Tag Archives: art

January 7, 2026 · 9:49 am

My Monograph Project

Merry meet all,

I recently completed my Advanced Monograh Project. I’m so happy it’s done. It was a lot of work. Today’s post will focus on how I compiled all the monograohs into one document. 

First off, I had to write the mongraphs. I did research various books about the herbs. It was fascinating. I researched the modern day herbal books and the more classical books. I put each monograph into its own document and then something happened. I became inspired! I wanted to compose a book of my monographs and borrow the artsy style of the Herbal Academy. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That changed everything. For the front cover, I found an older print of dandelions and scanned it in color, then I printed it out and mounted it on a piece of parchment paper. It looked beautiful! I added the words Monograph Project to the page and played around with the fonts. I included the page about identifying the shapes of leaves and flowers to the book, my list of local native plants I identified on the nature trail, a table of contents and a small introduction. 

I added an old in color monograph print of the herb to each monograph. I used Helvetica font for the title for each monograph. Getting Microsoft word to do what I wanted it to do was much easier said than done. The fonts, the font size and the spacing did not have any interest in doing what I wanted it to do. The headings were a whole other monster. When I was finished writing each monograph, I compiled it all into one big document. 

I decided on making the headings such as taste and energetics, uses, safety and dosage into a larger font than the text about the herbs. The monographs were written in 11 size font. I decided that would be too hard for my eyes. I changed the font to size 12 for all the text. Okay I changed the fonts to size 12 about twenty times. I printed the document out in black and white, then I proofread the entire collection. 

I found herbal clip art and printed them out in color, thyme, dandelions and rose leaf clip art. I glued them to the pages of the monographs when it was printed out in color. I even learned how to adjust the size of the clip art and insert it into the footer. I changed my mind several times of where to place the page numbers. I ensured the headings, the spacing for the headings and that the headings were all consistent, the pagination was consistent, and the sizes of the font were all consistent. Again, easier said than done, but I managed. Then once the proofreading was finished, I finally printed the document in color. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The result? It was amazing. I am so happy with it. I bound the book at Staples. The pdf is stored on my desktop and the monographs are all stored in the Advanced Monograph folder if I ever feel like adding more information to the individual monographs.  

I learned a lot from completing the project that I thought I could never finish. I did and I feel so good about it. My new project is sewing myself a nightgown. It has its challenges. 

The next turn in the Wheel of the Year is Imbolc! Finally! Imbolc is the first Sabbat and heralds the arrival of an early spring. I love Imbolc. I shall post more about it as we get closer to Imbolc. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

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January 31, 2025 · 11:09 am

What I learned about publishing my novel )O(

 

Greetings darklings:

Today’s post is going to be about what I learned about the writing/ publishing world in the last year. I have learned a great deal and I am happy I get to share that with you, dear readers. I know a lot more now than I did before. Writing is creation. Publishing is a business. 

First off, you need a manuscript, a typed or handwritten copy of a novel, novella or short story. Nothing gets published without that. That means that you have to persevere and actually write something. You have to write a lot and make mistakes and learn and be brave enough to spill your soul, blood, heart and tears onto the page. Do not edit it until you write the whole thing. Once you have, then you can take some space from it. That could be a night, weeks, months. Then you go back to it and cast as cold an eye on it as you can. You have to have some distance from your story because now you have to edit it and here is the real test. But if you do complete a whole novel or novella, congrats. You have achieved something where most other people would have quit. 

Now, once you have achieved objectivity to your story, you have to be cruel to it. In other words, you have to edit and make changes and gnash your teeth and now make it marketable. And the only way you do that is to edit it until it gleams and you have checked not just your spelling and grammar but that there are no repeat scenes, no two characters sounding the same or doing something that would not make sense. Your plot is tight, your pacing is brisk and you have checked and rechecked the dialogue of your characters. I recommend looking at your characters hard and making sure that you captured their ‘voice’. They can’t all sound the same and they have to talk the way that they would if this story were true. I took every single character’s lines of dialogue and put it all in different documents. Then I read each line of their dialogue for the characters in my novel The Cult of the Spider People. By the time I was done with editing their dialogue, no two characters talked the same and truly sounded unique. It was a lot more effort but it was worth it. 

