it is the second game in the They Came From…! game line, and this time, rather than being based in the world of Sci-Fi movies of the 50s, TCFBtGrave! is set in two time periods favored by horror movies of the 60s and 70s: the Victorian Era and the late 60s into the 70s.

In fact, the game supports either era, or both with players swapping back and forth between the two. Hammer Horror is of course a huge influence, along with Roger Corman horror films, and even the Dark Shadows TV series.

Like TCFBtSea!, TCFBtGrave! uses the Storypath System plus Quip cards that allow players to contribute appropriate (or far more often extremely inappropriate) comments and dialogue that is often hilarious, but also can give mechanical benefits to the character. With the cards, the player doesn’t need to be funny, just how they use the quip.

Similarly, there are cards for filmic situations appropriate to the genre we’re emulating, like “The Devil Himself!”, or “Missing Scene” which allows for a miraculous escape that players can note as having happened during that scene. It was amazing, just a shame the scene is missing, but at least we’re all OK.

Honestly, we should have one titled “Christopher Lee’s Voice”, but that might be too powerful for players.

Keep an eye out on our social media as we continue to tease the game, and check out the actual play sessions that are available on our Twitch channel.

Pirates of Pugmire art by Pat McEvoy

Updates On Previous Mentions:

As I mentioned last week, we were looking to hire an out-of-house HR representative as a contact person for anyone with concerns on an HR level with Onyx Path. We indeed did hire Georgina who can be contacted at [email protected].

Scion Companion art by Shen Fei

Sorry to say it, but the pandemic is still affecting everyone – writers, printers, shippers – so while we are seeing some folks come back to business as sorta-normal, many others still can’t do that. Sometimes that’s our creators, and other times it’s our manufacturers and shippers. I’m currently waiting for at least five books worth of PoD proofs to get to me for approval so we can start selling them.

So, please hang in with us as we maneuver through this continuing alteration in our normal business practices. There’s a lot of things changing all across the world, and our little hobby isn’t in a bubble – and even if it was, we’re still going to be affected like I mention above. Just know that we are doing what we can to get you the materials so you can enjoy our:

Many Worlds, One Path!

Blurbs!

Kickstarter!

Next Up On Kickstarter: They Came From Beyond the Grave!

And keep your eyes open for:

Onyx Path Media!

This week: the Terrifically Terrible Trio chat about the Onyx Path Virtual Gaming Convention, and online TTRPG gaming in general!

As always, this Friday’s Onyx Pathcast will be on Podbean or your favorite podcast venue! https://onyxpathcast.podbean.com/

This week on Twitch, expect to see

V5 – Chicago by Night

Behind the Screen – Scion

They Came from Beneath the Sea! – They Came from Devil’s Reef!

Changeling: The Dreaming – The Last Faerie Tale

Mage: The Awakening – Occultists Anonymous

Scarred Lands – Purge of the Serpentholds

Get watching for some fantastic insight into how to run these wonderful games and subscribe to us on Twitch, over at twitch.tv/theonyxpath

Come take a look at our YouTube channel, youtube.com/user/theonyxpath, where you can find a whole load of videos of actual plays, dissections of our games, and more, including:

#OnyxPathCon | How to Write for TTRPGs [Panel]: https://youtu.be/UKmJQEhInP8

#OnyxPathCon | Consent & Safety Mechanics [Panel]: https://youtu.be/LljJV-TRLWA

Legendlore – The Metal Scourge: https://youtu.be/IrhhKnf6dHg

#OnyxPathCon | The Art of Onyx Path [Panel]:https://youtu.be/2mG_BqXzkfE

#OnyxPathCon | What’s Up with Onyx Path #2 [Panel]:https://youtu.be/GjukejNcCcc

#OnyxPathCon | Create Your Best Character [Panel]:https://youtu.be/UZIBL87hu6U

#OnyxPathCon | Onyx Pathcast Live [Panel]:https://youtu.be/XxNvUPUtC1o

Subscribe to our channel and click the bell icon if you want to be notified whenever new news videos and uploads come online!

Did you miss Occultists Anonymous‘ last episodes of their excellent Mage: The Awakening chronicle? Here they are:

Episode 108: Car-V Heist While Songbird prepares for a dangerous summoning, Atratus and Wyrd hit the junkyards with an overly elaborate plan to make an overly elaborate gift. How very Mage of them… https://youtu.be/wSy3c74jkfM

Episode 109: Crown of Blood Wyrd and Atratus enjoy the joy of a well-made gift and the good vibes that comes with that. Songbird joins together with Hadramiel to summon an Angel of Death to anoint a Vampire Prince in power. https://youtu.be/QxB6Ml6uStY

The Botch Pit have released an excellent overview of Mage: The Awakening right here. Do give them a like and a subscribe: https://youtu.be/D-0O1Nun6NA

Systematic Understanding of Everything is a new Exalted Explainer Podcast by Exalted Dev Monica Speca and Exalted Writer Chazz Kellner that is breaking down Creation in 45 minute chunks in preparation for Exalted Essence.

Their most recent episode in on Creation and its history – https://anchor.fm/exaltcast/episodes/Trackless-Region-Navigation—What-is-Creation-eg2g9d

Get past episodes at http://www.exaltcast.com/

Please check these out and let us know if you find or produce any actual plays of our games! We’d love to feature you!

Electronic Gaming!

As we find ways to enable our community to more easily play our games, the Onyx Dice Rolling App is live! Our dev team has been doing updates since we launched based on the excellent use-case comments by our community, and this thing is awesome! (Seriously, you need to roll 100 dice for Exalted? This app has you covered.)

On Amazon and Barnes & Noble!

You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle (from Amazon) and Nook (from Barnes & Noble).

If you enjoy these or any other of our books, please help us by writing reviews on the site of the sales venue from which you bought it. Reviews really, really help us get folks interested in our amazing fiction!

Our selection includes these latest fiction books:

Our Sales Partners!

We’re working with Studio2 to get Pugmire and Monarchies of Mau out into stores, as well as to individuals through their online store. You can pick up the traditionally printed main book, the screen, and the official Pugmire dice through our friends there! https://studio2publishing.com/search?q=pugmire

We’ve added Prince’s Gambit to our Studio2 catalog: https://studio2publishing.com/products/prince-s-gambit-card-game

Now, we’ve added Changeling: The Lost Second Edition products to Studio2‘s store! See them here: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/all-products/changeling-the-lost

Scion 2e books and other products are available now at Studio2: https://studio2publishing.com/blogs/new-releases/scion-second-edition-book-one-origin-now-available-at-your-local-retailer-or-online

Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Try this link! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Onyx-Path-Publishing/

And you can order Pugmire, Monarchies of Mau, Cavaliers of Mars, and Changeling: The Lost 2e at the same link! And now Scion Origin and Scion Hero and Trinity Continuum Core and Trinity Continuum: Aeon are available to order!

As always, you can find Onyx Path’s titles at DriveThruRPG.com!

On Sale This Week!

This Wednesday, to celebrate the arrival of Justin Achilli, we present V5 Chicago By Night electronic wallpaper and V20 Lore of the Clans Storyteller’s Screen PDF files, both on DTRPG!

Conventions!

Though dates for physical conventions are subject to change due to the current COVID-19 outbreak, here’s what’s left of our current list of upcoming conventions (and really, we’re just waiting for this last one to be cancelled even though it’s Nov/Dec). Instead, keep an eye out here for more virtual conventions we’re going to be involved with:

PAX Unplugged: https://unplugged.paxsite.com/

And now, the new project status updates!

Development Status from Eddy Webb! (Projects in bold have changed status since last week.):

First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep.)

Exalted Essay Collection (Exalted)

Adversaries of the Righteous (Exalted 3rd Edition)

The Devoted Companion (Deviant: The Renegades)

Saints and Monsters (Scion 2nd Edition)

Trinity Continuum: Anima

M20 Technocracy Operative’s Dossier (Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary)

Squeaks In The Deep (Realms of Pugmire)

Redlines

Dragon-Blooded Novella #2 (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Hundred Devil’s Night Parade (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Novas Worldwide (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Exalted Essence Edition (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Wild Hunt (Scion 2nd Edition)

CtL 2e Novella Collection: Hollow Courts (Changeling: The Lost 2e)

Second Draft

Many-Faced Strangers – Lunars Companion (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Mission Statements (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Contagion Chronicle Ready-Made Characters (Chronicles of Darkness)

Trinity Continuum: Adventure! core (Trinity Continuum: Adventure!)

