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.

We're Set for the Book Fair!

So, have you gotten the word? Shiver and Fears books have finally decided on the price for every book, and we even managed to get some discount offers. As I've told you before, Shiver and Fears is presenting themselves at Enid Public Library this April. And we have been getting things set for this occasion. One thing that was being set was the price range for these three books.

Now, you did get the 411 on which books will be presented? 

No? Really? You sure?

Ok, I should rewind a bit. Every year, the Enid Library hosts a book fair with the authors present. This is a book signing  is bigger than others, you're not running into one author, you're running into dozens.

Well I have a few books to present there.

1. The Danger of Love

This book is Shiver and Fears Valentine special book. It was created nearly 10 years ago. It's about a girl who has a small crush on her friend who likes to write. She wants him to notice her, but is willing to accept the friendship instead.

The problem occurs when this girl finds a bag of arrows set in the forest. 

This situation causes a whole bunch of mess that only you can read about by buying this book.

2. Johnny and the Barking Puppy

This is a children book about a boy and his puppy. \

Johnny, our main character, has spend a whole day with his new pet puppy. But when it's time to call it a day, the puppy will not sleep.

Johnny does whatever he can to keep the puppy quiet. But little does he know what is the problem. This book was written by a young writer who's passion is drawing. Believe it or not.

This young author almost won the monster contest this year, and wasn't even trying to. Amazing huh?

3. Locked in the Forgotten Library

This book is unique. You know those tv show where the animation changes or the genre changes a bit. Like when multiple chacaters tell their side of the story or they jump into another universe?

Yeah, this book is somewhat like that.

This book is about a couple of girls who get trapped in a library and placed into a curse where they travel through different story genres  trying to solve how to escape this problem. This book is special because unlike other Shiver and Fears books, this book had no planning for an ending. It just happened. If you want to find out more of the story, you know what to do.

We have a few discounts. Now I will admit, I didn't expect there to be three. But there were questions: What if the discount doesn't suit the customer? Is it an unfair choice? And what about other combinations?

So the deal is, no matter what combination you choose, you get a discount.

So here's the deal:

We have the Chill Out discount: this takes out an amount for those who want 2 different Shiver and Fears books.

Then there is the Book Lovers discount: This discount comes in handy for those who want to try everything. If you purchase each book you will get a discount for trying all the books at once. Like a 3 for 1 sale.

Lastly is the All Ages discount. For wanting a child's book AND a chapter book, this is two different books. No relation at all. For someone to buy two differnt books mean you're exploring. Maybe you got two children, a 6th grader and a 2nd grader. Buying these shows the joy of reading is willing to explore.

If you are questioning whether or not to make the trip, I say take it! Not just for me, because I've met some of the other authors. In fact, I have a few books myself from other authors. So I say, don't just come for me, come for them too. Who knows, they might even end up on TV!

 

Welcome Club Members!

 I can't tell you how long I've been wanting to do this. It's like opening your first resturaunt, or starting your own business, or even publishing your first book!

Of course I'm talking about Shiver and Fears Young Author's Program! And I have invited a team of #1 fans to join!

I've been wanting to do something like this for over 10 years. You see, when I started writing Shiver and Fears it was to make a special point. Your work had to be good enough to be famous. 

If your book wasn't perfect, if your song wasn't impressive, or if your drawing skills weren't good enough, you were unable to become famous. 

It was always my good guess that you needed someone's help to become good enough, an agent. And agents weren't free. This was annoying.

Also, when I became an author, I wanted to be sure not to exclude my fans. Celebrities are so exclusive, you write them a letter, and it was very small chance they'd write you back.

So here's what I thought: What if kids got to meet an author and got a chance to shine in that spotlight too? It would be like creating the next episode of SpongeBob with Tom Kenny, or having your song in Justin Bieber's next album, or guest-starring in a Captain Underpants book

So I started doing little projects like creating your own title for Shiver and Fears to write. (Terror Tales) or create a Madlib (Madlib book). Soon it was to lead into writing books themselves... the plan fell short.

