New Year's Resolutions from Owl's Flower

A new year — and a new decade! — starts next week. And with new beginnings on the calendar come an attempt at new beginnings for each of us. You don't have to wait until January 1 to make resolutions, but something about the feeling of a fresh start makes it easier to set your mind to it.

With that, Owl's Flower is making its own sets of resolutions! Here's how the characters are hoping to kick off the 2020s in a good way:

Herne

"I've never made resolutions myself until this year, but I've had time to see what works and what doesn't. It seems like big changes don't do as well as clear, personal ones. So in my case, I'm going to try and improve communication. Say things before they need to be said, so they're easier to talk about. That's a lot of ground to cover when I've had 400 years of life, but I can make a start."

Iris

"Better business! I've been researching trends to improve the company, and I'm making two major changes. For one, I'm going with American-made coffee. I've found a great company that I'm hoping to work with exclusively. And I'm trying to be more sustainable and eco-friendly, so look for us to use 100% recycled cups. (I swear that isn't because I'm dating a nature god. I came by it honestly.)"

Stormy

"New year's resolutions don't work. But if they did, I'd resolve to cut my spending on Domo Octi GachaGacha Matsuri. Not entirely. I'd still drop real money for major events and collabs, but not weekly deals."

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Speaking of the new year, both Ginger and Kara have good things coming... including the next Owl's Flower book! Keep your eyes on our blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for news and sneak peeks of what's to come!

RECIPES: Hot Cocoa a la Owl's Flower

It is really cold right now.

Kara's in Virginia, Ginger's in Illinois, and neither is warm. While we have our own preferences when it comes to warm-up drinks (Ginger prefers coffee, Kara prefers tea), we do agree on one thing: hot cocoa. As Ginger pointed out, it's sort of the happy medium between the two.

So while we're trying to regain some body heat, here are a few suggestions for hot cocoa variants you might find at Owl's Flower on cold days.

Herne's Honey Hot Cocoa

We already know from the first book that Herne loves Owl's Flower's specialty honey cookies. Mix in a spoonful of honey and a few drops of vanilla for a sweet variant. Bonus points if you use local honey: save a little for spring to help fight off allergies when the flowers start blooming again!

Gingerbread Hot Cocoa

After baking up sheets of gingerbread cookies for the shop, Iris gets a bit of a craving. There are a couple ways to go about this, the easiest being to use store-bought gingerbread spice. Mix a tablespoon per cup into your favorite hot cocoa mix. Alternatively, you can mix up equal parts cinnamon, ginger, and allspice for a do-it-yourself version. A little maple syrup or molasses really makes it work.

Peppermint Mocha

For the nights when you want something seasonal but also want to stay awake a little longer. Instead of water or milk, mix your cocoa of choice with coffee and a dash of milk. Then drop in a mini candy cane and let it melt for an extra dose of Christmas flavor.

Will you be trying any of these? What's your favorite stay-warm drink? You can always chat with us on Facebook and Twitter!

Herne and Iris's Guide to the Perfect Christmas

Christmas is just a couple weeks away! We're all scrambling to be prepared, find gifts for family and friends, and be good to ourselves in between errands. So how does William's Grove's favorite paranormal romantic couple keep their heads on straight during the holidays? Here are a few tips from Herne and Iris... they may not be applicable for more standard families, but you'll probably find some points of commonality in there somewhere.

1. Always defrost your nature god in the morning. If you're in a region where winters are especially cold, don't fret if your local nature-connected deity is a little chilly first thing. Blankets, heating pads, and a hot beverage of their choice will help thaw them out.

2. You don't have to make Every Cookie. It feels good to bring variety to the table, and baking is super fun. But if you're going to a cookie party, regular party, or just having a friend over, it's okay to stick to one or two types if you're already short on time. Iris has some sweet honey cookies that go over really well with Herne — the recipe is in our first book!

3. Consumable gifts are great gifts. It's nice to give things that last a lifetime, but things you can use up are just as appreciated! Consider gifting a favorite coffee or tea blend, a gift card to their favorite restaurant or shop, or tickets to a show they'd like. (Have we mentioned how great cookies are?)

4. Start a new tradition. Are you accustomed to taking trips out of town on the holidays, but currently dating an immortal demigod who needs to stay close to home to ensure the smooth change of seasons? Try a festive event closer to home! As fun as traditions are, times and people change; and integrating new festivities in with the usual can be just as fun.

