Queer Fantasy and Weird Tales for the People
Genesis, “Jesus He Knows Me”
Good morning! I’m posting early because I’m traveling today. Also, this is the blog’s 500th post!
Editing of The Book of the New Moon Door begins this week. In the meantime, I’ll have a new chapter of that on Patreon tomorrow, and you can read the latest chapter of Journey to the Water here on Wednesday.
I’m also excited to announce that I’ll be at What the Hex Witches’ Market again on July 16! More on that later.
Thanks for stopping by, and have an excellent week.
Empty Road
Berend leaves Warder in the nurses’ capable hands. He’ll be back later, when he’s found his things and a safe place to sleep, and maybe something resembling a meal. It’s not like Warder is going anywhere.
Bodies in varying states of decay clog the stairwells, lying piled against the doors and draped over the edge of the stairs. Some are fresh, their wounds raw and crimson, dressed in bloodstained nurses’ uniforms or fresh bandages. Berend steps over a gray-skinned body, naked except for the torn remains of a shroud clinging to its shoulders, its arms broken off above the elbows. He finds the missing limbs a few steps later, clutched in the hands of a fresher corpse, the back of its skull smashed in from a fall. Blood slicks the steps, sticking to Berend’s boots.
They were tearing each other apart. Behind the sleeve he put up to shield his nose from the haze of disinfectant and decay—so thick he can almost see it—Berend grimaces. A horde of undead isn’t an army; there’s no loyalty or camaraderie. They’re a haunting by another name, a manifestation of the pain and rage of a spirit who can’t accept that it’s dead. Losing limbs doesn’t stop them, nor does smashing their faces against a stone wall. A little collateral damage wouldn’t make a difference.
Continue reading “The Book of the New Moon Door: Part Three, Chapter Four”You are not the first petty god who has desired my blood, and I’m sure you won’t be the last. What makes you think you’ll be the one to take it?”
Chapter XXVI: The Sacrificial Stone
At last, Eske confronts his foe, the being who has kept the city of Svilsara under thrall for generations. This petty god, however, has a secret weapon that Eske doesn’t expect. You can read this chapter right now by subscribing to Patreon.
Orville Peck, “Big Sky”
Good morning!
Firstly, I am happy to announce that The Book of the New Moon Door is complete! I am the proverbial day late and a dollar short, of course, but it’s done. Final word count for all three parts, including chapter headings, is 170,764. This will probably change significantly as I go through the editing process this summer. New Moon Door has been the least structured of my serial novels (which is a gentle way of saying “I was definitely making this up as I went”), and I’m looking forward to pruning it into shape.
This week, I’ll have a new chapter of Journey to the Water on Patreon tomorrow, and the latest chapter of New Moon Door will be up here on the blog Wednesday.
As of right now, here’s the plan for all my projects going forward: Journey and New Moon Door will continue their biweekly schedule while I’m editing New Moon Door. I’m aiming to publish New Moon Door this year and Journey next year. In between those, I want to revisit The Well Below the Valley and The Tarot of the Gates, possibly rewriting and reformatting the former before writing some new content for it.
I’ll keep you updated as things progress! Thanks for being here, and have an excellent week.
I ducked beneath the window. The bright lights within had seared my eyes, and I could see nothing of the benighted garden without for a long moment. I held out an arm, blinking to clear the colorful spots from my vision as I groped for my harpoon with the other hand.
“Who’s there?” I whispered.
A human shape resolved out of the gloom, tall and slender and dressed all in black. An angular face at last came into view, and along with it, a sharp, too-wide smile reflected the light from the window. The skin of his face was a pale brown, almost like sand, and from his hood emerged a handful of shining black curls.
I had seen this man before. “You!” I cried, remembering at the last second to keep my voice down. “Who are you? What do you want?” Now that I could see, I freed my harpoon from its sling and held it between myself and the stranger.
“They can’t hear you,” he said. Though the voice emanated from him, his mouth did not move, maintaining its viper’s grin. “I thought I’d give us a moment to speak, while the good people of Svilsara are finishing their performance.”
Continue reading “Journey to the Water Chapter XXXV: Outside the Temple”“I came here to find you. I’m alive, and I wanted to make sure you were, too. I’m fine, by the way, thank you for asking.”
The Book of the New Moon Door
In the wake of a zombie apocalypse, Berend makes his way across the empty city to find Isabel and ask her what’s going on. You can read this chapter right now on Patreon.
Also, brief update: I’ll be hitting my word count goal of 30k for the month of May tomorrow, but I’ll have about a chapter and a half left before the end of the book. The draft will definitely be done this week, and then the real work begins.
Daniel Hart, “Blome Swete Lilie Flour” (from The Green Knight)
Happy Monday!
It’s a holiday, so just a quick note. Tomorrow: The Book of the New Moon Door on Patreon; Wednesday: Journey to the Water here on the blog. Also on Wednesday, the May edition of the newsletter will go out around noon Central time, so make sure you’re signed up before then if you haven’t already!
I hope you’re enjoying your day. I appreciate you!
As promised, garden pictures! Here are some things growing in our garden this fine May day.
Marigolds
Roses
Pumpkins
A peach?
And of course, Max the neighbor cat.
Circles
Father Pereth is, in fact, still alive. The novice with the smudged face escorts Isabel through the sanctum, where the priests in prayer don’t look up to acknowledge her, and down the narrow hallway to the high priest’s office. The door is closed, and someone has carved the sigils of the seven gods into the wood with a pocketknife, in an attempt to ward the room against the dead, should they have breached the outer doors. There had only been one body in the morgue, and the rest seem to have been repelled by other means. It’s fortunate that this warding wasn’t put to the test. Isabel doesn’t know what might have happened.
The novice knocks, and the sound of furniture being moved and the lock disengaging follows. The door swings open to reveal Father Pereth, his cassock dusty and his hair disheveled, but otherwise unhurt.
He takes one look at Isabel and says, “You.”
Continue reading “The Book of the New Moon Door: Part Three, Chapter Three”“I’ll warn you once,” I said. “This city may be an illusion, but my harpoon is not, and neither is the arm that wields it.”
Chapter XXXV: Outside the Temple
At last, Eske finds out what’s going on in Svilsara, but he’s still in danger. You can read this chapter by subscribing to Patreon, or by waiting until next week when it will make its appearance here.
Space Whales Press 