K.M. Alexander's Blog

Every day, I have someone emailing asking where I’ve been for the last month or so. (That’s not true, but it’s a good way to start my first post in nearly a month.) Well, I have been busy! For a while now, Kari-Lise and I have spent any free time hard at work building out a patio/gazebo/outdoor cooking space/chef’s garden that I am calling our Smoker Paddock.

For years, when we lived in Seattle, I struggled along as a halfassed pitmaster with a cheap offset Char-Griller. I ran that thing into the ground and eventually said goodbye when we moved to the island. Since then, I have been sans smoker for the first time in almost a decade, which has made me sad. But this spring, I finally bit the bullet and ordered the offset smoker of my dreams, but I needed a place to store it, and I wanted that place to be a space I could use year-round, even during the rainy PNW winters. Hence, the smoker paddock.

Check out our build progress below and get a small glimpse at how “helpful” Uly was during the entire process.

The idea was to build a covered area to keep the rain off my head and smoker, while also allowing for an outdoor dining space in warmer months. We took it to the next level by surrounding it with a chef’s garden, and Kari-Lise promptly filled it with plenty of fresh herbs. (Details below for those who are interested.) The paddock is only a few steps from the kitchen, so picking what I need on a whim will be easy. Everything in there is perennial, so it should be nice and green year-round.

We’re really excited to be on the other side. This project ended up being a lot more work than we had initially anticipated. But the flagstone creates a nice through line, as we used up all the leftover flagstone from our garden path project we completed this winter/early spring. Smoker ships this weekend, and I’m excited to get to work. I have so many ideas percolating.

Much more on that to come.

Plants in the chef’s garden: arbequina olive, bay, dot wells french thyme, lemon creeping thyme, tuscan blue rosemary, grapefruit mint, woodcote sage, medow sage, garlic chive, french tarragon, sweet marjoram, Greek oregano—I do want to get some Mexican oregano going, since I end up using that often. That’s the one big piece that is missing.

When we moved to the island, Uly was still a young puppy. So, when I began taking him for walks around the area, I usually found myself going without earbuds or headphones. Initially, I did this so I could listen for approaching vehicles, other dogs, mountain bikers, or general hazards a big, silly puppy might be oblivious to. However, as time passed, I found myself increasingly relishing those moments of mental stillness.

In 2023 and part of 2024, while we were living in Seattle, I began walking frequently. Four or five-mile stretches a day, sometimes more. I lost a lot of weight doing it, and it was also a good way to supplement my reading. Earbuds went in and out the door I went. My earbuds became as ubiquitous as any piece of gear I wore. I’m not alone. Be it on public transit or in the grocery store, many of us are living in our own personal audio bubble.

In a world of content, it’s easy to find plenty to consume; all manner of thoughts and ideas can be piped into our ears when we work, play, commute, walk the dog, and so on. As technology has progressed, on-demand entertainment has continued to improve; it’s genuinely one of the wonders of modern technology, with billions upon billions of hours available at any time, nearly anywhere, covering anything. It’s pretty magical, really.

Uly is now older. He’s more aware of his surroundings than he was as a puppy, and I could easily go back to slipping in the earbuds when I take him for a walk. But I haven’t. I’m not sure I’m ever going to. Over the past year, I’ve found myself enjoying those “quiet” times alone with my thoughts; those moments of stillness. I’ve even discovered that same desire spilling over into other activities. When I’m running into town, I’ve found myself forgetting to plug in my phone or turn on the radio. I’ve often caught myself doing garden work or house chores without my earbuds. Like those walks, the trip, the project, and the chore become a contemplative experience where I mull over whatever my mind chooses to process.

Recently, author and photographer Craig Mod wrote a fascinating article for Lit Hub on the creative power of walking. The entire piece is worth reading, but there was a particular paragraph that resonated with me:

“When I’m not talking, just walking (which is most of the time), I try to cultivate the most bored state of mind imaginable. A total void of stimulation beyond the immediate environment. My rules: No news, no social media, no podcasts, no music. No “teleporting,” you could say. The phone, the great teleportation device, the great murderer of boredom. And yet, boredom: the great engine of creativity. I now believe with all my heart that it’s only in the crushing silences of boredom — without all that black-mirror dopamine — that you can access your deepest creative wells. And for so many people these days, they’ve never so much as attempted to dip in a ladle, let alone dive down into those uncomfortable waters made accessible through boredom.”