Dead Man’s Rust (Scarred Lands)

The Clades Companion (Deviant: The Renegades)

V5 Forbidden Religions (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

M20 Rich Bastard’s Guide To Magick (Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary)

V5 Children of the Blood (was The Faithful Undead) (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Development

TC: Aberrant Reference Screen (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Across the Eight Directions (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Contagion Chronicle: Global Outbreaks (Chronicles of Darkness)

Exigents (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Assassins (Trinity Continuum Core)

V5 Trails of Ash and Bone (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Kith and Kin (Changeling: The Lost 2e)

Manuscript Approval

Crucible of Legends (Exalted 3rd Edition)

M20 Victorian Mage (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Under Alien Skies (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

N!ternational Wrestling Entertainment (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Post-Approval Development

Editing

Lunars Novella (Rosenberg) (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition core rulebook (Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition)

Player’s Guide to the Contagion Chronicle (Chronicles of Darkness)

Contagion Chronicle Jumpstart (Chronicles of Darkness)

TC: Aberrant Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Trinity Continuum Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum)

Masks of the Mythos (Scion 2nd Edition)

LARP Rules (Scion 2nd Edition)

Heirs to the Shogunate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

The Book of Lasting Death (Mummy: The Curse 2e)

They Came From Beyond the Grave! (They Came From!)

Scion: Dragon (Scion 2nd Edition)

Scion: Demigod (Scion 2nd Edition)

Dearly Bleak – Novella (Deviant: The Renegades)

Post-Editing Development

City of the Towered Tombs (Cavaliers of Mars)

W20 Shattered Dreams Gift Cards (Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th)

Cults of the Blood Gods (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Hunter: The Vigil 2e core (Hunter: The Vigil 2nd Edition)

Trinity Continuum: Aberrant core (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Deviant: The Renegades (Deviant: The Renegades)

Monsters of the Deep (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

Legendlore core book (Legendlore)

Pirates of Pugmire KS-Added Adventure (Realms of Pugmire)

Tales of Aquatic Terror (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

Terra Firma (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

One Foot in the Grave Jumpstart (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2e)

Indexing

Art Direction from Mike Chaney!

In Art Direction

Tales of Aquatic Terror – Handed off to Meredith to AD.

WoD Ghost Hunters (KS) – KS assets wrapped up.

Aberrant – AD’d. Checking with Gunship.

Hunter: The Vigil 2e

Mummy 2

Deviant

Legendlore – KS running.

Technocracy Reloaded (KS)

Cults of the Blood God – Rolling along.

Scion: Dragon (KS) – Waiting on art notes.

Masks of the Mythos (KS) – Getting the cover art going.

Scion: Demigod (KS) – Art rolling. KS assets AD’d.

They Came From Beyond the Grave! (KS) – Prepping KS assets.

TC: Adventure! (KS) – Shen Fei cover art finished by end of the month.

Geist: One Foot In the Grave – AD’d.

In Layout

Yugman’s Guide to Ghelspad

Vigil Watch

TC Aeon Terra Firma

V5 Let the Streets Run Red – continued working it.

Pugmire Adventure – small project, knocking the layout together.

Scion Titanomachy

Proofing

Trinity Aeon Jumpstart – Errata gathering.

Lunars: Fangs at the Gate – Page XXs.

Contagion Chronicle – Backer PDF out to backers, closing errata.

Cavaliers of Mars: City of the Towered Tombs

Magic Item Decks (Scarred Lands)

Yugman’s Guide Support Decks (Scarred Lands)

Dark Eras 2 Screen and booklet

Scion Companion – Inputting changes from devs.

At Press

TCFBTS Heroic Land Dwellers – PoD files uploaded.

TCFBTS Screen and Booklet – Files at press.

They Came from Beneath the Sea! – Press proofs signed off on, PoD files uploaded.

Creature Collection 5e – PoD proof ordered. Traditional files sent to printer.

Pirates of Pugmire – Files at press. PoD proofs ordered.

Pirates of Pugmire Screen – Files at press.

Pugmire Buried Bones – PoD proof ordered.

Changeling: The Lost 2nd Edition Dark Eras Compilation – Uploading PoD file.

Today’s Reason to Celebrate!

I’d really like to get back to needing to pull wacky things that happened on this date, but we need to celebrate the life of a towering giant in his field. Ennio Morricone, one of the greatest film composers, has left this earth he brought so much magic and passion and joy to. The Untouchables. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. The Mission. Once Upon A Time In the West. His film scores were the background music I played while illustrating all the way back to high school, and as late as two weeks ago I asked Alexa to “Play Ennio Morriconi music” as I wrote that week’s MMN blog. Not only was he a genius in composing instrumental scores, but he was willing to incorporate single instruments, or non-instruments, or inserted choral sections, or even compose an entire theme using fart sounds. Maybe not to everyone’s tastes, that last example, but my point is, he stretched what could be done with musical scores with a deft hand and a genius’s ear. His like will not be heard again.

#Onyx Path Publishing

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carriejonesbooks · 6 years

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One of my many grandmothers liked to tell stories. It’s the catholic one, Portuguese, Avó. And her stories never really had cohesion. They were basically family facts and remembrances wrapped up in anecdotes with a heady dose of moralizing and tradition. And I freaking loved it.

Let me set the scene.

It is the 1980s and to me she seems impossibly old. She has always been poor, though some of her nine children are now rich and she has filled her small apartment with ceramic knick-knacks, rosaries. Pictures of the Blessed Virgin Mary share precious wall space with her children.

“There is not enough wall,” she laments, sitting down with a sizable sigh because it’s hard to move her body around.

There is not enough room anywhere in her apartment. It’s stuffed with afghans, crocheted table coverings. Hot sauce and ketchup and condiments stack the counters of the kitchen. And then there are the ceramics, some made by my aunt in a kiln in a shed behind her trailer. They are mostly angels, madonnas and carousels. Girls in hard flouncy dresses that resemble Southern belles from another time. Their skin is porcelain and pale and perfectly white and the opposite of my grandmother’s. Their bodies are tiny. Limbs stretch out in ballerina poses, ready to break off at any moment, precariously attached to their bodies by some kind of magic.

There are no men here other than Jesus. He’s a picture on the wall. He’s pretty pale, too.

I am in love with a swan that is on the table next to the thread-bare, plaid couch that is about two decades too old to ever find a home away from my Avó.

I’m checking out the swan as she hands me a hot chocolate that’s been topped with Marshmallow Fluff.

“Chemicals are good for you,” she says with a wink. “No matter what that Dustin Hoffman says.”

It is July and she’s feeding me hot chocolate from a package and has heaped the gelatinous white of fluff on top of it to sweeten it even more. And in that moment, she is absolutely my favorite of all my grandmothers despite all her scandals, the time she ran away from her own children, leaving them to raise each other, the time she refused to give her eldest son his birth certificate when he wanted to join the Navy because the certificate said a name of a father he’d never known existed. If he saw that birth certificate then he’d know his last name was Gonçalves, a totally different name that he’d been living with for the first 16 years of his life.

At the time, it seemed very important that he not know, she says with a shrug.

“Turned out? Didn’t matter.” She smiles. She has a fluff mustache. “It’s always what we think matters, that doesn’t, and then the things that do us in? They come out of nowhere.” She crosses herself and I do, too, because I want more fluff, because I want her to love me, because I want to not be something that slams her out of nowhere.

I pick up the swan, my favorite swan. There is a brown line across the gentle curve of her neck.

“Your cousin broke her, but the thing is? Ceramics? You can glue them back together. People? Not so much. Not so perfectly. Our breaks show if you squint too hard at them.”

Not too long ago, my grandmother was spat on for being dark but beautiful, for being a woman and beautiful, for being catholic, for knowing a language other than English, for being impossibly, assuredly herself.

And she ran away from a life of poverty once.

And she ran away again. And again.

“But I could never run from God,” she tells me. “Not once. And let me tell you, he forgives better than your children will.”

This is true and not true. This grandmother sits in a lounge chair, holding court over the summer family reunions and pool parties, munching on Pringles straight from the can, commenting on the food people bring to her on plates because her legs have swollen too much from heart disease and other things to hold her up too well, grilled tomatoes and bread and sardines. She seems to like the Pringles best, but she eats it all and never says thank you.

It drives my mother crazy, but she’s busy gossiping with the aunts so it doesn’t matter. It’s just my Avó and me.

And she tells me, “You’re different because you don’t fit in.”

And my little girl heart chips into pieces, a broken ceramic swan on the floor. I stare at the ground, at my naked feet my Aunt Mary Jean’s backyard grass.

A Pringle comes into my sightline and wiggles. An offering.

She says, “That’s not bad. When you don’t fit in, it’s hard, but you can touch people, you can touch people’s souls. Your otherness makes you strong. It made me strong.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s my job to give you advice.”

“No. Thank you for the Pringles.” I pause. “You’re supposed to say thank you when people give you stuff.”

