No posts and now two posts in one day. Woo!
Today is hopefully the last day of the roof construction. I misspoke in my previous post. We are actually on week 3, not week 2. My temper and nerves are frayed to the maximum capacity, so hopefully this will be coherent.
Business Stuff
Magic Clams (hehehe) is proceeding as scheduled. The copy edit comes back to day, and so far we are still on track for the release.
The audio of Magic Tides is being recorded. The past 6 months tells me that no matter who performs it, the Audio BDH will Hate And Have Problems, HAHP – a new BDH acronym, but it should be coming out on June 13th. Magic Claims will follow soon after.
We will be migrating the site some time early next week. We have simplified some things, made free fiction more prominent and easier to find, and given the site a facelift. More on the changes when we go live. But if you see weirdness early next week, you’ll know why. We will be losing some recent blog posts due to the peculiarities of the migration.
Someone asked if we would bundle our Writing Article blog posts into an ebook for convenience. I don’t have an answer for you on that. The problem with this project is that we would need to distribute it, which means we would need to charge money for it. Which means we’d need to come with $2.99 or whatever worth of content. Not sure we have that right now in blog posts alone.
In other professional trials and tribulations, we’ve been doing prep work for other projects, trying to do all the tasks on a variety of stories that are related to writing but are not writing. Making a fantasy language, even with Vulgarlang app, is time consuming and terrible. Someone do it for me but make it sound exactly the way I want it to sound. Oy. I’m this close to just stealing Welsh and altering the spelling.
Fun Stuff
In leisure news, I’ve almost finished the cross-stitch dragon. Doing backstitching now with mixed success. Lots of frogging. Frogging is a craft term meaning ripping out what you have sewn. It comes from “rip it, rip it” which sounds like ribbit, ribbit, the frog sound in English language. Slavic frogs say kwuh, by the way. No idea how that came about. Clearly there is a frog language barrier.
Gordon and are both playing Solasta: Crown of the Magister, a computer game based on the latest rule set of Dungeons and Dragons, where we lead a party of adventures on a variety of quests. I’ll have you know my 4-person so-classic-it’s-cliché party rules supreme. I’m running a 2-handed Oath of Tirmar Arun Dragonborn Paladin, a Sylvan Elf Swift Blade dual-wielding ranger with ambidexterity, an Einar Hill Dwarf battle cleric, and a High Elf Shock Arcanist Wizard. I gave everyone outrageous stats and I have no regrets. Smiting the undead is the most satisfying thing either. And the game asks me every time, so I feel like a powerful overlord. “Yes, you have my permission to smite this enemy. Proceed.” And then the paladin chops them in half. Muhahaha!
Gordon is running a druid instead of the cleric and some kind of sorcerer. I question his choices.
I know that Baldur’s Gate 3 exists, but I have issues. For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about: Baldur’s Gate 3 is the triquel? the sequel to award winning D&D game series, Baldur’s Gate and Baldur’s Gate 2. It is on the older side and it featured the same type of play: a party of adventurers doing quests. Baldur’s Gate 3 is being developed by Larian Studios famous for their Divinity series, which I played. Right now it’s in Early Access, which means that you buy the game for the right to preview it and play through part of it before it is released. Basically it’s like paying to read half of an ARC and when the book is published, you get the whole thing free.
So it sounds great, but as I’ve said, I have problems.
First, the price. $60 to beta test the game? Second, it is showing no signs of leaving the Early Access. Third, Larian games tend to take themselves too seriously. What I love most about D&D is the funny interactions between the characters. Give me Minsc and Boo any day.
Larian thinks that “No one has as many friends as the man with many cheeses!” is the height of comic genius. Meh. Their character interactions are so stilted, and their plots lean toward tragic and gloomy.
That’s one thing Solasta does right. The interactions between the characters are hilarious. The character models are horrible, however. OMG.
And now I’ve caught you up on some of the things happening with us.
Cheers to almost having a redone roof, staying on track for the Summer of Kate, and hopefully enjoying at least as much diastole as systole <3
ok, so who else wants a scene in the book of someone eating magic clams?