I’m not sure I’d call my own experience “boredom,” not precisely. If someone asked me if I was bored during those moments, I’d tell them no. But, to many people, the idea of spending time with only their thoughts is boredom incarnate. We’re so used to always being eternally entertained that the stillness itself seems ominous.

Terminology aside, Mod’s experience has echoed my own. Not giving my brain time to process, always filling all my quieter moments with someone else’s thoughts and ideas, had made it more complicated for me to think creatively. For a long time, sitting down to write felt like I was trying to plant something in an overgrown garden. Those crowded, cluttered thoughts I hadn’t processed choked out the space where creativity grew.

While I’m sure there are other outside factors at play, I’ve found that those moments when I carve out time to process the tangle of my mind have been creatively transformative. After those silent walks in the forest with just me, my dog, and my thoughts, my mental “brush” has been cleared. The garden hasn’t changed in size, only in upkeep. The bed of creativity has always been there, rich and full. I just couldn’t reach it because of the thicket in the way.

Lately, I’m writing more than I have in a long time. I’m feeling creatively rejuvenated, and it’s hard not to see a correlation. Creativity flowers again, not because something new appeared, but because I finally made space for what was always there.

All is not quiet in the world of The Bell Forging Cycle, and I’m not talking about any recent Old Haunts or Quiet Corners. Although I haven’t been posting about my series all that much, I am still chugging along. I’ve been steadily making progress on the first draft of Book V. Eagle-eyed readers who follow the tracker in the sidebar (on desktop, it’ll be at the bottom on mobile) will note that it has jumped significantly in the last few days and now sits at over seventy thousand words. After the chaos and turmoil of last year, it’s nice to be back to work and on the road with Wal once again. I think you’ll like this one.

Spring is in full swing here in the PNW, and the flowers of our garden are popping off! So I figured I’d share some photos of the blooms around the place. Many of these had died back by the time we moved into the place, so it’s been lovely to experience them in person. Most of these came with the property; only the cosmos and the pink rose have been planted by us, but they’re just the start. There’s much more to come over the next few years.

Today is the 1st Anniversary of the day Uly came into our lives—and it’s been all the better for it. It’s been a shift moving from toy-sized dogs to a full-sized 70lb ball of endless energy, but I can’t imagine any other dog spending time with us here on the island. Here are some pics to celebrate the handsome boy’s Gotcha Day!

West Lovat
 Level Three
Night

SPOILER WARNING, KINDA

“There was no victory. There was only disaster.”

—Waldo Bell, Gleam Upon the Waves

Credits:
“Close Your Eyes” by Al Bowlly, Ray Noble & His Orchestra (1933)
Other audio and video from original, licensed, and public domain sources.

This is just one of many.

You never know what you’ll discover in the twisted streets, quiet alleys, and busy warrens of Lovat. Enjoy these “Old Haunts”, a series of vignettes and visions presented in Glorious Monochrome® by Waite Radio Pictures, Inc.

ExPERIENCE more Old haunts →Study Related Ephemera: Echoes of the Wasteland: The Repository Glossary of the Territories Read the Bell Forging Cycle Explore Distant Margins: This Green Sunrise Shore No Lips Dare Speak Aloud Did you think this was over? A telegram arrived

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In the early 18th century, Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI charged Johann Christoph Müller to produce an “authentic and complete” map of the kingdom of Bohemia. Being no slouch, Müller’s end result was a massive work, done at a 1:132,000 scale and eventually engraved on twenty-five sheets by Michael Kauffer and Jan Daniel Herz, most likely in Berlin. It is from that map that we get today’s set, and what a phenomenal set it is—and, uh… it’s much bigger than I planned.

All my Map Tools will always be free. Want to help support this work?
Click here to learn how.