5. Take time for yourself. And your loved ones, of course. If getting everything Absolutely Perfect is cutting into the time you actually get to spend with family and friends, it might be time to take a few hours off. Watch some movies, eat some cookies. Eat a lot of cookies.

6. Ghost stories are totally festive. No, really. It used to be much more of a thing. When you're looking for something to do on a dark and chilly evening, share your favorite scary stories with a friend!

7. Remember what comes first. You don't want to be exhausted, angry, or stressed when the big day rolls around; you want to be able to enjoy it. If that means sitting at home with your SO watching Hallmark movies and drinking hot cocoa instead of having an elaborately decorated tree, so be it. If that means buying ready-made dinners instead of working in the kitchen, go for it. What matters is being together in the darkest part of winter and making it a happy time!

An old Christmas story... and things to come?

When we were first kicking off Owl's Flower, we wanted to give readers a little extra something between the first and second book. Christmas was incoming, so over the course of that December, we did a three-part story about Herne and Iris's first Christmas together.

If you missed it, no worries! You can still read it here:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

As we move toward Book 3 (and there will be more news on that soon — follow our Twitter for potential sneak peeks!), we're also looking at the future of the site, the shop, and how we do things in general. The first book will always be free to download, and future ebooks will always be at pay-what-you-want pricing (albeit more conveniently before long!).

Eventually we'd like to do more in-between short stories (as in short-short, like what you see above). If that's the kind of thing you'd like to see on our blog for special occasions, be sure to let us know! In the meantime, we're looking forward to Christmas and hope all of you are, too. Stay warm and toasty!

BONUS RECIPE: Potato Stuffing

If you've read our first two books, you know that they come with recipes in the back. (And if you haven't read them... they come with recipes in the back!) The first two feature custom-made dishes by Angela Pritchett, but our third will will have something a bit different: a recipe that, in the story, comes from Iris's cat-having neighbor Ms. Waters.

In reality, the recipe comes from a Lebanese cookbook made by the women of St. George's Orthodox Church in Charleston, WV — in other words, the church built by Kara's family! We're looking forward to giving this family recipe (and perhaps others) a new life with new people. And today, with Thanksgiving around the corner, we thought we'd share another recipe from Kara's family.

This is an old favorite: a mashed potato-based stuffing whose recipe was passed down from Kara's great-grandmother. Does that mean it's a traditional Lebanese dish? Not quite... that's the impression we got at first, but it turned out great-grandma got it from a New England cookbook. Regardless... it's a family recipe, it's delicious, and you should all get to try it.

Here you go!

Ingredients
- 4 lbs. potatoes, peeled and mashed
- 3 cups cracker crumbs*
- 1 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 chopped white onion
- 1 egg
- Dash nutmeg
- Salt to taste

Directions

1. Add cracker crumbs a bit at a time to mashed potatoes in a large pot.

2. Add butter, celery, onion, and egg. Mix well.

3. Add nutmeg and salt to taste.

4. Divide the mixture. You should have enough to stuff a decent-sized turkey and to bake in a casserole dish.

* If you're crushing up the cracker crumbs yourself, use unsalted crackers.

Short Story Deities and Where to Find Them

We've made no secret of the fact that there will be new deities from all around the world coming into our future books. Book 3 (in progress), for example, will be pulling from Mediterranean and Far East traditions... and there may already be some lurking around under the radar!

But if you're looking for a little variety now, we've got a couple of young upstarts in the Owl's Flower universe. We've talked about them before on the blog, but if you're new here, this is your chance to catch up!

Each of the two stories in question is in a different publication, so you'll need to travel past our site to find them. And in one case — at least for now — you'll need to be quick!

Clare ("Clarity," Relics)

Clare was our first venture outside Herne and Iris's circle for an Owl's Flower universe story. She's also our first look at how deities are born, following her beginning as she comes into being and attempts to search out her purpose.

Like other new and inexperienced deities, Clare looks like a youngster. But, as we learn in her story (and as Herne has told Iris), a deity's physical age is generally relative to their experience and knowledge. Also, not everyone who runs around in this pantheon is benevolent; and the idea of nabbing a fresh deity with no idea what her purpose is would be appealing to some.

You can read Clare's story in Relics from Red Ted Books.

Masudah ("Kill the Cat," Unearthed)

There are two ways deities can come into being in the Owl's Flower universe. Like Clare, they can pop into existence when a need for them arises. Or, like, Masudah, they can be ascended mortals. Masudah was a seemingly unimportant boy in Ancient Egypt who, through an unfortunate accident and surprising circumstances, was elevated to the position of a god of curiosity.