I keep having Disney moments where I picture a bunch of clams sword fighting and for some reason singing, probably because I’m merging Kate-verse clams with The Little Mermaid.
That’s House Andrews, always flexing its mussels.
Snort! I am not sure everyone caught your reply.
Lol. Also … there were magic apples so why not clams … I’m sure there’s some mythology out there…
I googled clams in mythology and first result I got was this:
“In Chinese mythology, the shen or chen (Chinese: 蜃; pinyin: shèn or chèn; Wade–Giles: shen or ch’en; lit. ‘large clam’) is a shapeshifting dragon or shellfish-type sea monster believed to create mirages.”
That’s amazing 🐉
Awesome!
Now I really want magic clams!!!
Oh happy roof completion day! When we had a garage built years ago I got to be home since I had stopped working for money. I now associate workers on my property with baking goodies. My kitchen looked out on the work area and it’s not like I could go anywhere. You should find a good bakery and buy a nice cake to celebrate once the job is done and the workers are gone. White cake with cream cheese icing goes really well with raspberry sauce!
I realize that you bake beautiful things but part of the celebration is not needing to. Good work on the dragon! I still have a stamped Blue Willow table cloth somewhere from the ’70s that I only did a fraction of.
Italian frogs say cra cra 🙂
Romanian frogs say “Oac oac” 😂
Incidentally, a general knowledge panel show (QI, if anyone outside of the U.K. knows it) taught me that it’s only a specific breed of frogs that go Ribbit Ribbit. But we think they all do because this species happens to live near Hollywood and it’s the sound used for frogs in movies!
Love it, Mod R! This too, for those who want details:
https://nowiknow.com/why-frogs-ribbit/
Release the quacken! *Collapses in fits of giggles*
There tend to be multiple frog species in many locations, and you can identify them by their calls. In fact that’s how frog surveys are often conducted. Hollywood is pretty dry so maybe there’s only one there, but other locations have plenty. Wood frogs are easy because they sound like ducks. 😀
It shouldn’t really be surprising that different frongs have different croaks, when it’s true of birds and cats and dogs and so on, but the power of the Hollywood sound is extraordinarily persistent even when you know that isn’t how your local frogs sound. Not that the ones round here do make much sound, good way to get caught by the local heron!
And I love QI 😀
Colombian frogs say Croac Croac
Danish frogs mostly says kvæk kvæk kvæk
– and yes, that is a special Danish letter in there, just to make it impossible for the poor frogs to communicate with other frog nationalities 😂
Japanese frogs say, “kero kero kero kero kwa kwa kwa” (according to a well known frog song there!) Remember Sanrio’s Keroppi?
So there is a KWUH / KWA connection there somewhere…
Yes, the animal language barrier goes far but has unexpected overlaps!
use Welsh, we don’t mind – it will be a secret between the 500,000 people globally who speak it on a daily basis and notice 😀.
Cymru am byth! to those who do.
The spoken language differs quite a lot between the North and South (and Pategonia), so you have lots of options.
It’s so pretty. Caer Bryn is a much prettier name for a city than anything we could come up with.
oooh! Something I’ve long wondered about, if you don’t mind.
Years ago, a Welsh friend taught me to correctly pronounce ‘Ll’ but I didn’t think to ask about ‘ff’ which I read in names sometimes (Katie fforde comes to mind).
Would someone kindly point me to a pronunciation guide?
Sure – double-f= f, single-f= v.
See https://users.aber.ac.uk/jcf12/project/welshcheat/welshcheat.pdf.
Welsh is beautifully phonetic – mwynhewch! (Enjoy!)
Hmmm…Welsh but altering spelling…I’m both intrigued and concerned. (Achos dwi’n siarad Cymraeg, felly…)
Yay to the roof almost being done!
Kate had, maybe still has, magic apples, so why not magic clams? They would make great culinary dishes. 🍽😁🤭🗡
And magic clam juice, a vital ingredient in many things.
To make a Caesar to raise the dead!