Some of the flora, symbols, and lakes within the set.

The level of detail in this work is impressive. It reminds me somewhat of the Vischer set, especially in how elements of flora are incorporated into the landforms. The flora itself is rendered with restraint in either groups of tiny rendered trees, or a stippled scrub brush, which I labeled “wilds.” They play well off each other and work together to fill out the map. It’s easy to quickly create sprawling forests or empty plains. Within the Emperor’s request, there was a goal to map “relevant military information.” To that end, Müller mapped industrial points of interest, highlighting the locations of raw materials, ranging from metals to mineral water, and the workshops and mills that processed them. He also provided details for travel, marking the locations of warm baths, inns, mail stops, and river ferries.

A sample of the settlements you’ll find in Müller

If you’ve used my sets before, you’ll be familiar with many of the imagery choices depicting the various sizes of towns, though again Müller adds his own unique spin. Manor Houses reprise the role of the Schlosser from the Vischer set. Only Müller significantly simplifies these, and they serve as a catchall, representing anything from “castles, lordly palaces, and knights’ residences.”

The key to the original map in Latin (left) and German (right).

The extended villages were another unique approach I haven’t seen on a map from this era before. Obviously, a town or village isn’t always contained in a small bubble, especially on a map rendered at 1:132,000—one mile is 0.48 inches (or for those not beholden to the king, one kilometer here is 7.58 millimeters). To solve for this, Müller approaches communities two-fold: one is the single dot for “solitary villages,” the second adds more dots around named settlements that represent scattered or extended “rustic” settlements. Think of an extended settlement as a small town with the lone parish church and lots of farms in the area surrounding it, or similarly a village running along the length of a stream or small river. That’s what he was going for here.

Some of the landforms found in Müller

This was a really fun set to build, and there was so much to explore on each of the separate sheets. It’s no wonder this was the definitive map of Bohemia for nearly forty years. (Eventually superseded by the Josephinian Survey.) Funny enough, this is now my second biggest set, surpassing Moronobu Gansai by over four hundred brushes*. Within the might of Müller, you’ll find over 1500 brushes, including:

100 Walled Cities25 Cities without Walls100 Market Towns50 Villages with Churches50 Villages w/o Churches50 Extended Villages50 Manor Houses25 Churches30 Monasteries30 Inns/Taverns13 Hunting Lodges40 Mills10 Ruins34 Elevated Settlements31 Unique Settlements200 Wilds200 Forests200 Individual Hills100 Groups of Hills50 Lakes20 Miracle Markers5 Archaeological Sites20 Vineyards12 Silver Symbols2 Cinnabar Symbols5 Lead Symbols10 Copper Symbols10 Acidic Water Symbols10 Glassworks Symbols20 Iron Symbols15 Tin Symbols3 Sulfur Symbols7 Gold Symbols2 Salt Symbols2 Sulfuric Acid Symbols2 Aluminum Symbols12 Bathhouse Symbols20 Ferry Symbols30 Mail Horns20 Crowns3 Bishopric Symbols

*Look, they aren’t all going to be this big. Making sets this big is an enormous time investment in production and distribution. The tale just grew in the telling, I guess. Enjoy it. :)

The button below links to a ZIP file that contains an 27 MB Photoshop ABR brush set (it’ll also work with GIMP, Affinity Photo, and I’m told Procreate now). I also release the set as a pack of individual PNGs organized by folder, similar to how I organize the ABR file. This should make using these with tools like Wonderdraft much easier. No more extracting symbols from an enormous PNG.

Like this set? Click here to learn how you can support this project.

DOWNLOAD Müller

Download the Müller PNG Pack
(42.2 MB)

As with all of my previous brush sets, Müller is free for any use. I distribute my sets with a Creative Commons, No Rights Reserved License (CC0), which means you can freely use this and any of my brushes in personal or commercial work and distribute adaptations. No attribution is required. Easy peasy!

Enjoy Müller? Feel free to show me what you created by emailing me. I love seeing how these brushes get used, and I’d be happy to share your work with my readers. Let me see what you make!