Also, check the tone of your novel and make sure it is consistent. Sometimes a novel or a few scenes need a complete rewrite. These days, editors, agents, publishers and readers have seen and read everything. You have to be truly unique and persevere in this field. Publishing is a business. Remember that. But the more unique you are, the better. Write the story that not only you could write but that you would want to read. Polish, polish, polish your writing. Make sure your character’s eyes don’t change colour for no reason at a later scene in the story. Their actions must make sense. 

It does not matter if you write romance or horror or westerns, editing has to be done. By the time my manuscript for The Cult of the Spider People was published, there was not much editing the editor needed to do. I had done all the hard work already. We just made a few changes. Editing and revising is a lot of work but it is a necessary evil. 

So let’s say your novel/ novella or short story is accepted for publication. There is traditional publishing and there is indie publishing. Personally I recommend that you try for trad publishing. It opens a lot more doors for you. Congrats! You have gotten this far and still have a long way to go.

This is what I learned the hard way:

Indie publishers tell you they will get your book into bookstores but only if the bookstore managers go through Ingram to acquire the books. It is in my contract that my books would be in bookstores worldwide. However, that never happened. Bookstores are reluctant to take in books that are self-published. If you still want to go that route, you have to do it through consignment which is a whole other ball game, so to speak. Make sure that you have a legit publishing contract and that you have a thorough understanding of the terms in the contract. Yes you can get a lawyer to read through the contract with you if this is your first or second contract. 

Indie publishing means self-publishing. I was fortunate that the publisher never expected a payment from me. But do not be too difficult for a publisher to deal with. The publishing world is small and everyone knows each other. Be professional. You do not want to earn a bad reputation of being too aggressive or hard to deal with. Everyone is dedicated to books being made, and no one will want to deal with that. That goes for whether you are indie publishing your book or trad, be nice to everyone. The editor lives in North Carolina. That state was affected by a huge natural disaster when my book was ready to go print. The publisher stepped up to the ‘helm’. Be understanding that these things happen. It is beyond anyone’s control. 

I was lucky. The person in charge of creating the cover art of my book truly had the gift. Wow. She did a beautiful job for my book cover. I am very grateful. That leads to my next point. Be grateful for the contract you get. It is a mixture of perseverance and good luck that you get a contract, so be happy with it. It’s not just talent or who you know in the publishing world. If you follow what I am sharing here, it may just happen. 

Publishing a book and everything included with it takes time. Be patient. It will happen and you just have to wait. While you are waiting, and it looks like they forgot you but they didn’t, write something else. Work on your blog, practice your writing, and try to improve it always. I still take workshops and read and read. I read a lot. 

Be open to the changes. The editor Stephanie Ellis who helped me shape my book The Cult of the Spider People completely rewrote my book. The manuscript will be changed anyway so be open to it. Don’t refuse any changes. They are trying to improve your book to make it better and that can only happen if you are not a stick in the mud. Be more like putty or clay, something they can mold. They want your story to shine and make sales and that can only happen if you leave the diva attitude at home- in your drawer. Improve your writing all the time!

Go ahead and host a book launch in your own hometown. Promote and market your book like mad. Use ads or Amazon ads and anything you can think of to make sure the world knows that your book exists. Remember, the publishing team is still at your side to help you champion your book. 

If you get one book out, write your second one, and your third or your tenth book. Keep writing, keep improving yourself. Write what you would want to read. Be original. Keep trying. Mention the people who were helpful to you in your acknowledgements. Yes you can mention a concern to an editor. They are there to help you. You can take two months to three months to six months to write a book. Editors and publishers will wait. They will wait for a great book. There is no room for mediocre here. Be the best you can be. 

 

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

 

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January 18, 2025 · 7:23 pm

Winter Crafts )O(

 

Merry meet all,

My heart goes out to those who are caught in the crosshairs of the Los Angeles inferno. I know a few people there and I hope they are safe. 

The Wheel of the year spins again. The next Sabbat is Imbolc, the first of the three spring Sabbats. I can’t wait for spring and I shall soon be poring over seed catalogues. I still turn my compost tumbler. I want to have compost to spread on my garden in the spring. I miss my garden. 

