Tiny Elf Arcanist party (Year 1)

June is over and with it goes my TEA party. For my blog’s first anniversary I wanted to invite some indie authors to share their experiences, inspiration, or anything they wanted to. More than celebrating the blog, I wanted to look back at this year of being part of this great community, from people I’ve been interacting with for a while to some newcomers. Here’s a calendar with all my guest posts of the month.

As usual, I would’ve wanted to invite more people, but Im just a tiny elf with limited time. Thanks to all these awesome people!

June 3 – C.M. Caplan (he/they)

First, we have an essay titled “Going All In” by C.M. Caplan where they share how they learned to ignore external expectations and wrote The Fall Is All There Is.

Since it was Connor’s birthday, we had a second post with an interview on the future of their writing career and some inspiration behind their SPFBO 9 entry.

Author Spotlight: C.M. Caplan (an interview)

Buy his books:

June 6 – Michelle Franklin (she/her)

Regular guest of this blog Michelle Franklin shared an excerpt of one of her stories featuring some of her beloved characters.

A short story excerpt from Michelle Franklin

Buy her books:

Cover of The Misadventures of Myndil Plodostirr by Michelle Franklin — *The Misadventures of Myndil Plodostirr*

Cover of Werewolves Don't Celebrate Hanukkah by Michelle Franklin picturing a werewolf looking excited at a light up menorah — *Werewolves Don’t Celebrate Hanukkah*

Cover for The Orc Who Saved Christmas by Michelle Franklin, illustrated by J. Burrello — *The Orc Who Saved Christmas*

June 8 – Alex Arch (he/him)

Alex Arch talks from his privilege on the importance of portraying worlds as diverse as our own.

The importance of representation by Alex Arch

Buy his book:

Cover of The Stars Within by Alex Arch — *The Stars Within*

June 9 – Azalea Forrest (she/her)

Azalea Forrest shares her favorite video games and how they’ve inspired her work.

Buy her books:

Cover of A Bitter Drink by Azalea Forrest — *A Bitter Drink*

Cover of With in the Lighthouse by Azalea Forrest — *Witch in the Lighthouse*

Cover of The Underground by Azalea Forrest — *The Underground*

June 12 – Steve Hugh Westenra (he/him)

From vampires to Bigfoot, and the depravities of the human nature. Steve Hugh Westenra brings his knowledge on monsters.

Buy his book:

June 15 – Cat Rector (she/her)

Cat Rector shares a powerful piece about the impact of libraries and how she helps her community working in one.

Libraries are part of the resistance. By Cat Rector

Buy her books:

Cover of The Goddess of Nothing at All by Cat Rector — *The Goddess of Nothing at All*

Cover of Epilogues for Lost Gods by Cat Rector — *Epilogues for Lost Gods*

Cover of This too Shall Burn by Cat Rector — *This Too Shall Burn*

June 16 – James Lloyd Dulin (he/him)

Children know more than we give them credit for. They also are oblivious to some stuff we take for granted. How do you write them then? James Lloyd Dulin offers some tips.

Buy his book:

Cover of No Heart For a Thief by James Lloyd Dulin — *No Heart for a Thief*

June 19 – Melissa Polk (they/them)

Fellow non-human Mel Polk talks about their inspiration for their SPFBO 9 entry Beautiful Undone and does some fancasting of the main characters.

Buy their books:

Cover of Beautiful Undone by Melissa Polk — *Beautiful Undone*

Cover of The Trow of Duncaster by Melissa Polk — *The Trow of Duncaster*

June 20 – K.E. Andrews (she/her)

In a world where every day seems bleaker, sometimes we need a hug. Or a book that feels like one. K.E. Andrews on the importance of cozy fantasy and why she wrote Hills of Heather and Bone, another SPFBO 9 contender.