But wait, there’s more…Kauffer Hand: A Free 18th Ct. Type Family

Alongside the launch of Müller, I’m excited to announce the launch of my second totally free typeface: Kauffer Hand. This font is extracted from the same map as the Müller brush set and is named after one of the engravers who published the map in 1726.

This typeface is a bit cleaner than Myer Scratch, but it could still use some softening to help it feel as realistic as possible. When pulling from these historical documents, not every glyph is accounted for—J, Q, and q in the base Hand style, X and Y in Italics style, and the Q in the Title style, were reconstructed from other documents labeled with a similar style to fill out the alphabet and maintain a consistent tone with the typeface. (If you want an even more polished version in a similar style, check out Three Isle Press’s Geographica family.)

The Kauffer Hand’s Character Set.

The three variant styles can be used in multiple ways to label your projects. Müller used Italics for smaller settlements and Hand for larger ones. You can see how I even do an all-caps Hand for the titles of the largest settlements in my example map below. Title was used for bigger labels or for the map’s title. Lots of options with this one, experiment and find a way to make it your own.

Kauffer Hand has three variants: Hand, Italic, and Title.

The button below links to a ZIP file that contains the Kauffer Hand family’s OFT files. Just install the font the way you would any other. Like my brush sets, Kauffer Hand is free and distributed with a Creative Commons, No Rights Reserved License (CC0), which means you can freely use it in personal or commercial work and distribute adaptations. No attribution is required.

DOWNLOAD Kauffer HandMüller in Use

Want to see how I’ve used this set? There are three versions: a colored example, a black-and-white rendition, and a decorated sample. Click on any of the images below to view them larger. Perhaps this will inspire you as you get started on your projects!

4000×5000 (11.4 MB) 4000×5000 (8 MB) 1080×1350 (2 MB)

Sample Details: I hand-drew the rivers and some of the lakes in Photoshop. Roads and trails were done in Illustrator. The font is Kauffer Hand, which can be downloaded above. All the names come from locations and surnames from the enclave of Lesotho. (A fascinating place that has been in the news recently. It’s worth checking them out.) The paper texture is from True Grit Texture Supply’s Infinite Pulp, and they’re also where I got Atomica, which gives me ink-like effects for the text, colors, the roads, and trails. The title frame comes from my Fancy Frames set, which can be downloaded from the Decorative Assets page.

Support this Work

Brushes and tools released through the #NoBadMaps project will always be free and released under a public domain CC0 license. If you’d like to support the project and help me cover the cost of hosting, research, and tool-set development, I’ve put together three ways you can help, and all are detailed below.

Buy My Books→

I’m not just a map enthusiast. I’m also a novelist! The easiest way to support me (and get something in return) is by purchasing one of my cosmic horror urban fantasy novels.

❦

Buy Me a Coffee→

A simple and quick way to support the #NoBadMaps project is through a one-time donation of any amount via ko-fi. Your support helps keep this project going and is appreciated.

❦

Join my Patreon→

If you want to continually support the #NoBadMaps project through a reoccurring monthly contribution, consider joining my Patreon and get sneak peeks into what’s coming.

❦

More Map Brushes

This is just one of many brush sets and map tools I’ve released. You can find it and other free brushes covering a wide variety of historical styles on my Fantasy Map Brushes page. Every set is free, distributed under a CC0 license, and open for personal or commercial use. I’m sure you’ll be able to find something that works for your project. Click the button below to check them out!

view more Fantasy Map Brushes

Want to stay in touch with me? Sign up for Dead Drop, my rare and elusive newsletter. Subscribers get news, previews, and notices on my books before anyone else delivered directly to their inbox. I work hard to ensure it’s not spammy and contains interesting and relevant information. Sign Up Today →

I don’t always share many videos here, but I thought this Tunnel Vision video was poignant.

I’m grateful I’m off most social media now because, as the video goes into, those services are designed to promote this garbage. Media literacy has faltered globally, but it’s collapsed in the US, where we’ve commodified algorithms to serve the god of shareholder profits, and it’s beneficial for corporations like Meta, Google, and TikTok to keep users engaged no matter the cost.

