Snow by Night

The stately Alagnon River flows through Japethe, separating three nations from each other in its course. The river is the site of many battles as one nation or another takes dominance over the waterway. It is also the scene for Vivienne’s battle in Engagement on Vineyard Hill. All in today’s almanac entry.

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Vivienne leads the charge into the Morantine battery on page 3 of Engagement on Vineyard Hill. This page was a beast for Naty. So many figures; all in motion. I hope you enjoy it. To see a preview of the next page, please vote for Snow by Night on Top Web Comics. What is up with that axe? Why is it important? The answer is delightfully evil. bwah ha ha ha!

Plug time! Ally is running a Kickstarter for her webcomic Chirault. She’s made her goal so now it’s time to hop on the bandwagon and score some of that sweet Kickstarter swag she’s offering. She’s a brilliant artist and it’s a good webcomic. I highly recommend backing it.

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Hi everyone. For today’s update, please enjoy the painterly ad for Vivienne! Julie did a fantastic job with her. I love, love, love this one. Sorry for the delay. We got back from NekoCon really really late last night.

Speaking of which, Nekocon was fantastic. Thank you to all of you that stopped by. We sold out of our Sailor Scouts in French Naval garb as well as our Roses of Alchemy. I had a fantastic time with Amanda, Savannah, Monica, Stephanie, and Yan on the panels we did there. I’m already looking forward to next year.

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This week’s Almanac entry is Aradien Warfare. Irregular warfare is a necessity on the wooded frontier of Everique. Diane and I are off to Nekocon really early tomorrow. So a short entry tonight. See you all when we get back.

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Vivienne leads her cavalry forces on a surprise attack on the flank of the Morantine battery on Engagement on Vineyard Hill Page 2. To see a preview of the attack on the battery from page 3, please vote for Snow by Night on Top Web Comics.

Vivienne’s assault is not in keeping with the conventions of Japethan warfare. Instead, shes’s drawing from the irregular war that was common on the American (and therefore Everique) frontier. The French were excellent at it during the many conflicts up to and including the French and Indian War. Vivienne and her fellow colonists from Aradie are using those tactics as well. We’ll have to see if her fellow officers from Saronne appreciate her resourcefulness.

NekoCon is this weekend. Diane, Julie, and I head down on Friday. Because of this convention, I may not be done lettering Monday’s page by Sunday. If that happens, I’ll be uploading a special treat instead. Many of you asked for it — a painterly ad of Vivienne. Julie did a terrific job with her.

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Tonight we are beginning the Chapter 9 vignette Engagement on Vineyard Hill, illustrated by Natalie Baaklini. Naty is the colorist for the main story of Snow by Night. She also draws fantastic horses. She’s even done this incredible drawing of Giavere. This vignette features Vivienne and Jacqueline as cavalry officers, making Naty the perfect artist for it.

To see a glorious shot of Lieutenant Sylvine, commander of the second squadron of the 1st Aradie Light Cavalry, please vote for Snow by Night on Top Web Comics.

This weekend is Nekocon! Diane and I will be there with books, prints, and buttons. Also, I’ll be sitting on some panels about comics and fantasy writing.

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For this week’s almanac entry, I’m moving to the western side of the Levian Ocean to discuss Liranequoia. Liranequoia is one of the most powerful nations in Everique and controls the crucial trade routes from the inland rivers to the seaboard settlements of the Japethan colonies.

This is just the first entry for the Liranequois. I will keep adding to it as their role in the story continues to grow. I suspect that the Liranequois will become as large an entry as Aradie and get its own banner before I’m through. I’m doing a lot of research on the First Nations that I’m using as a model. There’s lots and lots of reading in my future to make sure I represent them properly.

NekoCon is coming up next weekend. Almost the whole gang will be there — me, Diane, and Julie. I just need to convince Naty to come up. heh heh

Next week, we begin the high action vignette Engagement on Vineyard Hill, starring Vivienne!

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The consensus was for artwork. So behold the four ads designed by Julie. She went with a painterly style and matched a catch-phrase that summed up that character. Blaise is my favorite. I love his hopeful expression. Snow’s determined look is very appealing to me as well.  Which one is your favorite?

If we expand the ads to include Vivienne, I was going to make her catchphrase “I aim to win, and I never miss.”

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