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November 2024 Update: Book Updates, Sphere Hoppers, Staying Curious

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Hello friends,

It’s November, and time for another monthly update! Today, I’ve got a mix of planned updates and some thoughts that came up along the way, so let’s dive in. You can also watch the video version of this update here.

Book Updates: Oops, I Broke the Wizard’s Android

I’ve got some exciting updates for Oops, I Broke the Wizard’s Android—my first convention experience, a new bookstore listing, and a few other fun highlights.

I recently attended MileHiCon in Denver, which was my first time at a convention where I was focused on networking and promoting my book. It was a great experience! I secured a two-hour slot at the author co-op table, where I handed out cards with free e-book links and talked to people about the book. I also met some fantastic local authors, including Rachel Rener, who was incredibly generous with her time and advice. We spent 20 minutes chatting, and her encouragement left me inspired. (Shoutout to Rachel, and yes, I’m currently reading her book Amethysts and Alchemy!)

I’m also thrilled to announce that Oops, I Broke the Wizard’s Android is now available at Black & Read, a local bookstore that holds a special place in my heart. It’s a treasure trove for books, board games, RPGs, and vinyl records—a place I’ve loved for years. It’s surreal to see my own book on their shelves!

Channel News: Sphere Hoppers Updates

On the channel front, I’ve been working to find a balance between creating Sphere Hoppers episodes and writing the sequel to Oops, I Broke the Wizard’s Android. I recently recorded five Sphere Hoppers episodes in one go, and three have already been released, with two more coming before we take a holiday break. This batch approach lets me focus on the novel without falling behind on new content. Balancing time and energy between projects is an ongoing challenge, and I’m working on refining where to best place my efforts for the most impact.

Acting Gigs

In addition to writing and recording, I’ve had a few acting gigs recently! I did a photoshoot at a casino (you can check out some shots on my Instagram) and traveled all the way to South Dakota for a murder mystery party gig.

Reflections on the Recent Election

As some of you might know, I live in the U.S., and the recent election results left me feeling a bit disoriented. I’m grappling with a lot of questions. I see narratives that feel too simplistic to truly explain the situation, so I’m making an effort to stay curious, learn, and listen. An active imagination is a powerful thing, but it can also lead to envisioning the worst-case scenarios. 

If you’re struggling, please know you’re not alone. And for those who feel hopeful about the results, I encourage you to reach out with empathy and curiosity to understand those who feel distressed.

Ultimately, this has been a chance for me to reflect on my role as a storyteller. I’ve realized that many of my stories revolve around outsiders—characters who challenge oppressive systems, those who feel out of place and seek change, and those who work toward healing for the sake of their friends and companions. These characters inspire me, and I’m motivated to continue telling stories like theirs.

What’s Next?

Looking ahead, I’m not sure exactly what the balance between novel writing and channel content will look like. In the meantime, enjoy the next two weeks of Sphere Hoppers before the holiday break!

Thank you all for your support, and as always:

Be gentle with others, be gentle with yourself, stay curious—and of course, keep hoppin’!

December 2023 Update: Breakthroughs and Backlogs

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Writing

Actual progress on the novel has been slow this month, but thanks to positive feedback from my colleagues at DIYMFA I am encouraged to keep going! I feel like I’ve got more gas in the tank and I’m looking forward to seeing this project through to completion. I also had a breakthrough on my narrative voice, also thanks to a class from DIYMFA, so I’m feeling very grateful for that community.

Science Fantasy Awesome

Continuing to make weekly videos for the YouTube channel always takes more time when there are school breaks because I have to record multiple videos per week in order to have a backlog to cover weeks when I can’t record. Fortunately, Starforged is a blast to play, I’m really enjoying the system, it’s just so smooth. I’m also working on some things on the backend for the Gone Solo series, but I’ll talk about those more when they’re finished.

I also received some fanart this month from a viewer in Germany! Check out the YouTube shorts or my Instagram to see it.

Acting

Three improv gigs this month! Whew! It’s been a lot of late nights and disruptions to my sleep routine, but I’m taking on more responsibility by hosting and casting, so it feels worth it. It’s encouraging to be able to walk into a room of strangers and keep them laughing and entertained all evening. Even after so many years of performing, that’s not a skill I would have named for myself until this month.

November Update: Cleric Mechanics! Pretend Waiters!

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Last month was a slower one for me. Illness and school breaks cost me time. But, slow progress is still progress.

Writing

The novel keeps expanding. I’m always surprised how, when a scene feels lacking, I discover something later on in the book that helps fill that scene. It’s a wonderful process of discovery.

I am also continuing my classes through DIY MFA. I’m still learning and absorbing new information, and it’s so helpful in shaping this current novel.

