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

Isolation

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 takes the desk chair from Emryn’s bedroom and places it against the wall between the sitting room and the kitchen, facing away from the kitchen door. Its slats dig into his back. He’s reasonably sure he won’t fall asleep in it, but he wouldn’t be willing to wager any actual coin. 

Water splashes as Isabel wedges the huge kettle sideways into the first bucket and takes it back to the stove. The hiss of steam follows. 

When she asked him to stay by the door, Berend had assumed there would be some sort of conversation. He’s starting to doubt that the uncomfortable chair will be enough to keep him awake. 

“I wasn’t ever going to take you to the temple of Isra,” he says. “You know that, right?”

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

New Patreon Post/ Journey to the Water, Chapter XXVI

I came here to ask your help. One day, I will find a way to cross over, whether by magic or might. I will find Khalim. But our time together was so short, and I had not the foresight to ask him where he might go if he had all the realms of the gods to choose from.

Chapter XXVI: The House of the Weaver-Woman, Part Two

Eske’s journey continues in the latest chapter of Journey to the Water, now available on Patreon.

Year in Review, Part the Second

2022 is almost over. Where to start?

I lost my beloved cat Odin, my steadfast writing buddy, this year. He was the sweetest, most anxious boy, who needed constant hugs (over the left shoulder, so he could rub his face against your face). No one could ever replace him, but we did adopt a kitten in the summer. Shepard has adjusted well to her new home, and gets along all right with Solaire (who quite liked being an only cat for a few months).

This was also a year of civil engagement for me, as I voted in all four elections by mail so that I could work at a polling place each time.

I did some writing, too!

  • I published Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea in January! It is now a real book that you can hold in your hands, keep on your e-reader, and/or place on your shelf. If my math is correct, I’ve sold 97 copies so far. It’s not much, in the grand scheme of things, but that’s more people than I ever expected to read anything I’ve written.
  • I continued Journey to the Water, the sequel to Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea, and though Eske’s adventures aren’t finished yet, he’s made a lot of progress.
  • Though I didn’t finish NaNo this year, I did complete Part Two of The Book of the New Moon Door! Those chapters will continue to post week by week as I begin Part Three.
  • I started adapting my Call of Cthulhu module, The Well Below the Valley, into the script for an audio drama, released (mostly) once a month on Patreon.
  • I started The Tarot of the Gates, a collaborative project with Brooke Marie Miller, my very good friend and the artist behind the Figuratively Speaking Tarot.
  • Also with Brooke, I went to my first event as an author: Bitchcraft Fair Milwaukee!
  • The second Reader Poll indicated some interest in an email newsletter, and I finally started it at the end of October.
  • Lastly, I did finish a (truly awful) draft of the “big book,” a 500+ page manuscript, and read it over.

Here are some of my goals for next year:

  • I want to finish The Book of the New Moon Door and publish it by the end of 2023.
  • I also intend to finish Journey to the Water for a 2024 release.
  • The script for The Well Below the Valley will continue! It’s too early to say when it will be finished.
  • I want to make a plan for the publication of the Tarot of the Gates book and deck, and get started on that.
  • I hope to go to more events in 2023 and sign more books!
  • I’ll return to the “big book” and start a better draft.
  • I’m not great at short stories, but I want to be better, and publish some short fiction on the blog.
  • I also want to write more discussion posts.
  • To help with my reach, I want to do more with Twitch and YouTube.
  • Depending on when my current projects finish, I might start a new serial novel.

Happy New Year! May 2023 bring you good things.

Year in Review, Part the First

It’s the last Monday of the year, when traditionally I gather all the Songs of the Week into one handy playlist and hope that YouTube doesn’t delete any of them before I can share them with you. As of this writing, they are all there.

Tomorrow I’ll have the second part of the Year in Review, when I make some lists of things that happened this year, and a new chapter of Journey to the Water on Patreon. We’ll close out the year with The Book of the New Moon Door on Wednesday and a year-end edition of the newsletter.

Stop back soon! Have an excellent week.

Journey to the Water Chapter XXV: The House of the Weaver-Woman

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

The man who greeted me at the bridge gave his name as Sala and his profession as the village smith, though Nagara had not seen a new shipment of iron for many months. I feared the great mine of Phyreios had not yet reopened, and that it perhaps never would, but Sala had no way of knowing what occurred on the other side of the rust-red desert, and I would not press him for answers that he would not possess. The less I knew of Phyreios, the better I could focus on the task before me.

Though I had sailed many miles and walked for four long weeks to reach this place, a terrible dread came over me in place of my anticipated relief. Sala’s face was grim, his brows heavy and his mouth a thin line. I had brought this quiet village the news it had feared for two long years, that their favored son would not return. 

Continue reading “Journey to the Water Chapter XXV: The House of the Weaver-Woman” →

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

Berend scowls. “Tell him I don’t care what he thinks. He thought that hacking people apart would make the gods notice him, and where did that get him?”

The Book of the New Moon Door

Berend and Isabel’s very brief respite comes to an end as they receive strange news. There’s also the ghost of a serial killer hanging around. You can read this chapter right now on Patreon!

Also, in case you missed it (or I am misremembering mentioning it, which is possible): Part Two has twenty-six chapters, and I’ll be starting work on the third and final part after the new year.

Song of the Week

Florence + the Machine, “Mother”

Not very seasonal, but I worked retail so long that I can’t stand most holiday music.

Happy Monday! The sun is out here for the first time in almost a month. I hope you have literal or metaphorical sunshine in your life this week.

I’m keeping up with normal chapter posting: The Book of the New Moon Door will be on Patreon tomorrow, and Journey to the Water will be here on Wednesday. Because of the holidays (and all the baking I will be doing this week), I probably won’t post a new episode of The Well Below the Valley on January 1, but I’ll keep you posted.

As always, thanks for being here, and have an excellent week. May your winter holidays be stress-free and cozy.

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

Rest

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

Emryn Marner’s address leads to a narrow, three-story house in the University quarter. The first level is red brick, stained with soot, while the upper two are panels of gray plaster between wooden beams. Someone, not too long ago based on the degree of grime, had painted the door red in a spasm of artistic fervor. Upon closer inspection, its original wood color shows through between brush strokes. 

It’s early afternoon, and the street is quiet, its occupants away at their classes. From what Berend can see from below, this house is empty as well. He knocks anyway, one fist on the poorly-painted door, and waits. 

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

New Patreon Post/ Journey to the Water, Chapter XXV

“I am Eske, son of Ivor, of the Clan of the Bear,” I said. “I met your son in the great city of the desert.”

Chapter XXV: The House of the Weaver-Woman

The latest chapter of Journey to the Water is now available on Patreon! You can subscribe to read it now and help support an independent creator, or you can wait until next week to read it for free here on the blog, which is another great way to support me. I appreciate all my readers.

Song of the Week

Sheila Chandra, “Ever So Lonely/Eyes/Ocean”

Happy Monday! I hope you’re well.

I still have a few more chapters to post before the end of the year, so we’ll have a new chapter of Journey to the Water on Patreon tomorrow, and the latest chapter of The Book of the New Moon Door will be up here on Wednesday.

Stay warm, eat some good food, and have an excellent week. I appreciate you.