The Sagas of Vaelora

Jul 30

Alicia and I have been talking about this not long ago, and we still haven't settled on it. Huynh Thy painted Merris for the chapter art, once in full color and once in ink, because we wanted to see her both ways before committing. Alicia built the page around her, the border and the two side portr...Read more

Alicia and I have been talking about this not long ago, and we still haven't settled on it. Huynh Thy painted Merris for the chapter art, once in full color and once in ink, because we wanted to see her both ways before committing. Alicia built the page around her, the border and the two side portraits included. The small emblems running through the rest of the chapter aren't final. All of this is just to give an idea. For the first page, does it pull the eye away from the text, or does it earn its place? You're not looking at a finished decision here. You're looking at the argument. This layout is the template for every book going forward, so if something snags for you, now is the time to say it, while it's still cheap to change. Too ornate. Too plain. Does the ink version read better than the color? Tell us what you actually see. May your burrows be warm. #TheSagasOfVaelora #Vaelorians #IndieFantasy #BookDesign #MerrisBrightpaw

Jul 26

Another one from the far side of the world. Sages of Vaelora reached a reader in Australia this month, and she's not even finished the book yet. There's a real fear with a 750-page debut that length will scare people off before they get to the good part. Reviews like this one are why that fear keep...Read more

Another one from the far side of the world. Sages of Vaelora reached a reader in Australia this month, and she's not even finished the book yet. There's a real fear with a 750-page debut that length will scare people off before they get to the good part. Reviews like this one are why that fear keeps getting quieter. #SagasOfVaelora #Vaelorians #TheBurrowAndTheBlade #AnthroFantasy #IndieFantasy #EpicFantasy #FantasyBookCommunity #Bookstagram

Jul 25

The Brightpaw Chronicles, our graphic novel series exploring the life of Merris Brightpaw, is being built right now. And the team building it is the Merris Guard. Let me tell you who is in this. Kilson Spany is drawing 120 pages of the graphic novel. If you've been following his Vaelora work in th...Read more

The Brightpaw Chronicles, our graphic novel series exploring the life of Merris Brightpaw, is being built right now. And the team building it is the Merris Guard. Let me tell you who is in this. Kilson Spany is drawing 120 pages of the graphic novel. If you've been following his Vaelora work in this community, you already know what that means for this project. This is a completely human-made piece from start to finish. Every panel, every page, by hand. No shortcuts. Alicia Short, our fan-turned-official Vaelora artist, will be coming in at a stretch goal to begin development on The Shield and the Shadow, Volume 2 of the Brightpaw Chronicles. If we push far enough, she creates an illustrated preview chapter. You've seen what Alicia does with this world. She's not a guest here anymore. She's part of the foundation. Huynh Thy will be creating custom character portraits for backers at certain tiers. If you have ever wanted a character of your own rendered into the world of Vaelora, this campaign is your chance. David Potts, whose lorebook work has been quietly building the visual reference for this entire world, comes in at a stretch goal to expand the Vaelora Lorebook. His illustrations are a piece of this world that deserves its own shelf. Samuel Avila, our series composer, unlocks a full soundtrack package at a stretch goal. Music for the campaign, music for the world, music for Merris. And Emma K., the voice of Merris Brightpaw herself in the audio drama, comes back at a stretch goal to expand The Burrow and the Blade audio drama even further. And we are going to show you how it's made. As this comes together, we'll be sharing our artists at work, pages as they develop, and the world being built in real time. You won't just be backing a finished product. You'll watch it become one. Our Kickstarter is currently being formed. Details are coming soon. But you can see the shape of what we're building. Every member of the Merris Guard has a place in this campaign, and every level of your support unlocks more of them. Before all of that, though, I want to hear from you. How do you feel about a graphic novel that goes back to the very beginning? Merris Brightpaw before she was a legend. Her childhood. Her losses. The Plague War. Everything that shaped the world Babax Merrifur was born into and all the history he carries without fully knowing it. The roots beneath The Burrow and the Blade, finally brought to life on the page. Let us know in the comments. We're listening. #SagasOfVaelora #BrightpawChronicles #MerrisBrightpaw #TheSeedAndTheSilence #BurrowAndTheBlade #GraphicNovel #IndieComics #AnthropomorphicFantasy #HumanMadeArt #MerrisGuard #KilsonSpany #AliciaShort #HuynhThy #DavidPotts #SamuelAvila #KickstarterComingSoon #IndieFantasy #FantasyComics

Jul 25

I got interviewed. DW Dixon over at The Steam Stack sat down with me and asked questions I don't usually get asked. About what the Kickstarter nearly looked like when it didn't fund. About how long this book actually took to make. About why I spend more time showing you the world than telling you t...Read more

I got interviewed. DW Dixon over at The Steam Stack sat down with me and asked questions I don't usually get asked. About what the Kickstarter nearly looked like when it didn't fund. About how long this book actually took to make. About why I spend more time showing you the world than telling you to buy it. He asked about the trailers too. The voice in those? That's me. AI-altered, but mine. It's a real conversation, not a press release. If you're curious about where Vaelora came from and where it's going, this is worth a read. DW Dixon runs The Steam Stack over on Substack. He asks real questions. Worth a follow. Link to the interview and his page in the first comment. And the Book II trailer premieres tomorrow at 4:30pm CST. The timing worked out. #TheSagasofVaelora #AnthropomorphicFantasy #FantasyBooks #IndieFantasy #RedwallFandom #BookTok #Substack #FantasyAuthor #IndieAuthor #WorldBuilding #EpicFantasy #BurrowandBlade #BookII #Vaelora

Jul 22

She called his name. Chapter 12. Art by Huynh Thy. #SagasOfVaelora #BurrowAndTheBlade #AnthropomorphicFantasy #EpicFantasy #FantasyArt #IndieFantasy #FantasyBooks #BookArt #DarkFantasy #FantasyIllustration #RedwallGrown #BookTok #Vaelorians