Stone and Flesh was always going to be a darker flavor of epic fantasy. It's what I like, what can I say? Yet I was always reluctant to ascribe it the 'horror' or 'gothic horror' subgenre label. It took sitting back and considering the true definition of gothic literature for me to feel confident in my interpretation, because yes, Stone and Flesh has subtle – and not so subtle – gothic and gothic horror themes, and its sequel is going to get darker still.

I'm still decompressing from my launch last Sunday (and the humble party that accompanied it!). As the tension leaves my very bone marrow, I've had a chance to sit back and reflect on not only my process but the myriad of feelings conjured by moving through that process. So, not only will I be taking this opportunity to wax lyrical on the inevitable question of "How're you feeling?", but to attempt something of an assessment on what I feel has gone well, what I'd like to do differently, and what my hopes are for the future – both short-term and long-term.

I've been mulling over whether to tackle this. After all, folks far more intelligent and well-read have done so. But a recent Bluesky post by fellow indie Adam Bassett got a few of us talking about it – about when and where we, as creatives, choose to (or must) be silent on current events, especially when they coincide with personal moments of joy. While this has personal relevance for me as a writer on the cusp of a debut, I think it's also something we all face as human beings. 

Thank you to everyone who reached out about Molly, whom you'll recall required surgery. She went in yesterday and everything went well! She's now home recovering, and the biggest challenge is getting her to stay still. But Mark and I aren't the only nurses -- she has two siblings to keep her company, especially as our weather down here gets colder (relatively-speaking). I've mentioned them in my 'About Me', but I thought I'd take a little time to introduce them while we're on the subject of pets.

In this entry, at the base camp of the climb toward the summit of the holidays, I want to expound on my "Indie Manifesto". I'll be talking about the dilemma of ethical consumption under capitalism, giving an insight into my personal printing costs, and offering some compromises we can all keep in mind over spend-heavy months. I hope it'll give you some food for thought.

One of my oldest guiding principles through my life has been "It may work, but does it suit?", and recently I've had reason to remember it. My newsletter subscribers already know this, but in case the news didn't reach you yet, not long after I announced the pre-launch page for my Kickstarter campaign was live, it became clear that something wasn't adding up – both practically and spiritually.