I thought the idea was nothing but a failed attempt. But I figured I'd start it slowly. 

The first step was to introduce Shiver and Fears to a few familiar faces. Well, long story short, we are now starting our first flow of this program this spring. As most starts of an idea go, I'm sure there will be some errors that'll need to be worked out. As this happens often to people.

My goal is to have 7 young authors publishing their first book by the end of summer... or by 2027.

So if you are a member of the Shiver and Fears fan club. Welcome! I can't wait to see your first story!

Young Author's Club part 2

 I forgot to mention the Young Author's club! Okay, okay, here's the drift:

As you already know, we are starting a club for young kids to become authors. This is a project we've worked on before. A few years ago, we picked students to write a story for us to publish.

The plan was to work with them one-on-one and get a story idea flowing. The problem is: the school we started to work with didn't schedule time for the kids to work with us.

Now, don't get me wrong, we were able to get something. And thisis just one of them, but this was supposed to be the start.

 Kids were supposed to start their own books, but because of the little time we had with them, we had to take what we had gotten and roll with it.

We were looking into creating children's books, getting some illustrations going. Before we knew it, school was nearly over, and testing became the only focus around the building.

So what's different now? Well, for one thing, we're not just reaching kids, we're talking with guardians too. These kids aren't difficult to talk with, because school isn't in the way.

If this club idea works, these kids will have their own books and Shiver and Fears will be a publishing team. 

Now, you might think, where's the money come in? WE AREN'T IN THIS FOR MONEY! We want kids to enjoy writing for others, just like any author you see in a library. Which will be part of the club's plan...

But it's more than just writing and publishing. It's about getting into contests and sharing hard work with others.

Maybe you know someone who wants to be a part of this club... Right now, we're not taking new members. We want to see where this leads before making it official. But hey, pray this goes well, so maybe you can join in too!

Young Author's Club part 1

 Coming this spring we are starting a young author's club... Wait, did I mention this? Maybe I did. Well then what about the new book edition. Did I tell you about that? Good.

 Let's talk about that first.

So Shiver and Fears books have been getting a new look every now and then. We've advanced from a poloroid picture to an open door, now we've advanced to the ripped page idea. 

And things keep changing. Ideas keep coming in. So Shiver and Fears books may not have an exact image right now. But we're still looking for it.

We want something that grabs people's attention. That's why we change the color and the texture for each book. 

We even try to think of colors that haven't used yet. I feel like we have some greens and blues, but what about reds, and orange, maybe a purple? 

We want it to go well with the texture and match with the book itself.

So what's this right here? This is not Shiver and Fears new book, but it is a new edition. If you've ever read a Shiver and Fears book, then you know, like ANY series you may watch or read, things change over time.

Think about Spongebob and how clueless Spongebob has become, or how in Big Bang Theory, the character Amy was all scientific talk, but now has feelings and speaks up.

Think about how Timmy Turner has gone from an imaginative 10-year-old to a reckless, carefree character...

Now, some characters have grown over time. Some have just changed. That's what SHiver and Fears is up to. We've changed to a carefree writing technique, to a author study.

Want to know what I mean? Pssh, you know how to get the answer. Read one of the first few books I've written, then read a recent one.

It doesn't just happen to me, Youtubers, cartoonists, even a yearly party host has upgraded themselves overtime.

Who knows, maybe you've changed a bit too.

OHH WAIT... The Author's Club...

New Plans for the New Year

Well the year is finally coming to an end. Let recap on everything that we've done this year:

 We've grown Shiver and Fears from a book series into a publishing company. As we have now created a new book series which has carried to new locations.

