I've been writing. And it is nearly, nearly time for you to read what I've been writing.

So I've been working with Ginger Hoesly, whom I've mentioned several times before -- contributing artist for Intervention and (Re)Generation Who who's had her work show at SDCC, the Doctor Who World Tour, and on BBC America's Doctor's Notes. It's a weird bit of role reversal, as I'm used to doing the drawing and having someone else do the writing... but her art is gorgeous, and for this project it's perfect.

The project in question is Owl's Flower, a light novel series that will be distributed primarily by e-book (though we're hoping to be able to do print editions soon). It's a paranormal romance, which I'm aware the book world is pretty full of, but I like to think we're bringing something of a twist to it. And the twist is we're primarily concerned with making sure the protagonists' relationship is visibly healthy and growing.

I mean, that sounds like sarcasm, I know, but it's not. Ginger and I are both fans of sci-fi and fantasy, and we both occasionally like a mushy story. But we don't necessarily like Harlequin romances or questionable motivations; unfortunately, that particular niche seems a bit ignored. So we decided to roll with it ourselves.

Owl's Flower, besides being the name of the book series, is the name of the coffee shop where much of the story takes place. The heroine is Iris, a small business owner with her mind heavily on her work, And the hero is Herne, a local coffee-loving nature god with relationship anxiety. Together, they fight crime. Okay, not really. But they do fight supernatural monsters while trying to figure out how a 35-year-old woman and a 400-something-year-old demigod can exist in a relationship without things getting weird. Well, too weird.

There's also Stormy, Iris's teenage employee with no patience for her boss's weird drifter boyfriend; Ms. Waters, the local crazy cat lady; Frank, a dog; and Dr. Armitage, whom you'll have to meet for yourself. And that's not even close to all the characters.

For those unfamiliar with the concept of light novels, it's a format that began in Japan, targeted mostly at middle and high school students. Generally novella-length, serial, and heavily illustrated, they include series like The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. So yes, ours will be a series. The books in it will be somewhere between 120-150 pages of text each (though some may go longer). They will be illustrated by Ginger. And... and... each will have a recipe in the back related to the story, provided by Angela Pritchett.

We'll be launching Owl's Flower at Intervention 7 this year with a book launch party. So if you're in Rockville, MD this September, you could be among the first to see them! The first two books will be available on the official Owl's Flower website starting around that time, with the first book available free and the second (and all subsequent ones) on a pay-what-you-want model. We'll also have merch like shirts, leggings, trinkets, and other such.

But if you'd like early peeks at what's in store, subscribe to my Patreon for some samples of the book... and to Ginger's Patreon for samples of the art!