Song of the Week

Annie Eve, “Bedtime”

Hello again! It’s Monday. Autumn has arrived early here, bringing a full day of rain and some minor flooding. While I wait for my towels to dry so I can sop up more water in my basement, how about an update for the week?

First things first: I have a new chapter of The Book of the New Moon Door that will be up on Patreon tomorrow, and the latest chapter of Journey to the Water will be here on the blog on Wednesday. Both projects will continue until they are done!

However, if you’re looking for something new and exciting, I have good news! My friend Brooke has recently published her first tarot deck, and we’re working on a collaborative book-and-deck project. I am excited to announce that both the (first?) book and the deck will be called The Tarot of the Gates. For more details and some worldbuilding, you can read last week’s post here. The first chapter will release October 1!

Also, in case you missed it, we’re going to be at booth 116 at Bitchcraft Fair Milwaukee! It will be at the Wisconsin Center on Sunday, October 2. I hope to see you there! It’s my first event, and I am both excited and scared, as you can tell by all the exclamation points.

Take care and have an excellent week!

Bitchcraft Fair Update!

You will be able to find Space Whales Press and the Figuratively Speaking Tarot at booth 116!

We’re listed under Figuratively Speaking Tarot, because Brooke is the best and signed up for both of us and was very kind to invite me along.

A map of the Wisconsin Center Hall B, oriented with the entrance on the bottom, with a table highlighted on the far left, second from the top, with booths numbered 115-122. Text reads: Come see me at Booth #116! Bitchcraft Fair Milwaukee, October 2nd 12pm to 6pm, The Wisconsin Center, Hall B
The map!

Bitchcraft Fair Milwaukee takes place on Sunday, October 2nd (less than a month away!) at the Wisconsin Center. I will have books, and you can also bring a copy of Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea you already own for me to sign! Also, you get to check out Brooke’s beautiful art. This is my very first event, and I’m both excited and scared.

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

Revelations II

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

Isabel closes her eyes. As she has no physical eyelids at the moment, it doesn’t do anything. Her vision is still filled with ghosts, crowding in around her, blocking all escape routes. 

But they’re not coming for her. They’re moving past her, like an unending river of death across the fields. Their incorporeal steps sink into the ground as though they’re trudging through a mire, slowly and doggedly. 

“Where am I?” asks the ghost of a young woman, a tattered shawl gathered around her head and trailing misty fibers. Tied around her chest is a sling to hold a young baby, but it is empty, lying flat against her swollen breasts. 

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

New Patreon Post/ Journey to the Water Chapter XX

“The book does nothing,” said Chanjask. “But with the book, Ucasta could preserve the body and soul of the king, and with it, I can retrieve the soul you want and place it in the correct vessel. Its original body seems to be out of the question, so would you prefer a gem? A lamp? Another body? It would be a simple matter to sacrifice one of the prisoners—”

Chapter XX: The Temple of the New Gods

While the survivors of Salmacha’s near-disaster argue over how their new government is going to be run, Eske’s attention turns elsewhere: to one of the priests who helped the late king almost achieve immortality. Can this man help Eske on his quest? Or will the price of his evil magic be too high? Find out right now by subscribing to Patreon and reading this chapter! Otherwise, you’ll have to wait until next week.

Song of the Week

Billie Eilish and Khalid, “lovely”

Happy Labor Day! In honor of workers past and present, I hope you find some rest today.

Because I don’t have enough projects (ignore the stacks of notes and half-finished drafts; those are my emotional support works in progress), I’m starting something new on Instagram (you can also see it on my Facebook page). My friend and collaborator Brooke started a project called #tarotember last year, wherein each day of September is focused on a different tarot card or suit. Last year, she painted the majority of her deck, the Figuratively Speaking Tarot, while I took some moody pictures and made a playlist.

#tarotember Aug. 31 Fool 1 Magician 2 High Priestess 3 Empress 4 Emperor 5 Hierophant 6 Lovers 7 Chariot 8 Strength 9 Hermit 10 Wheel 11 Justice 12 Hanged One 13 Death 14 Temperance 15 Devil 16 Tower 17 Star 18 Moon 19 SUn 20 Judgment 21 World 22 Page 23 Knight 24 Queen 25 King 26 Cups 27 Wands 28 Swords 29 Pentacls 30 Card Back
This year’s Tarotember prompts

This year, I am introducing the universe for a new and as-yet-untitled project, a space opera set in a galaxy of warring kingdoms and palace intrigue, psychic pilot-knights and lost alien civilizations, and also queer romance and tarot themes! The first chapter, titled “The Knight of Ships,” will release on October 1, after the challenge concludes (and one day before Bitchcraft Fair Milwaukee!). Eventually, this project will be both a book and an accompanying deck, currently titled the Tarot of the Gates. Brooke has painted a few cards for it already, and while she works on other projects, I’m creating placeholder graphics for the challenge. Each day reveals more about the setting, so follow me on Instagram and/or Facebook for some new sci-fi/fantasy goodness.

