Queen of Shadows Illustrated Deluxe Hardback

95% Fulfilled & Final Drop-Off Today!
9 months ago – Thu, Jun 26, 2025 at 08:10:34 AM

Hey friends,

We are so close to the finish line :) 95% of orders have been fulfilled!

This morning I'm doing a major drop-off! Remaining book boxes and those of you who ordered just a foil bookmark (or added one to a single book that shipped from the UK) are heading out now. Please keep an eye on your mailbox and check your order promptly when it arrives.

For those of you getting a book box with swag, I tucked the goodies inside the book to keep things flat and protected. Also, surprise upgrade! The foil bookmarks now come with a clear protective sleeve because let’s face it, they’re too pretty not to protect.

There are still a few book boxes that haven’t gone out yet. When I did inventory, I found that the printer shorted me on paperbacks and sent some with quality control issues. So if you ordered a King Book Box or Beyond the Veil Book Box with a paperback, your order hasn’t shipped just yet. I’m waiting on replacement copies from the printer to complete those.

If your order is marked as "delayed" in Kickstarter, here's why:

a) You have a paperback item I’m waiting on to finish your order

b) You haven’t filled out your survey

c) Your survey is incomplete (missing shipping payment)

d) You’re on a payment plan that hasn’t been completed

I reached out individually to many of you last night to flag these issues, so check your messages if you’re unsure.

After today’s big drop-off, I’ll be offline the rest of the day, resting up and catching my breath. In the meantime, here’s a peek at what the book boxes look like:

Thank you, as always, for your patience and support. Almost there!

xo,

AC

🔥 Backer Update: Proofs, Print Upgrades, and Shipping Intel
11 months ago – Fri, May 09, 2025 at 07:45:04 AM

Hey, Shadow Fam!

Big news, and it’s a mix of “holy sh*t, that’s beautiful” and “well, that didn’t go as planned,”—so let’s get into it.

THE DARK FAE AND MORALLY GREY FAE PROOFS HAVE LANDED

You might’ve already caught a glimpse on Facebook (there's even a video), but the Dark and Morally Grey Fae hardcover proofs are here, and they’re jaw-dropping. Like, full-on dark fantasy porn for your bookshelf.

But let’s talk upgrades. Because every edition of the Queen of Shadows hardcovers got a serious glow-up:

• Light Fae Edition: Now printed in full color, with color chapter spreads that show either which character is talking or artwork.
• Dark & Morally Grey Editions: These beauties aren’t playing around. We upgraded the paper and full dark mode, so every single page is black with white text. Previously, only the chapters were dark, with a full-bleed chapter spread. With the paper upgrade? They’re not just books. They’re weapons. (Seriously, someone joked that you could fend off a fae uprising with one and… I’m not sure they’re wrong.)
  
  Here's some photos my partner took of the physical proofs that show the holographic foil and dark interior:

THE BAD NEWS (BUT STICK WITH ME)

Right before the launch, I saw the writing on the wall. Printing costs were spiking like crazy thanks to gestures vaguely at the world falling apart. The original printer jacked prices by 45%. So I pivoted. Hardcovers are now being printed in the UK. That’s great for quality but came with one big drawback:

No reversible dust jackets.

I tried, y’all. The only printers that do this are overseas. Most of them are in China, and *gestures vaguely at the current news cycle* there’s not enough coffee in my system yet to go on that rant. We also tested the new printer’s equipment in the UK, but with foil on the dust jacket, printing underneath was problematic. I sourced, begged, and experimented, but between tariffs from China and only ONE US vendor offering a remotely comparable product, which did not play nice with jacket thickness and wrap, it just wasn’t possible this time.

BUT HERE’S THE TRADE-OFF…

We’re printing with a UK-based company that’s absolutely crushing it on quality. These editions are leagues above my last campaign. If you backed Nerd Meets Curvy, this is a whole new level. They’re heavier and denser, and honestly, like I said, you could clock someone with one, and they’d probably see stars and sparkle. Worth it.

📦 SHIPPING & FULFILLMENT

1. ALL Books Have Been Ordered.

Yep. Every single one. If you ordered a hardcover on its own, it’s shipping directly from the UK printer. I provided your name, email, address, and packing slip—so you’ll get a dispatch notification. However (and this is important), that email may not hit your inbox until the day the book lands on your doorstep. Don’t ask me why. It’s their system. I discovered this quirk when the physical proofs just showed up at my door without warning.

They’ve told me to expect all hardcovers to be dispatched by the end of May or the first week of June. So keep an eye out. If your book hasn’t shown up by mid-July, please reach out, and I’ll handle it.

