Dora M. Mitchell's Blog

I cannot believe it’s been 30 days already–I feel like it was just yesterday that I was nervously clicking that “launch” button on the Ninecrow Kickstarter campaign.

What a roller coaster it’s been! I’m so glad to say the project got fully funded–something I was very much doubting was going to happen at first :) That means I’m not only going to be able to go ahead with making the print version of the comic, I also raised enough funds to offer a hardcover edition, plus added a bunch of upgrades to all the books for no additional cost to backers (thicker paper, fancy matte lamination on the softcover, and an attached ribbon bookmark in the hardcover!).

Here’s just one of the awesome reward packages–click to jump over to Kickstarter and choose this or any other reward level you like!

It’s been an incredible success, thanks to all the amazing support from fans of the comic, and new readers too. All the support and enthusiasm for the project has been really heartwarming!

If you still want to get in on any of the special Kickstarter-only stuff, like a signed copy of the soft- or hardcover, the Book 2 preview, original art from the book, bonus digital wallpapers, 20% off signed copies of Crooked Mile back issues, and lots of other fun stuff, now’s the time :) 

It all ends at midnight tonight–hope to see you there!

Hi all!

Just wanted to post a quick update here for anyone who follows the blog and might not have seen me talk about this elsewhere–the Kickstarter campaign for my webcomic Ninecrow is live now!

I’m raising funds to create a graphic novel version collecting the whole webcomic, plus additional content not available online. PDF, softcover, and hardcover editions are all available. Check it out on Kickstarter here! It just got fully funded, so if you back now you’ll be guaranteed to receive your book, with all the campaign exclusives like extra content. Plus, I’m adding a stretch goal in the next few days that will add an upgrade to your book if you back any of the physical reward tiers!

If you haven’t read the comic before, think of it as classic horror like Carrie, The Omen, or Rosemary’s Baby meets the illustrations of Edward Gorey or Charles Addams. You can read the full story so far at ninecrowcomic.com.

I post new pages every Monday and Friday, and a new page just went up today. First panel is below–click through to read more!

Once again I’m making a resolution to post more often! Going to try to keep up with posting some of my little daily drawings and news about ongoing projects.

Lately I’ve been kicking around a picture book idea starring chihuahuas, so I’ve been doing some quick character design sketches for inspiration. It is very challenging to try to capture the full adorableness of my doggos in just a few lines! I’m still not quite there yet, but they’re getting closer…

[image error]

It’s October! If you’re like me, that means you’re in the mood for some spooky Halloween-style reading material. Well, we’re coming up on Chapter 5 of my comic The Curse of Crooked Mile, and if you haven’t been following along, now is a great time to jump in! In Chapter 5, we’ll meet the mysterious mining tycoon Eli Blackhope, his peculiar and very spoiled daughter Lavinia, and the neighborhood rag-and-bone man, who really would be smart to avoid this particular neighborhood…

At the moment, Owen and his new friend Claire are attempting to use a lovely and extremely powerful perfume to cover up the peculiar stench Owen has picked up from his new home, Cragview Manor — only it doesn’t quite have the desired effect…

[image error] [image error] [image error] [image error] [image error] [image error] [image error] [image error] [image error]

Hi all! Just thought I’d post a heads-up that a new page of my comic The Curse of Crooked Mile is up! I’ve been looking forward to posting this one — that last panel always makes me giggle.

No, Owen, don’t put on the perfume! Skull-shaped stink lines are a BAD SIGN!!

Catch up on previous pages over at http://www.owensuncles.com.

[image error]

So excited to see my book mentioned on the excellent Beagles and Books blog!! A blog after my own heart — it’s all about rescue dogs and kidlit!

Beagles and Books

Beagles and Books is excited to share another edition of It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR is a community of bloggers who link up to share what they are reading. Kellee Moye of Unleashing Readers and Jen Vincent of Teach Mentor Texts decided to give it a #kidlit focus and encourage everyone who participates to visit at least 3 of the other #kidlit book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

Our Reads This Week:

The Haunted Serpent by Dora Mitchell

Spaulding Merriweather lives with his Aunt Gwen, a mystery writer because his paranormal investigator parents are busy with their TV show. After being homeschooled for most of his life, Spaulding is ready to attend regular school and make some friends his age.    He quickly discovers making friends is harder than he thought especially when you mention seeing an undead man in the woods.  Things…

View original post 739 more words

My debut children’s mystery, The Haunted Serpent, is coming out on June 5th, 2018! To celebrate and to thank everyone who orders a copy in advance, I’m doing a little giveaway!