“You mean me?”

“Yes. I mean you.”

She laughs. Her whole body shakes with it.

“What I like about you is that you don’t try to make me like you,” she says once she stops laughing. “I am going to tell you something. When I was little we had the Feast of the Holy Ghost and we would offer up sweet bread to the church, right? And I would look for the candy vendor.” She sighs and watches the cousins, all older than me, dark hair and skin, brown eyed and greens. “When my John, your father, was young, people would call him the N-word. He was so dark in the summer. Back then you were white or not white according to the whites, and you were only white if you weren’t like us.”

“So different.”

“Yes.”

“Mom says difference makes you strong? You said otherness.” I ask this because I am kid who pays attention.

“It made me me, whatever you want to call it,” she says, which is probably the only true answer there can be about things like this, things that form you and shape you. How do you know if something made you stronger if you never had the privilege of not suffering through it? How do you know that you wouldn’t be stronger if you didn’t have to endure hate, or oppression, or a million other traumas that a person can undergo in so many ways?

“You want to go in the pool? Play with the cousins?” she asks me, taking my hand even though it is salty from Pringles.

I look over there at the older cousins, confident, laughing, football stars and beauty queens, confident and free and wild. I sat there with her, both of us a little round, both of us a little awkward, and I squeezed her hand.

“No,” I tell her. “I think I’ll stay with you.”

WRITING NEWS

I’m heading to Montreal this week and then, Freeport, Sept. 28 and then Houston and Virginia Beach pretty soon to promote my picture book biography of Moe Berg. It’s called The Spy Who Played Baseball.

ENHANCED, the follow-up to FLYINGis here! And it’s out of this world.

Flying

The last TIME STOPPERS BOOKis out and I love it. You should buy it.

How to Get Signed Copies:

If you would like to purchase signed copies of my books, you can do so through the awesome Sherman’s Book Store in Bar Harbor, Maine or the amazing Briar Patch. The books are also available online at places like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

For signed copies – email [email protected] for Sherman’s or email [email protected] let them know the titles in which you are interested. There’s sometimes a waiting list, but they are the best option. Plus, you’re supporting an adorable local bookstore run by some really wonderful humans. But here’s the Amazon link, too!

Art Stuff

You can buy prints of my art here. Thank you so much for supporting my books and me. I hope you have an amazing day.

I’ll Stay With You One of my many grandmothers liked to tell stories. It’s the catholic one, Portuguese, Avó. And her stories never really had cohesion.

#avo #difference #family #grandmother #marshamallowfluff #othering #otherness #portuguese #pringles

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sisters-of-the-storm · 6 years

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Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to announce that after a long and tiresome parade of delays, setbacks, and assorted other aggravations, I can now announce that the Death Queens have arrived! Book 3 of the Sisters of the Storm saga, The Eighth Hell, is now available on Kindle! Follow the link and get your copy today!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CYK5H9H/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1525904924&sr=1-1

It will also be available on Barnes and Noble Nook, I just have a few formatting issues to iron out.

#eighth hell #sisters of the storm #warrior women #witch #strong women #sword and sorcery #fantasy

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strangehoot · 3 years

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New Post has been published on Strange Hoot - How To’s, Reviews, Comparisons, Top 10s, & Tech Guide

New Post has been published on https://strangehoot.com/how-to-use-free-google-play-points-buy-free-stuffs/

How to Use Free Google Play Points & Buy Free Stuffs

Google Play Points

They are basically prizes for buying content from the Google Play Store. These points can be redeemed for coupons, in-app transactions, or Google Play Credits.

It’s available for anyone who wants to register with Play Points. With Google Play Points, one can earn points for anything they purchase from Google Play, including in-app products, videos, magazines, subscription, and more.

One can also get Google Play Points by downloading the free software and games included. Google Play Points has four stages, ranging from Bronze to Platinum. One’s levels are based on how many points they have earned, and additional tiers of incentives like once a week giveaways.

For any penny / dollar you spend, you get a point. 1 point for a purchase of 1 dollar. Once you reach a threshold of your points in a year, you will be eligible for the next level with more benefits.

Levels and Credits

Following are the levels and the benefits of each level you get when you earn Google Play Points.

LevelBenefitsBronzeBuy for dollar 1, get 1 point Earn points upto 4 times in games Earn points upto 2 times in bookingsSilver – Changes from Bronze to Silver when 150+ points in walletBuy for dollar 1, get 1.1 point(s) Earn points upto 4 times in games Earn points upto 3 times in bookingsGold – Changes from Silver to Gold when 600+ points in walletBuy for dollar 1, get 1.2 point(s) Earn points upto 4 times in games Earn points upto 4 times in bookingsPlatinum – Changes from Gold to Platinum when 3000+ points in walletBuy for dollar 1, get 1.4 point(s) Earn points upto 4 times in games Earn points upto 5 times in bookings

How to use Free Google Play Points [step-by-step guide]

You can use the app as well as the Web version. You will see the option within certain geographies to access Google Play Points.

Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Japan and the USA are the countries that have the option in Google Play Store app as below.

Open Google Play Store app, tap 3-horizontal lines icon.

You will see the below.

Open Play Points menu.

Click the button shown with Arrow in the image above.

Add a payment method and start your shopping from the Play Store.

Once you have shopped, your points will be collected.

Go to the Play Point menu. You will see the below.

To redeem the points, go to Use.

You can use it with the following options.

Buy Google Play Credits

Buy in-app stuff – you will see the list of apps that support Google Play Points.

Support a cause – you can do charity. Select causes to support under the Earn option.

9 Apps to get Google Play Credits for free

There are a lot of apps that will help you collect Google Play credits. Below is a list of few.

Microsoft Rewards

The Bing Rewards scheme, introduced by Microsoft in 2010, rewards people for using Bing, its search engine. Users will continue to receive Google Play credits by using either system as long as they are signed on to their Bing account.

In this app, the more credits are available you are at higher-level. One way to reclaim your Google Play points is to select an Amazon Gift Card, which you will then swap for your variety of gift cards, like Google Play, on the website.

AppNana

A similar format is also adopted by this great rewards app for both Android and iOS users. By playing games using this app, users get awarded with Nana points.

Users can easily have them redeemed for free Google Play credit. The users need to have sufficient Nanas (points) to use their credit.

FeaturePoints

This rewards programme, which is available for both Android and Apple users, is all about checking out various free applications for just a minute and collecting points for your effort. Refer a friend feature allows you to earn 50% of your referee’s points.

These points can now be exchanged for a variety of rewards, including paid games, iTunes, Amazon, Starbucks, PayPal cash, and of course, to win gift cards from Google Play.

Gift Card Granny

This is an e-commerce portal of discounted gift cards available by sellers. The sellers include Barnes & Noble, Google Play and Costco among many others.

Customers can also sign up for a Gift Card Granny account and enjoy additional Google Play gift credits and also other alternative rewards and gift cards.

Gameflip

This is an online selling web portal where you get the discounted Google Play Gift Cards with great deals.

For ultimate convenience, this platform also provides the assurance of a Gameflip Pledge, where users can purchase their discounted Google Play Gift Cards or get money for free.

Google Opinion Rewards

If one likes taking part in online surveys, this is one of the best ways to earn Google Play credits for free. All you need to do is to sign up for an account, complete surveys, and earn credit once finished. The credits users receive will be added to their Google Play account immediately.

TapCash Rewards

Link the TapCash Rewards with your facebook account, refer a friend to connect their FB accounts with TapCash Rewards, you earn Google Play credits.

InstaGC

On this platform, users stand to earn points for activities they may already do such as watching a video, online shopping, online assessments, and browsing the Internet.

Points are electronically shipped to their account and can be exchanged for a choice of over 350 gift cards, including Google Play Credit.

FreeMyApps

This app is similar to TapCash Rewards. Sign in this app using your Facebook account. Use the app to watch YouTube videos and earn gift cards.

We have seen a list of apps that allows you to collect Google Play Points and redeem the points on offers. But, it is necessary to avoid cyber scams and protect finances.

Security – Avoid scams [Google Play credit]

Here are some of the forms that scammers threaten consumer finances by requesting payment via Google Play Gift Card:

Scammer will call you asking you to collect debts, tax payment or anything that is from the Government. They will inform you to pay via Gift cards.

Scammer will create stories as a family member staying apart is in trouble or he/she will identify himself/herself as a friend of a family person and ask you to pay to their claim. They will try to steal your Gift Card codes by any means from you.

To avoid such situations for scams:

Use Google Play gift cards only to buy or shop on Google Play. Never try to make payment for any government related claims or taxes or tickets.

Do not share Gift Card code with any stranger who calls you and identifies oneself as a friend or relative.

