Author: Madeline Crane

Fantasy writer, tabletop gamer, wearer of hats.

Song of the Week

Spiritbox, “The Void”

Hello again! Happy Bisexual Visibility Day!

I had a great time at the Awkward Nerd Book Fair yesterday! So, full disclosure, I went to a tiny private school in the 90s and did not get to participate in Scholastic Book Fairs. If the Awkward Nerd fair was any indication, I missed out! It was a lovely time and a great crowd.

This is the last week for the Figuratively Speaking Mermaid Tarot Kickstarter! It will close at midnight next Monday. I’m so excited for this beautiful deck to become a reality. Only two stretch goals remain!

The newsletter will come out this Friday, a little earlier than usual. I’ll be taking a vacation from posting between the 28th and October 5th. I’ll have another Journey to the Water update before then, so stop by again!

Petitions for this week:

Via Avaaz: End impunity for regimes that kill, maim, and torture

Via All Out: End forced deportation of Syrian LGBTQIA+ refugees

Via Amnesty International: Join the call to stop weapons transfers

Via Our Revolution: Support Bernie’s resolution to block a $20 billion weapons sale to Israel

That’s all I’ve got for today. Have an excellent week!

Journey to the Water Update

Pages: 145 Words: 88548

I am happy to report that the new draft of Journey to the Water is now 88,548 words long. I’m reworking the arc that was roughly chapters XLIV-LI in the original version. You can see some of the new chapter headings on the left of the image.

Also, don’t forget, I’ll be at the Awkward Nerd Book Fair this Sunday in downtown Milwaukee! Come say hi and enjoy a nostalgic throwback to the Scholastic Book Fairs of the 90s.

There are still 10 more days to back the Figuratively Speaking Mermaid Tarot Kickstarter. Three stretch goals have been reached, and there are four more remaining.

That’s it for today. Thanks for stopping by!

Song of the Week

Christen Mooney, “Aisling’s Song” (from The Secret of Kells)

Hello! It’s Monday again.

On Sunday, I’ll be at the Awkward Nerd Book Fair at the Tripoli Shrine Center, 3000 W Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee. It’s styled after the Scholastic Book Fairs of the 90s, but geared toward adults, and promises to be a great time! It’ll be open from 11 to 5. For tickets and more information (including the Big Gay Pirate Cruise the evening before), here’s a link.

I’m plugging along on Journey to the Water, and have just about hit a point where I need to write a new plot arc. I wasn’t happy with the adventure to recover an artifact from the kingdom in the trees, so I’m going to try something different.

The Figuratively Speaking Mermaid Tarot Kickstarter has reached FOUR of its stretch goals! There are still two weeks left, so be sure to back the project if you haven’t already.

Petitions:

Via Demand Progress: End US support for the war on Gaza

Via Jewish Voice for Peace: Arms embargo now

Via Ekō: Stop doing business with companies supplying arms to Israel

I think that’s all I’ve got for you today. Stop by again soon!

Song of the Week

Anaïs Mitchell, “A Hymn for the Exiled”

Good morning!

Not much to report this week. I’m working on Journey to the Water, and if you haven’t already, check out The Well Below the Valley and The Tarot of the Gates, two candidates for my next serial project. I’m hoping to get a secret third thing out soonly, and then you can all vote.

The Figuratively Speaking Mermaid Tarot has reached its first stretch goal! If you haven’t pledged yet, I highly recommend that you do!

Petitions for this week:

Via Not Another Bomb: Kamala Harris, Pledge to Enact an Arms Embargo

Via Demand Progress: End U.S. support for the war on Gaza

Via No Business with Genocide: Pass the Rohingya GAP Act, Pass the Azerbaijan Sanctions Review Act, Pass the Uyghur Policy Act, Help end the genocide in Sudan

That’s what I’ve got for you today. Take care and have an excellent week.

A few quick updates + The Tarot of the Gates

First: I’ve cracked 100 pages and 75,000 words in my new draft of Journey to the Water! I just finished the Svilsara arc, which was roughly chapters XXIX-XXXVIII in the serial version. For now, I’m keeping it where it is (after Nagara and before meeting the sorcerer).

Second: the Figuratively Speaking Mermaid Tarot Kickstarter has met its fundraising goal! It’s on its way to its first stretch goal. If you haven’t supported it yet, now’s a good a time as any, and with the project funded you’ll be guaranteed to get all your rewards. There’s still time to decide, though; the Kickstarter runs until the end of the month.

Third: I wanted to write you something new for today, but I ended up not having time, so here is a good place to send you way back in the blog to check out Chapter One of The Tarot of the Gates, an Arcana-themed space opera. This and The Well Below the Valley will be among your choices for my next serial project.

That’s all for today! Take care and enjoy your weekend.

Song of the Week

Brandi Carlile, “Mama Werewolf”

Good morning! I hope you have some rest from your labors today. Just a quick update for this week.

First, in case you missed it, the Kickstarter for the Figuratively Speaking Mermaid Tarot has launched! Click here to see all the cards and look at the rewards and stretch goals. I’ve backed it, and I highly recommend you do, too.

I’ll be going to the Awkward Nerd Book Fair on September 22! It’s a throwback to the Scholastic Book Fairs of our youths, but geared toward adults. More on that as we get closer, but you can go here for more information.

