Category Archives: Comics

Causes, Comics, Family, Novels, RPGs, Short Fiction, WFH (work for hire/tie-ins)

IT’S A 2026 THREESOME!

WRITING

Let’s dive right in!

First off, I’m part of Coyote & Crow’s latest Kickstarter campaign, Legends & Icons, along with a lot of other awesome Native creators. The projects has already funded, and we’re moving on to stretch goals, including sending aid to communities in MN (group or groups TBD; selected from Stand With Minnesota).

Speaking of MN, I’ve got a couple of signed books up as part of the Superheroes for Minnesota auction, which supports organizations doing mutual aid and other great work for impacted communities in MN and elsewhere in the US. From the auction description:

“Superheroes are needed now more than ever. We are a group of writers, illustrators, artists, and creators who think that now is the time for us all to act, together, to support vulnerable communities…Proceeds from this auction will support organizations providing legal aid, emergency assistance, food, and community resources to those in urgent need.”

If for some bizarre reason you haven’t yet picked up Marvel Untold: Sisters of Sorcery or Marvel Zombies: The Hunger, now’s your chance to get signed copies AND help someone else in need. Win-win!

Photo of two books by Marsheila Rockwell - Marvel Zombies: The Hunger and Marvel Untold: Sisters of Sorcery
Books for SH for MN Auction

Finally, Part One of my Arkham Horror short story, “Delicious is the Tongue of the Taster,” is now available for your reading pleasure. If you’ve been missing my dark and twisty fiction, this one should really hit the spot, as it were.

Wish there was more tangible stuff to report, but…waves at dumpster fire that is the US

EVERYTHING ELSE

We’ve moved on from Marching Band to Indoor Percussion, where my youngest’s school took third in our first competition. So there are stolen moments of joy here and there. Grab them where you can, my friends.

Other than that, we’ve had a spate of unseasonably chilly weather down here in the desert, so here’s a link to some free stuff to help keep you warm. And remember – sometimes it’s okay to whistle at night!

Comics, Family, Life Stuff, Poetry, Short Fiction, WFH (work for hire/tie-ins)

MID-YEAR ROUND-UP

Writing

So, yeah, it’s been a minute. In all honesty, while I have been doing writing stuff, given the general state of things (*gestures to…everything*), I have not felt much like talking about those things. (Which is why it’s always good to follow me over on bsky or FB, I guess…I’m more likely to drop writing news there, since it’s quicker.) But I’ve been doing some updates to the ole website, so I figured I’d take some time and do a proper(ish) blog post.

Some things that have occurred since my last post:

*poems “#LANDBACK” and “The Fabulous Underwater Panther” nominated for the Rhsyling Award

*poem “The Fabulous Underwater Panther” long-listed for the Rhysling Award

*short story “Triptych” published at Arkham Horror

*appeared on Graymalkin Lane’s “About John Proudstar” podcast episode w/Jon Proudstar

*short story “The First Gate” published in Permutations: A Well World Anthology

I also recorded another podcast for Graymalkin Lane and I have another short story which will hopefully be published soon, both of which I’m sure I will post about on FB or bsky long before I get around to blogging about here (sorry). Might be some other stuff, too; hard to say (or maybe I’m just being cagey, heh).

Everything Else

Let’s see:

*Got elected Band Booster Board Secretary

*Band kiddo got chosen to be a section leader

*Husband got laid off

*Daughter got her first job

*Band kiddo got his learner’s permit

*Shoulder injury that morphed into frozen shoulder; finally starting PT

*got a new kitten; say hi to Charmander!

Close up of orange tabby kitten face

I’m sure there was more, but that’s all the old frosty shoulder can take for one sitting. Until next time, take good care of yourselves, your loved ones, and your community.

Awards, Comics, COVID, Family, Life Stuff, Novels, Poetry, RPGs, Utility Drawer, WFH (work for hire/tie-ins), Witchy Stuff

2023 WRAP-UP-Y THING/HAPPY 2024!

Writing

I actually was not going to do a 2023 wrap-up post because I’m sick and I didn’t think I had that much to say, but I realized I was wrong, so here are some things I did or that happened in 2023 that I’m proud of or happy about (in no particular order):

  • Had my second Marvel book published (Marvel Zombies: The Hunger)
  • Had two poems selected as Rhysling Finalists (“EMDR” and “A Spell for Winning Your Personal Injury Lawsuit”); neither placed in the top three, alas
  • Had my first role-playing adventure published (“The Case of the Great Underwater Panther”)
  • Got an agent for the book of my heart
  • Found the perfect crit partner for said book
  • Wrote my first solo comic book script

Everything Else

  • Started driving again, after having been unable to do so since getting hit by a cop and a subsequent spine surgery in 2019
  • Attended Stasia Savasuk’s Style School (literally life-changing; you should totally do it if you can)
  • Reconnected with several members of my LaFountain family (and connected with some further back in my Métis line)
  • Went to Paris and London over the summer and got to sit inside the circle at Stonehenge during the full moon
  • Got a really nasty case of Covid while in Europe that murdalized my immune system; said immune system is still rebuilding (I am not happy about this, but it has been an ongoing challenge I’ve had to overcome, so the fact it hasn’t completely derailed the latter half of my year should probably be acknowledged)
  • Lived to tell the tale

Here’s hoping 2024 brings more of the good and less of the bad for all of us! Happy New Year!!!