   Our monster friends of the year have made appearances to new fans all season long. We now have a fan club and will be connecting with them a lot more. (This is a starting process as we have never had a fan club and do not want to take full charge of it) 

 So far we've sent them all a message about our next event. Which we would tell you, but as a natural fan, we can't. Meanwhile, if you are a number one fan, then you should have a code that tells you about our next event. (Comment if you've lost it)

Shiver and Fears have been giving audiobooks to every friend who's birthday has come up. Well, everyone but Caden. He knows what he did! We don't appreciate behavior like that. Anyway, this is a new thing we do for birthdays, along with giving an ecard, which you can find on our site on the GAME tab.

This card is different, because it will exist for the whole year, unlike last year which lasted a few months. 

We have chatted with our web designer team, and we have decided to add a Magical Times tab and shut down our "online store" AGAIN! (Seriously, why do we keep doing this?)

A new coloring book has been created AND unlike the last Shiver and Fears coloring book, this one is public. As of now, Walmart hasn't posted the cover of the book, but we are keeping a watchful eye on their lazy team and are will be making sure they treat us with respect.

Lastly, our latest audiobook has still not been published to the public, BUT we are selling it. This Magical Times audiobook has been in waiting all year because of a disagreement on publishing and miscommunication. Hopefully our narrator has some time to speak with us.

But what is in store for 2026? Well like every year, a request for a new Shiver and Fears books has been made. So we're placing a goal for 2026. 10 books are to be published 5 Shiver and Fears, 5 Magical Times. We are hoping to reach that goal and be more productive.

Speaking of productive, our product partner, Animated Eclectics, has apparently shut down... We have given what seems to be our last Shiver and Fears pillow to Promethus. 

And I have no idea if our other products are still in store. 

In fact, since products haven't sold in 2025, we're closing them for 2026. Not even sure why we even made products, it didn't work when we had our own store.

Meanwhile, what can we look forward to in this adventure? I let you imagine that.

Only a True Fan Can Get This

 So folks, most of you have been reading my blog for a while now, but question, how many of you are really fans of my work?

Well let put it to the test. Here below is a secret code that only fans can solve. Some people have given it a try and can't get it. Can you?

Edocs i htdevlo se vah uoyf itnemm ocae vael. 

There are two videos which teach you how to solve codes. You can find them on YouTube today. But just to see if you can become a #1 fan, I'll add instructions here:

1. Write the whole message in reverse order.

2. Space the words out the same way they are placed in the coded message.

3. Follow the instructions.

That easy, see? Now, if you want, you can write me a coded message back and I'll enlist you as a number one fan. What is so special about #1 fans? Well ... Only they get to know that!

Happy Hallows-week

Magical Times are Slow

 Everyone is waiting for the next Magical Times book to be published. WHAT?! You have no idea what I'm talking about? Magical Times, you know. The book series...

You never read one, have you? *sigh* I've written a total of 9 going on 10 Magical Times books and YOU NEVER HEARD OF IT? WHY???

Ok, I'm sure I've done this before, so I shouldn't do it again... but, here we go. *groan*

Magical Times is about my life in the future. But it's not about me, it's about my kids. Twin brothers, August and Chadly, and their little sister, Britt. This is an amazing series, because it's fiction, but with a small speck of truth. Now, even though this book is called Magical Times, it's not really focused on magic... It's about miracles! So, yes, this is a Christian book series.

You see, the three kids are training to use their special powers, a gift from Heaven, to learn to help other people. But there are some complications with the series, too. Ya see, the boys are neighbors with their dad's worst enemy from high school, and their sons are rivals as well. But August wants to learn why there's a feud between the two families, because his father... me, doesn't know what happened.

Meanwhile, his brother gets tied up in this mess when all he wants to do is learn how to control his own powers. The story gets a bit serious sometimes. However, it's all about teaching friendship, family, and Christian values.

Now, I shouldn't be doing this, because you should have been reading Magical Times since 2020. But here, Purchase here < click on that link and you get a copy of the book.

I'm only doing this because if you don't read these books, you're going to miss out on drama, action, and cliff hangers. Yep, this series is THAT good. So what are you waiting for? Buy a book now!

