Nonbinary fairy tales in English & Romanian by Ava Kelly, illustrated by Matthew Spencer - Watch Ava Kelly Reading on You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgRolBYSy5Q
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Add-on books have shipped
over 2 years ago
– Sat, Sep 11, 2021 at 06:11:18 AM
Hello -
With a moment of breath (for us, not them!) while Matt is finishing the artwork and Ava working the digital rewards, we have shipped the add-on books. (Despite the combined shipping, we decided to get them out now, so people could enjoy them. It's been a tougher year than we thought, and we hope they bring some joy.)
What this means:
If you ordered a copy of Just Bart, The Dragon of Ynys, or The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus, it is on its way to you. (And your e-books are ready for download.) If you didn't, but would enjoy these delightful, queer, and hopeful stories, they are available on our website: atthisarts.com or jump to Just Bart, The Dragon of Ynys, or The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus. (And if you're interested in my own not-cow not-boy Just Bart, I just bundled it with my two other "2020 books" (besides Diamondsong). Every order really helps us, and hopefully you love the stories! (And if you do, reviews, ratings, and recommendations (word of mouth, on social media or in person) help our small press so much during this really difficult time - it doesn't have to be a full critique, just saying you liked it and/or something you liked about it in your own words is wonderful.)
Note that if you did order an add-on book through this campaign, it was not a regular sale - the proceeds went toward paying our magnificent artist. So it very much helped this project specifically, as we just got over what we needed to make the most gloriously illustrated book. Speaking of which:
Anything Alia Terra related (books, hoards, add-ons, originals), as well as the hummingbird pins, will be shipped with the Alia Terra books, later this year. (I feel so confident you will love this book - the art is turning out...stunning.)
While the other campaign exclusives are no longer available to order, we do have more Alia Terra D20s, and as they will not be produced again, when they are out, they are out.
Speaking of which, Ava got their dice (they are now in Norway, posting gorgeous photos) and took some lovely pictures, like this one:
Maybe get a few for gifts? : D And speaking of that, we love these notes from Ava on Romanian gifting:
---
In Romania, we wear house slippers. It’s usually considered rude to keep shoes on inside someone’s home. It’s also the host’s duty to provide slippers. But gifting someone slippers is rude and a sign that the relationship will degrade because, in Romanian, “to give someone the slippers” means to break up with them (be it friendship or romantic or familial).
Flowers are a wonderful visiting gift for romanians. They’re given to friends, relatives, coworkers, and don’t necessarily hold romantic meaning. However, the living receive an odd number of flowers (three, five, seven, etc.) and the dead receive an even number (two, four, etc.). Mixing these up is considered an ill omen and that Death is around the corner.
---
We hope you enjoy the add-on stories, and we'll keep you posted on the book. The thing that I can truly say is that every single thing (!) is going well with this project, and I really think you'll be thrilled. I know I am.
Cheers and odd flowers to all!
Emily.
Hello from the park
over 2 years ago
– Sat, Aug 21, 2021 at 02:29:38 AM
It's hard to believe that summer is drawing old. These last years have been difficult, yet I know for many, the time has just flown. It's a lot of emotion, right?
In Romanian, the months of June, July and August are Iunie, Iulie and August. But we like the Old Romanian names of these months: June is Cireșar, aka the Cherry month because this is when cherries are in season; July is Cuptor, aka the Oven month, you can imagine why; and August is Gustar, the Tasty month, because this is when lots and lots of fruits and veggies are ready for harvest. And in September, Romanians count the ducklings!
Everything is going really well in Alia Terra. Dragon dice are here (and available for sale online, we'll take a better picture soon). Bookmarks are in (so pretty!) and the art is in progress. Everything is stunning (and powerful).
Matt, Emily, and Chris met up this morning at a park to exchange a few fun items and also for Matt to sign the signature cards, which arrived in perfect shape from România, and stayed in such shape as Emily full-up slipped in the mud like two seconds in but valiantly took a hard hit to keep the cards from falling.
The cards are signed now, and are beautiful! I think we'll hold the surprise on showing the final signed card (another surprise to look forward to - it will be worth it!) but for now, we thought we'd say hello from the park.
Chris and Matt working on cards
Emily and Matt - hello from the Mitten
And we're all saying hello from the park! Ava is now in Norway, enjoying all of its beauty and hospitality. They hope you enjoy this snapshot.
A park hello from Norway
We know this world is a lot these days, so we hope you are doing well and remembering to focus on things that make you happy - even small things. We are working hard to deliver books and extras that will spread a little more joy into the world!
Best wishes from Alia Terra - The Team.
Last Week and A Little More Fun
almost 3 years ago
– Mon, Jul 26, 2021 at 09:53:21 PM
Hello from the team!
A little business first -
Survey completion (checkout emails from BackerKit) is looking good (thanks!), but if you haven't filled yours out, please do, so we know where to send your fairy tales.
The campaign ends, officially, finally, seriously - at the end of this month. (That's it, I sing and everything.) So if you have been teetering on adding anything yourself (level upgrade or some à la carte treats for you or a friend)... now, I am not a great person for financial life advice (leave your career and start a gentle small press!), but I will tell you: almost all of this is only available through Saturday. We will still have the books up for pre-order of course, but not with signature cards, and except for the D20, none of the other exclusives will be offered again - like the behind-the-scenes artbook, the special story, and the soft woven bookmarks from a Romanian small business. (That said, only one batch of the D20s will be made; when they sell-out they are gone.)
