New novella from Pixelvania Publishing: Love Potion Commotion!

Art, News from Pixelvania Publishing, Writing

Love Potion Commotion! (Cover). A white French bulldog winks at the viewer over a cauldron that bubbles pink smoke. Behind him, a brindle Frenchi looks on suspiciously.My new feel-good ebook, LOVE POTION COMMOTION, is out! YAAY! *Kermit flail*

Here’s the blurb:

Dating goes the dogs!

Soon-to-be college student Alanna Lu Feng helps her great-aunt and -uncle with their doggy fashion design business, shooting photos of their French bulldog mascots. It’s good money and fun work—but why can’t Alanna Lu get lucky in love?

Vivian and Frank Feng adore their great-niece, but they’re hiding a secret from her: Vivian is a witch! Sick of listening to her great-niece’s dating woes, Vivian concocts a plan to get her great-niece into the arms of a special someone. But can magic solve the problems of love?

A lighthearted comic fantasy that will make the whole family smile.

Novella, 27,000 words

You can read an excerpt here at Pixelvania Publishing, buy it for your Kindle on Amazon.com, or buy it elsewhere (BN, Kobo, etc.) at Books2Read.com. If the store you want isn’t up yet on B2R, just  wait; it will populate within the next few days as the different stores accept it into their system.

Hope you have as much fun reading it as I did writing it!

 

Cover Teaser: LOVE POTION COMMOTION!

Art, News from Pixelvania Publishing, Writing
The nose and eyes of an illustrated French Bulldog peeking over a cauldron bubbling with something pink

What could he be looking at?

Coming next week: Magic Fashion Frenchies #1: LOVE POTION COMMOTION! A new family fantasy romance comedy…which is a really long-winded and non-trademark-infringing way to say “This novella’s like a Hallmark movie, but with better special effects.”

I think you’re really going to love meeting Vivian Feng and her family–two-legged and four-legged members alike! I look forward to sharing this story with you soon! Stay tuned! Or better yet, sign up for the Pixelvania Publishing newsletter to get the official announcement the moment it publishes!

Frenchie Illustration Test

Art

 

frenchiestexturetest.jpgMy tablet pressure sensitivity died and I didn’t want to restart, hence big ugly lines. Test for my upcoming novella cover, just to see how layering colors and textures work in Krita.
Reference image: workout instructor Jessica Smith’s famous Frenchie, Peanut!
#frenchbulldog #krita #madewithopensource #practice #mastoart #dogart #art #frenchie #madewithreference #krita #jessicasmith #peanut

Magic Fashion Frenchies #1: COMPLETE

Writing

Finished (read: abandoned) my first draft of Magic Fashion Frenchies #1 and have sent it off to my proofreader!

This novella took so long to write that while I was working on it, I came up with three other ideas for the characters, so I guess this will be my first series!

How long did it take me to write? Well, its working title was My Frenchie Valentine.

20K reached on Fashion Frenchies #1

Writing

I’m pleased! It’ll be nice to have a novella to sell! I *think* I’m heading towards the end, though I have no idea how it’s gonna come together. Guess that’s the exciting part!

Ugghghghg then I gotta do the cover ughghghghgh it’s not a ROMANCE romance or even a rom-com but it’s not a cozy mystery but it’s clean and fun like one… A magical comic love story, is what I call it.

SCVK Cover teaser and other stuff

Art, Indie Publishing Friends, Writing

onekatie:
“Closeup of painting I’m chipping away at for the one and only Danielle!!
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#digitalpainting #digitalart #artist #art #illustration #bookcover #sketch
”
That sound you hear is my face cracking because I’M GRINNING SO HARD

onekatie:

Closeup of painting I’m chipping away at for the one and only Danielle!!
.
.
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#digitalpainting #digitalart #artist #art #illustration #bookcover #sketch

That sound you hear is my face cracking because I’M GRINNING SO HARD


 

In other news…*squints at 41 printed pages of Armello fanfic* When did this get so long?! Probably time to re-read it soon.

I wrote some today on Horror and Frenchies and suddenly my motivation’s run out. Literally nothing sounds good to do (except maybe play DROPSY, but I don’t want to continue on without my friend over so.)

Well, playing DEAD SECRET sounds good but the last time I played it it got my heart going and I’m already kinda hyped by the SCVK cover preview. X33 I don’t know if my heart could take it.

TACOS TONIGHT!!

The Creative Impulse Can Be A Jerk Sometimes

Writing

I’ve been struggling with my Fashion Frenchies story; I know it’s supposed to be a comedic love story, but I’m lost in Butcher’s Great Swampy Middle(TM) and don’t quite know how to pull myself out. Doesn’t help that I’m writing out of my genre (comedy? love? wut?).

So for the past few days, I’ve been thinking around the story. It’s a nebulous, gentle sort of thinking that will allow me to  stumble upon an idea that will propel the story forward and set my wordcount on fire.

So what shows up today when I’m writing in between piano lessons?

SOME RANDOM SCENE WITH MY SCVK CHARACTERS IN THEIR POST-SCVK-NOVEL LIVES

I wound up writing 800 words in 47 minutes. The words were flying out!!

Dear Creative Impulse: Can I please get that kind of speed with either (A) the vampire prequel novel or (B) this Fashion Frenchies short story that was supposed to be done before Valentine’s?!??

PS – I don’t want to write a direct sequel to SCVK–it’s gonna end up like Tales from Watership Down, I know it, and I DON’T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN. *grumbles* but if that’s what shows up…

(At least the scene is a riot.)

10K reached on Fashion Frenchie rom-com

Music, Workouts, Writing

But more importantly, I just discovered that the Richard Simmons remix of Car Wash is far, far better than it has any right to be.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwAwuhvhLPU&t=1m0s

That’s like… Car Wash meets Vogue, everyone!

Actually, the music production values of Richard Simmons’ workouts have always been top notch. I’d buy a CD of Party Off the Pounds’ tracks. And I wish the version of Rebel in the first Sweatin’ to the Oldies was a buyable track off Amazon, for reals.

In other workout news,  yesterday’s Tonin’ Uptown and Tonin’ Downtown was a fever-dream of a workout! You’ll just have to do it.