Every time I come across AI stuff like this, I ask myself: why bother? Why bother engaging when no one has actually created anything? Why read what no one bothered to write? Ideas are the easy part; execution is where talent truly lies.

He’s now eleven months old (almost a year!) and is in full teenager mode. He’s so bright—which is a benefit and also a curse. He’s a ball of chaotic energy, more aware of his surroundings, likes to push boundaries, doesn’t listen at all, and would eat constantly if we let him. He’s a big boy, yet he doesn’t understand his size or strength. He wants to be everyone’s best friend. When he smacks you with his enormous paw, you feel it.

He also hasn’t figured out how to nap yet. We have to force him to sleep. He’s so filled with FOMO that he’ll sit by the window, thoroughly exhausted, and we’ll watch him nod off and then snap awake. It’s like having a toddler in your house, except this one is seventy-five pounds and eats like a fifteen-year-old.

In December, he had his first dog-sitting experience when we went to Portugal. (Thanks, Julie!) He did well for a big, goofy goober who was still figuring himself out. In the months since, I think he’ll only improve. He’s starting to figure out walks and people. He might not always excel, but he’ll get there.

He adores other dogs. Even typing that doesn’t fully capture his excitement. Other dogs are his absolute joy. He would forego food to hang out with other dogs. There’s his first pal, Fergus, a Scottish terrier he met as a puppy. There’s Cosmo, a shepherd mix who he loves to harass and who, in return, acts like a big brother to him. He’ll spend ages exhausting himself running around in the back forest with his neighborhood buddies, Charlie, Billy (two pit bulls), and Ernie (another—smaller—doodle.) He’s bigger than all the dogs mentioned, but he’s still such a baby that he lets them run roughshod over him. He loves it. His favorite game is being chased. It’s adorable.

Trying to survive a winter with a puppy whose only source of entertainment is attention has been a learning experience. But winter here in the Pacific Northwest is fading. The weather has finally shifted, the cold has left, the rains have returned, and the days are getting longer. There are lots of big moments coming for Ulysses over the next few months, and I’m excited to see what silly new adventures he takes us on.

This has been your Winter 2025 Pupdate.

Wanted to throw together a quick update on some easy-to-miss news from the #NoBadMaps universe. If you have donated to the project through Ko-fi or Patreon, you’re probably already aware. (As always, thanks for your support!) As for everyone else, here’s what’s been happening behind the scenes in my weird little world of fantasy map-related tools…

New Typeface Page Launched

Yeah, I’m also making fonts now. It was easy to miss, but with the recent release of Myer, I also released Myer Scratch, a scrimshaw hand typeface lifted from the same powder horn from which I pulled the graphic assets. Historical typefaces are something I’ve always wanted to do, and thanks to my generous supporters, I’m planning on launching more historical fonts in the future—most likely along with assets—any new typefaces will be listed on the Typefaces page.

New PNG Packs Now Available

I’m slowly going back through my old assets and releasing PNG packs. These take time, so bear with me as I tackle each of these. You can find the link to download PNG Packs below the ABR download button on the respective set’s release post. The latest packs can be found below!

Janssonius: A Free 17th Century Cartography Brush Set Hyacinth: A Free 19th Century Mountain Brush Set Support this Work

Brushes and tools released through the #NoBadMaps project will always be free and released under a public domain CC0 license. If you’d like to support the project and help me cover the cost of hosting, research, and tool-set development, I’ve put together three ways you can help, and all are detailed below.

Buy My Books→

I’m not just a map enthusiast. I’m also a novelist! The easiest way to support me (and get something in return) is by purchasing one of my cosmic horror urban fantasy novels.

❦

Buy Me a Coffee→

A simple and quick way to support the #NoBadMaps project is through a one-time donation of any amount via ko-fi. Your support helps keep this project going and is appreciated.

❦

Join my Patreon→

If you want to continually support the #NoBadMaps project through a reoccurring monthly contribution, consider joining my Patreon and get sneak peeks into what’s coming.

❦