There’s a pond across the road from us that’s full of noisy frogs right now. I’m going to have to go out and listen at night to see if their sounds are anything like ribbit!
Your cross stitch sounds fun. I’m glad to know the term for ripping stuff out. That is a skill I use quite often. Now I have a term for it!
Eagerly looking forward to Magic Claims! Thanks for keeping us up to date on progress.
Happy Thank God the Roof’s Almost Done!
Yay! Embrace the Magic Clams! Once you’ve seen the clams they can never be put back in to the shell.
Do whatever you want with the spelling – but for pity’s sake give us a hint or six about pronunciation when you decide on a “language”.
I’d love to get it right, but I hate to put down my book and research how to pronounce the minor character or the passing village’s name – so I don’t. Then if I discuss things with someone, I’m mispronouncing all of it.
I’d whine about being old, but it has no effect on language acquisition, and the BDH *will* call me on it.
A list at the end or beginning – I am fine with footnotes – just a little help, please.
+1 I’ll second this pronunciation guide request! And I’d appreciate any spelling simplifications. Thanks again for the post, and hoping for a speedy finish for your roof.
I keep looking at Solastra as a Steam purchase, but I went with Escape Simulator instead. Love me some escape room games!
A month and a half to go for Magic Clams yey!!!
June will be an interesting month.
Looking forward to the audio for Magic Tides and Clams. And as its going to be in 2 POVs, this will be something new to me.
Fingers & toes cross, GA would also get those books. I enjoy GA more than regular audio.
Have a great weekend !!
I would happily have my Alexa app read me your books just so I can listen to them. That said I love that they are with real voice actors and I just started listening to Magic Bites from Graphic Audio. I love Curran’s voice (I may have spelled that wrong since I mostly listen to everything). That said nothing will ever be perfect for everyone with audio, but know that the majority of us really really appreciate all your efforts when it comes to audio books. Not a HAHP member here!
I can’t wait for Magic Tides and Magic Clams 🙂 audio adaptations.
I hope your new roof is holding up well against all the storms happening in Central and East Texas.
Thank you for the note about Solasta. My partner in crime and I, along with some out of country friends & former D&D group, play Neverwinter (where I have met Minsc & Boo) as our way to visit-engage-escape reality together. It’s fun to hear good things about another game option; especially that it has a sense of humor!
I like your classic group for a classic dungeon crawl …. but can recommend a Wizard / Rogue combination to lend additional versatility to a group, should you be planning any changes (and they’re so much fun!)
Ranger is better for this campaign. Mmmm, delicious goodberry and spike growth. :)I highly reccomend Solasta as it allows you to mirror your existing D&D character with points. You can replicate them exactly.
Thank you for the recommendation … your blog and the Horde always share the best stull.
Our group will be meeting IRL in a couple weeks and we’ll definitely discuss as an option for our multi-continent group.
Our Ranger will also love that rangers are ‘better for this campaign’!
Ahh, Neverwinter Nights. Thirty years ago, I started playing that game on AOL (for $6 / hr!). Where do you play it now/how do you like it?
Hi Shannon,
Wow, AOL brings back memories …
We play “Neverwinter”, through Steam or maybe now it’s Gearbox? It’s a free on-line MORPs? I/we occasionally pay for ‘VIP’ (mainly for the travel post) but played & enjoyed it without spending any money for months. You can play solo or with friends.
I feel it’s relatively smooth, fun, the usual group of great people and loudmouths (mainly in Protector’s Enclave, the ‘hub’). Decent sense of humor and fun ‘events’ which engage various level players.
Yay for a almost done roof! 🥳
Sorry not everybody is happy with the audio versions. I, for one, LOVE all the GA adaptations. If they say something differently than I thought it, I just figure I was wrong in my head and move on. 🤷♀️
I’ve never really done D&D, but watched the movie last weekend. It was fun. I like the funny bits the best. 😊
Have a nice weekend! 🤗
I, too, enjoyed the movie. Friends and I played Traveler (think Star Wars/Firefly roll playing, at least that’s the way we played it) in college. My nephew and fiancé play D&D and I’ve had a blast searching shopping sites for house warming accessories with that theme (think customized doormat).