Next Event of the Year

 So as of now we are doing the monster voting portion of the contest. So I have about 11 entries to place in the voting category. But people are wondering what does Shiver and Fears have going on next? Well let me tell you because you might want to get involved! 

Once we have announced the winner of the Boo's Beastly Buddy Contest, we will start the Share your Scare contest. The Share Your Scare contest is a chance to find scary, spooky, and creepy images around the neighborhood. How it works is, you take a video or picture of something you see for the Halloween season. This can be a decoration you find at a store, A prop around the neighborhood, or a scary prank you pull at home. You can even present a craft or Halloween treat you saw online! You ever heard of mummy hotdogs? Or eyeball cake pops? We just want a chance to share your spirit of Halloween season. 

Here's a good example: One day I was in a store and found a Halloween prop that lights up with a push of a button. I filmed myself saying a small poem to make it come on. It was as if I had casted a spell to make it work! 

Not a fan of that idea? Try this one:

 The rules are very simple. 

1.  Each person can send 1-5 videos and/or pictures of their scares.
2. Each entry turned in will recieve an audiobook for each entry.
3. We request not to send them all at once, gives us time to set up.
4. Pictures and videos will be posted on our Tiktok page, so be sure anyone IN the photo/video is ok with being presented.
5. Editing is fine with entries but NO FILTERS. (Example: walking ghost video above is an edit with no special effects.)
6. to send video/ photo is best sent by email shiverandfears@gmail.com

Now, what happens when you share your scare?  By Halloween night, we will check which is the most popular image and post it on other social media platforms! Everyone is a winner in this contest! 

Now, some of you might have been informed about a calendar. We are working on that now. If you are a contestant from the Boo's Beastly Buddy Contest, (even if you didn't win) you get one.

I want to also inform you about the Scary Creepsmas Give-a-way. All true fans will be given a gift to give to someone special. But this will be explained later in the fall. 

If you have any questions on ANY events. (Past, present, or future) you know how to contact me. If you don't, read the blog again!

An Exclusive Year

 Things for Shiver and Fears aren't going too well. This is the place to get the news on Shiver and Fears events and reports on what's been happening and the causes of these things, but this time. Things aren't going well, and that's all I can tell.

So, no I can't tell you why things are difficult, if you haven't already heard, BUT I can let you know what this means for your favorite author. I'm sorry to say, but Shiver and Fears has to be exclusive to outsiders. Does that mean you can't purchase a book? No, you can buy one at Walmart whenever you want to, or even the ever-so-popular Barnes and Noble. 

So what's so exclusive about Shiver and Fears, the blog? No. But we might be writing less for a while. Truth is, it's the events. Yep, the monster drawing contest, the Share Your Scare, Scary Creepsmas to All, yep, all of it! Events will not be publicly announced. In fact, if you hadn't noticed, Shiver and Fears isn't even publishing this year, so nothing is being added to the books. 

So what does this mean for the monster drawing contest? Well, until this situation gets settled and passes on only contestants who have been invited can enter the contests and events. In fact, we are even still thinking if we should even make public appearances.

I know, I know. We might not be in the parade this year, or have a book signing, or even appear at Enid Library.

I'm sure hearing all this makes you wonder what's going on. But I've told you this is... exclusive. It's best if you don't know. I'm not even sure writing this blog is even allowed. All we ask for you is to keep supporting us. and for you Christian fans, we ask for your prayers. We truly do need it more than you may think!

New Book published

So Shiver and Fears is still on vacation, but Magical Times is taking huge leaps! As of now all 9 books of the series can be located at Walmart, as well as Barnes and Noble and Amazon. So have we even talked about this book series? Maybe I need to make a Bio about it, well here's the gist of it all.

The book series is about my future life. I married my highschool sweetheart became a teacher and famous for the books i write. But the book isn't about all about me. It about my boys. I have 3 kids; twin boys and a daughter, they all have magical powers given to the m by angels.

