So I’ve said this before, but my intention has always been to take a break from the Mia Graves books once I finished book five. And, well, with the fifth book, The Perfect Host coming out in August (pre-order it!) that means I need to figure out what the heck I actually want to work on.

See, the problem is I always have more ideas than time to work on them.

I’ve talked about ideas that I want to write once I have the time more than once in this blog. Sometimes these ideas get turned into other thing — like “Intersections with the Corridor” turned into the basis for Campaign 2 of Stormwood & Associates. But every time I turn one of these ideas into something, at least five or six more pop into my head. So the issue isn’t coming up with something to write, it’s deciding which ones I won’t write.

A thing that happens a lot when I table at conventions is that people tell me they have an idea for a book or a comic. And don’t get me wrong, I love hearing about people’s ideas. I always encourage people to tell their stories, and do their best to make them real. But here’s the thing, the idea is never the hard part. It’s easy to have an idea for something.

It’s the making that’s hard.

So yeah, I need to figure out what the heck I’m going to focus down on. Do I write a traditional, high fantasy novel? Do I write the cyberpunk idea I’ve been kicking around? Maybe the science fiction story? Or the comedic spy-thriller. Or maybe I stick with urban fantasy and do the novel version of “Tomah by Night” finally.

That’s what I’ve got to figure out.

“The Perfect Host,” Book 5 in the Mia Graves Saga is now available for pre-order on Kindle, Kobo, and Paperback!

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Hey guys! I’m excited to announce that The Perfect Host, the fifth book in the Mia Graves Saga, is coming out on August 10th, 2026! Like the previous entries in the series, you can pre-order the eBook on Kindle. Pre-orders for the paperback can also be made from Amazon or any retailer with the ISBN 9798295897726 (like Bookshop.org or Barnes & Noble).

While it’s far from the last Mia Graves novel I plan on writing, it marks the closure of a couple of major plot threads. Think of it like a “season finale.” Here’s the summary from the back of the book:

Sometimes the demons in your past are literal.

When Th’xi’niran tried to claim Mia Graves as his vessel, Sarah Masters lost half of her soul saving the young witch. Now it’s three years later, and Mia and Sarah have gone their separate ways, each doing their best to heal. Mia has taken a job managing a local witchy bookstore in the quaint college town of Parrish Mills, and has built a new life for herself. She has friends, stability, and almost everything she was missing back in Boston.

But no one can truly escape their past, especially not Mia Graves.

When Sarah arrives in town to tell Mia that a cult of Th’xi’niran worshipers has found her, Mia’s world falls into chaos. The demon’s followers intend to complete the act that failed in that dark warehouse. They plan on making Mia the demon’s permanent host in our world, and they’re going to do it soon. With the emotional and spiritual scars still fresh, Mia must gather what allies she can to stop the oncoming darkness before it’s too late.

Besides Kindle (and soon Kobo), the eBook will be available through my Patreon store come August. I’m so excited to get this one out to you guys. I’ve been planning this one since I started writing the series, and I think you’re going to love it.

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I did a nice thing for a stranger today. I’m not going to bother saying what it was, or give any details about the interaction beyond saying that it cost me zero dollars, just a few seconds of my time, but still made a tangible difference in that person’s seemingly rough day. I’m not saying this to brag or boast, just to say it happened.

And the reason I did it is that while I have never been in the specific situation this person was in, I know what it’s like to just be absolutely fucked… except some stranger helped me out. And I still think about the people who helped me in those moments. The people who stopped when I was in distress. The neighbor who helped me push my car off the ice. The couple who gave me a ride when I was hauling a car battery for a mile in an Indiana August. To the guy who jump started my car when it died at a gas station in negative 40 degree wind chills.

So since people have done the little things for me, I try to do the little things for others.

And you should too.

It’s not hard to build a better world, you just have to actually give a shit when you see problems you can fix. It’s easy to just ignore things, and think that someone else will deal with it. And we’re not always in the position to help people, I get that. But when we are in the position to help, we should.

Every time.

Anyways, Crysta and I got back from our annual Phillips vacation this morning. While it’s nice to be home, I already miss the lake. That’s why there’s a photo of an island on this post – it’s not meant to be a metaphor or anything.

But maybe it should be.

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With No Brand Con 2026 in the rearview, I think it’s time to talk about the business of running a small, nonprofit convention. This year was genuinely really good for us, and kind of a miracle. Events like ours usually don’t come back from the dead, and I want to talk about how that death happened, and how we used the lessons from that collapse to bring it back.