Do not get trapped by any stories that you get from unknown calls and try to get information from you.

Can I convert Google Play credits to cash?

Google’s award points are intended to be used in Google Play Store just for the buying of books, movies, music, and so on. If users observe, there should be an option below their credit that says they spent their play credit, which will recover to play the store directly.

There is no successful technique for converting one’s google play balance to cash. People can’t withdraw any of the amount of their Google Play Credit balance.

Read: How to Check Connected Application of Google Account

#Google Play #Google Play Points

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botanyshitposts · 7 years

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Gagliano is also the one who led the experiment that showed that corn plants "talk" to each other by emitting sounds at specific frequencies, influencing each other's growth

ok i was like woah are you kidding me??? so i went to her google scholar page and dude.

every. single. plant paper. is badass. bc shes badass.

to give an overview: this is Dr. Monica Gagliano, a research associate professor at the University of Western Australia. this is her (pic from an article about her research published in australian geographic. this is her with a colleague, shes on the right):

she technically got her bachelor’s, master’s, and phd in marine ecology and fishery science, but she’s also done some super hardcore awesome badass work on plant cognition. idk man i just got so excited when i saw her google scholar page that i just straight up had to just copy and paste all of her plant papers on this ask from her staff profile here. pls look at these amazing plont things she did/is doing (again, I did NOT put together this list, just kinda. copied and pasted it for ref and sharing and then edited it a little to make it tungle friendly)

STUFF SHES PUBLISHED SO FAR:

PLANT COGNITION (including perception, learning & memory, choice behaviour & decision-making, consciousness and more)

-Gagliano M (2017) The mind of plants: thinking the unthinkable. Communicative and Integrative Biology e1288333. Available here -Gagliano M, Vyazovskiy VV, Borbély AA, Grimonprez M & M Depczynski (2016) Learning by association in plants. Scientific Reports 6: 38427. Freely available here with video abstract here-Gagliano M & M Grimonprez (2015) Breaking the silence – language and the making of meaning in plants. Ecopsychology 7: 143-152. Freely available here-Pelizzon A & M Gagliano (2015) The sentience of plants: animal rights and rights of nature intersecting? Australian Animal Protection Law Journal 11: 5-13. (NOTE: found the full text available here if your interested in the question “should plants have rights as sentient creatures”, although it wasn’t included on her page)-Gagliano M (2015) In a green frame of mind: perspectives on the behavioural ecology and cognitive nature of plants. AoB Plants. Freely available here -Gagliano M & M Marder (2015) Plants can learn: it’s a no-brainer! LA Review Books Blog. Published March 2015 and freely available here -Gagliano M, Renton M, Depczynski M & S Mancuso (2014) Experience teaches plants to learn faster and forget slower in environments where it matters. Oecologia 175:63-72. (DOI 10.1007/s00442-013-2873-7) (NOTE: couldn’t find this one for free, although you could try it with the couple journal unlocking sites on my resource page if you’re really determined)-Gagliano M & M Marder (2014) What Plant Revolution would you opt for? LA Review Books Blog. Published November 2014 and available here -Gagliano M (2013) Seeing green: the re-discovery of plants and Nature’s wisdom. Societies 3 (1): 147-157. In the special issue ‘Rethinking the Vegetal: Emerging Perspectives on Plants and Society’ and available here -Gagliano M (2013) Persons as Plants: Ecopsychology and the Return to the Dream of Nature. Landscapes: the Journal of the International Centre for Landscape and Language 5(2):1-11. In the special issue on ‘Ecological Creativity’ and available here -BOOK - The Green Thread: Dialogue with the Vegetal World. Edited by P Vieira, M Gagliano and J Ryan. Lexignton Books 2015: This book is an interdisciplinary collection of essays in the emerging field of Plant Studies. What unites the contributions to the collection is the principle that the re-imagining of the green world involves the re-conceptualization of plants as active agents in social and cultural environments

(NOTE: the above book is available for purchase, but is priced at the crazy ass textbook price we all know and love. it’s here on amazon if you want to shop around tho)

PLANT COMMUNICATION (including behaviour, acoustic signalling, language & meaning, and more)

ok guys this is what she says about this research on her page, which is what @verdanturf is referring to here: Plant bioacoustics is a newly-emerged field of plant communication. Plants produce sound waves in the lower end of the audio range as well as an overabundance of ultrasonic sounds. By capturing the signals emitted by plants under different environmental conditions, I am exploring the ecological significance of these sounds to communication among plants and between plants and other organisms.

*heavy breathing*

anyway, so the papers she’s written in this research:

-Gagliano M, Grimonprez M, Depczynski M & M Renton (2017) Tuned in: plant roots use sound to locate water. Oecologia (in press) OnlineFirst, article here video here -Gagliano M & M Renton (2013) Love thy neighbour: facilitation through an alternative signalling modality in plants. BMC Ecology 13:19. Freely available here -Gagliano M (2013) Green symphonies: a call for studies on acoustic communication in plants. Behavioral Ecology 24(4): 789-796. Freely available here

-Gagliano M (2013) The flowering of plant bioacoustics: how and why. Behavioral Ecology 24 (4): 800-801. Freely available here -Marder M & M Gagliano (2013) How do plants sound? Columbia University Press Blog. Published June 2013 and available here -Gagliano M, Renton M, Duvdevani N, Timmins M & S Mancuso (2012) Acoustic and magnetic communication in plants: is it possible? Plant Signalling and Behavior 7: 1346-1348. (NOTE: found here, although not listed on her page)-Gagliano M, Renton M, Duvdevani N, Timmins M & S Mancuso (2012) Out of sight but not out of mind: alternative means of communication in plants. PLoS ONE 7(5), e37382. Freely available here

-Gagliano M, Mancuso S & D Robert (2012) Towards understanding plant bioacoustics. Trends in Plant Science 17: 323–32 (NOTE: full PDF can be viewed here, although not available on her page!!! it’s a shorter one at 3 pages)-Gagliano M (2012) Green Symphonies. Australasian Science. Published September 2012 (NOTE: not on her page, but pdf is here!!)-Gagliano M (2012) Heard it on the grapevine: the mysterious chatter of plants. The Conversation. Published 12 April 2012 and available here-BOOK - The Language of Plants: Science, Philosophy and Literature. Edited by M Gagliano, J Ryan and P Vieira. U of MN Press (June) 2017: This book commences a dialogue between philosophy, science, literature and cinema dealing with plants. The aim of the edited collection is to develop a better understanding of plant life through critical awareness, conceptual rigor, and interdisciplinary thinking. Envisioned as a ground-breaking work that will bridge a number of fields, The Language of Plants will (1) allot to literature, cinema and the arts a special role in the integration of the scientific and philosophical research on plants at the experiential level, (2) promote the freedom of imagination necessary for the rethinking of vegetal life and, thereby, (3) inspire further philosophical and scientific investigations. The book will not only seek to consolidate the nascent paradigm shift in the human conceptualisation of vegetation, but it will also join ongoing discussions of plant ethics.

(she neglected to update this; the above book on plant language and is now out and available for purchase by the public!!! here’s the barnes and noble link, I’m sure you can find it for cheaper somewhere else tho. it has 281 reviews and 4.5 out of 5 stars, and came out in June of this year.)

just like……… GOD shes so cool. again, her google scholar is here and her university research page is here.

#I LOVE HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!#I ASPIRE TO BE HER BC HONESTLY ROLE MODEL #botanists #Monica Gagliano #also btw she speaks 3 languages (not including plont) bc of course she does #queue #asks #plont asks #did anyone get my joke about the tree in the pic being a colleague bc i thought i was super funny there #verdanturf #long post

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theremightbecupcakespodcast · 4 years

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Social Distancing Self-Care: Links

Being chronically ill, I am used to being at home for days and even weeks on end. But I know most of my listeners are not. The only change for me right now is that my doctors’ appointments and physical therapy appointments are being canceled, which does also mean not writing at Starbucks or Barnes and Noble. My anxiety, of course, is heightened by everything that is going on, but the actual social distancing aspect is normal life for me. I know most of you are feeling cabin fever (which is a great movie, by the way, and about a virus–more about using horror to safely experience real-life fears in the next episode), coming right up. My love goes out to you guys. As I wrote on the Facebook page, in the Facebook group, and in the Goodreads group:

I have such empathy and love for all of you. Being forced to stay home and act like the world might make you sick…I know how scary and uncomfortable it is. Please take a moment and sit in empathy, as you struggle with your new reality of social distancing. This is how I have been living for the last six years. Not as strictly. But still the same. Some weeks I only go out of the house for my therapy appointment and a coffee afterwards. Know that when I say this, I am remembering my first days and weeks home from work, and the first days and weeks after each new diagnosis, and how very difficult they were. I am so sorry; I don’t want anyone else to feel this way. I promise the cabin fever goes away. Take very good care of yourself and each other, see this as an opportunity. That’s the lesson it has taken me years to learn.

