Author: Madeline Crane

Fantasy writer, tabletop gamer, wearer of hats.

Journey to the Water Chapter XVIII: In the Hall of the Dead King

Journey to the Water cover image: three evergreen trees stand on a hillside, shrouded in bluish fog. Subtitle reads: the sequel to Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea.

Table of Contents

Sondassan fixed his gaze upon me, but it was not I who would first face the half-dead king’s wrath. As Hamilcar and his crew entered the room, they descended upon the priests, knocking them down and silencing their chanting. Soon, only the sound of the heaving earth and the clashing of steel remained in the room. I recognized Halvor and Kelebek, both armed with curved swords and small round shields. With them were Issa and Adama, a pair of brothers from the southlands, Issa with his dark pate shaved bald and Adama’s hair twisted into a mane of tiny braids. Their swords came in matched pairs, one in each hand. Halvor also carried my harpoon on his back. Languishing in the dungeon, I had thought I would never see it, nor any of my companions, again.

Continue reading “Journey to the Water Chapter XVIII: In the Hall of the Dead King” →

New Patreon Post/ The Book of the New Moon Door: Part Two, Chapter Eleven

Nothing will be normal at the Belisia estate, because Warder’s device was used there, and there is nothing normal about Warder’s device.

Chapter Eleven

The world is growing weirder, and there are secrets only the dead know in the latest chapter of The Book of the New Moon Door. Read it right now by becoming a Patreon subscriber!

Song of the Week

The Civil Wars, “Sour Times” (Portishead cover)

Hello there. I guess it’s Monday again? Time is a soup.

Let’s see. I’m back on my normal posting schedule, so tomorrow, I’ll have a new chapter of The Book of the New Moon Door up on Patreon, and the latest chapter of Journey to the Water will be up here on Wednesday. Just so you know, dear reader, you are welcome to give me feedback on either of these projects! If you like them, or if you want to yell at me about them, comments are always open. This is your chance to affect the plot or save your favorite character from doom.

In other news, my bookmarks arrived!

Five bookmarks with the title Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea. From left to right: Eske in the boat against the lind-worm, Khalim doing magic, Aysulu doing horse archery, Eske against the salamander, Eske and Khalim. The reverse side is shown below, with the text "Space Whales Press: queer fantasy & weird tales for the people. Words by Madeline Crane, art by Brooke Marie Miller."

If you want one or more of them for your very own, you’ll have to stop by our table at Bitchcraft Fair Milwaukee on October 2! I’ll update as soon as I know our booth number.

As I’m preparing for this and other, future events, streaming has been the proverbial plate that I’ve let drop. I’m hoping to either pick it back up or start a different project for YouTube (video essays?) soon. Also, I haven’t forgotten about the whole newsletter thing. I appreciate your patience.

I’m happy you’re here, and I hope you stop by again soon. Have an excellent week.

New Patreon Post/ Journey to the Water Chapter XVIII

An evil light shone in Sondassan’s eyes. Though his face was still a withered skull and his arms shook under the weight of his robes, he looked as though he might live another year under the power of whatever he had done to Hamilcar.

Chapter XVIII: In the Hall of the Dead King

In the latest chapter of Journey to the Water, Eske contends with strange dark magic and the king who would be a god while the island beneath his feet threatens to sink into the sea. You can read this chapter right now on Patreon!

Song of the Week

Rachael Cantu, “Devil’s Thunder”

Happy Monday! This song is brought to you by one of my undergraduate literature classes. We were reading Paradise Lost and our professor was a big Grey’s Anatomy fan (or Private Practice, I guess?). It’s very 2009.

This week, here in 2022, I’ll have a new chapter of Journey to the Water up on Patreon, probably on Wednesday, because I’ll be working at a polling place for the primary election all day tomorrow. (Vote in your primaries, everyone!) I should be back on my usual posting schedule next week.

In case you missed it, I’m going to a convention in October! I’ll be signing books and handing out some gorgeous bookmarks.

I appreciate you! Have an excellent week.

Announcement: Bitchcraft Fair Milwaukee!

From left to right: Eske in the boat against the lind-worm, Khalim doing magic, Eske against the salamander, Aysulu doing horse archery, Eske and Khalim.
JUST LOOK AT THIS ART

(Edited to fix the typo in the title)

On October 2, 2022 (a Sunday!) I will be packing up a box of my books and heading to Bitchcraft Fair at the Wisconsin Center! It is “an autumnal Magickal Marketplace of Makers and Mystics” that is coming to my city for the first time. There will be trick or treating (for adults and kids), costume photos, and a whole bunch of crafts and creations for your perusal! Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. You can visit their website here for more information and to purchase tickets.

I will be sharing a booth with the beautiful and talented Brooke Miller: watercolor artist, creator of the Figuratively Speaking Tarot, and my very best friend. She painted FIVE limited-edition bookmarks featuring scenes from Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea! You can see them all above! I have ordered fifty of each design and will be handing them out along with Halloween candy to anyone who stops by our table. Once they’re gone, they’re gone! This event is also a chance to buy a signed copy of my book, or get a copy you already own signed. The same goes for Brooke’s tarot: she will have a limited number of decks for sale at the fair, as well as some three-card envelopes and some other goodies, and you can buy all her cards online here via the Game Crafter. I will be supplying us both with lots of colorful pens for autographs.

I am so excited to meet people! When we learn where on the floor our table is going to be, I will be sure to post an update.

The Book of the New Moon Door: Part Two, Chapter Ten

Theology

The Book of the New Moon Door cover image: A book with yellowing, wrinkled pages lies open on an old wooden desk, with a sprig of lavender lying in the center.

Table of Contents

“Well.” Berend shifts, the varnished wood uncomfortable under his still-sore legs, and moves himself closer to Isabel. “It can’t be all bad, can it?” 

She gives him a look, her brows furrowed and her mouth twisted into a confused frown. 

Try as he might, Berend can’t think of anything to tell her to lift her spirits. “The weather’s lovely,” he tries, but it falls flat even to his own ears.

Isabel folds her hands in her lap and looks over her shoulder. A lone petitioner, dressed in heavy black layers and a mourning veil, enters the cathedral and turns toward the priests’ offices. Her shoes echo a slow, steady rhythm under the dome. They sound expensive.

Continue reading “The Book of the New Moon Door: Part Two, Chapter Ten” →

New Patreon Post/The Well Below the Valley, Episode 5

Leather seats, a modern suspension, and we’re not being shelled. What more could you ask for?

Kurt Cross, on the Ford Model T

Our intrepid investigators pile into a car and drive to Oxford University in the latest episode, now available on Patreon. What happened on Professor Ragnarsson’s ill-fated field expedition, and what did he find there? Only one way to find out! Sign up for Patreon and help me keep writing and providing for my cats for only $3 a month.

Song of the Week

Dar Williams, “Comfortably Numb” (Pink Floyd cover)

Hi there. Happy Monday.

Last week was busier than I thought, so here’s the plan for this week: Episode 5 of The Well Below the Valley will release tomorrow on Patreon. Going forward, I plan to release episodes on the first of each month. On Wednesday, the latest chapter of The Book of the New Moon Door will be up here on the blog.

In other news, it looks like I’m taking this show on the road in October! If you’ll be in the Milwaukee area and want a signed copy of Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea (or want me to sign the copy you already have), stay tuned for more information!

I appreciate you! Thanks for being here. And you’re listening to something that makes your ears happy, leave some music recommendations in the comments! I’m open to any genre.

Journey to the Water Chapter XVII: The Hollow Chamber

Journey to the Water cover image: three evergreen trees stand on a hillside, shrouded in bluish fog. Subtitle reads: the sequel to Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea.

Table of Contents

I held the unlocked manacles close to my chest and kept my head bowed, being led as I was to the slaughter. For all I knew, I would be sacrificed at the end of the tunnel. I had received no news since Mara Suryan had promised me she would try to contact my companions on the Lady of Osona and prepare a daring escape. I feared she had not been successful. Or, perhaps, she had decided that my death was an acceptable loss for the sake of the lives of her young charges. I would not fault her for that.

Ajan led me through the bowels of Salmacha. Behind me walked two other guards, mailed and armed as he was, to prevent my escape. They were unnecessary—the way back led only to my cell. The only way to go was forward.

Silence fell upon the corridor. The digging had stopped. Beneath my feet, the earth tensed and trembled; not quite a quake, but the warning of one. Whatever slept under the island was close to waking. If it did, all hope was lost. 

Continue reading “Journey to the Water Chapter XVII: The Hollow Chamber” →