Now there's a lot going on in this series. There's friendship, love, enemies, problem solving, magic, and Christian values. I'm not going to give it  all away, but there is some fun going on within the Hardwick family. Every character has a special part in the story.

And as my life continues, there more stories to tell. It's exciting to write this book. Mostly because it's like a timeline. This is my first time writing a story where everything is consistant.I don't know how some author's do it. Keeping the facts straight. Keeping knowledge of every character and every action. I mean it's already hard retacting facts in a cartoon. You know, like when a character makes a return after a while, or when a character goes through memory lane. Everything has to enline. Age, behavior, locations... EVERYTHING! Otherwise you get those readers who question everything: She had brown hair before, when did she turn blond? Or, I thought he was 10 years when he learned to ride a bike, how was that 6 years ago? 

I don't know, the point is there are some things you have to keep track of when writing a connected series. I do enjoy Magical Times, and hope others do too, but I do enjoy Shiver and Fears creative storyline. ANYTHING can happen that way!

 

What's Happened in May?

 Have I really let a whole month go by without  blogging? You bet. This is a very important season for the Shiver and Fears crew. We have many things to work on, not to mentions we have other things to work on too.

What, you may ask?

Before I start answering that question, watch this VIDEO.

Now you know as well as everyone else that this is the month of graduation. Which means tons of hard working student have made an accomplishment, and as a teacher I have to attend. I have watched these students make great progress and happy for them too.

Next I still have 4 more chapters to work on this book! Magical Times new book is almost done, and it's slowly making progress because of all these other things to do. A.J. and C.J. are trying to figure out the issue with Ian and their powers. When will these 4 chapters ever be done?

Well, hopefully soon. That is if a friend of mine quits asking and begging to play games. Now, I enjoy a good game. But I can't focus on the work that needs to be done, if I keep being asked to play everyday! Now, I know you're saying "Just tell him no." Well you watched that video I showed earlier? It might explain why.

Shiver and Fears team is working with a few new people this year and are trying to get things set.

But one thing is for sure, The monster contest will have some great entries this year, so be ready. We almost are!

Enid AuthorFest of 2025

 So coming up this April is the Enid Author Fest. It's one of my favorite events of the year. Dozens of authors come and present their books to sell to new viewers... Wait. You should know about this, I talk about it every year...

Wait, are you new?? Ok, well here is a link about it, HERE. Anyway, I want to talk about what I have planned for the AuthorFest this year.

Shiver and Fears is taking a break this year... Oh yeah, I've said that too. Ok, ok. So the books we will be presenting are The Origin: The story that explains the start of the whole magical twins thing:

Although this is the 7th book of the series, Magical Times. It doesn't really affect the order of the series. This book is a prequel to the whole series and will answer most questions people tend to have after reading the first book.

Next, we have the first book, In a Deal of a Situation, which starts the book series. It introduces all the characters you will learn to love and hate while reading the book.

Both of these books have been republished by Ingram Spark which is the reason why, although I'm taking a break from it, one of Shiver and Fears' books is also to be sold at the signing.

Shiver and Fears: There's a Ghost in My Film is the first Shiver and Fears book to be published by Ingram and is being introduced at the signing.

Now, although you can come and purchase the book at the AuthorFest, it is perfectly fine to purchase this book at your local retailers such as Walmart, Barnes and Noble, and Book A Million (If those still exist)

But, do know. We will have a few other things to share at the AuthorFest. Each book purchased at the event will be a free audiobook provided by Audible and visitors will get a free open chance for free merch, whether or not a book is purchased.

But, I encourage you, wherever you live- Kansas, Kentucky, Texas. Take a trip to Enid for the AuthorFeast. Dozens of authors would be pleased with your appearance!

New Year, New Trades

Things have been running a bit different lately. Videos aren't as popular as they use to on youtube. They seem to be catching attention on TikTok, but Content ideas are slim. Check this one out yourself CLICK FOR VIDEO. Meanwhile books have been traveling to many places, and even though Walmart has added Magical Times to their website, they rejected adding it to their shelf.