So I am working on the above-mentioned episode, and other future episodes, and also working on intense self-care. This self-care includes distracting myself with creativity and fascinating media I have been meaning to consume. I thought I’d share some of that media with you, in order to inspire and encourage you. Share some of your own in the comments, or wherever you post your own thoughts. Feel free to promote those links in the comments as well for my listeners.

Letterboxd: Carol Kane’s movies

A horror movie I’ve never heard of! And it looks terrifying. The Mafu Cage (1978), directed by Karen Arthur. It stars Carol Kane and Lee Grant (The Omen), and I can’t wait to watch it. It looks like true 1970’s horror grittiness mixed with the likes of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane and The Bad Seed: psychological horror movies where it really comes down to the interpersonal relationship between two people who may not be sane. And a la Clive Barker’s Lord of Illusions, horror of horrors, there’s a simian involved. Those Illusions scenes, short as they are, nearly do me in.

A terrifying love story.

Two strange sisters live in a crumbling mansion, where they keep a pet ape, which belonged to their late father, locked in a cage. While one of the sisters seems to be keeping her head on straight, as it were, the other appears to be sinking further and further into barbarism and insanity.

For lighter fare, and a good laugh, here’s a horror spoof I found: Pandemonium (1982):

Tom Smothers (of the Smothers Brothers) stars as the brave mountie, who along with his trusty horse and bitter deputy Paul Reubens (Pee Wee Herman!) must track down a killer who is stalking coeds at a nearby cheerleader camp.

Also stars Carol Kane, Edie McClurg (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Carrie), Judge Reinhold (Fast Times at Ridgemont High), Phil Hartman (Kiki’s Delivery’s Service, How I Got Into College), Eileen Brennan (Clue), Donald O’Connor (Singing in the Rain), and Tab Hunter (Damn Yankees, Grease 2). I am definitely going to seek this out, and will report back. I’m not normally a fan of horror comedy, but this looks so cute and funny. And Carol Kane! Letterboxd, Amazon (not currently available, but you can add it to your watchlist to let Amazon know you want to watch it). Just knowing this exists makes me feel better.

A spoof of camp horror movies with Canadian mounties thrown in. Yes.

Then there’s Trees Lounge: Steve Buscemi, Carol Kane, Chloe Sevigny, Samuel L. Jackson, Debi Mazar, Io Tillet Wright. Directed by Steve Buscemi. What the what. How did this get past me?!

Tommy has lost his job, his love and his life. He lives in a small apartment above the Trees Lounge, a bar which he frequents along with a few other regulars without lives. He gets a job driving an ice cream truck and ends up getting involved with the seventeen-year-old niece of his ex-girlfriend. This gets him into serious trouble with her father.

One of my Letterboxd friends called this “Cheers without the happy”. I cannot wait to see this./> Letterboxd, Amazon

These are the movies written by my friend Eric Garcia–I met Eric at Yale Summer School 1989, between our junior and senior years of high school–he was taking Drama, I was taking Psychology, and Gender and Political Science; we initially bonded over our similar sense of humors and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (oh oh whoa whoa whoa whoa): Letterboxd:

Matchstick Men (2003): Nicholas Cage, Sam Rockwell, Jenny O’Hara:

A phobic con artist and his protege are on the verge of pulling off a lucrative swindle when the con artist’s teenage daughter arrives unexpectedly.

(the novel: Matchstick Men: A Novel About Grifters with Issues)

Repo Men (2010): Jude Law, Forest Whitaker:

In the future, medical technology has advanced to the point where people can buy artificial organs to extend their lives. But if they default on payments, an organization known as the Union sends agents to repossess the organs.

(the novel)

Strange But True (2019): Greg Kinnear, Blythe Danner:

A woman surprises the family of her deceased boyfriend by telling them she’s pregnant with his child.

Yes, “Matchstick Men”, if you are my age, that should induce a half-remembered earmworm…

…inspired by the Camper Van Beethoven song, since we’re entertaining ourselves here. And guess what, o happy of happies? Ozzy Ozbourne covered it, with Type O Negative. Have fun!

As always, to follow what I am watching, here’s my Letterboxd diary. Feel free to follow me on there, and I will follow you back.

As for books…I just finished Ronan Farrow’s Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators. I will never give NBC any of my time nor money again. Also, excuse some brief vulgarity and anger, which is rare for me: fuck Matt Lauer, fuck Lester Holt for being an enabler and minimizer for Matt Lauer, fuck the legal team and highest management at NBC and MSNBC, and fuck Harvey Weinstein and everyone that helped, enabled and ignored him. I say all this as an aghast survivor and an aghast human. About Matt Lauer: that softpedal they gave us, with Savannah Guthrie crying that morning of his firing, reading a statement about “harassment” and “inappropriate work environment”, it was farthest from the truth. Matt Lauer is a violent rapist, and know that going into reading this book. It’s explicit, and much more that you will ever expect. Also, Weinstein is much, much worse than you even knew.

In better news, I posted about this book and how it helped me, and Rose McGowan posted a comment of solidarity on my Instagram post. I cried, and I cry every time I think about it, tears of happiness and healing.

So, while we’re at it: Letterboxd: Rose McGowan’s movies

Rose McGowan: Instagram

Rose McGowan Arts: Instagram: her photography and videography art

Her book Brave is next on my list. According to Letterboxd, there’s an accompanying documentary in the works, about which I am very excited.

If you are into true crime, and i know many of you are, here’s the list of recent 5-stars I finished, including those by my talented friend Caitlin Rother:

Lost Girls * Caitlin Rother

I’ll Take Care of You * Caitlin Rother

My Daddy Is a Hero: How Chris Watts Went From Family Man to Family Killer * Lena Derhally (deep dive into this case by a therapist–the whole second half of the book is a thoughtful, intellectual examination of what might be wrong with Chris Watts)

Scarred: The True Story of How I escaped NXIVM, the Cult That Bound My Life * Sarah Edmondson with Kristine Gasbarre (narrated by Sarah, and the audiobook was directed by Kate Winslet)

The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper * Hallie Rubenhold (more history than true crime, incredibly moving and marvelous detective work)

My long-suffering library hold for Madeline Miller‘s Circe finally came through, and I am beyond excited. I loved her gorgeous Song of Achilles so very much. It was so luscious in its imagery and relationship, and its retelling of myth.

I am also reading, on my Kindle, His Garden, Conversations with a Serial Killer, by Anne K. Howard, about William Devin Howell. I’m listening to The Wild Heart of Stevie Nicks written and narrated by Rob Sheffield, the author of the thought-full and moving journal of essays Love Is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song At a Time. It’s only two hours long but it’s taking me forever because I keep having to pause it to listen to her music.

I’m also knitting a blanket for Wil Wheaton. It all came about from an Instagram conversation about coziness and Muppets last year. There’s been a reboot of this blanket; I won’t bore you with the details and carnage…suffice it to say I won’t be using chenille yarn ever again. I’ll follow up here and on Instagram with new photos. The concept is a warm Muppet hug, and the base pattern is the Elm Avenue Throw Blanket by Lauren Scungio. (Feel free to follow me at Ravelry, my user name is CarlaYarn.)

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Rebooting @itswilwheaton’s Muppet hug blanket. Why? It’s a long story involving many struggles, ending with the strong resolution that I will never knit with chenille again. Stitches kept gapping and stretching; it was a crime scene. Anyway! Revamped, and the end result is going to be much more joyous and colorful, and durable. I chose colors of @knitpicks Brava that corresponded to 19079’s old-school Muppets, including overlooked intrepid reported Prairie Dawn. The Muppets are Big Bird, Bert, Ernie, Cookie, Prairie, Kermit and Herry. The original yarn retained from the original plan is the fuzzy one—the Caron Latte Cakes—it adds the furry aspect as a carry-along. The pattern is the same: the Elm Avenue Throw Blanket by #laurenscungio and #loopsandthreads. I’ve making it on larger needles than called-for for extra squish. Wil, I hope this brings you and @annewheaton much coziness and comfort. Now that I have worked out the frustration (and my health is cooperating), this blanket should be “Movin’ Right Along”. If anyone wants to follow along or check it out. I made the project public on Ravelry at https://ravel.me/CarlaYarn/eatb. #knitpicks #knitpicksbrava #caronyarn #caronlattecakes #muppets #knitting #wip #ravelry #sesamestreet #prairiedawn #bertandernie #cookiemonster #bigbird #herrymonster #knittersofinstagram #knittersofravelry #knitstagram #knitting_is_love #knitlove

A post shared by Carla Hufstedler (@carlahaunted) on Mar 18, 2020 at 9:14am PDT

I shall return with, of course, the aforementioned podcast episode, and more links, more suggestions, and more photos, especially photos of the knitting. I hope this long collection has helped–I spent all afternoon aggregating it. As always, any of the books mentioned can be collected for free with a trial membership from Audible, which helps me out, through this link: http://audibletrial.com/mightbecupcakes. As well, using any of the links in this or any post on the site helps me out. Our family budget is on lockdown. You know I still do not receive disability, and now my husband cannot go out to work. So your clicks and purchases really help, thank you so much. I will also be uploading more scripts to the show’s Patreon, and updating the Patreon levels. Please consider joining, and thank you. If you are not a fan of Patreon, you can also leave me a tip at Flattr. Episode 59 is on its way. I love you, and I hope you find something in this post fun.