When we failed in 2023, it wasn’t out of nowhere. Events like ours don’t just just spontaneously combust. There are a number of reasons cons can fail, and ours wasn’t special. Now there were some cirumstances that accelerated that death, like the COVID-19 pandemic suspending any income for a few years for an organization that has to get most of its revenue from memberships, but that train had left the station long before that.

Something we don’t talk about a lot is how No Brand Con’s attendance had been steadily declining for years.

The last time No Brand Con publicly reported its numbers was 2015 (1504 for the record). 2015 was No Brand Con’s last year at The Plaza (which has since been demolished) in Eau Claire, with 2016 being the first year the event was held at the Chula Vista in the Wisconsin Dells. Now an attendance drop was always anticipated with the move, but the con saw a steady decline year over year afterwards.

Now I wasn’t heavily involved with the con for a few years, so I don’t have access to figures for 2016 and 2017 without digging through an old SQL database, but both years as far as I was told hovered around 1000. In 2018 I returned to staff fully though, and began running the backend for our registration system. In 2018 we were in a transition, so a good chunk of our records were still paper based, so I only have an estimate. No Brand Con 2018 barely broke 900.

Starting with 2019 my numbers get exact, as I totally took over registration record keeping. While in our early years we operated under warm body counts, starting with the new system we just go for paid attendees. Attendees are counted just once, and Vendors, Artists, Staff, Volunteers, and Guests are not counted at all. Sadly, things got worse, with 2019 only hitting 771 attendees.

And then the pandemic hit.

Our return was rough, and when we came back in 2022, we ended up with 628. It was clear that the Dells were not a good home for our event. So we went to Stevens Point in an attempt to rebuild… and only got 478. Which, uh, was significantly worse than what we needed to do financially. That’s when I had to make the now infamous post announcing our shut down.

Now one of the biggest problems was that we kept operating like a con with a four figure attendance, when we hadn’t been one for a long time. We stayed big, didn’t shrink our scope as needed, and spent like we were still the “larger” event we weren’t anymore.

And reality hit us hard on that one.

I could give the whole story of our return, how the cons debts were paid, and how we returned, but I only really want to focus on part of that story here. Effectively, when we decided to bring the con back, we broke down the money of what we wanted to do, how much it would cost, and eliminated everything unnecessary in the budget. If it didn’t face the attendees, it was out. We tightened our belts in every way we could. We’d shrunk every year, so we made our plans asking the question: What if fewer people show up in 2026 than who came in 2023. So we built the con for that.

And, uh, we kind of smashed those numbers.

In 2026 our attendance count was 645. It was our first year in a long time where the current year’s numbers were higher than the previous year’s. Now it helped that after a decade, we were bringing the con home to Eau Claire. There was a nostalgia factor in some of the attendance, and the community’s love for us one hundred percent helped. But it’s important to note that this was probably the first time since our early years that we were genuinely prepared to not make our numbers. A lot of people wouldn’t be excited by only 645 people coming to their con, when you plan for less than 400… it’s phenomenal.

It also helped that we finally raised our prices to match inflation (while still charging less than most cons in our category by a significant number).

The important thing is that we’re making our plans with the idea that we’re a small con that’s going to stay a small con. In fact, our philosophy is so focused on that, that we intend to cap our attendance at 1000 long term. We’re focusing on stability and providing a quality attendee experience. We’ve always been a small con, but now we’re finally being honest with ourselves about it.

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So we announced it a little while back, but I’m excited to say that the first print collection of Peregrine Lake is now officially on sale!

That’s right, all of Ethan’s gorgeous artwork (and my acceptable writing) could be in your hands right now for just $29.99. Besides the first “Chapter” of the comic, you’ll also get the now book exclusive mini-four page story “The Move” which was drawn by me (in the style of UnCONventional).

That’s… that’s it! It’s the comic! In dead tree form! And you can buy it!

I’ve been really happy the way the comic has been going. Peregrine Lake has been a true labor of love, and working with Ethan has been amazing. We’re two thirds of the way through releasing the pages that will go into the second book as well, and things will be ramping up quickly. It’s spooky, it’s funny, and it gives me an excuse to keep writing Lynn Baxter.

But I’ve talked about how important Lynn is to me before.

I honestly don’t know if all of my old UnCONventional readers know that Peregrine Lake is even happening. I talked to a couple this last weekend at No Brand Con who literally had no idea that the comic was happening.

Because it is.

And it’s fun.