Science Fantasy Awesome

I am on my fifth series of Gono Solo campaigns, this time playing Starforged. My main character is Zakia Vayan, Cleric of the Church of the Closed Circuit, and she’s basically a holy mechanic who fixes machines with the help of her god, Ampereon. I’ve already got a few episodes in the backlog, and they are fun to make and I’m excited about where this series is going.

The channel keeps growing steadily! It always feels good when I get a notification about a new subscriber.

Acting

I booked another background gig this month, for a financial institution (honestly, sometimes no one tells you what the commercials are for and you don’t care enough to ask). I played a waiter!

October 2023 Update: Subscribers Double! Sea Vampires! Background Gigs!

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Science Fantasy Awesome

My channel has recently seen a big boost in subscribers thanks to a recent video, which I created in response to a viewer question, called “Solo RPGs: How to Start?” I anticipated that this kind of instructional content would bode well in the YouTube algorithms and I was right! I’ve seen my subscriber count nearly double since that video released. I’m planning on making more videos in an instructional vein to be of service to the solo RPG community (and to get eyeballs on the channel), but my priority is still the weekly actual play series.

Speaking of which: it’s spooky season, and my new series of Thousand Year Old Vampire is live! I’m so excited to play this game again, as it the the game that got me into solo RPGs and it has a special place in my heart. I’m very excited to find out where the adventures of Levi McKinney, ratcatcher and sea vampire, take us!

Writing

Progress on the wizard apprentice android novel continues. I feel like I’ve cracked it and I am turning out prose that I’m really pleased with. This feeling doesn’t last long in writers, so I’m enjoying it while it lasts! I recently realized what kind of daily progress I need to be making to stay on the schedule I envisioned for this series, and that’s been a strong motivator.

I also recently signed up for an online class called DIY MFA 101. I’ve been really craving community with other writers and discussions on craft and so far my expectations and needs have been met. Looking forward to more!

Acting

I mentioned last month about a commercial shoot in a yoga studio, and just a few days ago we got the go ahead to post the final product. I put a clip on my Instagram. I’m in the background! Doing yoga! It’s always fun to see how projects turn out.

Magpie Tarot Project

I’ve also been working on a little magpie tarot related project that I’m very excited to share, but it’s going to be several months until my collaborator is ready to launch. It has extremely niche appeal but I’m pleased with how it has turned out. You could say it’s “Dreamy.” Stay tuned for details!

Sept 2023 Update: Flesh Drafts, Book Clubs, and Yoga Days

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Writing

It’s amazing to me that I announced my new writing project just a month ago because I have already made so much progress. I am already on the second draft of the first book. This first draft was a very quick skeleton draft, so this second draft is the muscle draft: fleshing out ideas, expanding scenes, adding subplots. Both the AI tools and the tarot deck continue to be of service in generating ideas and keeping momentum and there is still a lot to discover about these characters and this world.

The Creative Act on LHRB Podcast

I got another chance to chat with my good friend JD Lopez on his podcast Left Hand Right Brain. We talked about the book The Creative Act by Rick Rubin. We’re going to talk about more books in the future, like our own little book club. There is a video version of the podcast here or you can search for Left Hand Right Brain wherever you get your podcasts. We had a great chat, and I also talk about my writing project so check it out if you’re interested in that!

Science Fantasy Awesome

I continue to get new videos out every Wednesday for Gone Solo: GOZR. We are definitely getting close to the end of this series, I can feel it. This is one of the tricky parts of improvised game-based storytelling. It is hard to make exact plans about when one series will end because there might be one episode left or five, it just all depends on how the dice roll. I already have the system picked out for my next series so we will be ready to go whenever this one wraps up, but of course I will keep that secret for the reveal video when the time comes.

Acting

It’s had been a while since I’ve booked any gigs, so I was glad to spend a day as background for a credit union commercial. It was in a yoga studio and we were doing yoga all day, actually a pretty good workout and a calming way to spend the day! I also got to host an improvised murder mystery for a San Francisco-based tech company on their corporate retreat. I’ve done several of these mystery parties and they are always a blast.

May Update: Podcast, AlleyFOLK Wave 4, and more!

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First of all, if you haven’t seen the big Tarot of the Trunk announcements, go read about those. New expansion, new products, and a VERY exciting development for the project. It’s basically its an update all its own.

What else is new?

Podcast Appearance

If you haven’t listened already, I had a chance to talk to my good friend JD Lopez on his podcast Left Hand Right Brain. You can listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.

The whole conversation is worth listening to, but if you’re interested in specific topics check out these timestamps:

Discussion on the Alleyman’s tarot and patchwork tarot in general runs approx. 9:10-16:30

Then I do a three card reading for the audience from my patchwork deck approx. 42:00-49:00 (you can see the cards in the image below)

I talk about my solo RPG video series Science Fantasy Awesome approx. 28:10 – 42:00

AlleyFOLK Wave 4 is Live!

