The Dread Machine posts
Posts: 27
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Home Sweet Home is under development!
Hey everyone!This week, my second-oldest daughter and I started working on Home Sweet Home,my contribution to a 4-game collection (The Welcome Wagon) that Nate, Tim, Kanishk, and I are working on together.This project has been in the works since January of this year. My initial draft was completed forever ago, but when...
Summer Progress Update
Hey friends! Despite my kids being home and our kitchen being under construction, this summer has been extremely productive. Here's what I have going on right now:1.) After two weeks of waiting, Plane is finally being processed at Ingram.Hopefully, I'll be able to order our first proofs this week, so the print-...
Pausing billing!
Hey everyone!I'm pausing billing, because I feel weird taking payments without offering anything substantial in return (and yes, I know that Patreon is built for this kind of thing, but still).The last few months have been crazy. Here's an overview of the projects I've been juggling:Plane way overfunded on ...
March Update: Things are happening!
Kickstarter Announceme—oh, we’re funded already?Well, I did plan to come in here and announce the launch of our Kickstarter for Plane, but we funded before I could even draft the post!As I write this, the campaign is at $973 with 31 backers and 24 days left to go. We’re $27 away from hitting a major stretch goal...
February Update!
Hello friends!It’s been an exhilarating (read: nerve-wracking) few weeks at AstroFusion Command, and I’m thrilled to share the progress we’ve made on Plane, our first journaling RPG.Artistic Evolution: First and foremost, Plane’s vibe has undergone a remarkable transformation. I’ve been refining the art style...
HAPPY NEW CAT DAY! (and other news)
Hey everyone! Today is a very special day for me, one I’ve been looking forward to for weeks. It’s NEW CAT DAY!NEW CAT DAY!!!! SQUEEEEE!!!If you aren’t interested in pets, scroll down, because this is all I can think about right now and I’m dying to talk about it.As those in our Discord likely already know, our...
January Update: Exciting Times Ahead at The Dread Machine!
Hello beloved supporters!As the new year unfolds, we're thrilled to share some fantastic updates from The Dread Machine. Your support has been the backbone of our journey, and we're excited to take you along on our latest adventures!Issue 3.4: A Record Success!Issue 3.4 sold more copies on release than any prev...
Monthly Updates: November
TL;DR Issue 3.4 is done! We're waiting on our printer to finalize their review, then we'll be ordering physical copies and enabling preorders for non-subscribers. We're dropping a story here next week. We haven't decided which one. We have to argue about it for a while first. Development on Plane is mov...
We’re back from New York ComicCon, with pics!
Last week, I embarked on a pop culture pilgrimage.New York ComicCon is where fandoms collide and an insane amount of creativity is on full display, from the art (which is literally everywhere) to the elaborate costumes people wear. With my very first Professional badge in hand (around my neck, actually), I set off to e...
Issue 3.3 is here!
Download it today!Like, now. Right now. Otherwise, you'll forget.Then, set a calendar reminder to read it, or else you'll end up with a hard drive full of unread issues.Don't be like me. Be better than me.
Journeying into new dimensions!
I've been keeping pretty quiet about the solo RPG Kanishk and I have been working on, mostly because I'd want to avoid any kind of deadline pressure. This is the biggest project I've ever attempted, and the stakes feel pretty high. However, the more progress I make, the more excited I get, so I'm going ...
Thank you, next.
Hey everyone! Sorry about the prolonged silence. We’ve had some obnoxious, stressful behind-the-scenes problems that needed to be resolved. Now that all the fires have been put out, we have an update for you! (This one will be long, but the important parts are in bold, so it’s scroll-friendly.)First, we broke up wi...
Issue 3.2 is here!
In this issue of The Dread Machine...Go west and weird, join the Goth Girls' Gun Gang, explore the bottom of the Mariana Trench, learn what cicadas taste like, hide from the corporate warlords, and sew your fractured self together.Climb to the top of the pyramid scheme, find the joy in devouring, and save your stup...
#BloodBossBabes by Rachel Kolar
Originally published by Podcastle, March 2021.Hey Girl!From: Amy Shearer (serpentsisteramy@sotesh.com)To: Heather McBride (mcheather@ymail.com)Hey, girlfriend! Love looking at your beautiful family on Insta. And congrats on getting into grad school—that’s HUGE!Furthering your education while raising a family takes ...
Under Pressure by R. L. Meza
At the bottom of the Mariana Trench, Death is a misplaced pinprick, a hairline crack. Owen hears Death tapping at the exterior, testing the structural integrity of the habitat. Irregular ticking echoes through the lab, as if the light deprivation has thrown an invisible clock off-kilter, altering the nature of time its...
3.2 Cover Reveal & Proof Preview
Today, I'm reviewing the proof for 3.2, and I have to say, this is pretty exceptional. For starters, this order was fulfilled by a printer in New Haven, which is about an hour and a half from me. If this printer becomes our new fulfillment center, that means much faster turnaround time on proofs and print orders. B...
Special Delivery from Japan!
Monica sent a package. Let's see what's inside!
We're making friends!
Like a lot of writers, I'm an introvert, a ghost-person who prefers sneaking around the internet, lurking, hoping nobody notices my existence. Needless to say, megaplatforms (like Facebook and Twitter) are not for me. The idea of tens or hundreds of millions of strangers scrutinizing my posts or comments makes me p...
Murder Cabin Adventures: 2023
Every year, we host a writer's retreat at the creepiest Airbnb within our budget. Luckily, creepy Airbnbs aren't hard to find when your budget totals whatever you and six friends manage to find between your couch cushions.Last year, we stayed here, at a place we lovingly refer to as "Gail's Murder Cabin...
Fulfillment: An Inside Look
First we inspect the books, then we clean the books, then we pack the books, then we ship the books.
Help us break stuff!
Hey everyone! We're testing our new submission management system for the next few weeks. I've got to write documentation for the slushers and figure out how to modify my workflow. If you'd like to help, submit anything (real story, ASCII art, a document written in Wingdings—whatever) here. Let me know if ...
Decoding Draft2Digital
Remember last week, when I said, "Every summer, I spend a few weeks researching other printers. Usually, we end up stuck with KDP..."? Well, I'm going to show you what that research process looks like.Today, I evaluated Draft 2 Digital, a print-on-demand and book distribution company we've been monitori...
The Indie Mag Struggle: Navigating Financial Challenges and Platform Switches
This week, we've had to deal with some rough news.Moksha Price Increase: Remember last week, when I told you Moksha's annual subscription increased to $750 per year? I can't justify the expense anymore. (I'd rather pay that money to writers.) So this weekend, we're switching to a free, self-hosted s...
Another cost increase. 🙄
Well, I learned this morning that the cost of our annual Moksha subscription went up by $150. I was hoping, as a loyal annual customer, we'd be able to hold our $600/year rate, but nope.For those of you who aren't aware, Moksha is a submission management platform. Many speculative fiction magazines use Moksha b...
Darkness Blooms: Proof Review
Today, I'm finalizing proofs for Darkness Blooms. My process here is generally pretty straightforward: I pore over every single millimeter of each edition (epub, paperback, hardcover), and if I discover an error, I mark it and circle the page number in red pen. Once the errors are discovered, I open up the files an...
Propaganda distribution day!
Behold our fat stacks! Today, I'm preparing to ship Issue 3.1. A few people placed orders for multiple copies, and I'll be working on adding our titles to every library in the Hartford County system this month, so this is a bigger stack of books than we normally order. (Typically, I buy whatever number of subsc...