To leave this on the most possible fun note, puppies must be involved, right? Well, my parents have three dogs (to my two), and the youngest, still a puppy, is Olivia Benson, and she is a very rare full hermaphrodite. She is cute as as a button as well as fascinating (her vet is going to publish a paper on her). We (meaning me, prompted by my parents via text message as they send over pictures as well) have been chronicling her journey on Instagram at @oliviathespecialpug. Give her a follow. She’s cute and sassy and ridiculously smart. Her older brothers Spencer Reid the pug and Preston the long-haired dachshund show up occasionally as well, and they’re all just stinkin’ adorable. I’ll leave you with her most recent shots. This first one was from Sunday, I was watching 48 Meters Down: Unchanged (I know, I know, here’s my review), and she was falling asleep with her arm on my shoulder, like a human, then there were birdies! She pointed at the tv then looked at me with great confusion then pointed again. The next one was from her spaying + neutering–yes, she had to have both, in a compound, complicated surgery, and she is stoned out of her gourd. I laugh every time I look at these. To me, she looks like a furry toad. I hope they make you laugh, too.

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I heard birdies in @carlahaunted’s horror movie and pointed. #pugstagram #puglife #puglifechoseme #hermaphrodite #olivia #oliviabenson #detoliviabenson #svu #lawandordersvu #oliviathepug #oliviabensonthepug #oliviathehermaphroditepug #puppiesofinstagram #pugsofinstagram #pugpuppies #pugpuppiesofinstagram #pugs #pugchronicles #flatnosesociety

A post shared by

Olivia Benson Pettigrew (@oliviathespecialpug) on Mar 15, 2020 at 7:54am PDT

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Teething pug = sleepy pug. #pugstagram #puglife #puglifechoseme #hermaphrodite #olivia #oliviabenson #detoliviabenson #svu #lawandordersvu #oliviathepug #oliviabensonthepug #oliviathehermaphroditepug #puppiesofinstagram #pugsofinstagram #pugpuppies #pugpuppiesofinstagram #pugs #pugchronicles #flatnosesociety

A post shared by

Olivia Benson Pettigrew (@oliviathespecialpug) on Mar 15, 2020 at 7:40am PDT

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I am recovering from my complicated neutering/spaying surgery nicely, but my first experience with pain meds has me very confused and doing a really good Baby Yoda impression. @carlahaunted was dogsitting me, and I kept standing up stiff legged suddenly, like I had forgotten something (Carla said it was like I had remembered I had locked my keys in my car) and then standing up on my back legs like a meerkat. I finally slept with a good, juicy pain meds + pug flatnose snore. I figured out how to untie my stuffed cone of shame. I am one clever puppy, even on pain medication. My big brothers are worried about me, but being very gentle and very well behaved. I can’t wait to play with them again. #Pugstagram #puglife #puglifechoseme #hermaphrodite #olivia #oliviabenson #detoliviabenson #svu #lawandordersvu #oliviathepug #oliviabensonthepug #oliviathehermaphroditepug #puppiesofinstagram #pugsofinstagram #pugpuppies #pugpuppiesofinstagram #pugs #pugchronicles #flatnosesociety

#babyyoda #babyyodapug #coneofshame

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Olivia Benson Pettigrew (@oliviathespecialpug) on Jan 23, 2020 at 10:27pm PST

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theonyxpath · 4 years

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Kind of a hold-over from last week’s talk about Justin Achilli, this week we start with one of the quotes from Tombstone that JA and I would lob at each other over the years – and check out this week’s Reason To Celebrate for why the movie comes to mind.

They’ve mentioned that Justin is the final member of the WoD team at Paradox, even if he may be pretty much still stuck here because of Covid-19, and if you want to, you can learn more about the person pulled into the WoD team before Justin by checking out this coming Friday’s Onyx Pathcast interview with Outstar, the WoD Brand Community Manager!

How Lewd.

Another daisy has been Jon Hodgson and his extremely talented crew at Handmade Games, who we’ve worked with on many pieces of art and on the creation of the newest Creature Collection for Scarred Lands. They ran the Kickstarter, as well, and did a fantastic job with the project!

Now that the Creature Collection is at our traditional printer – where we had to send it because our more expansive plans for printing and shipping in Europe were torpedoed by Covid-19 (I feel like there’s an underlying theme here) – Jon and team have handed off the project to us in its entirety to fulfill it and get the book into stores.

With that, we’re also making the PDF and the PoD versions available this week on DriveThru. So if you prefer to get a gorgeous collection of monsters usable for any 5e gaming, this is your week.

Contagion Chronicle art by Luis Sanz

I’m In My Prime!

Talking about ways we’re all getting through this pandemic, let’s start with quite the difference in our industry with GenCon going online and not live in Indianapolis. First time in something like 40+ years, at least, that there’s no physical con. But like ourselves, the GenCon crew have decided to run an online version filled with gaming and panels and interviews and all sorts of stuff.

Fresh from our more us-focused Onyx Path Virtual Gaming Convention last month, we are still representing at GenCon Online with a What’s Up With the Onyx Path? panel, as well as a bunch of our games. Check out details and links below in the Conventions section, and check out last week’s Onyx Pathcast, for the Terrific Trio’s talk about online gaming and more thoughts about our online con.

Lunars art by Gong Stysi

Keeping up our efforts to keep in closer contact with our developers during this time of isolation, we had another pair of Developer Town Halls last week, which seemed to go very well.

One thing that came up, which we are very aware of, is how hard it is to stay aware of the passage of time these days. Obviously, that has huuuuge impact on the projects folks are working on, as so much of freelance creation depends on creating a certain amount of X (X being words, or pages, or pieces of art, or whatever you’re creating) a day and a week and a month.

Luckily for all, Eddy Webb has spent over a decade exploring time-management techniques and processes, and while he has always been helpful for our creators on an ad hoc basis, he’s now going to run a developer work processes workshop for our devs instead of a Town Hall next month.

Our hope is that we can use this workshop to present a lot of tools and methods to heighten everyone’s ability to focus longer, faster, better.

And I almost lost my focus right there. I was just about to write “…focus longer, faster, better on our: Many Worlds, One Path!”. But I still have one more thing to mention!

More details in the Kickstarter section below, but I do want to announce that we’re going to start the Kickstarter for They Came From Beyond the Grave!, the second of the They Came From…! games, next week on Tuesday the 21st!

Phew! Glad I managed to get that mention in, and I’m expecting to go into a bunch more next week about the Hammer/Roger Corman Films genre of horror movies and why we’re very excited to be able to emulate that genre with Grave!. For an idea of how it plays, here’s the game we played at our online convention:

One more world to add to our:

Many Worlds, One Path!

Blurbs!

Kickstarter!

Next Up On Kickstarter: They Came From Beyond the Grave!

Next week on Tuesday the 21st at 2pm EDT, if we can pull it together! And keep your eyes open for:

Onyx Path Media!

This week: a fantastic interview with Outstar aka Martyna: Paradox‘s new World of Darkness Brand Community Developer, who’s renowned for her World of Darkness lore videos, and who also has a history in the video game industry, having worked on games like The Witcher 3!

As always, this Friday’s Onyx Pathcast will be on Podbean or your favorite podcast venue! https://onyxpathcast.podbean.com/

It’s an exciting time for the Twitch channel, as ahead of the Kickstarter, Vorpal Tales commence their They Came from Beyond the Grave! actual play!

This week on Twitch, expect to see:

V5 – Chicago by Night

They Came from Beyond the Grave!