And you should read it.

Anyways, I’m working on the final edits on the fifth Mia Graves novel which will come out later this year. I should be able to reveal the final cover and give you all a release date later this month. I also plan on talking more about the history of No Brand Con more this month, but I wanted to make sure I made a post about the new book first.

Lots of stuff is happening, and for the first time in a long time I’m not super stressed about it.

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No Brand Con did what a lot of people thought would never happen this last weekend – we came back from the dead. Like in 2023 we were truly dead, buried, in the ground, and all of us thought the con wasn’t coming back.

But a year ago some of us decided to do something truly insane. We decided to resurrect it. We decided to bring it home. We decided we weren’t fucking done.

And we took a hard look at what we were doing. We had to scale back the con a bit to bring it back. We had to tighten our belts in ways we haven’t had to do since the early years of the con.

And while we certainly didn’t do everything perfectly (and we’re already compiling ways we can improve stuff for next year), overall it was a success. The con not only brought in significantly more people than we expected, but for the first time in a very long time we’re in a solid financial position again in ways we never were in the Wisconsin Dells.

…and I feel like I don’t need to comment on Stevens Point.

But what you need to understand is this doesn’t happen. When cons go under, they stay dead. They never come back. They get buried, maybe something new comes from the same people… but they die. What we did is just honestly unheard of.

Well except for the time I wrote a storyline about this exact thing happening in UnCONventional. So, uh, I managed to write an autobiographical story before it happened.

It really is such a strange thing though. This weekend was the most fun I’ve had at a con in the last fifteen years, and I’m so proud to have just been a part of it. Everyone who made it happen should be proud, and I’m happy to call you all my friends.

And with the right friends, sometimes you can do the impossible.

I might talk about the history of the con about here over the next week or two if I have the time. Talk about some of the stuff that happened behind the scenes that a lot of people have never been public about. Nothing awful, there’s no deep scandal – just a lot of good people doing their best. It might be interesting though.

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So I’m in the middle of prepping for two events: UWEC Barron County GEEKCon on April 25th and No Brand Con the weekend after from May 1-3. And yeah, it’s as exhausting as it sounds like.

The con prep for UWEC Barron County GEEKCon is pretty easy at least. I’m going to do a stripped down table setup there as an experiment, to see how well it works. It’s just a one day con up at UWEC Barron County in Rice Lake, WI, so the stakes aren’t super high if it doesn’t work out. I’ve never done this event (though I’ve done its sister event down here in Eau Claire several times), so it’s all a question mark to begin with. But it’s a little one day con at a college, and I usually have a really good time at those, so we’ll find out I guess.

What’s really occupied my time though is prep for No Brand Con, but if you know anything about me that should not be shocking. I’m a co-founder of that event, and have been one of the most public faces over our more than twenty years of existing. What makes this year even more challenging is that this really is our attempt to revive the event and bring it back to some of its former glory.

I’ve taken on some responsibilities with this year that I normally wouldn’t have in the past, but I’m super excited about the con. No matter what happens, I’m confident that the con will be a very, very, very good time for everyone who comes. Our prereg numbers were right within our targets, and I’m super excited. Like I haven’t felt this excited about a con I was helping run in at least a decade, and I’m practically buzzing sometimes.

Here’s the thing though, even when everything is going right, running an event like this is incredibly stressful. I am looking forward not just to the con, but maybe also the weekend after the con. I was, at least, smart enough to take the Monday after the con off of work.

Now, obviously I’m not tabling at No Brand Con, since I’m the one in charge of the vendor room and artist alley, and that would be a massive conflict of interest. Ethan is though, so copies of the new Peregrine Lake book will be available for sale there for anyone interested. I won’t have my novels on hand, but if you ask nice enough, maybe I’ll meet you in the Tony Caponey’s parking lot at midnight and we can make a deal. ?

So yeah, if you want to know why I’m exhausted right now, that’s why. And there’s more work to do right now…

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So I’m in the middle of prepping for two events: UWEC Baron County GEEKCon on April 25th and No Brand Con the weekend after from May 1-3. And yeah, it’s as exhausting as it sounds like.

The con prep for UWEC Baron County GEEKCon is pretty easy at least. I’m going to do a stripped down table setup there as an experiment, to see how well it works. It’s just a one day con up at UWEC Baron County in Rice Lake, WI, so the stakes aren’t super high if it doesn’t work out. I’ve never done this event (though I’ve done its sister event down here in Eau Claire several times), so it’s all a question mark to begin with. But it’s a little one day con at a college, and I usually have a really good time at those, so we’ll find out I guess.

