Mill Avenue Vexations News

Closure: Mills End Cafe

Vex Harrow — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 20:11:36 -0700

Much to my surprise and chagrin, I discovered that Mills End Cafe has closed. This is the café that quietly existed near the end of Mill proper (for those who actually wander all the way down to the Tempe Fake Lake.) It served a multitude of cultural resources from poetry nights to open air mic and other extremely wonderful venues. The coffee certainly seemed overpriced at times, but the nature of the company made the place more than worth it Friday and Saturday nights.

Seeing yet another cornerstone of Mill Ave culture vanish in a puff of smoke is not fun.

However, there have been other advances in actually bringing more people to the Ave.

This also comes on the heels of the light rail exit being installed there. It struck me that Mills End had been positioned quite nicely to capture traffic from the newly touted light rail, but apparently not enough to keep it alive. A great deal of food and retail outlets on Mill have been suffering from a reduction of interest due to the Tempe Marketplace. Although, I haven’t seen enough reports on their closure to know exactly the nature of their demise.

I will try to outline some of the other new people and things that have appeared amidst us in the meantime. Change has been too much nostalgia here.

News, and Volume 13 online this weekend

Vex Harrow — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:30:03 -0700

The reason why I've gone silent suddenly, even though this is publishing season, is because my day job got strange one me. Well, that's finally resolved itself and I'm pretty much without a job.

This will not affect the online publication of future Vexations volumes. You can expect at least Volumes 13 and 14 this year. Perhaps two more on top of those, but they're not entirely ready and due to my sudden fiscal crisis, I don't quite have the time to prepare two more.

There are about five volumes left in the full arc, so we're almost at the very end.

Thanks for sticking around everyone, I will keep everything updated.

I will be putting Volume 13 live this weekend.

Delay? What delay?

Vex Harrow — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:00:13 -0700

Guess what my peeps! Just as soon as I can get my cab -- or "chariot" as Gary calls it -- back from the garage I'm headed down to the printers to grab Volume 13 hot off the presses!

So, if you can find me or one of my benefactors on Mill Ave tonight there will be booklets to hand out.

The story of how all this started to go down is a sad one too. I've been stretched thin by work, a little bit of illness, and a bit of melancholy, but this has fortunately not gotten in the way of this print.

I may end up having only 2-3 new volumes this year due to these complications, and the arc looks like it has about 5 volumes left (including 13.) So keep an eye out.

Note, I still have more side stories to publish, specifically the Arsenal stories that might see the light of day in print form if people are interested, such as The Byzantium Outcast and The Holocaust Star but meanwhile I am pouring most of my energy into Black Hat Magick.

Delayed!?

Vex Harrow — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 01:57:56 -0700

I blame work stress.

I am posting this because volumes are supposed to come out during the middle of the month (before the 15th) and I haven't gotten it printed today, which means it'll miss this weekend...

Although, it will be printed before the 15th, but that's not the point.

However! ... How-evar, this should point out that it will indeed be available and in print next weekend.

Oh yeah, and ... I just got the box of comics. There are a very limited number. I am selling them personally (signed) $5 a piece. If you want one, contact me by whatever means necessary. Telepathy, magick circle, computer wizardry (e-mail), telephone phreakery. Whatever.

Keep it surreal!

Volume 13 cover design released

Vex Harrow — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:36:07 -0700

Front cover: (c) 2009 Wagner de Souza http://wandger.deviantart.com/
Back cover: (c) 2009 Lemming Exodus http://lemming-exodus.deviantart.com/

Alright. So, I am still waiting on the internal graphics, but once I have them I should be able to take this to print. This is my preliminary work on the cover that I've been fiddling with.

MILL AVENUE VEXATIONS Volume 13: Whispers in the Darkness

We've got some discussions to be had about what to do with Darlene, whatever oddities are going down in Phoenix and Tempe proper. And possibly some soul searching. So, I've got Patrick and Vex on the cover.

