Shiver and Fears Project

I've learned a few things using the Cricut machine. Something that doesn't seem to be announced first thing. Maybe it does; you just have to know where to read it. Well, here's a place to read about it. And I've learned some tricks along the way as well. Check this out.

All Cricut machines are different, that's for sure. I purchased a Cricut Joy and have learned it's NOT made for stickers. To make stickers, you need to request a print and cut, which is not an option for a Joy. Looks to me like all the others have that option.

Now, a Joy holds 4.5 by 6.5-inch sheets. Which means projects are going to be small. And gosh, I made some tiny cards. Not much I can do with that. I've also learned about the sticker situation that you can widen the perimeter to cut more around the image; the only issue is, the print and the cutting process don't align. I do wonder what's different WITH print and cut than without it. You have to be crafty without it.

Now, this is what ticked me off. On the app, you can choose a ton of cutouts to use, but of course everything comes with a price. And even though you do get free options, the best ones cost. Now, they aren't expensive, but making a project with a bundle of them is like buying some chocolate bars at 7-Eleven.

I also learned that you can have tracings made with a fine-point pen provided by Cricut. I tried making some stickers that way... But they didn't turn out right... I still have a few things to learn. Like when to use ATTACH and EFFECTS and other helpful things. Did I mention I'm still learning?

But I've learned a few things. There are a few things you can do to get images for free. One of the easiest ways is to find cutouts online... There was only one issue I had with that. You see

, this is a pocket bookmark, a new piece of merch we wish to create for Shiver and Fears books. Now, the issue is, they do have this cut out available, but of course you have to pay for it. I tried to find this image, but no websites make it easy to find. In fact, one > False help page said it would give a template, but instead it's just a way for them to get your email address. You don't even need a real email to get it. Believe me, it's a trap!

The image I'm showing you now was made by AI, but that wasn't easy because AI kept hesitating to make it. Asking questions and comments about how to make it, finally I got it.

But here is the best part. I learned that there is a way to copy and paste the image, and instead of saving the images on my computer, I save them on the app. Which I want to categorize, but I can only make 5 before having to pay for them. No worries though, I only need a BIRTHDAY, CHRISTMAS, and SHIVER AND FEARS for now. 

Not sure what kind of projects I'll be making once I purchase a Joy Ultra, but it will require some fine-point pens in different colors, vinyl, and cardstock.

Meanwhile, here's my first idea:

What do you think?

Shiver and Fears New Project process

 So just recently, I bought a Cricut machine. This idea came to me after purchasing a set of stickers from a website. This was a very time consuming progress. Raising money for it, making the order with a budget, and waiting for the order to be delivered.

Why not do this myself? The problem: die-cut cutting. Cutting an image with so many small edges takes a lot of work, especially when you want to make sticker sheets. 

But this was not as easy as I wanted it to. The cutting wasn't aligned 

This was because the machine I purchased was not made for projects like this. My Cricut machine has made great stencils and a great cutout of Boo the Ghost. And maybe a few bookmarks can be useful.

But for now, stickers are tedious to make. But soon, maybe in a few months, a new Cricut machine can be purchased.

As for now. How was the bookaversary?

Well, it went great. All our fans had come and learned about Shiver and Fears, then played a cleverly made scavenger hunt. As of now, the 3 winners of this game are receiving their prizes. It was one of the best times Shiver and Fears had, as well as Boo himself. Yep, Bo was there too!

Finally, Shiver and Fears' new book is ready for preorder.

 As of now, this book is presented in it orignal areas, such as Walmart (that's a popular one now), Books-a-Million, and of course Amazon. This book is set to be presented in August. So now is a good time to buy a copy purchase here. 

This story is about a boy who goes to a strange toy store and gets tortured by his own toys. Check out the crazy twist the ending has.

The reason why this story took so long to create was that I was taking my time writing it. So if you read our website blog, you'll see the plan for Shiver and Fears to write 10 books has been decided not to take action.

WAY too much pressure!

