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

Temple

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

“I’m afraid I have to leave tomorrow,” Berend says. 

Lady Breckenridge’s brows go up in a dubious expression. She holds up Berend’s old bandage, stained pink with less blood than he expected. “I don’t think you’re in any shape to go anywhere.”

He groans, a little louder than might strictly be justified, and props himself up on an elbow. The luxurious feather mattress adjusts to his new position. He’s going to miss it. He’ll miss Lady Breckenridge more. “I know, but I’ll live. I can’t let the Belisias find me here.”

“Belisias?” She scowls. “They wouldn’t dare.”

The fresh bandages wrapped around Berend’s chest are clean and neat, indistinguishable from the job the nurses did at the hospital. He’s never asked if Lady Breckenridge ever did a stint at a temple of Isra. “They’ll dare quite a bit, as it turns out,” he says. “The younger son murdered a serving girl, and his father doesn’t want it to get out.”

“I always thought there was something wrong with that boy.” She gets up and washes her hands in the floral-patterned ceramic basin, folding the dirty bandages into a towel. 

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

New Patreon Post/ Journey to the Water Chapter XVII

His sunken eyes fixed me with a gaze of pure, unholy hunger. If ever they had possessed the power to recognize his family, that was long gone. He saw only the life-force that would let him live another hour, another day.

Chapter XVII: The Hollow Chamber

Eske is in a fight for his life and the lives of all who live on the isle of Salmacha in the latest chapter of Journey to the Water, now available on Patreon! If you need to catch up, you can read all the previous chapters here completely free. If you’re already caught up, consider subscribing to Patreon!

Song of the Week

Nina Simone, “Blackbird”

Good morning.

The new kitten, Shepard, is settling in very well! She’s out of her confinement room full-time now, with only a little scrambling around at night, and Solaire plays with her pretty regularly. He’s not ready to snuggle with her, though, and will bite her toes if she tries.

Two cats sleep back to back on a dark green couch, curled into semi-circles. On the left is a four-month-old gray tabby with orange patches, and on the right is a chunky orange and white cat, who is sleeping on a stack of notebooks because he's weird like that.
This is the closest they’ve gotten so far.

This week, I’ll have a new chapter of Journey to the Water up on Patreon tomorrow, and the latest chapter of The Book of the New Moon Door will be up here on the blog on Wednesday. I’ll also be on Twitch on Friday evening to play a game and chat about writing!

As always, I appreciate you. If you like what you read here, could you tell your friends about me? Word-of-mouth really helps me find more readers! And if you’ve read Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea, you can leave a review wherever you purchased it.

Have an excellent week!

Back on Twitch!

A screenshot from the game Totally Accurate Battle Simulator, showing low-poly wooly mammoths stomping on some noodly people colored red and blue.

Tonight I’ll be streaming Totally Accurate Battle Simulator and talking about writing and reading fight scenes! They’re a particular challenge for me, so it should be an interesting conversation.

You can find me on the Tea and Sidequests channel tonight at 6pm (US Central time). I’ll be playing until around 8.

Journey to the Water Chapter XVI: Betwixt Iron and Stone

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 young man’s question lingered in the still air of the dungeon like a memory, or the smell of blood. I wanted to shout that I was nothing like King Sondassan, that my quest was selfless and righteous and far from an old king’s desire to live forever, but I held my tongue. The less the king and his high priest knew about me, the better.

What I said was, “I would never sacrifice the lives of others. I risk only my own.”

Continue reading “Journey to the Water Chapter XVI: Betwixt Iron and Stone” →

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

There is something about armed guards under the sweeping arches and high columns of the churches of Alcos and Isra that unsettles him. They used to have knights, he reminds himself, whole armies of them.

The Book of the New Moon Door

The newest chapter of The Book of the New Moon Door is now available on Patreon! There’s a new chapter of THE BOOK OF THE NEW MOON DOOR up on Patreon! Berend is recuperating from his encounter with a serial killer and more ghosts than he’d like to count, and he discovers that the situation is even worse than he thought.

This chapter will make its appearance on the blog next week, but you can read it early and support my work (and my cats) on Patreon for just $3 a month.

Song of the Week

Cat Power, “Cross Bones Style”

Hello! I hope you’re doing well this Monday morning.

This will be a pretty normal week around here: new chapter of The Book of the New Moon Door up on Patreon tomorrow, and the latest chapter of Journey to the Water will be up on the blog Wednesday.

I do have two news items, though! First, I’m starting Twitch streaming again with the Tea and Sidequests channel. The plan is for me to stream Fridays and talk about some aspect of fantasy writing. This week, I’ll be playing Totally Accurate Battle Simulator and discussing fight scenes. On Saturdays, my husband/streaming partner will be doing exercise challenges.

Second, we have a new kitten! Her name is Shepard and she is four months old. She’s already helping me work (when she isn’t walking across my keyboard).

Shepard, a brown-and-gray tabby kitten, lies next to a laptop with both paws draped across the keyboard.
Editor Shepard
Shepard receives belly rubs while reaching toward the camera with black toe-beans. Her eyes are brown with a little blue around the pupil.
She is very wiggly and never stops purring.

Solaire isn’t sure how to feel about her, but I think with time and patience they will become friends.

As always, thanks for being here, and have an excellent week.

Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea: A Comparison

The title image for the serial version
The published version, sitting on my bookshelf

The version of Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea that you can purchase and hold in your hands (or your e-reader) is the same story as the serial version that was published chapter-by-chapter here on the blog between 2019 and 2020, but it has been improved upon in several key ways! I thought I would spend some time talking about that process and the work that went into making it a “real book.”

Continue reading “Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea: A Comparison” →

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

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

Berend has, indeed, noted that Herard Belisia only wanted to do right by the girl his brother murdered after being cut off from his inheritance, but he can’t fault the man. He is, after all, a mercenary. By definition, his loyalty can be bought. Herard is buying it with promises, at the moment, and Berend’s conscience is heavy enough that he doesn’t need more. 

He can’t do anything for Bessa Kyne’s soul now. Not until Warder wakes up—and he will, Berend just has to believe it. His collection of incomplete, nonsensical, water-damaged notes crinkle and crunch under his arm. 

He’s headed for the city center, and the Lady Breckenridge’s apartments. Dressed in borrowed clothes from the hospital, he’s inconspicuous, but he looks over his shoulder every few paces, just to make sure. His ribs ache with every breath, and his steps are short, but he can walk. It’s midday, and the sun is warm and the wind is cool, and the first yellowed leaves drift down from overhead and skitter across the pavement. 

It’s a beautiful day, and he’s alive, after a second brush with death. He didn’t even lose an eye this time. 

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

New Patreon Post/ Journey to the Water Chapter XVI

“We are charged with protecting King Sondassan’s heirs: his twin granddaughters. They are twelve years old.”

“An immortal king needs no heirs,” I said.

Chapter XVI: Betwixt Iron and Stone

Eske meets a potential ally as the island still threatens to come down around his ears in the latest chapter of Journey to the Water, now available on Patreon. A subscription is only $3 a month, and it supports my work and helps me keep my cat happy. You also support me by reading and sharing my writing! This chapter will make its appearance here on the blog next week.