So wonderful to hear the roof is almost done. Thanks for the updates!
I would just like to state for the record I would love a D&D setting in Kate’s & Hidden Legacy’s worlds. This is clearly because you don’t have anything else to do. 😉
The answer has always been: if you want to play a campaign based on Kate or Hidden Legacy with your team, go for it! 🙂
If you want to design and sell one, get in touch for adaptation rights!
For the new site, do you know yet if you’ll be able to port over the newsletter recipients, or will we have to sign up again for the newsletters? (Assuming you’ll continue with the newsletters.)
The newsletter is handled by a completely separate delivery system. There will be no changes to it, nor a need for the subscribers to do anything 🙂
Thanks, ModR.
phew on the end of construction. hope you have a quiet week.
Last Tapas episode of Innkeeper today is 😢.
I’ve never been into comics but I bought every episode! It was fantastic.
Anymore adaptations planned?
Hopefully there will be news about that in the next week or two 🙂
“Go for the eyes, Boo!”
Minsc and Boo stand ready!
Loved the tidbits about D&D! Somehow I never had an opportunity to join a campaign when I was younger, but my daughter and her friends are very much into it so I am living vicariously through their campaigns. It sounds so exciting and so much fun!
(I always tell her “have fun storming the castle” before her D&D sessions start, but that’s a whole ‘nother thing!)😂
She’s writing a campaign she will DM this summer and has promised to include a little side character for me so I can actually participate. I can’t wait!
That sounds like lots of fun! 🤩
Well, a correction here. Not ALL Slavic frogs say kwuh. Polish frogs say koom-koom. And the Polish ducks say kwuh. They probably learned this from other Slavic frogs. Or are they frogs in disguise? Always ready to discuss quirks of Slavic languages; you are welcome ;P
Book Bub has mentioned the Innkeeper series as magical house worth reading about.
Sorry should have put the URL
https://www.bookbub.com/blog/fantasy-books-magic-houses?position=seemore&source=multicontent&target=title
“Go for the eyes, Boo!” ~ Minsc from Baldur’s Gate 2.
The ship sailed a while back for the Baldur’s Gate series. The original creators are long gone (IMHO). Larian Studios produced the Divinity RPGs back in the day and I was never impressed with them.
FYI Dragon Age (one through “three” a.k.a. Inquisition) were spiritual successors to Baldur’s Gate. I thought they were decent, although number two is the least popular of the group.
Just delurking to say I loved the narration for Sweep of the Heart, and have listened to it several times. I’m doing a Kate Daniels reread prior to listening to the new graphic audio, but all this talk about Curran’s voice may get me to move it up on the schedule.
This is completely unrelated, but has there been any recent sightings of the lawn orphans? Enquiring minds want to know. lol
Thanks for the updates and the game recommendation. I passed it on to my kids as 2 out of 3 are currently playing DnD online with other people.
Have a great weekend everyone
My daughter, the teenage DM, told me to tell you to consider Pathfinder- Wrath of the Righteous as well. She’s very much enjoying it. And will be getting Solesta based on yours and others recommendations!
I feel a little bit of your pain with the roof. I put in a claim with my home owners insurance last year on May 4, 2022 and after much wrangling between the insurance company and my roofing contractors my claim has been approved almost 1 year later. Today they delivered the supplies and were loading them on the roof. What the heck was all that banging and thumping they were doing? It is pouring down rain so I was surprised to see them delivered anything. Per the roofers everything will be done by end of day next Wednesday. We will see.
Off topic – the last of the tapas innkeeper episodes came out today. I just wanted to say that I loved this adaptation and I really hope it continues. Any news on what it’s continuation chances are?
I was going to suggest that maybe the typical frogs wherever the Slavic frog sound originated were different from the ones wherever English’s “ribbit” originated… But also the same frog can say multiple things, and English also has “croak” as a frog noise (although it’s not unique to frogs, it sounds like it could share an origin with the Slavic word).