Masudah's story also brings into play something the main series of books will be addressing before long: red tape. We all deal with it, and deities are no exception. Masudah's problems are exacerbated by his willingness to not play along when offered an opportunity to protect his position. Who makes that offer?... They'll be coming around in a later book.

Masudah's story is currently available in the charity anthology Unearthed from Altrix Books... but only for a little while! Unearthed will soon be going out of print to make way for Altrix's next charity title. However, we might (read: probably will) include Masudah's story in a later publication.

Will there be any further look-ins from gods on the fringe? We'll let you know as soon as we do!

OUTSIDE OWL'S FLOWER: A New Doctor Who Zine!

Unsurprisingly, our readers are a bit into Doctor Who — in large part because both of our creators are! So you can expect to see us in charity anthologies, zines, and the occasional official/spinoff release. At the moment, sales for Ginger's third solo-run zine (fourth she's staffed) are underway, and a few friends of Owl's Flower (and the other creator) are involved!

A Pile of Good Things is raising funds for the Cancer Research Institute with a shiny new zine and merch bundle dedicated to Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor. 28 artists (including Ginger) and nine writers (including Kara) brought their interpretations of the Time Lord to the page.

So what will you find inside? Ginger's piece remembers everyone's favorite Impossible Girl in multiple forms. Kara's story introduces the Doctor and Clara to a suspicious cult that specialized in magical light. Altrix Books co-owner Paul Driscoll imagines a lonely post-Pond 11 as a Victorian bird fancier, and Sophie Iles contributes art of the same time frame. Managlitch City Underground creator Michael O'Brien mixes some Trek-ish tones with temporal confusion. And our friend William J. Martin is all about the eyebrows.

You can get the zine alone, or with a merch bundle that includes charms, a patch, a pin, prints, a bookmark, and a lanyard. Or you can get just the merch bundle, or you can get just the pin. Lots of options.

Long-time followers of our work will remember that Ginger's last two zines raised approximately $4,000 combined for various charities. Why not help us make it three? If you're a fan of Owl's Flower you'll be getting Kara's writing and Ginger's art in an exclusive new venue. You'll also get to discover new artists and writers along the way!

Zines are on sale for a limited time at rathzem.com — then they're gone. Don't miss out!

A Nature God's Guide to Changing Seasons

Art by Ginger Hoesly from Owl's Flower Book 2: Ghost Fall.

When we first designed Herne, we pulled from a variety of sources —not just in terms of his general appearance, but also when it came to how he "dresses." He had to wear something when he was gallivanting around in the forest because we wanted to, you know, depict him. We knew it would likely be very leafy, whatever it was... one of Kara's early suggestions resembled the Night Elf Druid starter outfit from World of Warcraft (fortunately for us all it didn't remain that way):

Readers will know that Herne ended up with a leafy green toga-style deal that grows up around him as necessary. But the leaves change. So what happens when the leaves aren't green?

Simple: autumn toga.

If you've read Ghost Fall (and if you haven't, you can pay what you want for a digital copy or pick it up in print!), you'll have seen the first example of Herne's look changing with the seasons. When the leaves turn, so does his getup. But that's not where it stops.

Our upcoming third book takes place in winter — right around Valentine's Day to be exact. Iris learns, as do we all, that even Herne's day-to-day look is affected by changes in season. Well, it makes sense; nature is his domain, so he'll reflect it and vice-versa. How exactly that manifests, you'll get to see when book 3 comes out. We're both pretty fond of it.

For now, get caught up on our first two books so you'll be ready when the third lands! And enjoy the changing leaves!

BEHIND THE SCENES: Ineffable Charms and Upcoming Conventions!

This week, Ginger is releasing some heavenly merch in her store, and Kara's making some 2020 plans!

First up, Good Omens fans will want to check out Ginger's store today as she's putting out new designs inspired by Crowley and Aziraphale (and their love of sushi!). Prints are available for order, and charms are available for pre-order (provided minimum orders are met).

Meanwhile, keep your options open in 2020, as Kara has plans to be present at two conventions so far! More information will be forthcoming on which and when, and hopefully there will be some good Owl's Flower rep at both. Stay tuned!

BEHIND THE SCENES: New Pins and... We're Okay!

Hello again, readers!

First off, just a quick note to let everyone know that Hurricane Dorian has come as close as it's going to come to Kara's place in Hampton Roads. There was some wind and a bit of flooding, but otherwise it wasn't much cause for concern. If you or your loved ones are anywhere in the path of Dorian, please stay safe and look after yourselves.

