One year ago today I published Daisy Dunlap and the Cartoon Carnival. It’s a small book but I’m very happy with how it turned out.
To celebrate the one year anniversary I wanted to share some of the fan art I’ve gotten over the past year.
First up is Daisy Dunlap by Claire B. You can see Daisy’s been through a rough night. This image also includes her Daisy Daffodil doll.
Claire also took a stab at Tom. Look close and you can see his green thumb.
This next drawing is from Nathalie S. One of my earliest readers. She depicts Daisy in pencil. Clearly at the beginning of the night before it got scary.
But just incase his cuteness fools you she also made one with very clear text.
Have you read Daisy Dunlap And the Cartoon Carnival yet?
I’ve been describing it as mascot horror but wholesome. Think of Five nights at Freddy’s, Bendy and the Ink Machine, and Poppy Playtime. Daisy Dunlap is all the mystery and fun without the dead kids in the animatronic suits.
This has been the week of exciting news! First on Monday I got the news that my short story “Letting Off Steam,” is one of the finalist for the short audio category of the Realm Awards! This is the first time I’ve ever finalled. I am excited to see if I win the award but at the same time looking at the three finalists makes me want to point somethings out.
First thing I want to point out is that the entries list the narrator and the publisher of each submission. The author gets no mention. Anyway even though “Letting Off Steam” is listed under the name of the talented narrator Rena Gail. I promise that I wrote it.
The other thing to point out is that these are not all short stories.
Sing to Me of Rain, is a novella by E.B. Dawson and narrated by Lila-May Murdoch.
The Prophecy’s Chosen Heir, is a middle grade novel written and self-narrated by Trista Shaye.
My little steampunk superhero story is on the longer side of short but it’s still under ten thousand words. Make of this what you will.
The DOSA Files has two other finalists.
“Rethink” by H.L. Burke and “Playdate” by Jenelle Leann Schmidt both finalled in the short story category.
This little superhero anthology is really getting it’s time in the spotlight.
Today I got the Second Announcement:
Daisy Dunlap and the cartoon Carnival is one of the Reader’s Choice nominees. That means that you can help get it to the top by voting for it.
However there are some catches:
You can only vote once. Any duplicate entries will be disqualified.
Only vote for books you’ve read. Be fair to the authors.
List your Top 3 favorites. If more than one book stood out, we want to know.
Voting happens in the RealmSphere.
What this means is that you need to create a free account in the RealmSphere (a social media platform where authors and readers can get together and discuss books, writing, or anything creative really.)
Once you create your account make sure you know which three books you’re voting for before you start voting. Because. you only get one entry. There are 25 books that got nominated and you may recognize some of them.
THE TOP 25 NOMINEES
A Stolen Heart, by Selina R. Gonzalez
Blood of the Stars, by Karyne Norton
Daisy Dunlap & the Cartoon Carnival, by C.O. Bonham
Falling Through the Black, by E.A. Hendryx
Flashpoint, by C.M. Banschbach
Game On, by H.L. Burke
Guardian, by Cathy McCrumb
Hearts of Stone and Steel, by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt
Hybrid, by Candace Kade
Ignite, by Kara Swanson
Lightshed, by Crystal D. Grant
Memoria, by J.J. Fischer
Mortal Queens, by Victoria McCombs
Page Magic, by Dawn E. Dagger
Protector, by Megan Schaulis
Saints and Monsters, by Ellen McGinty
The Chaos Grid, by Lyndsey Lewellen
The Immortal Abyss, by Katherine Briggs
The Nightmare Virus, by Nadine Brandes
There Bleeds the Light, by Andrea Renae
Thread of Dreams, by Emily Barnett
To Weave the Wind, by Sharon Rose
Waters Break, by Sophia L. Hansen
What Comes of Attending the Commoner’s Ball, by Elisabeth Aimee Brown
Winter’s Maiden, by Morgan L. Busse
Now that you have your RealmSphere account, you can come hang out next week at the Realm Makers, Spring Book Fest. It’s April 24th through the 25th.
There’s going to be fun, games, giveaways, and author Q&As.
And don’t forget: to vote for a book you need to have read it.
Have you read Daisy Dunlap and the Cartoon Carnival yet?
A while ago I dropped a quick teaser about Daisy Dunlap and the Cartoon Carnival being available in audiobook on Audible but that it would be available on other platforms soon.
Soon is now! You can find Daisy Dunlap on the following wide platforms for less than the audible asking price. (Because I can’t set the price on audible but I can on the others.)
And of course Amazon where you can also find the ebook and paper versions of the story: https://amzn.to/4216XY0
The Audio Book is read by the talented Rena Gail who has read books for authors such H.L. Burke and W.R. Gingell. To see more of her work check out her website here: https://www.renagail.com/
About Rena Gail Narrations
Rena Gail is a talented audiobook narrator with a passion for bringing fictional characters to life. With years of experience in the industry and a passion for continuous learning, Rena has honed her craft and is dedicated to immersing listeners in their favorite books. She takes pride in her work and strives to deliver high-quality performances every time.
Join me on Facebook on Monday, April 7th, while I take over the group Fellowship of Fantasy Indie book Club to talk about Daisy Dunlap and the Cartoon Carnival. There will be fun games and maybe a giveaway or two. https://www.facebook.com/groups/FellowshipofFantasyBookClub
I’m done with my Silmaril awards duties so now I can get back to my own books.
Major Anouncment!