Don’t worry, I am not abandoning any of my other projects! A new chapter of Journey to the Water will release tomorrow on Patreon, and the latest chapter of The Book of the New Moon Door will appear here on the blog on Wednesday. Also, in case you missed it, Episode 6 of The Well Below the Valley is available on Patreon as of September 1, and you can read a free preview here.

As a final note, Shepard is six months old today, and just as cute as ever:

A gray and orange tabby/tortoiseshell kitten sleeps on a tan and blue striped pillow, her head raised and her paws folded politely underneath her.
A rare moment when she’s sitting still enough for a picture.

I think that’s all for this week! Thanks for being here.

New Patreon Post/ The Well Below the Valley, Episode 6

The latest episode, “The Souls of the Heathens,” is now available on Patreon! Our intrepid investigators continue searching for clues around Oxford, meet the late professor’s next of kin, and solve their first puzzle. There’s a free preview below the cut.

Continue reading “New Patreon Post/ The Well Below the Valley, Episode 6” →

Journey to the Water Chapter XIX: The Palace, Still Standing

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

In the throne room, the windows were little more than arrow slits; the last line of defense between the king and an invader from the sea. But as the sun filtered through and cast bright lines on the marble floor, the throne stood empty. Salmacha was now without a ruler. Perhaps, I thought, it had been without for a long time before my harpoon finally slew King Sondassan. 

The weapon lay quiet across my legs as I sat at the base of the dais, beside Hamilcar and his crew and a good distance from the twin princesses. Having done its duty, it was content, and projected to me a sense of accomplishment. It was pleased with my actions. There would always be more tyrants, more men willing to spend the blood of others on power for themselves, but for the moment, the work was complete. 

I’d held an enchanted weapon only once before: the Sword of Heaven, the tool of the god Torr, who had taken my Khalim from me. It, too, had approved of me. I’d used it to slay the great worm as it laid waste to Phyreios, and I had gladly given it up to the custody of Jin and his temple. 

I would call my harpoon Storm, I decided, for the thunderclap I had heard as it destroyed King Sondassan. Having spent the early part of my life upon the roof of the world, I had great respect for storms. They could destroy a ship just as easily as they could fill its sails; lay waste to a village as easily as water its crops. 

Continue reading “Journey to the Water Chapter XIX: The Palace, Still Standing” →

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

It is as though the fabric of the world is unraveling, and soon it will break free from its moorings like a damaged sail on a ship.

Chapter Twelve

So the good news is that there’s a new chapter up on Patreon, and the bad news is that things are not going well for Berend and Isabel. You can read this chapter right now by becoming a patron, or wait until next week when it makes its way over here to the blog!

Song of the Week

Loreena McKennitt, “Ce He Mise le Ulaingt?/The Two Trees” (poem by William Butler Yeats)

Happy Monday! I hope you’re well.

This week, I’ll have a new chapter of The Book of the New Moon Door on Patreon tomorrow, followed by the latest chapter of Journey to the Water here on Wednesday. It looks like Part Two of New Moon Door is going to finish ahead of schedule (to the extent that I even have a schedule), probably before the end of the year. I’ll take a short break after that, and then it will be on to Part Three and the exciting conclusion.

Also, the newest episode of The Well Below the Valley will release on Thursday! If you’ve been thinking of becoming a patron, now’s a good time to do it, since you’ll get access to all five previous episodes as well. Or you could wait until Friday, get all six episodes, and not start getting charged the $3 subscription until October 1 (when you will also receive Episode 7). I won’t tell anyone.

I think that’s it for now. Preparations continue for Bitchcraft Fair on October 2, and I’ll let you know when I have more information about that!

Have an excellent week! I appreciate you.

Goodreads!

A screenshot of the Goodreads profile for Madeline Crane.
LOOK IT ME

I am officially a Goodreads Author! Shoutout to the Goodreads Librarians for being patient with me and adding my book! If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend or follow my profile, and don’t forget to leave a review of Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea.

I love and appreciate you!

ETA: Forgot the link above. Also, this blog is now synced to Goodreads, so you can follow me there and not miss anything!