Ginger has turned her "Thank God and Scotland" shirt design into a pin! A limited number are available, so if you're interested, be sure to grab one now. They turned out looking great, and they have two pins and nice safe backs so you can display it on a jacket or bag without fear of losing it.

She's got lots of other pins, shirts, prints, and more in her shop, so be sure to check it out! It's a great way to get your hands on some Ginger originals if you're an Owl's Flower fan; plus, as it's her own shop and not hosted through a third party, you know exactly where your money is going.

There's more on the horizon, including an upcoming charity anthology and some other cool stuff. So keep an eye on our blog, Facebook, and Twitter!

BEHIND THE SCENES: Books, Podcasts, and More to Come!

Applications have closed for Ginger's next zine, and now she gets to lurk in the darkness of her inbox as she chooses who will be working on A Pile of Good Things. As she does that, here are a few other things to keep an eye on.

Kara has made an appearance on You and Who Talking to chat with J.R. Southall! You can hear a reading of one of her essays, along with a chat that covers everything from British TV to Doctor Who fandom to, of course, Owl's Flower.

Listen here!

Plus, Kara's in a new anthology! Sockhops & Seances comes from 18th Wall, and features spooky stories set in the 1950s. Kara leads off the collection with "Son of the Wolf," a tale of seaside amusement parks, haunted roller coasters, and a girl named Heck. You'll see other familiar authors in the book, too!

Buy Sockhops & Seances

More continues under the radar. Thanks as always for your support! We're looking to move our shop to a different layout before long, and we'll make sure to warn everyone when that happens.

BEHIND THE SCENES: A Birthday, a Shop, and Last Call for Zine Applications!

Kind of terrifyingly, it's a new month already! Both of us are surviving the summer, working away on the next book and other projects we're looking forward to sharing. Thanks as always for keeping an eye on what we're up to!

This weekend is Ginger's birthday, so feel free to embarrass her online if you happen to see this. They'll kill time while her gifts get shipped to her.

Speaking of Ginger, she's moved her shop over to a personal page. Things are still being put together there, but you can browse her goods, including brand new shirts for those days when you've 'bout had it with social media.

Finally, you have until August 5 to apply to A Pile of Good Things, the next charity zine from RaThZEm! (It's fun typing those random capitals.) Writers and artists are being accepted - writers, you don't have to have a pitch ready, just have a link to some previous work! Apply here!

We'd tell you what Kara's up to, but she's still not allowed to go into it yet. Soon. Eventually. Hopefully.

BEHIND THE SCENES: Illustration Continues for Owl's Flower 3!

In the midst of all our work elsewhere, we're still ticking away at Owl's Flower book 3 — admittedly a bit more assiduously now than we were able to in previous weeks and months. Being employed is great, but it does cut into passion project time. Thanks to everyone for their patience!

Ginger has been working with some new resources to ease her workload and make her art pop even more than it already did (which is really saying something, if you're familiar with her work!). She's been posting samples here and there on her own social media, and we've been sharing it on the Owl's Flower social... But in case you missed the first, here's a sneaky Dumb Baby scoping out the background of a scene:

We're both working away on this and other things behind the scenes. Ginger's got a new zine, A Pile of Good Things, coming up in the near future. 11th Doctor fans who are also writers and artists, take note: applications are open! Head over now and get your name in!

Meanwhile, Kara is working on... er... can't actually say at this point. Assuming all goes to plan, it will be worth the wait.

Keep an eye out for more book news, as well as our other work along the way!

BEHIND THE SCENES: New Projects from Our Creators!

We don't really stop, as you may have noticed.

Ginger's been working away on Owl's Flower 3 (title TBA) art, and the sketches are looking fantastic so far. We have some new characters to introduce to you before long — whether they're temporary or permanent is a bit of a spoiler, but we hope you'll look forward to it!

In the meantime, we've each got a project we've been working on that we'd really love you to have a look at.

Gokigen na Chou is a Digimon Adventure fanzine co-modded by Ginger, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the series. The zine has art from 44 artists (including Ginger), along with some cute merch like pins, bookmarks, and mini-prints. Plus, if at least 100 physical copies are sold, everyone who bought a physical copy will get a really cool enamel pin!

They're already halfway there, so this looks pretty darn doable. And, like, look at it. It's so good.

Orders are only open 'til August 19, so head over to the order page now and pick a bundle! (Also makes a great gift for the Digimon fan in your life... trust us, you know at least one.)