The back cover is some awesome artwork by my friend Lemmy, who I am crediting above. Go check her stuff out.

Buckle your seat-belts, everyone! The winter printing season is underway and we're in the final arc.

And remember, "Sometimes, you just have to shut up and drive."

Tags: wagner de souza

Mill Avenue Vexations review at Morbid Outlook

Vex Harrow — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:41:39 -0700

Everyone go give this wonderful person props and read the review entire over at Morbid Outlook. (Then come back and say, "Hi, I read it!")

Don’t get the wrong impression, now. Mill Avenue Vexations is a fun work of fiction set in Arizona. It revolves around Vex Harrow, a Goth cab driver who uses magick to help others, particularly those who foolishly messed around with some magick book they found and had the bad luck of finding an authentic text.

She goes on plenty of side quests, interacting with individuals including a love interest, but Vex’s roundabout plot orbit consistently brings her back to the case of a crooked elder sigil, a bunch of students who thought they were performing a ceremony to improve their grades, and the weird horrors they invited into the world.

Dylan Madeley from Morbid Outlook Magazine my hero.

Tags: morbid outlook review

New cover artwork to show off, Volume 13!

Vex Harrow — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:03:00 -0700

You heard it right. Volume 13 is underway and already has cover artwork. Here's a pair of sketches that demonstrate the progress. I haven't picked a proper title for it, and there's no lettering, but here we go.

Color version coming soon.

Yes, she's wearing her pentacle; and yes, Patrick does look a lot like a boyscout. I know.

Welcome readers from e-Fiction Book Club

Vex Harrow — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 16:49:58 -0700

Hails everyone from the wonderful website e-Fiction Book Club. There isn't much you need to know about finding this stories to read them, but I figured I'd direct people to where they might want to go.

The main arc starts with Volume 1 (the link skips the copyright page) and you can get a full index of volumes as well if you have left off somewhere. Also, there's a whole series of side stories available if you scroll down the index page. Side stories are outside of the main arc (such as Cranes, Lost Sphinx Cat, et cetera.)

I hope that everyone enjoys the stories as well as the artwork that goes into making the covers.

Artwork also includes the Seasons stories, which are excellent examples of some of the work done for the stories.

For those interested. This is the last publication year of the main arc and volumes 13 through 16 will be published across the next six months. They are still in the editing process and artwork is being commissioned. Volume 13 may be published as soon as October and as late as November if all goes according to plan.

And for my readers who actually read my entire posts I know you'll get a huge kick out of e-Fiction Book Club. They are a very good place to find more stuff to read, and good people.

Accidental Topic Deletion

Vex Harrow — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:04:11 -0700

I didn't even know this was possible, but I accidentally deleted the news post instead of the spam comment.

Meanwhile, I am looking into moving this entire shebang to Wordpress instead of phpBB because I don't really need a forum attached to this. The stories will stay intact as they are, but I'm thinking that separate feeds announcing releases and blog posts will be good.

Fate of new Dos Gringos on Mill Ave being decided

Vex Harrow — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:49:14 -0700

Business owners and builders will likely find out Tuesday night whether they are getting the green light when it comes to constructing a new Dos Gringos bar and restaurant on a vacant lot on Tempe's Mill Ave.

According to a Staff Summary Report for the Development and Review Commission in the City of Tempe, a request has been made for permits that would allow a Series 6 Bar and live entertainment at the facility, which would be constructed on the southeast corner of Mill Avenue and 7th Street.

According to city paperwork, the site was formerly occupied by Long Wong's and Cafe Boa in addition to other small commercial businesses before they were demolished in 2005.

With all of the missing space growing like weeds around the Ave, it’s good seeing places like this being put to good use. The vacant lot that used to hold Long Wong’s is an important position right across from the empty hulk that once was Borders—also, it holds some powerful sentimental value for the Ave itself, having once housed one of the best venues for all music on Mill.

Long Wong’s had been a fixture for many years before it’s removal by bulldozer, leaving behind an empty scar.

Link, via ABC15.com