Unknown Music Craft

 Hey, if you're reading this, then I want to first explain that I'm still in Missouri. We are probably having lunch about now, but that's not what I wanted to share with you. 

I wanted to inform you that I remembered the song I created, but never published. In fact, I've created two songs.

The others have been published and can be found online.

 As of now, this is one of the songs I can find to share.

But I wanted to share my song It's a Mystery (Friends) I created this song just a few years ago for a friend.

The story behind this song is a bit sad, but it has a heartfelt meaning behind it.

So I have a group of friends, and we all have this one guy as our target. Now, before I explain, we joke with each other all the time, but this one friend who joke on a lot. I always assume it's because he's the oddball. The only one who is constantly out of the loop.

Well, anyway, there was a day I felt bad. I could tell he was trying to stay strong, but his feelings were hurt a bit. Made me think about what he thought about us, or even how those kinds of friends are feeling.

You see it on TV  all the time. The song It's a Mystery speaks about how you question your title in the friend group. Are you a friend or just a joke, and is it really worth your time?

Like I said, we'd joke with each other all the time. But you never know if there's ever a friend who might be hiding his true feelings because the "jokes" aren't so funny.

I wrote the song really just to say "I hear you. You're not ignored." To this day, we don't speak to him anymore. He's moved on to better things. 

 ... no, he didn't die. He's found friends he can relate to better. We do talk to him time after time, and rarely do we hang out. but we do hear about his success all the time. So in the end, it's a win win.

Now, the song needs some work, yes, but the message is clear. what do you think?

Travel to Missouri

 Hey! Sorry, phew! I didn't expect to be so busy. I have been getting tons of work done. So far I missed telling you about Shiver and Fears stickers, the interview for Magical Times, and the fan club birthday gift... Oh, and don't worry, I didn't forget about the monster drawing contest and the bookaversary.

I'll try to find time to tell you about those things later. As of now, it's that annual time of year. I can tell because specific because on our TikTok channel, the Kids Across America videos are gaining attention, as they do every year.

And it's time for me to go. Now, every year I film live videos of things that happen at the camp. For those who have never had the experience and want to see the hype. (hoping one day they'll join in) However, last year was a bit of a wake-up call. You see, campers have their fun separated from the leaders who bring them (a.k.a) me. And while the campers are partying the night away, we leaders are partying as well.

But, what I can promise is: footage of VESPERS, Crosstalk, flash mobs during lunch and dinner, and hopefully The Bell Ceremony. This will be caught on YouTube within the coming week. However, the intro will be presented on Instagram.

Once I have returned, I will give the scoop on what Shiver and Fears have been up to and are getting ready for. In fact, I might even start a book summarizing blog. Who knows, new ideas are being created all the time. 

But right now, I have to get things ready. Keep in contact on social media; I've posted tons since my last blog.

Joking in May

 

So this month Boo and Promethus are going to be telling jokes every weekend on Facebook and Instagram. Why? Just because they are in a goofy mood. Are their jokes funny? Maybe, only you can be the judge of that.

If you want to hear a joke or two posted by these two, then check out our stories on Instagram or Shiver and Fears facebook page.

Meanwhile, I need to discuss the website. Something is wrong with it... Not sure what, but we are on the case of solving this problem, so if you are visiting the website and get stopped along the way, it's because our domain is facing difficulties. We are not sure why, but I will admit this is annoying. Domain.com was a simple website, but now Network Solutions has gotten a hold of it, and even worse, they have raised some prices. 

Meanwhile, continue checking out our pages on whatever site you explore more. Whether it be YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, or X (Like anyone goes there), oh, maybe I'll tell Boo to post the joke there too!

Meanwhile, keep sharing and keep watching because we still have a few more tricks to share. Especially when it comes to the summer. Our fan club is going to like this!

preview on a joke:

I found out my girlfriend is really a ghost.

I had my suspicions the moment she walked through the door.

How was the Author Fest?

    So Saturday afternoon, I made my way to Enid, Oklahoma, to the annual Enid Author Fest. This was a great experience. Better than before. This year, we took the button machine along with us and offered a button to each visiting guest.