Journey to the Water rewrites continue, and I’ll try to have something interesting for you to read later this week, probably Friday.

Petitions for this week:

Via Amnesty International: Join the call for a ceasefire and weapons suspension

Via Rep. Rashida Tlaib: End repressive tactics against pro-Palestine protests

Via Win Without War: Pass the Afghan Adjustment Act without delay

That’s all for today. Thanks for being here.

Today’s the Day! The Figuratively Speaking Mermaid Tarot has launched!

A spread of cards from the Figuratively Speaking Mermaid deck, with the text "Kickstarter is Live!!"

I am very excited to announce that my friend and business partner B. Miller has officially launched her Kickstarter for her mermaid deck! This is a full, traditional Tarot deck (plus a few extras) of handpainted watercolor art, a guidebook, and a basic box, all mermaid- and ocean-themed and sure to inspire and delight you. There are a few early-bird spots for discounted decks, and a very rare opportunity for you yourself to be added to the deck as a mermaid! As of this writing, the campaign is just shy of 50% of the way to its goal. I have pledged to support, and I highly recommend that you do, too. The deck is gorgeous and I can’t wait for you to see it. Here’s the link, where you can see all the reward tiers and all the cards.

Song of the Week

The Buttress, “Brutus”

Some flashing lights at the beginning of the video, just so you know.

Good morning! It’s Monday again.

I had a great time at the Spooky Frog Horrifying Book Fair! The crowd was small but lovely, and it didn’t get too hot; the heat wave is here now, so I’m glad we just avoided it for the event.

The Figuratively Speaking Mermaid Tarot Kickstarter launches on Friday! Be sure you’ve saved the project in order to get the notification! The deck is gorgeous and I’m very excited to have been a (small) part of it.

I’m still working on Journey to the Water, and I’ll have a better update for you on that subject soon.

Petitions I’ve signed recently, and you might want to also:

Via No Business with Genocide: Tell your Members of Congress to support the Rohingya Genocide, Accountability, and Protection Act (H.R.8936)

Pass the Supporting Armenians Against Azerbaijani Aggression Act

Tell your Members of Congress to support the Uyghur Policy Act

Tell your Members of Congress to help end the genocide and other atrocities in Sudan

Tell Congress to pass the Uyghur Forced Labor Disclosure Act (H.R.4840)

Via Demand Progress: End American support for the war on Gaza

Via Not Another Bomb: Kamala Harris, Pledge to Enact an Arms Embargo

I think that’s it for today. Stop by again soon!

Quick Journey update + Horror Book Fair tomorrow!

Hello!

I am 58,261 words into the new draft of Journey to the Water, and have rewritten through Chapter XXVIII. Almost halfway done! I’m currently debating whether to put the Svilsara arc where it sits now, or move it later, making it a quest that the sorcerer sends Eske to complete.

Tomorrow, I’ll be at Spooky Frog’s Horrifying Book Fair, Part Two, at X-Ray Arcade in Cudahy, WI, along with some other cool indie & local horror authors and spooky artists & craftspeople! Admission is free, unless you want to skip the line and get in an hour early for $5. The event runs from noon until 4, but VIPs get in at 11.

Hope to see you there!

Song of the Week

The Oh Hellos, “Soldier, Poet, King”

Good morning!

First order of business for this week: this Saturday, I’ll be at Spooky Frog’s Horrorfying Book Fair at X-Ray Arcade in Cudahy, WI. There will be horror books by indie authors, cool spooky art, and other local vendors! Here’s the Facebook event. The event runs from noon until 4, and admission is free, or you can get a $5 VIP ticket and come in an hour early. I’m looking forward to it, and I hope to see you there!

Second: the Figuratively Speaking Mermaid Tarot launches on Kickstarter August 30! Be sure you save the project so you can get the notification. I’m finishing up the guidebook today!

Third: in case you missed it, you can read Episode 1 of The Well Below the Valley here. I had started writing this script as a Patreon exclusive last year, but I had to leave it alone to finish The Book of the New Moon Door. I also wasn’t very happy with it–one twenty-minute (approximately) episode a month wasn’t enough to let me hit a good stride, but was enough to stress me out. This is a new and improved version! I hope to one day produce the audio drama, but for now, I hope you enjoy Episode 1.

Also, stay tuned for the first chapter/episode of a couple other projects over the next couple of months. I’ll hold a vote once they’re all out so you can choose my next serial project.

Lastly, petitions for this week:

Via Rep. Rashida Tlaib: Support the People’s Response Act and invest in public health alternatives to policing

Via Jewish Voice for Peace: Stop Biden’s $20 billion weapons sale to Israel

Via Afghans for a Better Tomorrow: Congress MUST Pass the Afghan Adjustment Act

Via Justice Democrats: Demand the Democratic Party and Harris-Walz campaign support a ceasefire in Gaza

Via Our Revolution: Not another nickel for Netanyahu’s war

This is Not Another Bomb’s Week of Action for Gaza, and there are virtual and in-person events going on, if you’d like to get involved: click here.

I think that’s all I’ve got for you this week. I need to catch up on Journey to the Water rewrites, so I don’t think I’ll have another post for you until next week, but I appreciate you being here.