Also, please open your package right away and check it. I don’t get to see these books before they hit your hands. If something is off, take a photo and send it to me. The printer has been amazing about replacements, but they do need pics to authorize them.

If you really want to do me a solid, unboxing videos or reviews are always encouraged and welcome :)

2. Your Kickstarter Says “Shipped”—What That Means

If your backer status says “shipped,” that doesn’t mean it’s in the mail—it means it’s been batched, processed, and sent to the printer. You’re officially in the production pipeline, and your book is on its way. I wish Kickstarter or Backer Kit had a feature that allowed us to check off “sent to print” to keep track of the orders we batched rather than just a vague “in process,” but they do not.

3. Book Boxes & Orders With Swag

If you’re one of the 23 folks waiting on a full book box or ordered swag separately from the book, here’s where we’re at:

• The books for your boxes have been ordered, and your pledge may say “in process.” Everything else in the book box has been received, and we are waiting for the books to arrive for assembly. As soon as they land stateside, we’ll be assembling and shipping them from the US.
• If you ordered a book box, everything will ship together (book + goodies).
• If you ordered books + swag separately (like the foil or metal bookmarks), those will arrive in two shipments—books from the UK and swag from the US. It *should* be labeled as a split shipment on your packing slip. Don’t worry if the swag arrives before or after your books. You’re still getting both, just not together due to warehouse logistics.

A handful of folks’ credit cards failed to process your shipping fee in BackerKit. I’ll be reaching out next week to folks who still need to pay shipping (if your card bounced), but today is my daughter’s dance recital, and I’m taking a well-earned break for Mother’s Day weekend. But if you think this is you, check your card info on BackerKit. 🖤

MARK YOUR REWARDS AS RECEIVED

If you have already gotten your book or swag, please do me a solid and mark it as received on Kickstarter!

Just head to the project page → click the green “Mark as received” button → hit that glorious smiley face of satisfaction.

Kickstarter loves it when creators follow up with backers (that’s you!) to ensure everyone’s got their loot. Doing this not only makes them happy but also unlocks the gate for me to launch my next campaign. So, a huge thanks in advance for helping out!

THANK YOU for Your Patience

Between switching printers, dark mode production learning curves, and juggling three custom editions, this has taken longer to fulfill than my last campaign. I’ve now officially become an expert in paper stocks that I didn’t realize I was signing up to learn about. 😂

The dark editions cost 3x what the Light Fae ones did to produce, but I wanted to do this right! And now that we’ve got the UK printer dialed in, I can move even faster for the next Kickstarter. I’m already planning to order proofs before the next launch and test the whole production timeline ahead of time.

Bonus: Kickstarter is rolling out built-in pledge manager tools, so we may be able to skip BackerKit altogether next time.

That’s the update, fam. Thank you for sticking with me through the plot twists. You’re the real MVPs of this story.

– AC 🖤

Proofs Are In — Let’s Talk Editions, Delays, and That Foil!
12 months ago – Thu, Apr 17, 2025 at 07:29:40 AM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

🎉 Your Kickstarter T-Shirts and Hoodies are Shipping!
about 1 year ago – Fri, Mar 14, 2025 at 01:30:31 PM

Hey, awesome backers!

Exciting news for all of you who ordered t-shirts and hoodies. They’re now speeding their way to you! 🚚💨 Please check your email (and yes, peek in that spam folder, too!) for your confirmation. It has all the juicy details, including when you can expect your goodies to land.

From what I’ve seen, some of you could be rocking your new gear as soon as March 24th, while others might have to hang tight until April 2nd. It all depends on warehouse logistics and where you’re at in the world. 🌍📦

Just a heads-up/reminder on the apparel: these are made just for you, so we can’t accept returns for sizing issues or if you have second thoughts on the design. That’s all from the printer’s end—thank you for understanding! 

They're also shipping separately from the books, book boxes, and swag. 

Need to tweak your payment info? If your card was declined or if there’s a hiccup with your payment plan, no stress! Just swing by BackerKit to update your details. Or, if you’re stuck, shoot me a message. I’m here to help get things sorted!

I hope you’re all digging into the eBook edition of Queen of Shadows and loving every page while you wait for the rest of your loot. There’s nothing like a good read to make the time fly!

Thanks a million for all your incredible support. You all truly rock, and I can’t wait to hear your thoughts once everything arrives!

Stay fantastic,

AC James / Julie Blackheart

Final Call for Surveys & Shipping Payments!
about 1 year ago – Thu, Mar 06, 2025 at 09:01:19 AM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.