Greetings, Talebones Readers!
This weekly(ish) digest is the way I communicate with my readers to let them know what’s been going on around the Talebones landscape, along with any housekeeping to be aware of.
In this update email, I have a quick round-up and a few housekeeping reminders to give you related to the recent paperback publication of The Orchard Hounds.
(And stick around to the very end for a sneak peek of the next big project coming up!)
Ready? Let’s go!
✨ First, A Quick Word From Our Sponsor… ✨
Work With Me! - Looking for an editor, beta reader, proofreader, or copywriter? Look no further! Check out my Work With Me page for rates and services. Don’t see something that works for you? Reach out via email or DM—I’m happy to discuss. Let’s make your projects sing!
Shop My Book! - Purchase my debut short story collection, The Orchard Hounds, as an ebook or paperback!
Visit the Gift Shop! - Grab a piece of Talebones swag or a Ferris Island souvenir for your very own! Mugs, tees, hats, sweatshirts, and more, updated seasonally!
And now, back to Talebones Tuesday…
Round-Up!
In case you missed it…
FREE for the SEASON: Winter’s Nell - a folktale-inspired short story about a young runaway, a cold night, and an act of kindness (this story was written last year and is out from behind the paywall for the season! Enjoy!)
Our Winter Season folk horror/romance serial, Sayblood’s Children, is halfway done! Synopsis: Othniel Brack left his disgraced family name back in England and set sail for the untamed western edge of Washington Territory, seeking a new fortune and a new legacy for himself on a small, barely inhabited island overgrown with wild apple trees. Life is quiet on that little Orchard Island, until a strange discovery on a windswept beach changes Othniel’s life—and the island’s history—forever. This story updates once a week on Fridays and will wrap up just before March.
Explore the Table of Contents
Get started here - Part One: The Orchardist
Read the latest episode here - Part Six: The Shape
New around here? Most of our speculative fiction takes place on a haunted island in Washington State called Ferris Island. Check out the landing page to see which stories are currently available to read here online, along with other info and resources!
We also have stories of various genres set elsewhere, listed here.
TALESTACK NEWS is a twice-monthly bulletin of Substack fiction news where I collate as many announcements, projects, submissions opportunities, community endeavors, and generally cool things as I can gather. Check out the most recent issue here! (And if you’re a writer on the platform, check out the submission guidelines and email your news to talestack.editor@gmail.com by January 19th to be included in the next issue!)
The Orchard Hounds are loose!!
Y’all, you really blew me out of the water with your love for The Orchard Hounds, especially as a paperback edition. I knew a few of you were excited for it, but had no idea it would get so much gracious attention!
The book is landing on doorsteps all over the world and a few of you have been so generous as to share photos of your copies—what a treat!
THANK YOU for welcoming these apple-dogs into your homes and hearts!!
Snag Your Copy Here!
A few reminders:
Send proof of purchase of your paperback copy to ferrisislandwa@gmail.com for SIX MONTHS of free access as a comped Councilmember!
Paid Subscribers: you are eligible to receive a signed copy directly from me at a slightly discounted cost! I am still waiting on my author copies to arrive, but send an email to ferrisislandwa@gmail.com to reserve yours!
Have you left a review? Reviews are a huge help to self-published authors; they go a LONG way toward letting readers know that they might like this book if they’re curious! You can review this book on:
(Check out last week’s post for more details.)
Merch, Mugs, and Maps!
To celebrate the paperback release, I dropped a handful of new special edition designs into the Ferris Island Gift Shop!
Check out some new items:
Orchard Hounds Design: based on
’s vivid cover art for The Orchard Hounds, this style comes as a mug, t-shirt, or wall poster!Ferris Island Map: this map of Ferris Island was doodled by the island’s Harbormaster, Dan Simmons. She keeps it on her desk, hence the coffee cup ring on one side (oops!). Carry the island with you as it carries your hot beverages!
Postcards Design: based on the contest-winning art of LoriAnn Weldon, this vibrant style comes as a mug, t-shirt, or wall poster!
Visit the Gift Shop!
So, What’s Next?
At the risk of speeding past the HUGE personal milestone of publishing my first fiction, I’m going to follow the common self-publishing wisdom and keep on moving forward (while also savoring the moment, of course)!
Aside from focusing on the remaining chapters of Sayblood’s Children—as well as short monthly fiction here and there—I’ve got some fun plans for 2025. It is my goal to pull more tales from the Talebones archive and bring two books to ebook/paperback publication this year (not counting The Orchard Hounds, since it was technically published in 2024), and the next story on the roster for Spring is none other than my very first serial on this platform, a novella set on Ferris Island called Ivy & Ixos!
Synopsis: Set during the uncertain days of March 2020, 10-year-old Ivy is sent to live with her estranged father while her aunt, a hospital nurse, is unable to care for her during lockdown. What starts as an adventure turns into a mystery, as at her father’s home in the western Washington forests Ivy finds uncanny quiet, a cabin full of hidden memories, and a family secret too strange to be believed.
Sharing that story was an unexpected joy back in the early months of Talebones, and I can’t wait to bring Ivy’s tale to life in a whole new medium. Stay tuned for more details as the process unfolds!
THANK YOU as always for your support, dear friends, and have a fabulous week!
Your grateful storyteller,
I'm not gonna say I've been waiting for Ivy and Ixos in paperback since it concluded... but I'm not *not* gonna say it either. LOL. Congrats sweet friend!
Well S.E., I think I'm gonna need a bigger SHELF!!
Exciting and a prognostication coming true...Ivy and Ixos...perfect!