Walmart has been getting on my nerves lately, just a few weeks ago, I ordered some equipment in December. Not only did I get it late in January, but the picture was NOTHING like what I received. I was completely tricked. It was obviously an online seller trying to sell a useless device.

Anyway, that's a whole different story. Magical Times is now spreading to more countries and states. In fact, a few books has sold over time. That was new!

Another thing that I have noticed is that music is becoming more noticeable. "On the Shelf" has gotten a couple of views, Although when I brought up the Valentine song, everyone seemed to turn their heads. As catchy as it is, and as close as Valentine's Day was, not one was interested in playing it.

Meanwhile, I'm sure you've heard about the snow attacking our states. It might become Shiver and Fears next hit. "Shiver and Fears: Trapped with Cabin Fever" 

You might not think that's seems scary. Well, you don't know the story. And believe me, it's not as easy of a plot as you think.

Meanwhile, a new channel has arrived a while back. J.U.S.T Got Game. Have you heard of it? Let me just say, Shiver and Fears is not my only channel I work with.

Books and... Video games?

Let’s take a break from discussing books and talk about video games! Since "Shiver and Fears" is on a break this year, I’ve created a new video segment on social media focused on playing video games. Sometimes, my friends and I come together to play a variety of online games. While we often play on Roblox, we explore other games as well.

One game we really enjoy is *TOGETHER*, which was introduced to us by the founder of J.U.S.T. Got Game. However, it’s not the only game in our lineup. We also play games like Scribbl.io, Gartic Phone, and Dress to Impress, among others. The tricky part is that we need to keep the content kid-friendly since we’re creating videos for a younger audience. Some members of our group struggle with maintaining a child-appropriate rating.

We recently finished a video where we tackled a maze of levels. Some levels required a lot of time and teamwork, while others were quite simple—we just made them more challenging for fun!

If you're a video gamer, check out the games we've played! And hey, don’t forget to leave a comment. I see a lot of views, but I’d love to hear from the audience as well. Share your thoughts, and we’ll respond—don’t worry! ✌✌

New Year, New Book

I bet you're wondering why it's taken nearly 17 days to start the blog of 2025. Things have been runningon a complicated edge at the moment. Not in a bad way though.

So here's what the news is. Shiver and Fears is on a break, but monsters Boo, Bling Bing, and Nettspend are still at the go. Their creators seemed to have ditched them and now they don't have much of a place to be. A comic of Boo and his earlier friends have a comic that's been viewed over 100 times. Will Nettspend and Bling bing get a chance? Maybe not. I mean, they aren't given much attention from their creators, and I have other things to do.

Which comes to what is going on here with the books, Magical Times is making it's reappearance as a new book. Now, this is taking a lot of process, mostly because the manuscripts were lost. Luckily all were found and were ready for publishing. Then I had to create one cover template for each book to be published in.

 Then, after each book has gotten matched with it cover, now come the easy (but still complicated ) part. Working with a new publishing company is always hard to do. But it promises good things for these books. 

For example, My books are now being sold at Walmart! Now I've stated this before, but it was always a bit of luck that got them there. 

Now that i work with this new publishing area, they can get Magical Times books is locations a lot more noticable.

Now, let's talk about distributors. So it turns out there is a busy that wants my work in store, but the process will cost. Not much of a problem, BUT it'll take a lot of work to get it done. This means, merch will have to be processed, books will have to be collected, and promotions will have to be made.

So that's all that's been happening with books, let's talk about videos...

STOP!

I decided to save that for later, that's a whole other story to tell!

Shiver and Fears blog of 2024

For those of you following along with these blogs, you’re probably already aware of what’s been happening. You’ve seen the videos, the shorts, and the social media posts. But if I just left it at that, there wouldn’t really be a blog.

So, you might be wondering why there hasn’t been a blog until now. Well, let me fill you in: YouTube is the culprit! Not the most satisfying explanation, right? You see, YouTube has been mysteriously losing views ever since the decline of The Fairly OddParents. Live videos just haven’t been the same since. This situation led to a flurry of activities, including several live streams and a short film focusing on games.

But there’s more to the story! Have you heard of the new book, *Trapped in the Cursed Painting*? It’s finally published! 

I’m not exactly sure when the project kicked off, but December was all-consuming. One big reason it took so long? The cover illustration. That’s often the leading reason behind publishing delays. I helped create the cover, because let’s face it—AI isn’t always up to the task of capturing the right vision!

Once the cover was sorted out, it was time to dive into writing the book. It proved to be quite the challenge. The story centers around a girl interacting with a painting, but I hit a few snags. How can someone casually chat with a painting in a hotel? Why was she even there? And how did she stumble upon the painting? So many plot points to cover in just 20 chapters!

You’re probably curious about how the story unfolds. Well, you’ll just have to pick up a copy to find out!

This project took me all through December to complete, with the final touches happening just before December 20th. However, it didn’t officially hit the shelves until Christmas Day.

But that’s not all that’s been going on! We had only 20 Christmas cards to send out, yet over 70 people on our list. So, we spent the entire holiday season emailing, texting, and posting e-cards to everyone who didn’t receive a physical card.

Oh, and let’s not forget about one of the most important parts of Christmas: gift wrapping! I had to shop for 10 people while ensuring everything arrived on time. As we stand today, there’s just one last gift left. Will she ever get it? Probably not until next year... or, wait! That’s tomorrow!

Christmas always keeps the Shiver and Fears team busy! However, we’re about to hit pause for the upcoming year. Tomorrow, Shiver and Fears will take a break and transition to "Magical Times." These previously published books will be re-released with fresh covers, and exciting new titles are on the horizon.

Will there be a blog site dedicated to this? Not really. 

For now, I wish you all a Happy New Fear! It’s a phrase we fondly say each year. I hope you enjoy our books, stories, and posts! Don’t think we’ll be disappearing forever... We’ll see you next year!

Video and Photos This Season

So it's been adventure this November.

Let me explain this video. So very rarely, my friends and I play a round of JackBox. This is a small load of games to play on devices. There are a few to pick from. One we played was Quiplash. The best way for me to explain it is to imagine a game of Apples to Apples BUT everyone makes their own answers AND everyone gets points.

When it comes to this game, I keep my answers pretty simple. I'll have to show you how well these games go on YouTube... That is if the other players can calm down enough and not be so dirty with their choice of words.

Meanwhile, another thing that happened is the preparation for Christmas. I was working on a video on TikTok and made an interesting picture...

This is a re-creation of my book "A Creepier Christmas" This wasn't made for the books, BUT it looks pretty good! I do want to re-create a lot of Shiver and Fears covers. Some aren't good and with this new cover design, I want to go back and fix others. (Just a thought) Anyway, there's a lot getting done before the finish of 2024. And I got to get it done now. 

The new book was supposed to be done forever a go, but because of the search of an artist is so difficult, it may have to be delayed. But keep with us. You'll love it!

 

Enid Library AuthorFest

Guess what? It's that time of year again! Enid Library has invited AJ Hard to their annual Author Fest. This year we will have a whole load of stuff! Books, pillows, cups, and stickers! Even Boo the ghost will make an appearance!

We will have a collection of 5 books, including:
Lost in the Forgotten Library
Attack of the Headless Robot
Sibling Subtraction
Magical Times
Haunting of the Halloween Kids
What other authors will be present at the event? I'm not sure, but I'll let you know as soon as I know myself. But I can tell you this, there will be dozens, which means there will be multiple genres for multiple ages. So don't feel like your too old or too young for this event. It will be located at Enid Library 120 W Maine Ave, Enid, OK 73701 to be exact!

 Hope you'll be there, or at least tell somebody who can. You'll enjoy and be upset when you miss it.