Speaking of anniversaries, it's the 50th anniversary of "Space Oddity"... and Chinbeard Books is celebrating with the release of Me and the Starman! Fans of the You & Who books will know the format well by now. In this new volume, fans unite to write essays about David Bowie's many works, from movies to music and beyond — in particular, how these works played a part in their lives. Kara has an essay on Labyrinth and her college years.

Better yet, proceeds from the book will fund Cancer Research U.K. Grab a copy here and get reading!

Thanks as always for following our projects both within and outside of Owl's Flower!

BEHIND THE SCENES: Personal Projects and What's to Come

So as you may have noticed, Owl's Flower 3 is still in the works. There's good and bad to this, of course. The "bad" is obvious—no book yet. But the "good" is for good reasons: both of us actually have a lot of work, and having work and commissions is a good thing. For Kara, it's several writing projects in the works; for Ginger, it's more art and zines on the horizon.

The basics: the book is still in the being-finished stage. In other words, it's more done than not-done. And it will be done, and other books after it. But right now, considering this is a passion project and other projects pay, we can't necessarily afford to shove other projects aside to speed this along. That's not a guilt thing, it's just a fact. (We both have day jobs, too.)

That said, the ability to put a little more focus on the books would be welcome. No, we're not opening a Kickstarter or a Patreon because... eh, we tried those individually and they only go so far depending on the project. But any support we can get will help us lift book 3 off the back burner and justify putting it ahead of other projects. And we want this out as much as the next person.

So what can you do to help us?

Download and review the first book!

We made a conscientious decision to make the first book free so people could know if they wanted more. We've heard good things, but you guys can help spread the word.

If you haven't read the first book, we'd be super pleased if you did. If you have, it'd be a big help if you could review it on GoodReads. Our business model means we aren't available on Amazon, so this is how we get ratings and good words.

All of this costs zero dollars, incidentally—can't beat that for return on investment!

Buy and review the second book!

We're very happy that people cared enough to give Ghost Fall a go when it wasn't a free download, many of you even going above and beyond what we would have charged when we named our price. If you haven't gotten your copy yet, you can do that here... and you can also get a print copy if you prefer that real-book feel.

Again, a GoodReads review is always helpful. Whether you drop stars or words or both, you're helping us out a lot!

Peruse our goods!

Ginger has made some awesome merch, including shirts, prints, mugs and much more. If you like our stuff, consider buying some goods. The proceeds go straight back to us, and will help us be quicker about making a print version of Book 3 when the time comes.

Support our individual projects!

Check out Ginger's Etsy shop where she sells pins, shirts, and lots of other really cool stuff. Doctor Who fans in particular will have fun looking through her goods. 

Kara is currently preparing to send some other projects out to publishers so there's nothing new to promote just yet, but she's always got her Ko-fi open for donations. And anything new from both of us will be announced here and on our social media.

Thanks as always for your support and patience. We look forward to bringing Book 3 together for you sooner rather than later!

OWL'S FLOWER WORLD TOUR: There and Back Again

What do two nerds do with a week abroad? Speakeasies and meat, apparently.

Both Ginger and Kara are fully home from their trip to the UK earlier this month (framed by Kara spending some time up at Ginger's place). If you followed along on our Instagram, you got to see a few of our adventures in real-time, and will likely get to see a few more as we shake our smartphones out.

But for a very quick run-down of some of the highlights of our trip, read on!

Manga at the British Museum

It was extremely fortuitous that the largest exhibition of manga ever outside Japan just happened to be in town at the same time we were. It costs extra to get in if you're not a British Museum member, but it was absolutely worth it!

If you'd like at look at what's on display, check out Kara's feature over on Crunchyroll.

Evans & Peel Detective Agency

When trying to decide where to go for dinner on our second night in London, our friend JJ turned this place up in a Google search. It's a detective-themed speakeasy that takes walk-ins (which we were), but it seems you get more bang for your buck experience-wise if you call in advance. Even without reservations, it was a wild experience.

If you go for a walk-in "appointment," you're buzzed downstairs and asked why you need a detective, so be sure to have a story prepared. Once you've been judged, the host opens a bookcase and leads you into a vintage restaurant. The food selection is pretty basic, especially if you're a visiting American: fries, wings, and (very large) hot dogs. But not only are they tasty, they come at a discount with a drink. Go through the agency's dossier for a vintage mix, or be like Kara and order a Jane Doe (with all the ingredients blacked out). If you prefer no alcohol, there are three "Prohibition" drinks that are just as good as anything else on the menu.

