JUNE UPDATE!

Happy June, everyone, and happy Pride Month!

It’s been a hot minute, hasn’t it? I hope at this point you all have been enjoying your copies of INFAUST—it was such a labor of love (and some modicum of hate) to get that thing out into the world, and so far, the reception has been pretty stellar. It’s really, really gratifying to see that such a troublesome title resonated with so many despite the hassle it took to get it ready for the public. Just goes to show that some books need to come in their own time. If it doesn’t work on the first few drafts, it just isn’t time for that story. 

But that’s just one thing that happened in May. I also had back-to-back conventions! Both were out of state, and both took a lot of time, effort, and energy, but man, it never fails to brighten my spirits to meet readers in the wild and talk with them about my work. It can be really hard to conceptualize numbers on a screen as real life, living, breathing people who have engaged with your work. One in person conversation does more for my self esteem than ten online reviews, so if you came out to a convention and stopped by my table to say hello… Thank you. For real. It means so much and keeps me going when I feel down about my work.

So. What’s next? I was holding off on making another blog post until I had something tangible to talk about beyond conventions, and as of ten minutes ago, I do have some news to share! I just finished writing the first of a few INFAUST extras! These are going to be supplemental stories posted on Itch.io to add to your enjoyment of the INFAUST universe. As of right now, I’m planning to write three in total—one canon compliant, post-book smut piece of Piper’s experience after the story, one canon divergent smut piece engaging with Rehan’s fate had things not panned out the way they had at the end of the book, and one longer plotty/smutty piece crossing over with OSSUARY, because it’s my work and I can make crossover ships if I want to!!! 

LOL, but seriously, my editor and I have talked at length over the past year and a half about Thierry falling into the INFAUST world and experiencing Rehan and Piper at their best and worst. Given different realms are canon in INFAUST and chaos gods have the power to jump between them… Well, the crossovers write themselves, alright? I’m having fun, is what I’m doing. I’m having a lot of fun, and that’s something I’m trying to do more of these days.

With any luck, the first extra (canon compliant Piper-comeuppance smut) will be posted on Itch.io this weekend. If you’re a patron on my Patreon, I’ll have it available there for free, otherwise it’ll likely be like, maybe a $1. I haven’t yet decided on price points for these things. They won’t be expensive though. 

The final two extras will come… whenever they come. I’d like to have the second one done later this month, but again, I’m having fun, and that means I’m taking my time and writing when I feel like writing. 

Aside from INFAUST goodies, I’d also like to remind you all that I’ll be tabling at JAFAX this month, June 21-23rd, in Grand Rapids, MI! I had a blast last year when I came out for it, and I’m hoping this year is even better. If you’re in the area, please stop by, and if you have books that need signatures, feel free to bring them by the table—I will always sign pre-bought books for free. I’ll also have some new merch with me, too! OSSUARY prints, charms, INFAUST prints, charms, and OSSUARY manjuu! They’re adorable, and I hope you love them. And on that note…

Given I’m not writing a lot right now, I’ve been trying to fill my free time with other distractions, largely ones centered around my business as a whole. That means I’ve been putting a lot more thought into merch offerings. A lot of the things I’ve had on my table have been with me for several years now. I’d like to make some new things to keep things exciting. What series would you be interested in seeing more merch for? And what kinds of merch? Do you like charms? Sticker sheets? Mini prints? Pens? Bags? If I put effort towards making a Khouri plushie, would there be interest in that? Please let me know! I’d love to make it happen if there’s a desire for something specific, and given some contacts I’ve made recently, my options are very, very open in terms of what I’m able to produce these days.

Also… I’m considering doing an OSSUARY merch box later this year—both for boxes with and without books, so no one needs to rebuy a book when you’ve already got one. What would you guys like to see in that? 

Let your voices be heard, and always,

Until next time,

T.D. Cloud