   With this strategy, we were able to offer more business cards and introduce Shiver and Fears to more visitors. That day, we had only 2 remaining buttons and 5 business cards. WOW! But I guess the question is how many books were sold?

   Well, as you may have heard somewhere from Shiver and Fears, we enter the book signing with 12 books: 4 "Locked in the Forgotten Library" books, 4 "The Dangers of Love" books, and 4 "Johnny and the Barking Puppy" books.

   Shiver and Fears was a hit this year. All 8 books were sold within the weekend! Now, what about the young children's book? Well, Mason's book is slowly making progress. It's strange. At the Author Fest, a dozen people were amazed at the new children's book, but it was still hard to sell. Why do you think that was?

   The best explanation I have is that with this being a children's book, the visitors who came to the fest were mostly adults, and even though some brought kids along, it seemed they were interested in books for themselves. 

   Now, I will say that some kids were pretty young. Maybe a bit too young for a chapter book, but seemingly too old for a small, little book about a barking puppy...

    Now, am I saying that this book was too immature for its own audience? No, what I am saying is that the audience wanted something older for their young readers.

    So, for instance, it wouldn't be a book for a first grader because a first grader would have already read a book like this. So it was more for a beginning reader, like a toddler or a kindergartener.

    Yeah, there weren't many readers THAT young. But it's ok, because we didn't leave with anything. In fact, let me just say that we are now left with 2 remaining books! So that means that some were sold. Who knows, maybe this book will find the right person soon. It is a good story to tell after all...

Separation: Club and Program

 So, if you've been keeping up, you've been waiting for the next blog about what's going on with Shiver and Fears. Well, here is the story, Shiver and Fears was on a vacation trip to Washington DC! Me and a youth group went there to meet and help a children's program called Little Lights. 

To me, they are somewhat like Boys and Girls Club. It was an interesting adventure. I mean to think of the moment MLK made his speech... Ok wait, I'm off track - I'll tell that in another blog...

This one is about how we have a few new #1 fans. I had started a discussion about the club and the program. They were planned to be a part of the same thing. But now we have a few new members now. Does that mean they get to become authors? 

Right now, the Young Author Program is set as a test. We want to check for any flaws in the idea. Right now, we have 5/7 fans working on an idea. Recently, we added another kid, he's not a club member, at least not yet.

About club members, we have two new members, one we met on social media and another who we know personally. (However, he's not official). So, what are the rules of the fan club? What limits does the program have? What makes a member so special? We're still trying to figure this all out. We never had a club, let alone a program. But here is what we know for sure.

CLUB MEMBERS

A club member get discovered when someone shows interest in Shiver and Fears. It's something noticable. We hear from multiple people they've read a book or watched a video, maybe even subscribed, but it takes more than that. Stuff like, sharing with your friends, tagging on your own media, comments and likes, even purchases and ownership of Shiver and Fears things. Something that shows you like Shiver and Fears, not that you've discovered it. 

When this happens, I will send this person a decoding video, along with a message to decode. Once the message has been decoded, that person is a member of the #1 fan club. This means, any contests or giveaways we provide club members get the first word and choose whether or not to enter. Members are also invited to co-host in videos. (We haven't gotten that far yet).

AUTHOR PROGRAM

We don't really have an age limit for the Author Program, just that we call it the YOUNG author program. So, as of now we keep this program in the limit of those who can write and read. (That's about 1-5 grade) By 6th grade, a kid is writing reports and story prompts. Meaning they already are set to be an author. This would mean the project would have to run differently. (We haven't prepared that yet) So right now, we are in the testing stage of the program with only 7 entries. 

So yes, we're helping young writers to become authors. Now, can any child enter in the program? Yes. Right this minute we have one spot open. Once again, we're testing this. We only want to work with 7 kids, whether or not they are club members. The club members were just the first invited.

That's all we have for now. I don't know how much this helps, but that's the story we have for today. Stay tuned, because we have a story to tell about Washington DC.