I have hired an Audiobook narrator! The Amazing Rena Gail is going to narrate Daisy Dunlap and the Cartoon Carnival. I will let you know as soon as the audiobook is available to purchase.
Audiobook Cover teaser (subject to change.)
Rena is so talented and I am so passionate about my little cartoon book. I can’t wait for this story to come to life in epic audio.
Speaking of Epic Audio — I want to let you know about a Kickstarter that just launched.
H.L. Burke is host a Kickstarter to get her YA series produced in Audiobooks. As of right now the first book, Power On, is over halfway to being fully funded.
And Who is the narrator for this Epic Audio production?
Why it’s Rena Gail of course. (Yes that’s the connection.) Not only did she narrate the original five SVR books but she was also one of the contributing author to The DOSA Files (Yes the Anthology that I also had a story in. I’ll give you one guess on how I got connected with her.)
The Kickstarter is running throughout October and in order to get ALL four books in the YA series narrated it needs to hit the $3000 stretch goal. So If you can back it at all it would be much appreciated.
Today is both, my favorite, and my most dreaded part of the writing process.
Publication day.
It’s done. The book is out of my hands. There is nothing else I can do to it.
Now I just have to wait for people to read it.
I have been working of Daisy Dunlap and the Cartoon Carnival for almost three years and now it’s finally ready to greet readers.
“So,” you ask, “what is this book about?”
The great thing about art is that it can be interpreted so many ways. Each person processes everything differently and comes to their own conclusions. And even us creators may subconsciously be planting messages that we didn’t intend. However, if you see this as a thinly disguised Bendy and the Ink Machine fan fiction, [stuffs unhealthy obsession with BATIM into the closet.] you’re reading too much into this.
The truth is, it’s more of a rebuttal to the Bendy franchise. If you know what that is, great. If not, the next paragraph is for you.
Bendy is a video game series that take place at an animation studio where the employees have been turned into horrific versions of the cartoon characters created there. It’s a story about greed and corruption. A legacy in ruins.
Daisy Dunlap is not like that. In my story, the characters are actually alive. They weren’t people first. They have their own souls. If anything inspired this book, it was the idea that an idea can take on a life beyond its creator. Just look at how far removed Mickey Mouse has become from the man, Walt Disney, who created and voiced him.
My novel is an exploration of legacy. As I’ve grown older, I’ve often wondered what I’ll leave behind. The obvious answer is my books. There is a reason that authors refer to their published works as their book babies. In the same way that Daisy’s mom in the story, left her daughter as a legacy, Daisy is kind of my legacy too.
Find the truth. Save the family legacy. Don’t get eaten by the giant cartoon spider.
Reeling from the loss of her mother, twelve-year-old Daisy comforts herself with the cartoons and carnival run by her family’s animation studio.
When an anonymous source accuses Grandpa of stealing his most famous character, the impish Tom Greenthumb, their family’s reputation, and business, are on the line. The only thing that can clear their name? A mysterious sketch book hidden somewhere within the Cartoon Carnival.
Sneaking into the theme park at night, Daisy uncovers her family’s greatest secret. Their cartoon creations are alive—and some of them are deadly.
C.O. Bonham is the pen name for a commonly misspelled first name. She loves stories of all kinds, but really likes the ones that are weird, and outside the norm. A certified book geek, when she isn’t writing stories of her own she is busy reading stories by others. A homeschool graduate with a degree in creative writing, her goal is to create stories that make people think, feel, and have fun.
Today’s post is a cover reveal for a very special book.
It’s mine!
I wrote another book and commissioned a unique cover for it. I am so happy with how it turned out that it was honestly hard for me to plan a cover reveal instead of just sharing it right away.
This time instead of a YA fairytale retelling it’s a middle grade mystery with a large helping of fantasy and a little cartoon magic.
Dunlap’s Cartoon Carnival is the theme park home to Tom Greenthumb. (Think, Tom Thumb meets Mickey Mouse.) But all is not as it seems, when the lights go out. The Cartoons are alive. Even the villain.
The cover design is by Yuin-Y. She’s a very talented artist from Malaysia and you can find her on Instagram as @elvenStar.
About the book:
Find the truth. Save the family legacy. Don’t get eaten by the giant cartoon spider.
Reeling from the loss of her mother, twelve-year-old Daisy comforts herself with the cartoons and carnival run by her family’s animation studio.
When an anonymous source accuses Grandpa of stealing his most famous character, the impish Tom Greenthumb, their family’s reputation, and business, are on the line. The only thing that can clear their name? A mysterious sketch book hidden somewhere within the Cartoon Carnival.
Sneaking into the theme park at night, Daisy uncovers her family’s greatest secret. Their cartoon creations are alive—and some of them are deadly.
So what is the story behind this book?
I like Cartoons. I also love vintage vibes and these characters just kind of grew from that. There was also a certain indie horror game that absorbed a lot of my attention. I’ll let you guess which one. But beyond the cartoon references and in jokes, this is a book about family. Real family, found family and connecting with family.
Daisy Dunlap and the Cartoon Carnival is releasing July 16th
C.O. Bonham is the pen name for a commonly misspelled first name. She loves stories of all kinds, but really likes the ones that are weird, and outside the norm. A certified book geek, when she isn’t writing stories of her own she is busy reading stories by others. A homeschool graduate with a degree in creative writing, her goal is to create stories that make people think, feel, and have fun.
C. O. Bonham 