Comics, COVID, Family, Interviews, Novels, WFH (work for hire/tie-ins)

I FELL OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH & LIVED TO TELL THE TALE

Writing

She lives!!! LOL

It’s been a minute since I posted last. Q3 started out great, with a family trip to Europe (in which I got to celebrate the full moon inside the circle at Stonehenge; I bask in your jealousy), but I contracted Covid a few days before we came home and it’s just been one illness/injury after another since.

Picture taken from the inside of Stonehenge, looking out through two pillars at the heel stone.
Inside Stonehenge

I’m still not at 100%, but there are a couple of things coming up that I need to let you know about, so here goes:

First, I have a new interview with the guys over at Dear Watchers which drops on Monday, where we talk about Marvel Zombies: The Hunger, formative horror movies and novels, and our shared love of the spooky season in general. You may remember I did an interview with them for Sisters of Sorcery last year that turned out to be their most listened-to podcast of the year, so be sure you listen to this one and let’s try for a two-fer!

Second, Marvel Zombies: The Hunger releases THIS Tuesday, October 3rd, so be sure and swing by your local bookstore and pick up a copy!

I’m sure there’s more that happening during The Q3 from Hell, but hopefully you follow me on social media and saw anything important there.

Writing

We also unexpectedly lost our beloved ginger catdog, Jonesy, and that devastated the whole family. I don’t know if it was more salt, yet another wound, or both, but it still hurts, and I still miss that little pest like the dickens. He went to the vet for an ultrasound and never came home. So if you’re lucky enough to have a furbaby of your own, give ’em a hug for me.

Ginger cat laying on low interior wall looking at camera
Beloved ginger catdog

Jonesy
May 25, 2019 – August 25, 2023

Appearances, Causes, Comics, Family, Novels, Poetry, WFH (work for hire/tie-ins)

PRIDE MONTH NEWS

Writing

First, the cover for Marvel Zombies: The Hunger has finally been released, and here it is:

Cover for novel Marvel Zombies: The Hunger showing a chained and zombified Dr. Strange.

Creepy, amiright? You have NO idea, LOL. Available October 3rd (but you should totally preorder, because it totally helps authors when you do that).

Also, in the days leading up the the anniversary of the Dobbs decision, the publishers of Mine: An Anthology of Body Autonomy Horror are doing an author read-along for each piece in the antho, from June 9th through the 24th. My reading of my poem “Child Bride” will go live on June 12th. You can find out more and follow along with all the authors here.

Author Readalong schedule for bodily autonomy horror anthology.

Also, also, while I have been announced as a guest at Tucson Comic-Con, Jeff and I will not actually be attending this year, as we will be in Montana for the Lewistown Métis Festival instead, meeting up with family and MMF folks coming down from Canada. But don’t despair – we are hoping to be at Tucson Terror Fest in October to make up for our absence at TCC, so hopefully we’ll still see some of you.

Finally, after several years without an agent (my choice, having parted ways amicably with my last agent, who was very good at his job), I have rejoined the ranks of the represented. I’ll be working with Wayne Arthurson at The Rights Factory, one of only a handful of Indigenous literary agents in North America. Should be a good partnership.

Everything Else

Happy Pride Month! And while yes, love is love, this Pride, please remember that LGBTQ+ rights are under attack and trans folx in particular face increasing danger in many places in the US, so our focus should maybe be less on catchy slogans and more on actually protecting those who need it most right now.

#TransRightsAreHumanRights

Appearances, Awards, Causes, Comics, Novels, Poetry, Preorder Link, WFH (work for hire/tie-ins)

APRIL DROUGHTS BRING SNOTTY MAY SNOUTS (AHH-CHOO!)

Writing

I’ve been feeling like I desperately need to update my blog, but now that I actually sit down to do it, I’m not sure I have all that much new to report. (Maybe it was my website…LOL)

The Rhysling Award has move to a juried process this year, so being nominated doesn’t make you an Insta-Finalist anymore. That said, two of my nominated poems ARE Rhysling Finalists (Yaay!):

Short category:

“A Spell for Winning Your Personal Injury Lawsuit” – Dreams & Nightmares

Long Category:

“EMDR” – Unnerving Magazine

Oh, and I made (created) a list for Shepherd.com of The Best Contemporary Fantasy Books About Witches, so check that out. I hadn’t read it at the time, but if I had, I definitely would have included Cherie Dimaline’s VenCo.