To adjust your own pledge, go to the BackerKit link you were sent. (Ask us if you'd like it resent.)
Here's the first die off of our custom mold. We upgraded to oversize (which is more the standard size for non-metal D20). The dice will be painted and polished, but we were so excited to see this beauty in real-life:
Oh, and remember that time we covered Matt in art? He has been working through the illustrations for the first story and they are goooood. (Please note that the text below is just plopped in for context - it will be properly typeset.) With that excited dance and clap, I will hand things over to Matt.
Say hi anytime. Best wishes finding joy in all the little places this summer or winter - Emily.
Art Update
Hey! Matt here with an art update for the first of three stories that will be in Alia Terra.
I just wanted to share a taste of the process now that the full book illustrations are in progress!
I’m working one story at a time here, and that work started with blocking out moments to illustrate, and sketching out what those moments might look like. The thumbnails below span the first story: "The Curse of the Glittering Tower", and there are a couple different variation sketches for each illustration. Every painting of mine starts with what are practically stick figures!
Layout Sketches
Then, once I’ve decided which sketches I want to develop, I’ve taken each illustration through multiple drawing iterations: from rough, to tight pencils, with a stop at color studies along the way.
Rough Drawing
(Digital) Color Study over Rough Drawing
Tight Pencil Drawing
I have done this with all of the 11 illustrations for the first story! Each piece has now been drawn, and I’m about to start inking everything! The images above are for the second illustration, one I wanted to showcase because I’m pretty dang excited about this view of the tower and the shift of seasons I plan on depicting!
Until Later
A little more Romanian from Ava: When we say goodbye, we say “La revedere!” which means, in literal translation: until we see each other again. If it’s among friends or family or informal settings, it’s “Pa, pa!” or shorter, “Pa!” But telling someone, “Hai, pa!” means: get outta here with this bullshit. “Ciao” and “Salut” are versatile and can be used for hello and goodbye, depending on personal preferences and region.
And if you're saying see you soon: Pe curând!
So, from us to you - pe curând!
Live this Saturday!
almost 3 years ago
– Thu, Jul 15, 2021 at 10:36:03 PM
YAY! Ava's live event is this Saturday*, and we hope you'll join us.
Ava will tell us their adaptation of a bawdy (yet contemporaneously subversive) 19th century Romanian folktale by Ion Creangă, demurely called "The Story of Stories" (as in that story) - that will not offer what you expected from a field of corn! They will teach us some Romanian culture and language, and take questions from chat. We are so excited for this and hoping others will be too. This event will be hosted by E.D.E. Bell (me) and joined in by artist Matthew Spencer. Extra coolness! : D
Content notes: This folktale contains sexual references, genitalia, and some consent issues and, while presented humorously, is not intended for children. (Teens at your discretion.) Alia Terra is an all-ages book, but this talk is not. : )
*Start times:
Honolulu: 9 AM
Seattle: 11 AM
Calgary: Noon
Chicago: 1 PM
Detroit: 2 PM
London: 7 PM
Stockholm: 8 PM
Bucharest: 9 PM
Melbourne: 4 AM Sunday (again, planets)
If you are unable to attend, we are hoping (but can't promise) to have the video available for a limited time after the event.
I really can't emphasize how awesome I think this is going to be. Ava will be awesome, the content is so good, Matt and I will be there, and we'll take your questions from chat, and stick around as long as we need to to get them answered.
Ava Kelly Live Event
almost 3 years ago
– Thu, Jul 08, 2021 at 09:39:10 PM
Live Event!
We are so excited to announce the live reading and q&a with Ava Kelly, online from Bucharest, next Saturday, 17 July. This is going to be really fun; I hope you'll join us. The event details are posted to our Facebook to rsvp or share, and we'll also add to this update (with comments, below) as well as our Twitter when we have the link to the event itself.
The event is scheduled for an hour, but if people are still talking, they are welcome to stay past that. We'll make sure your question gets answered. Matt and I will be there too from the Mitten, all being awkward together. : D
Content Notes
Ava will tell us their own adaptation of a 19th century Romanian folktale that, unlike Alia Terra, is not all-ages. The story will be presented humorously and non-graphically, but will contain sexual references, some consent issues, and more specifically a theme of, uh, dicks. With...corn. You are warned. (And invited!)
Beyond that, they will discuss the project, teach us a little Romanian, and answer your questions. I am going to keep saying this is going to be fun, and that's because I'm so excited and think it will be fun. Yay.
Times
The event will start at:
Honolulu: 9 AM
Seattle: 11 AM
Calgary: Noon
Chicago: 1 PM
Detroit: 2 PM
London: 7 PM
Stockholm: 8 PM
Bucharest: 9 PM
Melbourne: 4 AM (We love you! Planets!)
Presuming all goes well, we are hoping to have the event recorded for those unable to attend at that time. (And if you're backing from a different time zone, we'd love to know that.)
The link to join the live event is not yet posted; we will update the Facebook Event and add the link as a comment to this update beforehand.
Let us know if you have any questions. We really think this is going to be fun, and are so happy you're here with us to share it.