Soho's Secret Tea Room

Kara was insistent on afternoon tea, and Ginger was happy to oblige not once, but twice. (More on that later.) This little spot is just above the Coach & Horses in Soho, and is an affordable option for a full afternoon tea. There's a great menu of teas available, and a nice selection of snacks on the stacks.

The down side is, we're not sure if this place will be available to visit much longer (if at all). We were told by the hostess that the Coach & Horses is under new management effective very soon, and they're not big on the whole "pub landlord" model and are looking to give it an overhaul. This would effectively cancel out the tea room, which is run by the landlord's sister. There was a link to a petition on a chalk board downstairs, so hopefully there will be enough of an outcry for it to remain.

The LOADING Bar

Full disclosure: Ginger suggested going here because the LOADING Bar (albeit a different location) is a regular hangout for the hosts of Outside Xbox, one of our favorite YouTube channels. Even without the association, though, it's a nice place. There are video games and board games ready for the playing, along with an extensive list of game-themed drinks.

If you're looking for a chill place to go with friends, afternoon seems to be the best time; we were some of the only people there. It looks like the kind of place that livens up at night, so head out after hours if you're looking to meet fellow nerds.

Forbidden Planet

If you're in the UK and you're a nerd, you can't not go to at least one Forbidden Planet. We actually hit up three: the megastore in London, then smaller ones in Glasgow and Cardiff. The former is especially great if you're looking for a wide selection of books and CDs, because the downstairs is stocked. Both of us, and our friends, walked away with a few new finds.

The smaller shops are nice, too, and may have some less readily available goodies than the megastore. We also found one of Kara's anthologies on the shelves at the Glasgow one, so automatic thumbs up!

The Meat Bar

When a friend asks which of three places you'd like to go for dinner and Ginger immediately makes up a song about one of them, you have your answer.

The Meat Bar does exactly what it says on the tin. Lots of nice cuts of meat, lots of burgers, and even meat-infused drinks (or more standard libations if that's a bit much). It also has bite-sized haggis bonbons, in case you want to say you tried it but aren't quite ready to commit.

The Lighthouse

Formerly the Glasgow Herald Building, the Lighthouse is home to both temporary and permanent art and architecture exhibits. Glasgow is very proud of its architecture and of local boy Charles Rennie Mackintosh (Art Nouveau figure who made lots of art, architecture, furniture, and a font that is Absolutely Everywhere).

Several of the temporary exhibits seemed to be invitation-only, but the two main highlights — the Mackintosh exhibit and the observation deck at the top of the Lighthouse's tower — are enough on their own to make the trip worthwhile. The former shows you just how much Mackintosh did in his lifetime and how influential he was. The latter offers you a gorgeous view of the city.

Willow Tea Rooms

Ginger wanted to do afternoon tea again... and as you can imagine, she had to just drag Kara kicking and screaming to do so.

There are two Willow Tea Rooms in Glasgow, modeled after the Cranston tea rooms designed by... yep, ya boy Mackintosh. You get to sit in reproduction Mackintosh chairs and enjoy a fancy afternoon tea with your choice of drink and cake, plus a very nice selection of sandwiches (including egg salad, smoked salmon, and a few other rotating choices). Several of the teas are available in the gift shop if you find you really like one. As a bonus? It is much less expensive than other places, with the same amount of goodness and hot water for tea refills.

Cardiff Castle

As one of the major filming locations for Heaven Sent, there was no way we weren't going here.

You can pay for a guided tour with access to a few other rooms, but walking yourself around gives you a good amount to see. Braving the steep steps to the top of the main castle turret gives you an amazing view (and also puts you in the highest tower of the Doctor's own murder castle). The nearby mansion has more locations from both Heaven Sent and Journey to the Center of the TARDIS, in addition to just being over the top and absolutely gorgeous. And there's a war museum downstairs of the main entrance building.

Now that we're home, it's back to work... once our jet lag is leveled out, anyway. Keep an eye on this space for new announcements in the near future!

LOCATIONS: Hilton Ravine Restoration

Assuming all has gone to plan and no special travel surprises have popped up, Ginger and Kara should be state-side again. You can expect to see some blog posts concerning our travel, our discoveries, and future Owl's Flower fun once we've both recovered. While we're shaking off the jet lag, though, we wanted to point out something that's actually relevant to our readers: the restoration of what was once an inspiration for a locale in our book.

Herne's forest — bits of it, at least — were inspired by the Hilton Ravine, right next to Kara's elementary school. Back in the day it bore a lot more of a resemblance to what you read about in the books. However, the pocket park is also a drainage area for local storm water, which is eventually funneled out into the nearby James River.

