As we near the end of 2024, we come to that annual time of reflection.
This Year
2024 brought quite a lot of developments—some positive and some not-so-positive. We participated in a couple new events this year: Lawrenceburg Public Library’s author fair and Clayshire Castle’s Medieval Faire. Both were fantastic events. Clayshire was unparalleled, even (or perhaps especially) taking into account that the residual storm from the hurricane came through and affected setup and attendance. Clayshire may be my favorite US event thus far.
I was out of a job for most of the year and was hustling to make ends meet while I tried to find a new one, so Ambergrove was put on the back burner for a while. Despite that, I was able to finish the D&D core book this year and send it to the publisher. It should be available within a few months. I also wrote a few short stories outside of Ambergrove this year, and one of them will be published in an anthology next year. Finally, I will be finishing up the Ember on the Anvil draft in a few months and hope to have that with the publisher by summer next year, as long as I can secure a funding avenue between now and then.
This year, I also started a monthly email newsletter and created a Discord channel! In addition, I created the Ambergrovian written language, Grovish, and created a downloadable font available free to anyone.
On a more personal front, this year brought Bandit to the family. She’s become my new helper and snuggle buddy the past month and a bit. She’s the spitting image of a cat I had and lost, one my family simply referred to as Boo Boo Kitty, though Bandit has her very own personality and temperament. She’s prone to big chomps and hiding when she’s not pulling a triple shift at the biscuit factory.
I also got Rowan as a present from my husband. She’s a giant stuffed dragon (technically a wyrm), and she makes sitting to work on EotA particularly comfortable and fantastical. She’s also the unofficial mascot of our D&D room.
I was able to get my late uncle’s truck, one of two family objects I cared to have, after ten years trying to get it from the person it went to after my uncle passed. I have counted the times I’ve driven it on my arm, and by the end of the year, I should have driven it 37 times. I was able to take it to help out my old community theatre, I was able to take it when a storm came through and downed dozens of trees, leaving the county roads near-impassible and the power out for almost a week. I was able to drive it to Granny’s to pick up her table (the only other family object I cared to have), and I was able to drive it to work when I was finally employed again.
I also got an Oura ring this year under HSA, and I am baffled at how much it learns and how kind it is. It doesn’t shame you into pressing on; it tells you when you would be pouring from an empty cup and tells you to stop and rest. It has certainly helped to alter my mindset and help me to better prioritize self-care.
Next Year
I’ve updated the events page to reflect the currently planned events for 2025 and to hopefully be more intuitive. Returning events include Clayshire’s Medieval Faire and MCPL Author Fair. New events include Southern Indiana Renaissance Faire (2/5 weekends) and Indiana Enchanted Fairy Festival. I hope to add additional events in the coming months. If you’d like to see us at an event, reach out and we’ll see what we can do!
I’m working on Ember on the Anvil and then jumping right into Ember of the Flame once that is completed. The lofty goal would have Ember’s series completed in 2025, but we’ll see how things go. If I am able to publish both next year, we’re looking at summer and winter.
The Ambergrovian Adventurer’s Guide should be available near the start of the year. If all goes to plan with the novels, the first standalone book will be released in 2026 and the final printed D&D materials will be added. With Dawn of the Dragowolf and the Adventurer’s Guide, my published D&D companion set is complete. I will include some additional information on the website and will share canonical adventures, but the final Adventurer’s Guide will be the last published, and then the focus will return to the novels.
The anthology, Black Cat Tales, should be completed and available in 2025. The publisher still hopes to have an audiobook version available as well. I have one short story in this anthology, but there are many other talented writers featured in the anthology as well. Check it out here.
So. 4+ events next year and—hopefully—3–4 books published next year. 2025 will be a big year for Ambergrove!
A Bit of Authorly Advice
This year brought more difficulties when it comes to events because of storms. When our power was out and we were stuck at our house, I had to reschedule and event I had planned for a library’s summer reading program because I couldn’t get there. The weekend of Clayshire was when the Hurricane Helene came through. The wind hit Friday, but the deluge came Saturday. Despite the heavy rains hundreds of people came out, though more would have come were it not for the rains. The following weekend was the MCPL Author Fair, which suddenly found itself competing with a dozen outdoor events that had previously been scheduled for the week before. I had to back out of a new event I had planned to attend and ORF, a staple event, due to financial constraints.
What these all have in common is disappointment. Some attendees were disappointed at the events that were missed this year, but they were kind about it. They took humanity into account. The events with lowered attendance had less kind disappointment, and that’s what I want to talk about.
I’ve mentioned a few things about this on my socials this year, but here’s some more definitive statements.
- Organizers put a lot into events and so do attendees. You should never be publicly disappointed about attendance or sales.
- There are many factors that determine the success of an event. One of those things is weather. Sometimes things just happen that no one has any control over. Sure, if you can’t afford to set up at an event if you aren’t guaranteed a certain number of sales, that’s valid, but just because you didn’t get sales does not mean that event is unsuccessful. Sometimes catastrophic weather changes plans. Sometimes other events compete with that one more than expected. Sometimes your booth location means that more people plan to come back so they don’t spend all their money right away—or they’ve already spent their money by the time they get to you. None of these things mean an event is bad. If you decide it is not worth it to you to return to an event, that’s valid, and your reasoning is valid, but do not make your disappointment known at the event, and do not blame the event organizers for things out of their control.
- Events are what you make them. Be positive. Be friendly. Be kind to the organizers. Help other authors or vendors. Talk pleasantly with attendees about the books first and worry about a sale second. My books are available free in libraries and are more affordable/accessible in digital formats. Sure, it’s better for someone to buy at events, but not just for the sake of doing it. Enjoy the event, take my card, and read the books for free from the library. Sales can sometimes determine success, but success cannot be determined by sales alone. Success is determined by the readers who love the world and its stories, and if you focus on them, you will always be successful.
- Be kind to organizers. Stay involved and friendly at events, even if you’re disappointed in attendance or sales. Focus on the readers’ enjoyment as much as you can, and you will never be disappointed as an author.
Break the Arrow
As this year comes to a close and we prepare for 2025, I am elated. The years will always have their ups and downs, but that’s part of the adventure. We had some lows this year. We struggled as our personal stability became rocky and we had to back out of events, and when I had surgery last month and he had surgery last spring; through it all, my husband was always on my team. Through it all, I had pets (and more pets!), and friends, and D&D with family, I lost and then got a fantastic job, and I was able to do so much in Ambergrove.
Last year, while talking with my host parents and visiting a forest nun at a hermitage in Scotland, I was told the parable of the second arrow, and that has stuck with me. When we are shot with an arrow, this causes us pain. However, if we allow our thoughts to linger and be consumed by the fact that we were shot with an arrow, our own need to understand why, and our worries about whether we will be shot again, we are the ones who shoot ourselves with that second arrow. Sure, this is greatly simplified, and it seems to ignore the realities of things like PTSD, but the sentiment remains the same. When we dwell on the negatives of the past, we harm our future and our contentment with the present. This was the year I broke that second arrow, and I found that I am content with my experiences and happier with my choices. I choose not to dwell and shoot myself with that second arrow, yes, but I also chose to break that second arrow instead of shooting someone else with it.
I am happy with what life has given me and what I have worked for. I am proud of what I have done as an author and what I plan to do in the future. I am excited to continue to share Ambergrove with you.
Until next time, adventurers, be kind, be curious, and enjoy your adventures.
Tales of Ambergrove 