Oh! I just did a little searching, and found this very interesting article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2016/10/12/why-french-pigs-say-groin-japanese-bees-say-boon-and-american-frogs-say-ribbit/
One of the things it says is that “ribbit” is specific to American English, and that this is believed too be because early Hollywood movies used the sounds of a Pacific tree frog in their movies.
I don’t know if you’ve tried the Pathfinder games, but they’re also some good D&D like action.
I love when my favorite things come together: House Andrews and D&D. We’re an older Baldur’s gate family so I appreciate this post. I don’t know anything about Baldur’s Gate 3 except that Matt Mercer voices Minsc. We still play the original from time to time.
You know we’re going to need a ‘Magic Clams’ 🤣 short story at some point ….
Given the storm rolling thru, I sure hope your roof is finished! Happy to hear that Magic Clams (rofl) is proceeding as expected. And ditto the audio book of Magic Tides. As to HAHP, I can’t imagine hating any of the readers. I wasn’t too fond of Natalie Naudus’s rendering of Sweep of the Blade, but it grew on me and her Innkeeper work was nice.
That said, I’ve now bought three of your Graphic Audio books and have not been able to finish any of them. The readers are great, it’s just me. I can’t stand the background noise even tho I know how much work and thought is put into that. So that’s it for me, I tried. Fortunately I do have less than stellar audio copies of all the Kate Daniels books.
Replaying Solasta myself in preparation for the high end DLC coming out this month. Tactical Adventures supports their game in style. I also have Baldurs Gate III on my shelf and share your disappointment with Larian. I remember Baldurs
Gates release, so many discs, I had to buy a new computer mine couldn’t play the game, I was driving trucks at the time and got a lap top. smoked it by playing it on my comforter. Best Buy gave me new drive free.
Ah! I can’t escape Minsc and Boo. That artwork is from the Magic the Gathering/Baldur’s Gate crossover set and the card is stupidly strong.
I love audiobooks and the GraphicAudio versions are *chefs kiss*. I completely forgot my Kate preorder on Audible is ready. I’m so excited since I’m hooked on GraphicAudio.
My partner is a huge D&D fan and is always trying to get me to play. I’ll have to look into Solesta as something for us to try together. Thanks for the rec.
yeah, played BG3 and every plot line for every character is miserable. I feel bad for each of them and think about just building my own and running that to not have to be depressed about their lives
Thanks for the update! I’m so stoked for Magic Claims! 🐚
Also, I’ve been curious… The Tapas webcomic adaptation of Innkeeper just finished and I wonder. Are there plans for it to continue?
I had a lot of fun with it and I hope it does, but I totally understand if that’s still unknown.
Hey Kat,
I’m so happy you enjoyed the Tapas Innkeeper!
News should arrive in the next couple of weeks regarding the continuation of the project 🙂. Watch this space!
Some of our frogs in Ohio say peep peep peep. You can hear them begin to sing at dusk on the water.
I love Solasta! So fun that you’re playing! My favorite author playing one of my favorite games! Nerdvana…
I actually love Larian games, and I have really enjoyed the BG3 EA. If nothing else, using the awesome character generator to make portraits to use on roll20 token is legit awesome.
Go for the eyes, Boo!!
🙂
Just for the record my tree frogs here in Oregon do not say ribbit. Their sounds are glorious as they compete – if they escape the raccoons which sadly seem to have eliminated my backyard population.
I say dammit when I have to frog crocheting, and grind my teeth if it’s knitting.
Yay cross stitching. This one took me almost two years. It was all those half stitches and the backstitching
Wow!!! That. Is. Gorgeous!!
Beautiful!
So cool!
news to rejoice to:
Baldur’s Gate 3 is leaving early access on the 31st of August!
Mod R,
would you please add https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gullah_Gullah_Island to the page on Doolittle’s accent?
Eldest and I watched it on WUNC-TV when she was very little.
Archive.org says it has Seasons 1 – 4 available if anyone wants to watch it now (and don’t have Paramount+)