Goodbye 2024!

Hard to believe it’s a new year already. Although 2024 flew by quickly for us, it was rife with immense growth, discovery, and accomplishment. We are in awe of everything that transpired last year, and we owe it all to you out there who believed enough in our dream and helped Fragments come to fruition. Here’s a few exciting final notes about how the year wrapped up for us.

The Big Push

Since we released Fragments in August of 2024, we’ve been to over 30 events across 4 states—a combined 4,000 miles in driving, which is almost back and forth across the entire United States. We’ve had events in the rain, in the freezing cold, at night and in the early morning. Did we mention we both have day jobs, too?

All of our efforts validated how passionate we are about getting our work out into the world, and 2025 will be no different. … except maybe for participating in any freezing cold outdoor events again.

Last year was all about trying out as many new events and venues as we could manage, and we’ve met some incredible folks along the way. Now is the time for reflection, and understanding how to maximize our efforts by attending the “right kind” of events for us. You know, ‘cause we have a certain vibe.

  

  

Reflections

And speaking of reflections, some of you may already know that is the title of book 2! During January, while it’s cold and the markets are quiet, we’ll be hunkered down working hard to dial in the manuscript. It’s shaping up to truly be something else, so prepare yourself.

Book 2 Beta Reader Interest Form

The Beta Reading Interest form for Book 2 is officially open! If you are interested in participating, the form and all additional information can be found here.

Beta Readers receive the first press hardcover edition of the book, a mention in the book credits, and the accompanying swag planned for the release. Pretty exciting, right?

Literary Global Book Awards Finalists

We’re happy to announce that The Chimera Snare: Fragments was chosen as a finalist in the 2024 Literary Global Book Awards for the categories of Fiction: Debut & Fiction: Fantasy/Sci-fi.

A big thank you to the Literary Global Book Awards for their consideration and recognition. We’re truly honored to be among such an amazing company. Congratulations to all of this year’s winners and finalists!

  

New RAFB Stickers

The most common feedback we’ve received from patrons at the non-book-centric events we’ve attended is that they do not read. Boo to that, right?!

To celebrate and encourage literacy, we created these fun RAFB (Read a F*cking Book) stickers. You can snag them on our web store. What variations would you like to see in the future?

  

Onward into 2025!

As we blow the candle out on 2024, we move on to lighting a fervent torch for 2025. We have a ton of great events booked already, and many more plans in the works we can’t wait to share with you very soon.

May this coming year be full of success, growth, and prosperity for all of you!

-S&E Black

Autumn is here and October has been the busiest month for us yet! We couldn't pass up the opportunity to book as many events as we could during our favorite month.

Not only is our aesthetic a perfect fit for spooky season, but The Chimera Snare itself is a spell. And our universe has its very own magic system- much of which gets touched on in 'Fragments'. Here are a couple of our favorite events this month.

Witches Day Out

Capping off our October events was Witches Day Out, curated by Inanna MBS, LLC. This was a day full of magic among a group of talented vendors. There were cocktails, a scavenger hunt and even witchy dancing amidst a wonderful crowd of supportive patrons! Needless to say, we had a blast.

  

Oddities and Dark Art Markets

Soundgrowler Brewing hosted the Oddities and Dark Arts Market on 10-5. Curated by John Streetz—Streezt Artz Alliance, this event had over 44 vendors featuring extraordinary range of products—from live spiders and insect taxidermy to macabre artwork and curious décor. We had so much fun connecting with fellow readers, some of whom approached us and expressed their interest from the FB event vendor shout outs. We even had a mention on Patch.com for the event under Clay Urn Publishing.

We also got to meet Award-winning Horror Writer & Director, CJ Vecciho at the Haunted Halloween Flea Market! CJ is curating Wisconsin's first and only Horror convention coming up next year in March in Milwaukee. We're happy to announce that we've been accepted as a participating vendor and are greatly looking forward to this event.

CJ also captured this awesome candid shot of us. Thank you so much!

Books & Booch

Our Books and Booch event at Living Full Kombucha was much more than just another stop on the Fragments book tour. This was an occasion celebrating the convergence of creativity and community. Lydia and Shawn are some of the brightest souls we’ve ever met, and we are honored and grateful to have them as friends. Our respective journeys in pursuit of something greater than ourselves have crossed in a way that fills us with fiery drive and a healthy outlook on the future yet to come.

  

  

Giveaway Winners

Congratulations to Femi and Jackie who won our very first art print giveaway! We're going to be announcing another giveaway soon, so stay tuned. Be sure to follow us on our socials so you don't miss any updates.

Holiday Shopping

The holidays are right around the corner. Don't forget, we have the exclusive Premium print run of The Chimera Snare: Fragments available on our shop. You can only purchase this version from select retailers where we are shelved, in person, or on our online shop. We also have all the fantastic swag and immersive accompaniments, like our Delavine Crystal Scented Candle, Triad's Crown Custom Soap Bar, and Last Request Custom Incense, up on our shop as well.

Limited Edition Krampus Bookmarks

Our limited-edition foiled Krampus holiday bookmarks are hot off the press! We'll be giving these out at our upcoming markets in November and December. Online orders placed during that time will also receive one. Available while supplies last!

Making Meaningful Connections

We connected with both Jennifer and Amanda with Forget Me Not Animal Rescue at the Haunted Halloween Flea Market in Wheaton. When we told them about the art prints and out passion for animal welfare, it was an instant connection. We're thrilled to announce that Forget Me Not Animal Rescue is now part of our Giving Back Program and will be sponsored this December.

Giving Back Program

Our art prints can be purchased on Clay Urn Publishing’s webstore. All art print sales, including online, support the charity of the month. For more info, check out our Giving Back page.

Have a great November, everyone! We know we will. Check out the following events we'll be attending this month: