Author: Madeline Crane

Fantasy writer, tabletop gamer, wearer of hats.

The Book of the New Moon Door: Chapter Twelve

Sterry the Bastard

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

Berend leaves the tavern with a bit of a swagger, and it’s enough to draw the patrons’ eyes away from Isabel in her blacks. She slips out after him and tells herself not to run. 

It isn’t often that a Sentinel needs to hide. They are dressed to stand out—if there were to be a sudden outbreak of the reanimated dead, or, gods forbid, the appearance of a vampire, it would waste precious time to have to find the nearest Sentinel by asking everyone for identification. Isabel’s conspicuousness had served Berend as a distraction, but now she needs not to be followed. She tucks her hat under her arm and keeps her head down. 

Continue reading “The Book of the New Moon Door: Chapter Twelve” →

Year in Review, part the second

I had high hopes for 2020, back at the end of 2019. For me, this year was a lesson in political involvement, compassion, listening to people who know more than me, and determining what I can and cannot change and acting on the things I can. I think next year can be better, but it will only be better than this one if we make it so.

With that being said, here is what I managed this year:

  • I got a new day job.
  • I finished both The Well Below the Valley and Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea, the projects with which I started this blog last year.
  • I also posted the story Love Song in Six Verses and the module Singer Lake.
  • I started The Book of the New Moon Door.
  • I hosted a game at Midwinter Gaming convention, back in January before the pandemic, and also learned more about game mastering.
  • Unfortunately, I didn’t finish the draft of my book. As of right now, I’m 511 pages and 144,881 words in, though.
  • I managed to pay down a lot of my debts.
  • I marched and donated water and snacks during the protests this summer.
  • Thus far, I continue to survive the pandemic.

Here are my plans for next year:

  • Finish this draft of my book! Then make one major plot change, and then give copies to beta readers and start editing. Hopefully it will be ready sometime in the next year so I can start looking for a publisher.
  • Finish The Book of the New Moon Door.
  • Edit Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea and self-publish it for the minimum price. It’s the most successful story on this site, and I’d like it to be accessible to more people.
  • Start the sequel to Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea here on the blog. Eske’s journey isn’t over yet.
  • Start another tabletop module.
  • Reach more people with the blog and social media.
  • Finish paying down debts so we can buy a house!

Happy New Year. May we all have a better 2021.

Year in Review, part the first

Happy Monday!

2020 may have been the worst year, but I did listen to some good music. I’ve compiled all the Songs of the Week for this year into this handy YouTube playlist.

Tomorrow will be the yearly recap, followed by a new chapter of The Book of the New Moon Door, probably on Thursday. After that, there will be a streaming-related announcement.

Have an excellent week.

Song of the Week

Loreena McKennitt, “Coventry Carol” (traditional)

Happy Monday! I hope you are all staying safe and healthy. Please enjoy this, my favorite Christmas carol, and don’t think too hard about what that says about me as a person.

Because of the holiday, there will be no new chapter this week. We’ll rejoin Berend and Isabel and their search for Sterry the Bastard next week. I’ll probably do some year-end things next week as well.

Stay warm, and have an excellent week.

The Book of the New Moon Door: Chapter Eleven

Shell District

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, the evening is still young,” Berend says, rising from the table. “Shall we?”

The sun has set out of the range of the narrow window, but the sky is still light, a soft blue-gray tinged with fiery orange. Sailors and dockworkers are filling the bar, encroaching on the space around the corner table. They have a somber demeanor about them, besides the normal heaviness of a long day’s work, and their eyes dart warily across the room; word of the lighthouse keeper’s murder must have spread. 

Continue reading “The Book of the New Moon Door: Chapter Eleven” →

Song of the Week: Double Feature

Kate Rusby, “Annan Waters”

The Decemberists, “Annan Water”

Happy Monday! Please enjoy these two versions of this Border ballad, one traditional and one less so. Fun fact: I named the first chapter of my undergraduate thesis “The Hazards of Love.” Medieval courtly love can be very hazardous, especially with all those eye-beams flying around.

I’ll be back later this week (hopefully Wednesday) with the next chapter of The Book of the New Moon Door. Berend and Isabel will have to locate and deal with a crime lord in order to find the murderer, so don’t miss it!

May you stay safe and warm this week and this season.

The Book of the New Moon Door: Chapter Ten

River District

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

There are, Berend knows, two establishments in the River District appropriate for the hushed exchange of information. One is a tavern, poorly lit and more poorly maintained, but adequately supplied with good liquor; the other could generously be called a coffeehouse though the substance it served was only tangentially related to coffee. He chooses the former, and leads Isabel through the growing crowds of returning sailors. 

The money from the Belisia job is heavy in his pocket. He’s done well for himself. Still, he trusts Lord Edwan about as far as he can throw the man, and he can’t shake the feeling that he’s just been paid to cover up the murder of the poor girl he saw in the light of Lucian Warder’s device. 

He tells himself he’s done what he can. He almost believes it.

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

Song of the Week

Amadou and Mariam, “Je Pense à Toi”

Happy Monday!

I saw snow yesterday, though it didn’t last long. I suppose it’s time.

I’ve noticed a lot of new readers! Hello! Welcome to…whatever this is. Please feel free to leave me a comment anytime, and if there’s anything I can do to improve accessibility and readability, please let me know. There are also useful links down at the bottom: my social media, a list of tags, and a link where you can subscribe via WordPress or email to get notifications whenever I post something new.

I’ll be back with a new chapter of The Book of the New Moon Door, probably on Thursday. Until then, be safe, be well, and be warm.

Have an excellent week.

Song of the Week

Bill Withers, “Ain’t No Sunshine”

Happy Monday. 2020 is almost over.

There will probably not be a new chapter of The Book of the New Moon Door this week, but don’t worry! If you’re already caught up, there are more things to read under the Stories and Modules tabs above.

Have an excellent week.

The Book of the New Moon Door: Chapter Nine

Belisia, Again

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

Berend wakes close to noon in his room at the Fox and Dove. He slept, and soundly, but it feels as though he hasn’t. His back aches and his eyes are heavy. 

The carriage ride back from the Belisia estate had been tensely silent on Berend’s part, but Lucian Warder had given no indication that he noticed. He made notes in his book for the first hour and then had slept, leaning on the case that contained his strange device. 

Continue reading “The Book of the New Moon Door: Chapter Nine” →