Sometimes changes need to be made to the cover after the colour is done. We try to catch as many as we can with the sketch, but the colour adds so much detail that didn’t always pop up in the sketch. In the case of Faymous, there were seven differences between the first colour and the final cover. Can you spot them all? Don’t scroll down until you’re ready for the answer.
Every book utilizes tropes, even if it’s to subvert them, and Faymous is no exception. This book covers: roadtrip tropes, Young Adult, music & riddles, portal fantasy, Hidden magical world, Dual POV, No angst romance, and magical shenanigans.
Hello Family, Friends, and Fans;
What a weekend…. On Thursday night we discovered that Dragon had lice. Then we discovered that the rest of us did. We shampooed them with the special Nix stuff and the rest of the weekend was bagging, cleaning, and countless checks for eggs or bugs. I’m exhausted just thinking about it. I hope we got all the little fuckers. I do not want to do that again.
Other things that happened: Hot water heater died, I switched pills for migraines, and on Sunday I took my nighttime pills in the morning. I was so sleepy. Sigh.
In order to avoid adding more frustration to the whole affair, I cut my hair. Looking for bugs or eggs in blond and white hair that’s curly: not fun. I’m having mild dysphoric seeing my reflection. It doesn’t look like me.
Jen also cut her hair, less drastically. She has an undercut that removed about a third of her hair.
We emailed the school and their teachers but haven’t heard anything. sigh.
This is your reminder to check your kids hair regularly.
We’re all through the laundry and the kids seem okay. The box of Nix says they’ll be protected for 10 days but we’ll check them in case on Saturday.
All of this work and other than the bugs, I feel like my house is less clean then when we started. I made me think of Ozymandias and the poem by Percy Shelley.
It made me think of my own life’s work. All my writing and small footprint on history. Will I be remembered in 10 years? 20? 100? or will I end up just another pile of lost stories? Or will some part of me survive through my work?
I don’t know and that scares me.
On that happy note, don’t forget that reorders are available for Jen and I’s new book:
Stay safe and be kind,
Éric
Did you know that we have a book coming out in a little over a month?
It’s called Faymous, and we wrote it way back in 2022. Time to shine!!
Hello Readers,
We have two pieces of news!
First, both Jen and I are featured in the first volume of The Siren’s Song Anthology. Inside you’ll find stories from Baker, Westmeath, and everything in between.
The second piece of news is that we’ve signed a contract with River City Siren Press for Faymous. This is a spinoff of both The Gates of Westmeath and Elizabeth Investigates. It’s a story about two teens that wake up in the Fay Realms and the adventures they find there. Cover to come!
Stay safe and be kind,
Éric
Hello Friends, Family, and Fans;
Have you ever started a movie, and five minutes into it, you realize you’re really not in the mood? Now imagine if that movie was going to take you months to watch… That’s kind of how writing can be. I have more ideas than time and I should be done the fifth Elizabeth by now, but I’m stuck at chapter 4.
I don’t even have a good reason; I just can’t seem to motivate myself. I love the characters and I want to see what happens, but I’m having trouble writing without a deadline. Jen has spoiled me. When we write together, I feel the pressure of a deadline without the stress. It makes writing solo a lot harder.
A shiny new idea is always hard to resist.
In that vein, here is a short list of ideas I’ve had recently that I’m aching to work on:
Short murder mysteries following Pieper the burnt-out web developer who takes over her recently deceased Grannie’s Pie shop. There will be murder, a grumpy slow-burn romance (at least 4 books), a ghost, and magical shenanigans.
Follow the adventures of Elizabeth Coderre at thirty+ as she comes to terms with being the Guardian of Chaos and what it means. With the power to travel the “back rooms” and a world that is still hostile to the magical community, she needs to not only discover her place in the universe but will need to save it too.
This would be a sequel series to the Baker City Mysteries
Thomas, a father of 2, returns to work for the Federal Purse of Canada in January 2020. Being away from his kids is hard but the free coffee is nice. Until the government loses an election and suddenly there’s no free coffee. He’s missing the focus it gives him, but his coworkers are having a really hard time and they’re starting to freak out a little. When someone brings COVID into the office, the withdrawal mutates into a full on Zombie apocalypse. Then the zombies start showing supernatural abilities.
Agents Kitty Price and MacKenzie Fairfield of Elmsley are starting to think that their boss’s sudden retirement is fishy. Especially as the new head of Elmsley wants to bring it back to its glory days. They have to figure out how to bring back their boss and expose the corruption in Elmsley, all while trying to figure out why kids are disappearing into magical pocket worlds.
I’m hoping that Jen will write this with me since MacKenzie is her character and I think there’s place for a romance with the two leads.
This would be a direct sequel to Parasomnia.
