The Chimera Snare: Fragments has been out for a little over 2 weeks and it's been go, go, go ever since. Check out some of the highlights:

Double Clutch Book Launch

We were thrilled to have our close friends be a part of our book launch party. We had some small bites, brews then a presentation towards the end that dove into some finer details about the book such as the life of the project, our collaboration and creative process as a team, and the important symbolism found in the art. We also realized that we need to be more diligent taking photos and video during the events. Thankfully we had some good friends of ours snap a couple!

Studio Moonfall Kenosha Book Fest

Our very first vending event! Donovan, owner of Studio Moonfall, is the curator behind Kenosha's Book Festival. This year it has six chapters. We attended Chapter 5 in August and had an awesome time chatting with a variety of folks- from fellow authors and enthusiastic readers, to curious patrons and aspiring authors. If you don't know Donovan, he's one awesome dude—a trove of information and kindness with the passion to help support fellow local authors. We're looking forward to Chapter six this month on the 22nd, the final Kenosha Book Fest event of the year! Oh yeah, and also our Meet the Author event at Studio Moonfall that following Friday.

Giving Back Program

We kicked off our Giving Back program with Save-A-Pet, one of the nation's oldest no-kill animal shelters. At our release party, 100% of the proceeds went to Save-A-Pet. Double Clutch generously joined in and donated $1 from each Helles Lager purchased that day.

For September, we are sponsoring Kindred Kitties, Kenosha's all-volunteer, non-profit, no-kill rescue organization aimed at proactively addressing the plight of homeless cats. They are dedicated to finding loving, permanent homes for cats and kittens, promoting responsible pet ownership, and participating in community events to advocate for cats and educate the general public.

Don't forget, our art prints can be purchased on Clay Urn Publishing!

Have an amazing September, everyone! We know we will. Check out the following events we'll be attending this month:

It's The Chimera Snare: Fragments release day! To mark the occasion, we wanted to share the history of how The Chimera Snare came to be and the journey made to get to where were are today.

The earliest fundamental development of what The Chimera Snare has become today started when Shannon was around 11. She had always loved writing short stories and was particularly fascinated with dreams: how vivid and cinematic hers were, and the interesting parallels that sometimes occurred between her and her friends.

The base of the TCS universe was something that Shannon toyed with during her senior year in high school, but it was left behind during all the chaos of graduation and work until a dream reignited it a couple of years later. During an early morning, sleep-deprived trip into San Francisco on CalTrain for work, Shannon was listening to Agalloch's The Mantle and had an epic, vivid dream to the first 2 tracks, "A Celebration For the Death of Man" and "In the Shadow of Our Pale Companion." The experience created the first-ever depth for the two characters, Von and Navaryn, portraying their love for one another and the lengths they went through in order to be together despite their forbidden relationship.

The daydream left a permanent imprint. Intent on creating an animation based on what she experienced, Shannon storyboarded the length of both songs. However, the more she reflected on the characters Von and Navaryn, the more she felt like there was a deeper story to tell. Therefore, she decided to bring them to life through a full-fledged novel. Fragments incorporates that very plight among other elements of the main plotline.

The first iteration of Fragments was self-published by Shannon in 2015. Shortly after, her husband, Edward, joined in on the writing adventure, and together as a team, they created book two, titled Reflections. Reflections was set to release in the summer of 2020, yet the pandemic forced the author duo to reschedule their plans. The extra time was a blessing as they assessed Fragments would need a complete overhaul to match the universe expansion they created in Reflections. Not only that, but they wanted to connect with a professional artist who matched their overall vibe and would elevate the presentation of their series.

They connected with Adrian Baxter, a talented artist in the UK known for his intricate line art and deliciously dark, macabre designs. He also crafts album artwork for notable musicians- some of which the author duo pays their respects to in their book credits. Adrian created the book's visual identity and incorporated important meanings to the artistic elements which will be later explained in an upcoming blog post.

Now, after four years of work and nearly 10 years since the original version of Fragments released, the remastered version, penned together by both Shannon and Edward, is officially ready for the world.

Fun Facts:

• The release date of August 17th is the couple's Wedding Anniversary.
• There are still plans to one day create the animation to the two tracks from Agalloch with an updated storyboard that matches the expanded universe the couple has created together.

Everyone. We truly have some angels looking over us. The Kickstarter campaign for The Chimera Snare: Fragments has been funded!

We’ve been fortunate to have the support of some very generous backers throughout this campaign, and a special handful pulled together at the 11th hour to make it a success. Words cannot appropriately describe the level of elation and immense gratitude that has filled our hearts today.

Once again, a huge thank you to everyone who pledged their support, shared our campaign, handed out flyers, lit an incense, and told a loved one about the project. Your belief in us means everything.

We’ll have plenty more to share with you as our journey continues. Now, we ride on to the next big stepping stones - to get Fragments published, printed, and out into the world. Come August 2024, it’s all yours.

Be sure to signup for our newsletter to stay in the 'know' about the project as we bring it to life. And if you're in the Chicago area, we'll have some especially exciting announcements coming soon. Until then, stay tuned!

With thanks and appreciation,

S&E Black