https://www.aweber.com/z/r/?ThisIsATestEmail

Greetings, aletsen!

Lots of stuff going on in the Chimerical Business this month!

First: I have listened to your cries, and your cries were for more puzzles. I have added nine new ones to the store in response! I particularly want to point out "Scale Model", of the elf archeologist putting together the dragon skeleton in her studio, because it has so many tiny details and those are my favorite kinds of puzzles to do personally. I might have to get that one for myself.😄
 

Also, I'm learning so much about coding lately by working on the game and the website, and last week I applied it to my store: now the librarian appears on the cart page and talks to you about what you have in it! She has a bank of about 40 quips right now, but I add more as I feel like it. Sometimes she even mentions what your cart is worth in mangoes, because as you know, I run on mangoes and coffee and my tip jar on my website is already mango themed. (You can look at it here, if want to read the flavor text).

Go visit and see what she says! She even has empty cart dialogue!

In the nonfiction department, I started a new feature for my patreon and locals, a Friday post called Gamedev Diary. I was inspired by a book by one of World of Warcraft's original developers, who kept a diary throughout the development and launch of the original WoW. He used that material to write a really interesting book, one that was accessible to non-gamers and gamers alike, that helped you feel what it was like to be part of a game studio taking a tremendous risk on a complex project. I thought, "Gosh, it's a pity I didn't keep a diary of my 8-month journey from tyro to gamedev," and realized... no wait, I wrote nearly daily changelogs, and they're pretty personal. And then I looked back through my Discord history and found tons of screenshots of the prototype!

Thus, my Gamedev Diary column! I started a Patreon collection for it, too, so if you're not eager to add Yet Another Subscription to your plate, you can buy access to it for a one-time fee (if you're already a subscriber, you naturally already get this column).

The Patreon Collections are really awesome, by the way: they give people a way to buy subscriber content like a book, or an archive. So smart! And if I constantly add things to those collections, the worth of that purchase keeps growing. For instance,  if you love my art I suggest buying the Back in Time Tuesday collection, which updates weekly. Then, in a few months, check back and you'll see multiple new entries that weren't there when you first bought it!
 

Moving on... my next sticker kickstarter, for the Crane Mafia sticker, launches in June! You can be notified of launch by using the follow button on this page! I had to take a break from prepping it to pack my first wholesale order, heading to Tealeaf Books & Music in Manitou Springs, Colorado. They're opening soon, so if you're in the area, check them out in June!

(If you're also interested in wholesale purchases of books or art, reply to this email and let me know.)

In the fiction writing department, I am somehow working on both Kherishdar 5 and Surela 3 (and Conversations 3) at the same time without going crazy. Usually I'm not a multi-project writer, so this is new territory for me. But KH5 wants pauses and I might as well fill the pauses with something, you know?

But What About the Cat Picture, Jaguar?

Don't worry, I've got you covered. Our outdoor cat jumped up on the windowsill to give me this amazing portrait, and even through the grimy glass she shines like the glamourkitty she is!

(And before you ask: you try keeping a window clean when TWO cats are constantly pressing their noses to it at one another...!)

It never ceases to amuse me that our outdoor cat is loving and gregarious and wants to sit on our laps and wants our company all the time... and our indoor cat is a standoffish grump. But the outdoor cat simply refuses to live in a box, and the indoor cat simply won't bother with the hardships of the outdoors...! It's so interesting that animals have personalities this way. You never think about how weird it is that we live alongside all these aliens until you really think about it.

Anyway, that's all for May! I hope the year is treating you well as we accelerate into its midpoint. I wish only good things for you all, and thank you for reading!🧡