Whims from Valadae

Hello February!

Or, in the case of Australia, arrives like a bone-melting sun flare, which sends us all into prayers of gratitude for this gift we know as Air Conditioning.

Well, actually we’re almost two weeks into the month, but a belated welcome is better than none. 😉

I hope 2017 has launched spectacularly for all of you, my fellow dragon-seekers and creative dreamers. If January ended up stalling, it’s never too late to kick-start back into gear; the year is young, and anything is possible!

For me, January was a bit of a respite month, as far as pulling back from working on the bigger projects of my writing/ drawing. December saw me finally finish the Special Edition Dragon Calling Character Card designs, and while throughout that month (actually probably since October) I’ve been making plot notes and mentally preparing myself to start writing Book 4 of my series, I made sure to wind down a little and not get (too) carried away with everything that I wanted/ needed to get done.

Although, I did have to make sure everything was ready in regards to releasing my second Companion Guide (formatting checks, file submissions, setting dates blah blah blah). BUT, the majority of the work was already done, so January was a steady plod-plod-plod toward “Good To Go” status.

And it is! TODAY is the official launch of The Beacon Thrones Companion Guide (which you can purchase HERE). Happy Birthday to my 5th published book!

Now, jumping back to January; I want to share with you a commission project I worked on during that month (since, you know, I was “taking a break” from focusing 100% on Dragon Calling stuff).

A friend of mine asked if I could design an exclusive chibi character for her to add to her (amazing!) Planner Sticker range. Her etsy store Plan It Beautiful has been well received and highly rated, and it’s no wonder–she is an amazing designer and has a sensational eye for artistic loveliness and detail.

So when she asked for the chibi commission, I was happy to jump on board; not simply because she is a friend, but because she strives for quality and excellence, and it’s always a pleasure to be a part of something of that calibre. If you’re into Planner journals and sticker sets, you should seriously take a look at her stock; it’s fantastic!

Here are some samples of that character “Charlie” that I created for Plan It Beautiful.

NOTE: I shouldn’t have to say it, but these images are copyright protected. Sorry, but you can’t use them.

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It’s rare that I make myself available for commissions, but the timing for this was just right. And it ended up being a really fun project to do (although I lost count of the hours it took to do it). But I managed to get all the requested Charlie designs completed before the end of Jan, which meant I could re-direct my focus toward starting my big Dragon Calling Projects, come February.

And now, it’s February, and *drum roll* I have officially started writing Book 4 of my Dragon Calling series! I already have the cover design in mind, and also the book title (but both will remain a secret until the book is completed, sorry!).

I’ve also been working on a very special cosplay that I’ll be using during the pop-culture conventions this year. Once I have more of the pieces of the outfit, I’ll post updates on the Dragon Calling Facebook page. It’s going to look so awesome once it’s all done and ready (since I’m on the subject of Dragon Calling, you can likely guess that the cosplay is related).

Phew! So this year has started off with bang! And I’ll be spending the rest of the year writing Book 4, as well as working on side projects like the next set of promo posters (Book 3 allies and enemies), getting the dragon plushie funded (don’t forget you can pledge any amount toward the project, right HERE), and slowly chip away at bits and pieces of the third Companion Guide. But I have to make sure my priorities stay in the right order (with everything I want to do, I can get carried away and side-tracked if I’m not careful).

I shall repeat to myself every day “Book 4 comes first. Book 4 comes first.”, so that all you wonderful readers of mine who are eagerly waiting to find out what happens next, won’t be pining for too long. Look hopefully toward an April/ May 2018 release.

And there we have it. That’s what I’ve been up to these past six weeks. And this year is only going to get more awesome! But it’s only going to be as awesome as we make it.

So make it so!