To enter, please email your name, mailing address, and proof of purchase (receipt, screenshot of receipt, etc.) to hauntedserpentcontest@gmail.com. Or fill out this Google form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ygVVM7XJ7U1AlQTEP-tz6epRyuC2S8dWVqOwXJGarS8/edit

Everyone who enters will win a signed bookmark (bookmark pictured below with one of my interns. Intern not included with bookmark):

[image error]

Five random winners will receive a signed print of an illustration from the book!

And the grand prize winner will receive…a signed ORIGINAL illustration from the book!! Whoohoo!!! (illustration pictured below not necessarily the one you’ll receive)

[image error]

The Haunted Serpent comes out June 5th, so the last day to pre-order is June 4th, 2018. The prize winners will be chosen on June 6th, with prizes sent out shortly thereafter. Giveaway is U.S. only.

One more detail…Since I’m doing this last minute (the way I do everything, la la la), you’re not out of luck if you buy the book after the 5th!  Use the email above or the form to send me your proof of purchase. As long as supplies last, I’ll continue sending out signed bookmarks!

Thank you for reading The Haunted Serpent! Your support means so much.

Questions about the giveaway? Ask me on Twitter @inky_beast, or email me at hauntedserpentcontest@gmail.com!

Order from any book retailer, or visit my site for ordering details: Ordering info here

The interns started howling with excitement today when they unpacked the mail–look what we got a lovely big box of!!! (Yes I can too end a sentence with a preposition.)

I keep thinking about seven years ago, when I started this goofy little story in our creaky old house at the top of Cemetery Hill…and now I’m holding it in my hands as a real live book!

It’s HARDCOVER! It’s got a jacket and embossed lettering and EVERYTHING.

The publishing process is scary and weird and full of ups and downs, and I’m still worried about sales and getting my first really mean review and all that…but for right now, I’m just going to keep gloating over my embossed lettering like Gollum with The Precious.

The Haunted Serpent comes out June 5th, and you can preorder now from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Indiebound, or, if you’re local, Barn Owl Books!

Just finished another fantastic book by one of my fellow 2018 debut authors, Daniel Wheatley! The Zanna Function (JollyFish Press) offers a unique, STEM-infused take on a Harry Potter-type magical school adventure.

[image error]

There’s so much to love about The Zanna Function. Mystery, brainteasers, diverse characters, a fascinating world that’s part of the regular everyday world, but still completely new and different — but what I especially loved about Zanna is that it avoids the “Chosen One” trope. Zanna is a gifted, interesting, resourceful protagonist, but she isn’t Harry Potter.

Yes, she’s just discovering her place in this strange new world that most people don’t even know exists, but no prophecies say she’s headed for a special destiny. She isn’t any more gifted than the other kids at her school. She’s no more and no less than a smart kid going to a school for smart kids.

I think this makes for a more relatable character, and a better message, for middle grade readers than the usual Chosen One thing. Most of us know pretty early on that we’re not the one that was foretold, the last hope, the Boy Who Lived, swamped with an unheard-of midichlorian count, etc. etc…so doesn’t that make all those Chosen One narratives a little…well…depressing? The Chosen One trope means that most of us in the audience know we’re never going to be the hero. We might get to be the sidekick, at best. So it’s nice to read about a hero who’s just plain good at using her head, and that’s what gets her through this fantastic adventure. We can all strive to be that character.

Zanna also offers a fun take on STEM topics, as Zanna and her friends learn to manipulate the world around them through mathematical functions. It would be a great classroom read and Common Core curriculum tie-in, giving kids a new way to think about the math, chemistry, and physics at work all around them, all the time. Highly recommended for fans of sci-fi and magical school stories.

Find The Zanna Function on Goodreads here.

via My top 6 writing pet peeves

I just have to share this fantastic guest post by Amy Karian. It made me feel so much less alone! I didn’t know that other writers have that thing happen where you’ve got three characters in a scene, and somehow the third one just…slides out of existence. (Amy also found THE perfect cat gif to illustrate this phenomenon.)

And especially check out #6 — the heartbreak of old versions of things autosaving over finished versions. I was SO glad to find that this happens to other people! I mean, that’s not so nice of me, but I guess it’s true that misery loves company…

[image error]

Lately I’ve been finding that OneDrive is a bottomless source of variations of Oh My God, This Is Actually The Old Version And I Saved Over The New Version Hell.

Over the weekend, I actually found that OneDrive had helpfully sent a file I was working on over to the recycle bin, apparently just ’cause. Super cool!

Anyone else have tales of autosave woe? I’d love to hear ’em!