The skies here still darken early. Spring is not that far away. I am counting down the days till spring. I have rescheduled the book launch at Trident Cafe for my debut novel The Cult of the Spider People: Bone Chillers #1. I am excited. This time, I will order my own copies to have enough books for the launch. I am very happy to have a launch! I will bring a cloth for the table, and some props and of course, my copies. I have to market and promote the event and practice reading for it. I hate doing public readings. I am sure I can practice with Penny, my cat. 

I can’t wait to get my sweater I ordered in the mail. The sweatshirt has the cover art of my book on the front. I can’t wait to wear it. It is in transit right now. 

The sweatshirt showing the cover art of my book

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I want to sew a grey chemise type dress. The grey chemise I have is not ankle length. It will be a simple pattern. Besides, I am still worn out from sewing the blue Arwen dress. I love wearing the grey Tauriel dress. It feels so feminine. But it is not ankle length. The fabric is grey. I don’t want to go to the work of dyeing fabric again. I want to work in elastic at the neckline and a long ribbon that I will tie in a bow at the centre neckline. I think it will look nice. I had enough blue velvet remaining to make a shawl. I cut the shawl in a triangle pattern and hemmed the edges. I want to sew a triquetra patch on to the back of the shawl. 

I also plan to sew a lovely scary doll for my friend, Onyx. I have all the supplies. I love doing crafts. It keeps me sane and then I forget all about the craziness the world is going through. I love to create something beautiful. Tomorrow I am painting a block of wood. Im sanding it first, filling in the cracks and holes and then painting it green. I want to set hooks into it and use it as a herb dryer. The herbs will hang from the hooks. I just need to decide where to position it in my apartment. Idon’t have much wall space. I am sure I will find a spot. I was thinking of setting it beneath the window but above my altar. 

The big big BIG project I am inspired to do after all that is to paint my dresser. Yeah I have gone crazy lol. I do want to paint it after I was inspired by something I saw on Facebook. I thought, I have to try that! I hate the way the dresser looks right now. I plan to change that. I want to paint it green. I need the right green shade. I am sure the staff at the paint store will help me select the right shade. I have to clean the entire dresser, scrub it clean with Murphys oil, sand it, prime it and then paint it. Only if I can find the best shade. I ordered floral rub on transfers to adhere to the dresser once all the hard work is done. I want to buy new dresser pull knobs too. I swear by the witchy power vested in me, the dresser will be transformed! I will treat the thirsty wood of the dressers to a coating in hemp oil. That will make the dresser nice too. But oh my gosh the work and how to paint it with a cat around! I will have to get a few paint drop cloths and arrange them around the dresser. One under the dresser to protect the floor and a few covering and protecting everything else. It will be a lot of work but I hate seeing that orange dresser- makes me want to scream! This is what I have in mind for the end result: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It can and will be done. I have researched this and watched a few videos on YouTube of other people transforming furniture. This will call for a lot of elbow grease but I am up for the challenge. That is for the month of February. I will not make the mistake of painting the sides of the dresser drawers like I did with that desk. Oh no, I will make all new mistakes! lol. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

 

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August 2, 2024 · 11:20 am

Interview with horror author Dev Solovey )O(

Merry meet all,

Welcome everyone! Today we’re chatting with Dev Solovey, who has just released his debut horror novella Fever Dreams. 

Why horror? Do you have a favorite subgenre in horror?

I like writing stories that really dig into the human experience and that have something to say, and I think a genre like horror – which relies on cultural taboos and primal fears – is the perfect genre for transgressive art. I do also enjoy fun pulpy horror, but I find I do my best writing when I have a message or theme in mind. My favorite horror subgenre is horror/splatterpunk comedy, but I’m not really the kind of person who cares so much what genre something is. I care more about what the story has to say, and how the story says it. It’s why I can enjoy The Texas Chainsaw Massacre just as much as I can enjoy Pride and Prejudice – both are strong critics of the status quo during the times they were penned, and whatever Mr Wickham does to Lydia Bennett is just as disgusting to me as anything Drayton Sawyer cooks up.

Which other horror authors influenced you the most and why?