Changeling: The Dreaming – The Last Faerie Tale

Mage: The Awakening – Occultists Anonymous

Scarred Lands – Purge of the Serpentholds

Chronicles of Darkness: Tooth & Claw

Deviant: The Renegades – A Cautionary Tale

Get watching for some fantastic insight into how to run these wonderful games and subscribe to us on Twitch, over at twitch.tv/theonyxpath

Come take a look at our YouTube channel, youtube.com/user/theonyxpath, where you can find a whole load of videos of actual plays, dissections of our games, and more, including:

Onyx Path News Live: https://youtu.be/5UHRO66VKi4

#OnyxPathCon | Onyx Pathcast Live [Panel]:https://youtu.be/XxNvUPUtC1o

#OnyxPathCon | Learn the Storypath System [Panel]:https://youtu.be/YOr-WIe4nuA

#OnyxPathCon | They Came from Beyond the Grave! Actual Play: https://youtu.be/qLEFXntIa3g

Changeling: The Lost – Littlebrook Reunion: https://youtu.be/aEVm_G1Dhzo

Subscribe to our channel and click the bell icon if you want to be notified whenever new news videos and uploads come online!

Occultists Anonymous continue their excellent Mage: The Awakening chronicle:

Episode 112: Buffs & Bluffs The cabal make preparations for two meetings, one with “Heidi” a leader of the Mammon Ministry, and “Tilly” who has been making threats on behalf of Mammon. Then, of course, come the meetings themselves… https://youtu.be/-rh4zUVwu4I

Episode 113: The Mammon Treatise Discussions continue with Tilly and the cabal, a Lictor is called forth to try to make the deal official in the Consilium’s Lex Magica. https://youtu.be/_MqJP2gXQUQ

Their most recent episode in on Creation and its history – https://anchor.fm/exaltcast/episodes/Trackless-Region-Navigation—What-is-Creation-eg2g9d

Get past episodes at http://www.exaltcast.com/

The Gamers Table is on board for a Promethean: The Created chronicle right here: https://anchor.fm/gamerstable/episodes/Polyabhorrent-Episode-4—Promethean-the-Created-Actual-Play-egeuvo/a-a2l9s6e Please give them your support!

Our very own Chris Allen runs a fantastic opening session of Werewolf: The Forsaken here and on Twitch: https://youtu.be/XTaTf7sxnLk Not too many eyeballs were lost!

They’re not alone with their Werewolf: The Forsaken actual play, as Dork Tales on Twitch is playing a chronicle of the same game! https://www.twitch.tv/dorktales

Our friends over at Near Dark Studios have just concluded their second season of V5 Chicago by Night, and you can find the entire playlist right here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhENuwZpsO7HXSuQ26MvX5uP-xqbYAwGG

Apparently it’s a week for Werewolf: The Forsaken, as Paleo Games is running their chronicle of doomed Uratha over here on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/paleo_gaming

Last one! Our good buddies at Vorpal Tales recently concluded their superb actual play of They Came from Beneath the Sea!, which you can find here on YouTube in full playlist form. Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9fUj4KdqE4Ayzfw1vrDtFY81E0uaNT2K

Please check these out and let us know if you find or produce any actual plays of our games! We’d love to feature you!

Electronic Gaming!

We’re told that the App Dev is currently creating an updated version for the latest devices, so keep an eye open for those!

On Amazon and Barnes & Noble!

You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle (from Amazon) and Nook (from Barnes & Noble).

Our selection includes these latest fiction books:

Our Sales Partners!

We’ve added Prince’s Gambit to our Studio2 catalog: https://studio2publishing.com/products/prince-s-gambit-card-game

Now, we’ve added Changeling: The Lost Second Edition products to Studio2‘s store! See them here: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/all-products/changeling-the-lost

Scion 2e books and other products are available now at Studio2: https://studio2publishing.com/blogs/new-releases/scion-second-edition-book-one-origin-now-available-at-your-local-retailer-or-online

Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Try this link! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Onyx-Path-Publishing/

As always, you can find Onyx Path’s titles at DriveThruRPG.com!

On Sale This Week!

This Wednesday, we uncage the Creature Collection for 5e Scarred Lands in PDF and PoD versions, both on DTRPG!

Conventions!

PAX Unplugged: https://unplugged.paxsite.com/

Keep an eye out for our games being run at the online version of GenCon at the end of the month, as well as our What’s Up With the Onyx Path? panel currently slated for 1pm, Thursday July 30th!

https://www.gencon.com/online/

And now, the new project status updates!

Development Status from Eddy Webb! (Projects in bold have changed status since last week.):

First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep.)

Exalted Essay Collection (Exalted)

Adversaries of the Righteous (Exalted 3rd Edition)

The Devoted Companion (Deviant: The Renegades)

Saints and Monsters (Scion 2nd Edition)

Trinity Continuum: Anima

M20 Technocracy Operative’s Dossier (Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary)

Squeaks In The Deep (Realms of Pugmire)

Prometheus Unbound (was Psi Orders) (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Redlines

Dragon-Blooded Novella #2 (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Hundred Devil’s Night Parade (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Novas Worldwide (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Exalted Essence Edition (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Wild Hunt (Scion 2nd Edition)

CtL 2e Novella Collection: Hollow Courts (Changeling: The Lost 2e)

Second Draft

Many-Faced Strangers – Lunars Companion (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Contagion Chronicle Ready-Made Characters (Chronicles of Darkness)

Trinity Continuum: Adventure! core (Trinity Continuum: Adventure!)

Dead Man’s Rust (Scarred Lands)

The Clades Companion (Deviant: The Renegades)

V5 Forbidden Religions (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

M20 Rich Bastard’s Guide To Magick (Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary)

V5 Children of the Blood (was The Faithful Undead) (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Dystopia Rising: Evolution Fiction Anthology (Dystopia Rising: Evolution)

Development

TC: Aberrant Reference Screen (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Across the Eight Directions (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Contagion Chronicle: Global Outbreaks (Chronicles of Darkness)

Exigents (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Assassins (Trinity Continuum Core)

V5 Trails of Ash and Bone (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Kith and Kin (Changeling: The Lost 2e)

Mission Statements (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Manuscript Approval

Crucible of Legends (Exalted 3rd Edition)

M20 Victorian Mage (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Under Alien Skies (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Post-Approval Development

Editing

Lunars Novella (Rosenberg) (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition core rulebook (Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition)

Player’s Guide to the Contagion Chronicle (Chronicles of Darkness)

Contagion Chronicle Jumpstart (Chronicles of Darkness)

TC: Aberrant Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Trinity Continuum Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum)

LARP Rules (Scion 2nd Edition)

Heirs to the Shogunate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

The Book of Lasting Death (Mummy: The Curse 2e)

They Came From Beyond the Grave! (They Came From!)

Scion: Dragon (Scion 2nd Edition)

Scion: Demigod (Scion 2nd Edition)

Dearly Bleak – Novella (Deviant: The Renegades)

N!ternational Wrestling Entertainment (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Post-Editing Development

City of the Towered Tombs (Cavaliers of Mars)

W20 Shattered Dreams Gift Cards (Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th)

Cults of the Blood Gods (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Hunter: The Vigil 2e core (Hunter: The Vigil 2nd Edition)

Trinity Continuum: Aberrant core (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Deviant: The Renegades (Deviant: The Renegades)

Monsters of the Deep (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

Legendlore core book (Legendlore)

Pirates of Pugmire KS-Added Adventure (Realms of Pugmire)

Tales of Aquatic Terror (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

Terra Firma (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

One Foot in the Grave Jumpstart (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2e)

Masks of the Mythos (Scion 2nd Edition)

Indexing

Lunars: Fangs At The Gate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Art Direction from Mike Chaney!

In Art Direction

Tales of Aquatic Terror – Off to LeBlanc.

WoD Ghost Hunters (KS) – KS prep also wrapped up.

Aberrant – AD’d. Meredith is helping with keeping track of all the artists.

Hunter: The Vigil 2e

Mummy 2

Deviant

Legendlore

Technocracy Reloaded (KS)

Cults of the Blood God – Rolling along.

Scion: Dragon (KS)

Masks of the Mythos (KS) – Getting the cover art going, interior pieces are coming in.

Scion: Demigod (KS) – KS art in progress.

They Came From Beyond the Grave! (KS) – Prepping KS assets.

TC: Adventure! (KS) – Shen Fei cover art finished by end of the month.

Geist: One Foot In the Grave – AD’d, art is rolling.

In Layout

Yugman’s Guide to Ghelspad

Vigil Watch

TC Aeon Terra Firma

V5 Let the Streets Run Red – continued working it.

Pugmire Adventure – small project, knocking the layout together.

Scion Titanomachy

Lunars Screen and Booklet

Contagion Chronicle Screen and Booklet

Proofing

Trinity Aeon Jumpstart – Errata input prep.

Lunars: Fangs at the Gate – Editing.