What’s really occupied my time though is prep for No Brand Con, but if you know anything about me that should not be shocking. I’m a co-founder of that event, and have been one of the most public faces over our more than twenty years of existing. What makes this year even more challenging is that this really is our attempt to revive the event and bring it back to some of its former glory.

I’ve taken on some responsibilities with this year that I normally wouldn’t have in the past, but I’m super excited about the con. No matter what happens, I’m confident that the con will be a very, very, very good time for everyone who comes. Our prereg numbers were right within our targets, and I’m super excited. Like I haven’t felt this excited about a con I was helping run in at least a decade, and I’m practically buzzing sometimes.

Here’s the thing though, even when everything is going right, running an event like this is incredibly stressful. I am looking forward not just to the con, but maybe also the weekend after the con. I was, at least, smart enough to take the Monday after the con off of work.

Now, obviously I’m not tabling at No Brand Con, since I’m the one in charge of the vendor room and artist alley, and that would be a massive conflict of interest. Ethan is though, so copies of the new Peregrine Lake book will be available for sale there for anyone interested. I won’t have my novels on hand, but if you ask nice enough, maybe I’ll meet you in the Tony Caponey’s parking lot at midnight and we can make a deal. ?

So yeah, if you want to know why I’m exhausted right now, that’s why. And there’s more work to do right now…

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So say you’re sitting down to dinner after a long day of travel. You’re in the dining room of one of the historic inns in the Indiana State Park system — let’s say, the Potawatomi Inn at Pokagon State Park on the shores of Lake James. You order food, sit back, and then realize something important.

There’s a good chance your waiter is a Nazi.

You see, he’s wearing an iron cross necklace. And while it’s true that this symbol isn’t exclusively associated with white supremacists, in the context of an American wearing that symbol today there are very few cases where it isn’t. Like yeah, it’s associated with biker culture here too, but nine times out of ten when I’ve seen someone with this symbol on them (and it wasn’t a He-Man reference)… they’ve been a Nazi.

So you’re sitting there, and he brings you your dinner, and in your head you’re asking yourself “Is this a Nazi?” He compliments your outfit. He asks if you’re staying in the hotel tonight. He’s overall being pleasant. But, like, in the back of your head you have to keep asking yourself if you’re safe here.

And it sucks, because this place has been a haven for you for over a decade. You stop here a couple of times a year even though it’s far from where you live. You’ve told all your friends and family about it. It’s been a part of your personal story for a long time. And now? Now it feels different.

And for the record, I did tip him. Did the normal 20%. Because I might be wrong. He might not be a Nazi.

But I’m never going to find out.

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Okay, a lot of you probably know that I am part of the group of people who run No Brand Con. Frankly, if you didn’t, you’re probably new here. It’s an anime con. Wisconsin’s longest running anime con to be specific. We’re holding it May 1st-3rd here in Eau Claire.

It’s neat.

Anyway, because I help run that event (and manage most of its communications), it means that every company trying to sell us something ends up in some inbox I’m in charge of monitoring. The biggest offenders are the folks who make white label con apps and virtual program guides. And let me tell you, some of these folks send us stuff a lot. They all have similar names too, where it’s actually hard to keep track of which one is which for me.

To make things more unpleasant, some of these folks just feel aggressive. Like one company literally messaged our Facebook page today, which is, to me, a step too far. That’s an inbox we keep open to interact with our attendees — that message pretty much guaranteed that we will never do business with that company if I have any say in it.

Of course, I don’t want to use any of these because, as a policy, I don’t reward spammers. If you’re confused, any unsolicited sales email is spam, and that’s what this is. It clogs up inboxes, and puts a foul taste in my mouth.

Let’s be clear — this does not apply to someone pitching a guest to us or a vendor reaching out, my anger is purely “people trying to sell us a service we didn’t ask for.” We ask for guest ideas, even if it comes from the potential guest. We didn’t ask for this.

The worst part is all of these companies selling white label apps and virtual program guides make terrible software. I have never found a single one of these apps where I wouldn’t rather just have a PDF of the program guide, a mobile website, or a Discord server. I have a deep hatred of these apps, and refuse to let them touch my devices anymore (let alone my attendees’ devices).

So. A bunch of apps. That I hate. Keep spamming us. And it is deeply annoying. I didn’t really have a point here, besides “this annoys me and they should cut it out.”

So please cut it out.

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