What I’m Up To In September 2026

Since my newsletter is updating every other week this month, I’d like to make this blog post so you know what I’m up to from today until September 30.

Let’s go by date…

THIS MONTH – I’m part of Queer Zest Zine Fest! This is an online festival of queer zines and zine-makers (aka zinesters). I’m there as a guest artist, panel moderator, and panel host. The actual panels will be detailed here in a bit. You can find a list of participating zinesters on the official QZZF site.

Also, I’m part of the Trans Het Jam Bundle on itch.io! For $10 you, too, can get a ton of comics and games featuring trans characters in relationships that look heterosexual on the outside.

SEPTEMBER 5 – I’m moderating a panel for Queer Zest Zine Fest, the Reid Zines Vendor Livestream. The panel runs from 10:15 am to 11:15 am.

SEPTEMBER 11 – I’m mailing out Club Rewards early! (I usually send them out on the 15th of the month). If you want to get a new zine in your mailbox each month, you can sign up for a Membership here on this site. You have until Sept 11 to get this month’s zine. If you sign up after this date, then you get the next month’s zine.

SEPTEMBER 12 AND 13 – find me at Small Press Expo! I’m at table W23B on both days. I’m bringing with my my usual comics and zines, plus some new zines! I’m also accepting signups for my Clubs, as well as passing out pamphlets for Cartoonist United.

SEPTEMBER 19 – This one is tricky. I may or may not be at Music & Market at the Library in Toledo, OH. I’m still waiting for clarification from the event organizers because of a miscommunication. If I’m not tabling there, though, you may be able to find me at the Strong Towns table for PARK(ing) Day in downtown Toledo. (I won’t have my comics there, but I may have a zine or two around cycling topics).

SEPTEMBER 20 – my panel “How to Make a Newsletter” is running at 5 pm EST with Queer Zest Zine Fest! This is version 2.0 of the workshop with updated talking points and recommended platforms. More info is on the QZZF site.

SEPTEMBER 26 – 10 am EDT I’m moderating the panel Zines Without Borders. And at 12 noon EDT I’m moderating another panel, Overcoming Writer’s Block: Gabbing with the Gays. Both are events with Queer Zest Zine Fest, and you can find more information on the site.

SEPTEMBER 27 – My next workshop, “Tabling at Conventions for Beginners” is running at 5:30 pm EST as part of Queer Zest Zine Fest! This is also a version 2.0 of a previous workshop, with updated links and tips. So I hope to see you there! More info is on the QZZF site.

And that’s it for September! It’s a lot, so if you’re only able to make it to just one thing, that’s ok. If you can’t make it to any of them, that’s ok, too – my itch.io shop is always open.

(Also now’s a good time to catch up on my two webcomics, The Legend of Jamie Roberts AND Vanita and the Demon King. Both are free to read online).

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

The Cartoonist United Great Outdoors Bundle is Now on Itch!

It’s about dang time!

The Cartoonist United Great Outdoors Bundle is now live on itch.io.

Featuring 20 comics from 15 creators – including myself – this is a great bundle to get those comics with the summer and outdoor vibes. From mermaids to MothMan, we’ve got a little bit of everything outdoors.

READER DISCRETION ADVISED, though, because some of these comics are for mature readers only!

The bundle is $15, and every purchase supports the mission of Cartoonist United, an organization dedicated to supporting cartoonists the world over and fighting for better working conditions.

Get the bundle now until August 31.

That’s all for now. Thank you for your support!

You. Are. Awesome.

This Mortal Coil Rattled My Bones

cover art for This Mortal Coil by Jasmine Walls and Marie Enger. The background features a castle in silhouette against a full moon, while in the foreground a skeleton in a hooded cape turns to the viewer, wielding a broken golden sword

DISCLOSURE: I was given an advance reader copy of this book for review purposes (thank you, Jasmine Walls). All opinions that follow are my own.

Marrow is a skeleton brought to life by the evil wizard Falthazir. Until one day Falthazir chokes to death on his dinner, and the tower collapses. In the wreckage, Marrow re-forms, somehow still “alive” and unable to be released from their bindings, and in the rubble they find a broken magic sword called Kingslayer. Together the two set out away from the ruins to find a worthy wielder for Kingslayer, and a release from This Mortal Coil for Marrow.

What follows is enormous “two road trip buddies encountering other fairy tales in the woods” energy (in the best way). And also morbidly charming (or charmingly morbid) illustrations decorating the beginning of each chapter.

I loved this book the minute I heard the pitch, and as I read the adventures of Marrow and Kingslayer, I fell even more in love. Everything from the genderqueer skeleton to the gothic descriptions to the haunting nature of the woods engrossed me. Not to mention Kingslayer being the sassiest weapon this side of the haunted lake.

And yet, it’s such a short story. Everything is packed into 100 pages or less, yet it’s perfect. If it were any shorter, there would not be enough room for the characters to quip and explore. And if it were any longer, there would be too much pressure to answer the questions still left hanging in the air. In this case, the story left off on a literal question left unanswered – yet I loved the further questioning it poses.

If I gush any more about this novella, I will accidentally trudge into spoiler territory. This is a must-read for lovers of fantasy and role-playing games who ever asked, “But what happens to the skeleton after the wizard dies?” For bring a book about undead and sentient items, this story is so full of life.

This Mortal Coil is available for pre-order through Bonedust Press (who also released The Traitor and The Wretch, another book I loved). The official release date is coming up soon, so be sure to sign up for their newsletter on their website to get the latest.

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading and supporting independent novellas!

You. Are. Awesome.