The AlleyFOLK Wave 4 Booster is the first launch since I took over organizing the AlleyFOLK projects not too long ago. I was really excited to get this fan project back up any running so to get a new booster out is really fun and exciting. I’ve also been organizing a lot of things in the background like updating shop images. Next, I hope we can finish the Suit of Clocks booster and get the Hanfuda deck finally finished, and after that, we’ll have to see what the community is interested in doing.

The community has also had a long conversation about how to handle A.I. art submissions, and we have decided to not allow A.I. art at this time. I’m pleased with how the conversation has handled and how we made a decision.

Science Fantasy Awesome

I continue to release weekly episodes of of improvised adventure weirdness on Science Fantasy Awesome. As always, I have more recorded than is currently released, so it’s a bit weird to talk about what’s going on, but for now I’ll say I’m excited about where the channel is headed and some ideas I have that are coming down the pipe. We’re at 80 subscribers and inching our way toward 100!

Acting

I should have taken behind-the-scenes pictures but I did get to do another background role for Furniture Row. I’ve done several of these now and it’s always great to chat with the other actors. I’ve also been submitting lots of auditions, so hopefully something else hits soon!

April 2023 Update: Fan Art, AlleyFOLK projects, #NeverHelpful

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Science Fantasy Awesome

My solo RPG actual play channel, Science Fantasy Awesome, continues to grow. As of the writing of this update, we are at 60 subscribers! It’s still a long way from where I want the channel to be and where I imagine it can go, but all the positive comments that keep coming in from across social media warm my heart and encourage me. I’m having so much fun exploring the story of the Troika campaign and the videos are a blast to make, so I’m glad that others are enjoying them as well.

Plus, we have our first fan art! Check it out!

On the left, we have Magnaza, the dancing wizard hunter by the very talented Chaocalypse. So thrilled that he took the time to make this beautiful image. Go check out his solo RPG and drawing stuff, it’s great.

On the right, we have the frostbug, drawn by my child, who was inspired after watching Episode 6: The Frostbug. Both of these images make me so, so excited.

Tarot of the Trunk guidebook

Progress continues on the guidebook for Tarot of the Trunk. Here’s a little preview snippet:

Am I having fun writing this? I might be having a little bit of fun. Working on the guidebook has inspired me to get back into swapping tarot cards for my patchwork deck. It’s always a blast to get tarot cards in the mail! Patchwork tarot is so much fun, which leads me to my next announcement…

AlleyFOLK Projects

I recently (yesterday, actually) reached out to Caleb, who had previously been organizing the AlleyFOLK projects but had stepped away several months ago, if I might take over and get the Alleyman’s Tarot fan-made booster projects up and running again. Things moved much quicker than I anticipated and I am now in charge and overseeing completion of several stalled projects. There’s a lot to get organized, but I’m taking it slow, prioritizing, and taking things one project at a time. I love the fan-created community content and I’m so glad to be a part of bringing it all back to life!

#NeverHelpful

And here’s a little clip from a commercial for Network Affiliates I got to be a part of!

March 2023 Update

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I’m reorganizing my internet presence to simplify things on my end, with the Ragamancers blog as the center of all my projects. This update is to let people know about what I’m currently working on, and potentially cross-pollinate and unify my separate audiences. 

Science Fantasy Awesome

My biggest new project is the YouTube channel Science Fantasy Awesome, where I am improvising serial science fantasy stories using role-playing games as inspiration. This has been a lot of fun for me because it brings together so many of my interests: acting, improvising, storytelling, game design, graphic design, editing. I’ve been learning a lot and adjusting my process as I go to keep improving video quality.

Tarot of the Trunk guidebook

When I released Tarot of the Trunk last summer, I decided to go ahead and publish the deck without a guidebook. I would still like there to be a guidebook, however, so I’ve been working on it slowly, but it’s too soon to say when that will be available. 

Updated Acting Reels

shot from the short film “Koselig”

It’s long overdue, but I finally updated my acting reels. I’ve worked on a lot of projects in the last few years (way more than I could show in such short videos) but I’m proud of how these turned out.

Short Play “Goblin Mode” for Curious New Voices

with some of the Curious New Voices playwrights. photo by Mario Gonzalez.

I got to write a new ten-minute play called “Goblin Mode” for This Time, a night celebrating the 20th anniversary of Curious New Voices back in January. CNV is a youth playwriting program that I participated in back when I was in high school. It was so special and very meaningful to circle back, reconnect with some of the playwrights, and see all of the amazing plays!

All the Links

Here’s a linktree with links to Ragamancers places all over the internet in case you’d like to follow along on your app of choice!