I read a lot of comics as a kid, so my biggest horror influences are probably Jhonen Vasquez, Clive Barker and Jason Pargin (previously under his pen name of David Wong). Johnny the Homicidal Maniac was my first exposure to splatterpunk, as well as Lenore by Roman Dirge. I read a lot of the Hellraiser comics as a kid, which weren’t always written by Barker himself but which built on the Hellraiser canon, and I kept all of those comics to this day. And of course, Jason Pargin wrote the John Dies at the End books, the most recent of which inspired me to start writing my debut novella, Fever Dreams. My first ever exposure to horror was most likely Coraline, although Neil Gaiman is more low fantasy than horror.

Tell me about your writing/ editing process

I usually start by brainstorming and typing up some notes. If I have a particular theme in mind, character attributes, or a particular scene I want to include, I’ll write that down, and then just kind of type whatever comes to mind. Once I have a clear enough idea, I’ll write an outline, but I usually view my outlines as loose guidelines – inevitably, I’ll come up with a better idea midway through the manuscript, and I’d rather let the story evolve naturally than strictly follow the plans I made at the beginning.

When I edit for myself, I usually look for ways I could word something better. It’s often harder to see what the larger structural problems are in a story when it’s your own writing, so I usually take a break from it for a while, then come back to it with fresh eyes, and that usually helps me see things that I didn’t notice before. From there I can make larger structural changes where they’re needed, with a primary focus on doing justice to the characters and themes.

When I edit for others, my goal is to find what makes a story good and bring that out by any means necessary. So while I’ll still mark down all of the standard style guide stuff (passive voice, adverbs, cliches, etc) I care more about finding the best elements, and then seeing how the author can make those elements shine.

My big editing hot take is that not all plot holes are bad. I think if you’re approaching something like a fantasy or scifi story expecting 100% realism, you’re approaching it wrong. There’s a reason why villains have monologues, it’s because they’re cool and entertaining! The goal is to entertain, and so long as the plot hole doesn’t break the suspension of disbelief, I don’t think it matters.

What inspires you to write horror?

I could answer this question a lot of ways, but if I’m being 100% honest – I’ve just got anxiety! It’s easy for me to call up feelings of fear and start catastrophizing, and when I write about what makes me afraid, it becomes a healthy outlet. When I finished writing one of the chapters in Fever Dreams, I was actually in tears, and I felt so much better after getting it on paper. There’s something about it that’s a little like exposure therapy, and even if it gets too intense, you can always walk away from it.

What do you love about indie publishing?

It feels collaborative instead of competitive. If I submit a manuscript to a McMillan imprint, the other thousands of manuscripts they get every year are going to drown me out. But with indie publishing and small presses, there’s more of a culture of collaboration and lifting each other up. I’ve never been a competitive person, so being forced to compete with other artists and constantly compare myself to them just makes me miserable.

Which is your favorite horror movie or book? Which movie or book impressed and inspired you the most?

I’ve mentioned it already, but definitely John Dies at the End. It was just so unlike anything I had ever read at the time, and I wanted to emulate David Wong’s morbid sense of humor.

Is there any music that helps you to write?

Music actually distracts me, actually – so does every sound. I do sometimes run across a song that reminds me of a character I have, but I can’t actually write without silence.

Do you have any special projects you want readers to know about?

My debut horror novella, Fever Dreams! It started as a collection of weird nightmares I’ve had, but the thing that made me want to fully develop it was a desire for better representation. As a transgender guy, I get upset with a lot of the trans characters I see in media – a lot of them are very “dysphoric,” they always seem miserable and talk about hating their bodies a lot. It’s depressing and I’m so tired of seeing it, so I wrote this story with a transmasc main character who’s OVERLY confident. He’s the kind of guy who would fight a god without hesitating, and fully believes he could win.

There’s also my longest running project, the webcomic Devil Went Down to Vegas. It’s a horror-comedy/low fantasy webcomic on webtoon about a demon who gets fired from his job in hell, and decides to move to Las Vegas. It’s returning from hiatus this October, so you’ll have plenty of time to catch up!

Where can readers find you on social media?

I’m on twitter @DevSolovey, Tumblr @dev-solovey, BlueSky @devsolovey.bsky.social and instagram @dev.draws. You can find links to all my socials in my linktree, along with links to Fever Dreams and Devil Went Down to Vegas.

Thank you again for interviewing me!

Most welcome!