The City of Newport News made some changes recently to upgrade that system. The good news is, it worked; the bad news is, the construction destroyed lots of old trees and growth, leaving the forested area... uh... a lot less forested.

So Kara was thrilled last month to see a door hanger left by the Newport News Green Foundation, looking to restore the ravine! Obviously, the overgrown forest of Kara's childhood that inspired Herne's home in William's Grove is likely gone for good. But their plans to beautify the area and make it a welcoming place for locals, as well as re-plant trees, is an exciting move.

Go check out their initiative online. If you feel inclined, be sure to donate a little. Since Kara's still just a walk from the site, she'll be sure to fill people in on how the restoration goes!

OWL'S FLOWER WORLD TOUR: The UK Experience

By the time this goes up, Kara and Ginger will have been in the UK for about... two days? Yeah, two days. Their flight landed on June 5, and they'll be on the ground in London and surrounding areas until time to take off early on June 12.

We're taking some "time off" for this trip. Kara usually works through holidays as a freelancer, but this is going to be an exception. We've got one week with lots to see and do!

So what's on the docket?

Today marks our last full day in London for the trip (even though we're based there thanks to a cozy lil AirBnB). Tomorrow, we'll be taking a train direct to Glasgow from London Euston and staying overnight. There are plans to visit the Glasgow School of Art, along with some local museums and events. But, well, even Kara is on the back foot here!

Sunday late in the day we're heading down to Manchester, where we'll be staying 'til Monday. The main plan is to connect up with Paul Driscoll (co-owner of Altrix Books with Kara) for a bit, though hopefully we can run into some other Northern friends while we're there.

Tuesday will be our last day in the UK before flying home early Wednesday morning. If all goes as planned, we'll be heading out to Cardiff Castle with our friend Sophie Iles. The castle was one of the filming locations for Heaven Sent, so we're really looking forward to that.

If you'd like to keep more current tabs on our adventures, here's where to go:

Kara:

Instagram: @rubycosmos

Twitter: @rubycosmos

Ginger: 

Instagram: @randomthunk

Twitter: @Kataoi

Both of us!

Instagram: @owlsflower

Twitter: @owlsflowerbooks

It's Here! Meet New Gods and Humans in the UNEARTHED Anthology

It's here! After months of planning, writing, drawing, editing, printing, and unexpected gallbladder surgery, Unearthed has arrived to wreak havoc on unsuspecting readers. Or, well, hopefully not havoc. We'd like you to enjoy it.

The anthology is edited by Kara, featuring cover art by Ginger. Two more artists and eleven more writers are inside, totaling up to 12 new illustrated pieces of fiction. Keith R.A. DeCandido continues the adventures of Cassie Zukav, John Peel spins a tale of resurrectionists and vampires, and... as promised... there's a new Owl's Flower story!

"Kill the Cat" was written by Kara and illustrated by Ginger, as mentioned before. Like "Clarity," featured in the anthology Relics, it won't be necessary reading for the Owl's Flower main line series. It does, however, give you a look at a new character joining the main cast in the very near future — and features a cameo from a popular character in Book 2!

Head on over to the Altrix Books shop to get your copy, in paperback or ebook format. Proceeds go to the American Research Center in Egypt, so let's help them make some extra funds to educate future ancient scholars and archaeologists!

The Owl's Flower Tour Continues: We're Going to London!

Long-time readers and followers of our social media know that Kara tends to go to the UK every year or two. It's about that time again... and this time, Ginger is going with her!

This will be Ginger's first time going, so Kara gets to play tour guide. We've got a few things in mind for what we want to see and do. It'll be about a week, and if we see things relevant to the OF-verse or things that we think our readers might like, we'll be sure to drop them to social media.

More on that later — in the meantime, keep an eye out for more Unearthed news (including a sneak peek of the new art for "Kill the Cat") and further progress on our end. And if you're UK-side, let us know what cool things Ginger needs to see to make the most of her week abroad!

Creator Weekly Wrap-Up: Get in on MOON MAN!

So what have we been up to? A lot, as usual! We're hoping to have more news on the third Owl's Flower one this particular phase of our work is up, but for now, we'd love it if you'd take a look at Moon Man.

Moon Man is Ginger Hoesly's second charity zine via RaThZEm. Her first, The Hybrid, raised $2,000 for One to One Children's Fund, as you may recall. This one is slightly different from your usual zine. Rather than being about a single show or character, it traces the career of Peter Capaldi in images, from Local Hero all the way up to the music video "Someone You Loved."