They have lots of cool curated lists of witch books, so you should totally hop over there and take a peek!

Still no cover art for Marvel Zombies: The Hunger, but I will obviously post it when it drops.

Jeff and I will be doing a local library event this coming weekend:

Phoenix Public Library Con-Fusion 2023
Weird and Wild West
Ironwood Library
4333 E Chandler Blvd, Phoenix, AZ 85048
Saturday, May 20th
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Jeff and I have a panel on publishing at 10 AM, and Jeff has one on weird westerns at 3 PM. They have had other events over the past several weekends, focusing on different genres, but this is the only date we could make. Come see us!

Also, I believe I will be doing a reading of some sort of my poem, “Child Bride,” as part of a readalong with the other authors involved in the Mine: An Anthology of Body Autonomy Horror, a charity antho whose proceeds go to NARAL. That will be on June 12th, so keep an ear out!

Okay, I think that’s everything. Further bulletins as events warrant! Heh.

Everything Else

Just a reminder: trans rights are human rights, trans women are women, trans men are men, and people who are obsessed with what’s down someone else’s pants or what bathrooms they use are creepers. Gross.

Appearances, Awards, Comics, Family, Novels, Poetry, RPGs, WFH (work for hire/tie-ins)

LET’S CATCH UP!

Writing

Hey, look! I didn’t actually fall off the face of the earth! Been very busy writing Marvel Zombies: The Hunger, but it’s turned in now and, with its release date having been moved to October to take advantage of the “spooky season,” it’s now a part of Aconyte’s 2023 Fall catalog. Still no cover art that I can show you, but I promise I’ll do a post when it’s revealed.

Here’s a quick recap of writing-related happenings since my last post:

I had two poems, “Unleashed” and “Tapping on the Void,” published in the Winter 2023 issue of Frozen Wavelets, which you can download for free here.

Jeff and I did go to Tuscon Festival of Books this year, but not as vendors or presenters. Jeff had a signing at the Tucson Sisters in Crime booth for the Trouble in Tucson anthology, and then we visited some writer friends, hit some panels, and bought some books. Fun but tiring day.

I had three poems nominated for the 2023 Rhysling Award:

Short category:

“The Honorable Iris C. Thaumantos, Presiding” – Musing of the Muses (Brigids Gate Press)
“A Spell for Winning Your Personal Injury Lawsuit” – Dreams & Nightmares

Long Category:

“EMDR” – Unnerving Magazine

Good luck, little poems!

I was slated to attend the Arizona Comic Book Arts Festival in February, but I got sick right before, so Jeff valiantly manned our table alone.

I had another poem, “Final Arrangements,” published in Bloodless: An Anthology of Blood-Free Horror from Sliced Up Press.

I think that’s everything? Maybe not, but hopefully you’ve been keeping tabs on FB & what remains of the bird app, to catch anything I might have missed here.

Everything Else

Two surgeries, lots of holidays & birthdays, and politics gone wild pretty much sums up everything else, I think. Tonight we’re going to see the D&D movie, which I’ve really been looking forward to (seeing as how I’ve written three D&D novels, heh). Hope you all have something fun to look forward to, as well!

Comics, Interviews, Novels, Poetry, WFH (work for hire/tie-ins)

SEKRIT PROJEKT REVEAL!

Writing

Well, the big news has finally broken, and my sekrit projekt is no longer secret!

[INSERT DRUM ROLL]

I am writing a Marvel Zombies book!!! The Hunger will be out in August of 2023. Here’s the teaser:

“The Incident has infected the planet, creating zombified Super Heroes who destroy everything they swore to protect. Doctor Strange realizes the plague cannot be allowed to spread to other realities, but his Hunger is irresistible…

Now Earth’s only hope is the Sanctum Sanctorum librarian, Zelma Stanton. She knows every spell in the book, but she’s no fighter. Enter witch Nico Minoru, monster hunter Elsa Bloodstone, and Deadpool. They plan to trap the zombies in a time loop, but it goes horribly awry (thanks, Deadpool), crushing a million butterflies, and the timeline unravels, making the original Incident look like a cakewalk. It’s going to take magic bullets, bloodstones, and brains to fix this flesh-eating nightmare.”

No cover art yet, but for now:

Placeholder cover for Marvel Zombies: The Hunger by Marsheila Rockwell.

Yeah, so, that’s been keeping me pretty busy, and will continue to do so into the new year.

Also, just a quick note that the December issue of Penumbric is out and you can read my poem “Soiled Dove” here.