A group of friends at Baker University move into a haunted house. The book would be split into “Episodes” like short stories that feature each of the main characters. Each story would have their own plot but would also be part of the overall story.
Jen and I have been talking about this book for way too long.
It will connect with characters from Baker City Mysteries and act as a sequel to both The Copper Tarnish and Faymous (Coming 2026)
There are more…. so many more.
This post has been brought to you by procrastination and executive dysfunction.
Stay safe and be kind,
Éric
Hello Readers,
Last year, before my pain became too worrisome, Jen and I wrote a book called Faymous. While writing it, we added a character who showed up in flashbacks. The further along we went, the sillier her actions became, each of us adding every flashback.
The idea was that I’d write a short story at the end that would explain everything that had happened with the character, but then pain and worry about hurting myself got in the way.
I wrote it slowly, 200-500 words a session, writing 15 minutes here and there.
I was told by my occupational therapist that I could write a little more as long as I took breaks and listened to my pain levels.
So after ten months and almost 7000 words, I finally finished the story. It’s called New Year’s Eve… on repeat, and it’s another time loop, because I apparently like the challenge.
It was fun to pull together all the threads that we’d randomly spread through the novel.
We’ve received three very nice rejections for Faymous. That means I have no idea when it’ll be published, but I’ll let you know.
We are looking for beta readers. If you’re interested, let us know!
Thank you for reading,
Éric
Hello my Imaginary Friends,
It’s been an exciting six months and by that, I mean blarg. I still find it disturbing how much of the world is convinced the pandemic is over. Hopefully soon, we’ll see a vaccine for infants approved in Canada. Then I will feel much better, but I still am going to continue to be careful. It will be a while before I give up my mask.
Anyway, let’s see how I’m doing with my resolutions!
The hardest part about this year’s serial story is not writing ahead. Currently, as of this writing, dealing with carpal tunnel, that might not be a problem. Read from the beginning of the Aetherverse.
This went famously (haha). I loved writing this story and I’m glad that it’s now vacated that part of my brain that it’s been occupying for the past decade. Unfortunately, a spin-off series has decided to move in.
Pending health, I have no idea how this is going to go. Hopefully I’ll be able to finish it, but if not, I’m not going to risk injuring myself worse over it.
Unlike Copper Tarnish, this book starts from scratch/random jot notes, and won’t need heavy line-editing before I start, so I should be able to do this one with dictation software. I hope.
I created an entire ridiculously complex module for mixing components that was just way too much. So, I remade it in a simpler way and it seems to be working really well. I’m continuing to tweak and add more monsters as I go. Mostly, I’m just having fun with the system and my players.
You may be sensing a theme, but depending on health issues, we may be dropping to four days a week, but not yet, and I don’t know. So we’ll see.
So far, so good. I might need to create a template to copy-paste to make my life easier.
Ottawa ComicCon is happening in September. This one will depend on how my health is. It’s not the highest priority; that will be roasting and packing ComicCon levels of coffee.
Other than books that I’ve written or that Jen wrote, I’m a little behind on this. As in, halfway through the first book. But for some reason, I forsee having more chances to read (if Jen will let me).
Honestly, I have no idea how I’m doing on this one. I do know that I’m a terrible injured/sick person. Feeling like I’m letting people down makes me grumpy.
I have developed tools to help me de-stress. Playing ukulele, reading, writing, playing video games, and cooking. The only one of those that I can currently do without hurting myself is reading. Let’s hope this dictation software works and doesn’t add to the stress.
My work is also irrationally pushing a return to the office and that’s still causing lots of stress with an unvaccinated toddler. HURRY THE F UP, HEALTH CANADA!
I was doing well with this. I even memorized the Spider-man theme on the bass and wrote a song for the ukulele. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to do this for a while.
The good news, I haven’t utterly failed at anything yet and I have a few Successes.
I’m going to take that as a positive and just do what I can for the rest of the year.
How are your resolutions going?
Éric
Hello Readers!
Our newest work in progress has been called The Untitled Shawna and Randal Book through the writing of the first seventeen chapters. Before that, it was called Guise and Dolls, before that, it was called Dolls of the Magic Shop.
A lot has changed in the story since it’s initial concept, and with Jen’s help, it’s infinitely better.
So without further ado, the new novel is called: Faymous
After the strangest New Year’s Eve ever, Shawna and Randal wake up in Fay. Nothing is as it seems, they can’t remember how they got there, and someone or something is hunting them. With luck, stubbornness, and a ukulele, they’ll flirt, fight, and sing their way home.
We have three chapters and two epilogues left before we’re done, but I already love this novel.
I can’t wait to share it with all of you. (Unfortunately, with editing, submissions, and schedules, we’re looking at 3-6 years)
If you’re interested in Beta reading, we’re more than happy to have the help.
Thank you,
Éric