More than two dozen artists have contributed to the zine, including Ginger herself. Also present are Sophie Iles, Raine Szramski, and many others active online and in the fandom. Plus, Kara Dennison has penned a new Doctor Who story with multiple routes and endings! Take the Twelfth Doctor and Clara on a journey through time and space that you steer. Which ending will you get?

There's also optional swag that you can pick up alone or with a zine. The bundle includes pinback buttons, a bookmark, prints, charms, and stickers. When the merch bundle hits 50 orders, everyone who's ordered will get an enamel pin as well! There's also a sweet shirt you can get separately.

All proceeds will be donated to the Glasgow School of Art, Capaldi's alma mater!

The pre-order period is almost over, so get yours while you can. After pre-orders are closed, the money goes off to GSofA and that's it. Do not live with regrets — support artists, celebrate an awesome actor's career, and get some sweet merch!

Visit www.rathzem.com to put your order in!

We're Busy!

Why have things been silent on this side? Well, mainly because Kara is finishing writing three books and Ginger is assembling a zine. But also, we're looking at making a few changes to how we do things over here!

Don't worry, they aren't changes you'll dislike or that will alter your experience significantly. But they'll make things easier for us, which is better all around.

Ginger is currently in the process of moving her own things — her personal shop and her zine production — over to a self-contained server with a self-run shop interface. If you've been following the news on various online storefronts and creator fundraisers, you'll have seen over the past year or so that things... change more often than is fun or feasible. And that's not great for a couple of randos trying to get their stories and art out into the world, because we never know what will change and when we won't be able to do anything about it.

Stuff on Ginger's side is test-only at this point. You'll likely be seeing it come into play when Moon Man, her upcoming zine, goes on sale. If that goes well, and if it goes well for our shop, that means we'll probably transfer Owl's Flower book and merch sales over to a similar system.

So what does that mean for you?

You may or may not have to change bookmarks. If you just trot over to owlsflower.com, nothing will change. That's the beauty of dot-coms: you can point them wherever you need to. But if you've got us bookmarked on Blogspot, keep an eye out because that will likely be shifting before long.

Ebooks will still be pay-what-you-want. That's the plan. One of the reasons we went with Ko-fi for sales was because PayPal no longer offered a pay-what-you-want option (i.e. a donation box) unless you were a registered charity with all sorts of paperwork. Originally we'd considered going to Ko-fi Gold, making pricing even more flexible and allowing us to easily categorize multiple books for sale. But with everything self-contained, it'll be easier still, both for you and for us.

We'll be happier. And less time spent mucking around with the business end means more time spent making cool things for you guys.

We don't know yet when these changes will go into effect, but we'll be sure to let everyone know as necessary. In the meantime, thanks as always for your continued support!

Coming Soon: A New Owl's Flower Short Story

Want more Owl's Flower and can't wait for Book 3? There's a short story coming to help you pass the time!

Altrix Books, co-owned by Paul Driscoll and our own Kara Dennison, will be releasing a charity anthology this spring titled Unearthed. The book will feature 12 new stories of sarcophagi, tombs, and locked boxes, and what's inside. Stories range from Norse mythology to American history and everywhere in between.

Kara is heading up the anthology, and Ginger will be supplying the cover art. In addition, we'll have a new story from the Owl's Flower universe, titled "Kill the Cat," in the book itself.

Readers of the anthology Relics will know this isn't the first Owl's Flower short piece outside the main books. However, this one will be slightly different. How so?

A new character from the main books will be introduced.

There are plenty of characters — human and otherwise — who have yet to make their debut in Owl's Flower. One will be appearing in the fourth book, but will technically make their debut in this story! Who is it? We'll be interested to see if you can guess!

Another character will be making a cameo.

Readers of "Clarity" remember that Herne and Iris did appear at the end, though Iris notably got more screen time. The pair are nowhere to be seen in "Kill the Cat," though; they have a coffee shop to run! But another character (and one who's fairly popular, it seems) will be making a brief appearance.

You'll learn another way deities are born.

In "Clarity," we talked about how the need for deities can sometimes just make them appear. But in "Kill the Cat," we'll be looking at another place they can come from. The new character won't be the last time you'll see this type of origin story, either, so be sure to take notes!

At present, art is being finalized, with new illustrations being created by Monica Marier, Sophie Iles, and (in the case of this one story), Ginger. Proceeds from the anthology will go to ARCE, which helps train archaeologists and house them abroad. Keep an eye out for more info in the coming weeks!