Contagion Chronicle – Errata input and press prep.

Cavaliers of Mars: City of the Towered Tombs

Magic Item Decks (Scarred Lands)

Yugman’s Guide Support Decks (Scarred Lands)

Dark Eras 2 Screen and booklet

Scion Companion – PoD proofs ordered.

At Press

TCFBTS Heroic Land Dwellers – PoD proof ordered.

TCFBTS Screen and Booklet – Files at press.

They Came from Beneath the Sea! – Press proofs signed off on, PoD proofs ordered.

Creature Collection 5e – PDF and PoD versions on sale on Wednesday.

Pirates of Pugmire – Files at press. PoD proofs ordered.

Pirates of Pugmire Screen – Files at press.

Pugmire Buried Bones – PoD proof ordered.

Changeling: The Lost 2nd Edition Dark Eras Compilation – Uploaded PoD file.

Today’s Reason to Celebrate!

Considered to be the day in 1882 that Johnny Ringo died, gunslinger, and model for many versions of this kind of gaming character: “A man like Ringo has got a great big hole, right in the middle of him. He can never kill enough, or steal enough, or inflict enough pain to ever fill it.” Of course, he was never a daisy.

#Onyx Path Publishing

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chicklitcafe · 4 years

Text

Book Marketing Tips – Increase Your Author Visibility – Sell More Books

Marketing Tips: After extensive research, trial, error, and long-time experience, Artisan Book Reviews has discovered the most effective ways to market your books, create an online presence, and connect authors with readers worldwide.

In this article, we provide authors with the very best ways, to implement immediately, to increase book sales, author visibility and build their brand and platform as a published author. Read on for great author and book marketing tips.

Create a Complete “Author Platform” Which Must Include:

Your author website

Your blog (have a separate page for your blog and blog regularly)

Your Amazon author page.

Your Goodreads author page.

Your social media presence and profiles. Place your social media icons with links to your social media profiles in a conspicuous, easy to find, spot on your website – near the top of the page, so readers can easily click on them, and connect with, and follow you.

Join as many book related sites as possible and create your author profile, such as Bookbub (google “book clubs” and “book sites” to find as many book related sites as possible.)

Google “free author interviews” to find sites that will allow you to do free author interviews with permanent links on their site. (Yes, they are out there)

If possible, have a book trailer made for all of your books and include them on your website.

Keep Your Website Up-to-Date, Visually Appealing and User Friendly

On your homepage, the first thing readers should see is your books for sale (leave out your synopsis on this page).Include a picture of your book covers with links to purchase your books that is large and visible. Also link your book cover pictures to your purchase site, as well(Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.)

If you have more than one book, put all of them on the home page. Readers can scroll down to each book and see your awesome covers and be motivated to purchase them. ALWAYS include your purchase link for readers to buy your book immediately.

You can also have a page titled something like “Books” or “Shop Books.” Many authors today are choosing to sell their books directly to readers from their website, rather than using Amazon. Either way, it is a great idea to have a “Shop Books” page where readers can buy your books either directly from you or from Amazon etc.

Your website domain name should be called your “author name,” not the title of your book or some other made up title. GoDaddy, NameCheap and BlueHost are all easy websites to buy your domain name. Your website designer and host can help you integrate your domain name to your website and get you all set up.

We recommend that you have your website professionally designed and that authors use wordpress.org not wordpress.com – for a more professional striking website.

That is our preference for many reasons including very important SEO purposes. Many people have the belief that having a professional create a website for them is expensive. While some website designers may be overly expensive, many are not and many are extremely affordable. Your website designer should be specific to designing themes for authors and displaying books. We highly recommend Ashley at Nose Graze. She has beautiful and amazing themes (something for every taste) that she will customize for you. She is the most affordable website designer and host that we have ever come across. She is always available to help with any technical issues and has awesome customer support. She has many themes to choose from, so when you visit her website, be sure to check it out closely clicking on each theme to see it’s variations. You may visit her site and contact Ashley by clicking here.

On your “Homepage,” be sure to have an email sign up box, so readers can subscribe to your website/blog and receive updates about your books, and your creative interesting blog posts. Use your website’s themes email sign up widget. Or you can utilize a paid Email service like Constant Contact or Mail Chimp in order to easily send out mass emails to your readers.

Be sure to use photos and graphics on your website in your blog section. Blog regularly. You can find blogging ideas by googling “blogging ideas for authors”

Have a separate “Author Bio” and page-make it fun, personal and interesting, be sure to add a picture of you or of your very best book cover.

On a separate page**,** show your book covers again, each should include your books synopsis and any good book reviews that you have received. Title your page “Books & Reviews”

Have a separate page for your blog. This is where you will write about your writing, life, books and other interesting topics. Your subscribers will receive your blog entries in their email box. That is why it is important to have an email signup box on your home page in the top right hand sidebar. Title your blog page “Blog.”

Don’t forget your “Contact Page,” so readers, publishers, industry professionals, etc. can contact you. Use the contact form that comes with your website’s theme.

Note: Do not bog your website/blog down with other authors books or reviews. This will distract from your own particular work and books. The only exception to this rule is if you are collaborating with another author, and sharing your books on one another’s sites.

Participate in Social Media Regularly – Marketing Tips

Social media is vital to gaining a following of readers that will look forward to hearing about and buying your books. You can have discussions with them about books and hook them on your books. Twitter , Facebook Instagram LinkedIn and Pinterest are all social media platforms which authors should promote themselves on.

Join book groups within the social media platform. Readers groups, writers groups and book clubs are great for promoting your books.

Create a Goodreads profile and be sure to include your book covers and all your information, including your website and social media links.

When using social media, don’t just promote your books. Include interesting, humorous and fun ways to engage with other users and readers. Post eye-appealing pictures to go along with your posts.

Have a Complete

Amazon Author Page

-Book Marketing Tips

A photo of you

Your full author bio

Add your website and social media links to your author bio, at the bottom of your bio.

Make sure that when readers click on your Amazon author profile that all of your books are listed in the horizontal list of your books.

For each individual book, each and every format must be on the same page for that one particular book. Very important.

Utilize the “Editorial Reviews” section for each separate book to highlight the best reviews with a blurb from each one. You can put blurbs from your paid reviews in this section.

Make sure to write down and save your Amazon login information, so you can access it to make changes as necessary.

Your

Goodreads

Author Page – Run Plenty of

Giveaways

Make sure your Goodreads author profile is update, with all of your books listed with their book covers. Don’s forget to include your website address on your Goodreads author profile page.

Give away as many signed “paperback” books as possible to get free book reviews.

Include a nice note when sending the paper back to the winner’s, kindly asking them to please leave Amazon and Goodreads reviews for your book.

Goodreads giveaways are vital to an author’s success

Reach Out to Book Clubs: Offer to Speak and Share about Your Book

Speak at local book clubs and associations, book stores and various businesses.

Gain notoriety locally.

Get as Many Great Reviews For Your Book as Possible

Excellent quality book reviews are vital to selling more books. Utilize free and paid reviewers to maximize your efforts and receive the best quality professional and marketable book reviews that will increase your book sales substantially. Always ask your book reviewer to kindly post their review on Amazon and Goodreads.

Enter as Many Book Award Contests that Are Available

This will help your author credibility substantially.

Display Your Awards on a separate page on your website entitled “Book Awards & Recognition’s.”

Google top book contests to find the top contests to enter.

Book Marketing & Promotion – Book Marketing Tips

Marketing and promoting your book is one of the most difficult parts of increasing your book sales and author visibility.

We recommend that authors should hire a book marketing professional to achieve the best results to substantially increase book sales, and connect with readers and the book industry professionals worldwide

To increase your book sales and author visibility., check out Artisan Book Reviews and Chick Lit Cafe, as well as Kids Lit Book Cafe for your children’s books. All have a large readership base with hundreds of thousands of followers across the board. They review and promote numerous books and authors of all genres. They utilize many readers and book related websites, book news magazines and media sites to market qualified authors books on. They will get your book out there, and it will be well worth the cost effective price. They get results. Be sure to read their author testimonials.

For a full list of where you can enter book contests, find free and paid book reviews, free author interviews, and find book marketers, please contact us through our “contact form” to request your free list of resources for authors.

Yes, creating an author platform takes time and work. But, in the end you will definitely reap the benefits by becoming visible as a published author, spotlighting yourself and your books and ultimately selling more.

Note: This article is for the sole purpose of helping authors to promote themselves and their books and to achieve success in their writing careers.

About the author:

Article Contributed by Ella James

Editor/Social Media and Book Marketing Specialist/Book Reviewer

USC Berkeley

Degree Field of Study: Marketing, Journalism, Business Management

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