Blessings, Spiderwitch )O(

Dev Solovey

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May 22, 2024 · 6:56 pm

My Garden in bloom 2024 )O(


Merry meet all,

Today’s post will focus on my garden. Everything is in bloom and budding and green. I love it. The ferns are already huge and beautiful. I bought several herb transplants but I haven’t planted them yet. I am still waiting for the frost to pass. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My bleeding heart plant is sporting lovely pink heart-shaped blossoms. My herbs are up – lemon balm, mints, mugwort, nettle, chives, raspberry leaves, and other plants such as lungwort, hostas, lily of the valley, lady’s mantle, astilbe, my witch hazel shrub and the lovely large sage plant I was gifted. The garlic is also growing quite nicely. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The birds are singing their hearts out. A bee pollinated my yellow haskap flowers and the lungwort flowers. The woodruff, dandelions, forget me nots and periwinkle are all greeting spring with their beautiful blossoms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every day the plants are bigger and prettier. I love being in my garden! I am happy now because the weather is now just warm enough, like it reminds me why I am alive. My garden reduces my stress. Gardening has always had that effect on people. It is really hard for me to be truly miserable if a gorgeous green garden beckons me. My cute cat too!

I planted beans and johnny jump ups. The other day I found violets. I want to return to that spot. I am debating with myself on whether I want to forage for dandelions. I am not bothering to forage for burdock root. Every burdock I see is already a 2 year plant and the roots are best when it is 1 year roots. 

I want to harvest a lot of lily of the valley blossoms because I want to make a scented oil with them. I bet the scent will be heavenly. I plan to invest in a laminator and press flowers too. It is now flower season. I plan to forage and press a lot of flowers. I want to make and sell greeting cards with the pressed flowers! I couldn’t be happier. 

In other news, I plan to transfer to the Herbal Academy revamped Advanced clinical herbalism course! The publisher and I will be soon doing edits on my novella and begin production after that. I am happy about that. My dream come true! 

Blessings, Spiderwitch )O(

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February 7, 2023 · 8:13 pm

Seeds of spring- Imbolc

Merry meet all,

Hello my lovely readers! Even though we are on the cusp of spring, winter lingers. Last night, the howling wind kept me up half the night. 

I have a lot on my mind right now. My grandmother is not well. She has to be moved to the city and that means uprooting her. I hope it all works out smoothly. I am very worried about her. My grandmother is in her nineties but is in otherwise good health. 

I scattered birdseed at the Mumford Terminal  and in my backyard. I saw the rat and waited and watched for a sign that the birds had found the seed. Indeed they did. I look after all my little ones. It’s cold out and I worry about them. Food is scarce for my avian friends. 

I just watched the amazing movie Alien with a friend. I respect the exhausting effort that must have gone into making the movie. Yes art means effort. And that movie truly is amazing. I remember watching the sequel years ago. 

I donated my copy of Todd Keisling’s book to the library. Due to my negative experience with him, I saw no sense in keeping it. I only welcome positive energy here. 

It is spring in my apartment! If it can’t be spring outdoors, it will be so indoors. I’m growing a pot of basil and rosemary cutting and I have a pot of parsley. I set up my grow light kit where I am growing a number of herbs by seed. I have another pot with radishes and carrots germinating.  I hope they all grow well. I know the herbs will grow well in the grow light kit. I will post what I am starting by seed in the grow light kit soon once I find the list. I can’t remember right now. I keep watering the herbs a little, enough to moisten them but not drown them. 

I love herbs. I’m progressing nicely with the herbal courses at the Herbal Academy. I am on Unit 2 in Advanced and I am enjoying the Mastering Herbal Formulations course too. I recently reviewed the Becoming a Herbalist mini course that the Herbal Academy once again offered for free. Tomorrow I no longer have access to it and so I ensured I downloaded the pdf of the course. 

I have to work harder at composing the 15-20 monographs for the Advanced course. I hate distractions and I am my own worst enemy. The herbs and flowers are dormant now but soon spring will raise her green head. I cannot wait. It cheers me though I love the dark half of the year. I am a herbalist/ gardener by heart. I water the seedlings in the grow light kit the most because the soil dries out so fast. The green seedlings need moist soil. That is how they thrive. 

I am so grateful the Herbal Academy gives me so much time to complete the courses. I can study at a better pace that way. I never stop learning and I love everything I am learning. There is so much for me to learn. It is a truly fascinating subject!

 

Blessings, Spiderwitch )O(

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