We are three months out from the publication of Woodwalker on May 17!  I have been doing a lot of artwork and planning in preparation.  This whole process has been so wild and exciting--- on publication day, it will be almost exactly two years since I started typing the first few paragraphs of Woodwalker.  So much has happened!  My characters and world have grown and changed so much!  I have an agent, a publishing house, a sequel!  And I couldn't have done it without so many of you.  Whether you're close family or an online follower,  your support and interest mean so much to me.

If you'd like to help me spread the word about Mae, Mona, and their adventures, here are a few ways you can help:

• Pre-order the e-book through HarperCollins.
  I know many people are waiting for the paperback, and unfortunately I won't have the official release date for that until the e-book is published.  But in the meantime, the e-book is available for pre-order, dirt cheap!  $2.99!
  
• Share my posts.
  Whether you follow me here or on Facebook, Twitter, or DeviantArt, please share my posts with your own followers.  More eyeballs mean more people who might connect with the story.
  
• Mention the book to people you know!
  If you have friends or family who enjoy fantasy and adventure stories, please let them know about the upcoming release!  If they seem interested, point them in the direction of my website or the pre-order page on HarperCollins.
  
• Keep in touch!
  If you have questions about the book, plot, writing, drawing, how I got my agent and publisher, why the Silverwood palace is named after a subfamily of fireflies, whatever--- let me know!  I love interacting with other writers, artists, and people interested in my work, and it helps me know what people are interested in seeing with regards to my posts.
  
• Keep watching!
  Over the next few months I will be sharing the cover design with you, as well as more illustrations and excerpts!  
  

Thanks as always for your support, even through shameless self-serving posts like this one.  I am so excited to be nearing publication day!

I always carry around a little notebook for story thoughts and sketches, and I just got through the one I started for Woodwalker.  My notebook-in-waiting is a little bigger, just the right size for pen-and-ink illustrations (unlike my sketchbook, which is too big-- it's a fine line).  So I kicked off the first few pages with some ink.  

Mae and Mona, each with quite a bit of symbolism attached.

For Mae, significant details include the rhododendrons, alluding to the Appalachian-esque setting of the Silverwood Mountains, and the blue fireflies and foxfire (i.e. glowing mushrooms) at the base of the trees, which are sacred to the Wood-folk.  Both of these are real things in our world--the blue ghost fireflies (Phausis reticulata) are confined to a small portion of southern Appalachia and are, in my opinion, pretty much the closest thing to magic in our world.  Foxfire, or bioluminescent fungi, is found worldwide and called many other names, but it's also a common sight in Appalachia.  

Perhaps the biggest symbolism here, though, is Mae's compass, her main tool and last link to her former life as a Woodwalker.  It gets her out of more scrapes than one, beyond just wayfinding.

Mona's symbolism is mostly pearls, pearls, pearls, her country's primary resource and her folk's livelihood.  Mussel shells, like the ones at the bottom of the picture, and mother-of-pearl are also common materials in Lumen Lake-- Mona's palace is called Blackshell and is tiled with mother-of-pearl.  The flag of Lumen Lake is two crossed bulrushes and twelve pearls, representing the twelve islands in her country, so that's what's going on at her feet and around her head. Her pearl pendant is an heirloom of her throne, the one she's now trying to reclaim.

Things are moving forward-- I just received the copy for the back page of the book and my author bio, so it's neat to see it coming together as an actual book!  So far still on track for May 17, 2016 for the e-book, which you can pre-order on Amazon or HarperCollins!  I'll let you know when I find out about the paperback release.