I also have a poem (“Child Bride,” a reprint) in Mine: An Anthology of Body Autonomy Horror from Creature Publishing, which released on December 1st. All proceeds go to NARAL.

And you can listen to the Graymalkin Lane podcast where I get to blather on about Sisters of Sorcery and how little I know about Gwen Stacy here. Also bonus Tristan Palmgren’s cat licking itself during recording! LOL.

Everything Else

Chances are good I won’t post again before 2023, so Happy Whatever You Do Or Don’t Celebrate & may next year be better than this one for all of us!

Appearances, Awards, Comics, Family, Novels, Poetry, Reviews, WFH (work for hire/tie-ins)

I WON A MAJOR AWARD AND IT’S NOT A LEG LAMP!

Long time, no update! I’ve been busy on stuff I can’t tell you about. Sorry!

I CAN tell you this, though:

My #MMIWG2ST poem, “Reservation Fairy Tales 101 – Final Exam,” won second place in the Long Form Category of the Rhysling Award!!! This is my 13th nomination, and I am so pleased that this particular poem is the one that finally broke my losing streak, especially in light of it being Native American Heritage Week.

In other poetry news, the Bloodless anthology, which includes my witchy poem “Final Arrangements” released on October 25th.

Also, my weird western poem “Soiled Dove” will be appearing in the December issue of Penumbric Speculative Fiction Magazine, so keep your eyes out for that.

In prose news, Sisters of Sorcery was reviewed in the Midwest Book Review, which was cool.

I will be on an episode of the Graymalkin Lane Podcast (hosted by Chad Anderson) on December 8th, along with fellow Aconyte authors Carrie Harris and Tristan Palmgren, where we discuss Sisters and some chick named Gwen Stacy.

I was also a guest on a Very Special Episode of the Graymalkin Lane podcast where we discussed mind control and sexual assault in comics. My other smart and empathetic panelists include Carrie Harris, Stephanie Pitsirilos, Susan Kirtley, and Jessica Baldanzi. You can listen here, but be warned, it is obviously a heavy (but important and necessary) discussion.

Since Twitter seems to be imploding, here are the other places you can find me, all in one handy linktree. If I stay on Mastodon, I will probably be switching servers, or I might try Hive instead, but either way, I will update the linktree.

Oh, and we wound up cancelling on TusCon49 because my disc at the L4/L5 level decided to give out. When I got my L5/S1 fusion in 2017, they warned me that my L4/L5 would probably go, but said I had a good 10 years. Hah, fooled them – only took me 5! I’m an overachiever, LOL.

Everything Else

We got a dog! This is Clio, our special needs rescue. She’s got some brain issues and is super anxious and scared of everything, but she’s ours.

Our special needs rescue dog.
Appearances, Awards, Comics, Family, Interviews, Mental Health, Novels

FEED ME IN MY EARHOLES!

Writing

Lots of things for you to listen to this month!

First, the SFPA has been recording some of the Long Category Rhysling Award nominees, and “Erasing Myself from the Narrative” was included (I opted not to have “Reservation Fairy Tales 101 – Final Exam” recorded because it it written in a multiple choice format that doesn’t lend itself well to reading aloud). Go give it a listen – Diane does a great job!

Then I did two podcasts. One was an interview with Rob & Guido over at the Dear Watchers podcast. That one bounced around and was a lot of fun and I think you will enjoy it. Pop over and check it out!

The other was not quite so fun. It was actually a serious panel discussion with some wonderfully compassionate ladies (and the host, Chad) about the ramifications of mind control in comics being used largely as a tool for sexual assault. Like I said, not a fun conversation, but a necessary one, and hopefully a healing one. You should head over to Graymalkin Lane the Podcast to hear that one.

Last but not least, I have my TusCon 49 schedule! The con runs from Nov 11-13, and my stuff is all on the 12th:

Autograph Session, 1-2 PM, Autograph Area
Gloria McMillan, Jay Smith, Jeffrey J Mariotte, Marsheila Rockwell

Killing Off Characters, 4-5 PM, Ballroom
Some authors love to do it. Some authors hate to do it. But you have to do it. Characters must die. But why? And how do you do it well?

Carolyn Kay, Jeffrey J Mariotte, Jennifer Roberson, Marsheila Rockwell, Marty Ketola, Thomas Watson

Writing Realistic Women, 5-6 PM, Ballroom
Striking the balance between having your female characters still female, but not insulting can be a challenge.

Beth Dolgner, Diana Terrill Clark, Heshe Leontess, Marsheila Rockwell, Sharon Skinner

I think that’s it. Hope to see some of you there!

Everything Else

Our son David and his long-time partner, Becca, have gotten engaged. We are so happy for them and can’t wait for them to start this new phase of their lives together!