Song of the Week

Capercaillie, “Ailein Duinn” (traditional)

Happy Monday. Things have been a little quiet around here, and I apologize for that, but we have some exciting things happening this week.

Tonight, the Tea and Sidequests channel will return! We’re going to be playing Abzû, a little game about exploring the sunken ruins of an ancient civilization, inspired by the Enuma Elish. It was made by the same people who made Journey, and it’s really quite lovely, if you’d like to join us. We’ll be streaming from 6pm until 8pm, Central US time.

Later this week, I’ll have the first chapter of the sequel to Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea. It will have a proper title by then also. I think I’m going to have to stick to an every-other-week posting schedule for the time being, as I have a number of projects I’m working on concurrently, but I hope to eventually get to one chapter a week, possibly alternating with Part Two of The Book of the New Moon Door.

For now, though, enjoy this song, join us on Twitch tonight if you’d like, and stop by later for a new chapter!

Song of the Week

Alan Stivell, “Brian Boru”

Happy Monday!

In case you missed it, the poll results are in, and you can find out about them and read a preview of my next project here. I should be back with more news later this week.

As always, thanks for reading, and have an excellent week.

Journey to the Water Prologue: The Citadel

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

He had been in the citadel for so long that he could not remember being anywhere else. Surely, he thought, there was a world beyond the city’s borders, past where the streets faded into fog and the marble walls turned blank and white, but no matter how far he walked, he always found himself back at the center square. Here, there was a temple he could not enter, with crystal archways that shone fiery red in the perpetual twilight and windows of many-colored glass. The stone door was far too heavy for him to move on his own, and he had been alone here for an eternity. Or, perhaps, it had only been an hour—the sun had never moved, after all, and the city stones did not change with the seasons as a forest would, or a field. 

Continue reading “Journey to the Water Prologue: The Citadel” →

Song of the Week

Nightwish, “The Islander”

Happy Monday!

The Official Reader Poll is now closed! Thank you to everyone who voted. I will announce the results later this week. Check back soon.

Take care and have an excellent week.

Shameless Self-Promotion Week: The Book of the New Moon Door

Closing out the week with my most recent project!

Berend was once a Son of Galaser, a member of the most prestigious mercenary company on the continent. Now, the Sons are no more, and only a handful of his former companions remain–one of whom was dismembered last night in what appears to be a demon-summoning ritual out of an old legend.

Isabel is a Sentinel of Ondir, the god of death. Armed with bell, book, and candle, her duty is to send restless spirits to the afterlife. Asking the ghost of an ex-mercenary if he saw his killer before he died is a routine task, but she soon finds that things will not be so easy: though everything Isabel knows says it must be impossible, it appears the soul has been damaged, torn asunder with magic that should not, cannot exist.

Together, they must hunt down a murderer with powers beyond imagination and discover terrible secrets of both magic and science in a city that is desperately trying to find a balance between the two.

Part One is now complete, and you can find it starting here.

Shameless Self-Promotion Week: Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea

A city in the desert, held in thrall by seven all-powerful tyrants.

A contest to win a sword that can kill a god.

A gentle healer whose dreams foretell the apocalypse.

A rider from the steppe, pursuing those who slew her people and scattered their remnants to the winds.

And a lonely wanderer from the North, running from his past and toward an uncertain future, caught in the middle of it all.

You can read Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea starting here!

Shameless Self-Promotion Week: Singer Lake

My modules don’t get as much traffic as my stories, so today I’m going to draw your attention to Singer Lake, a short (2-3 session) adventure for the New World of Darkness/Chronicles of Darkness system. It was designed to introduce new characters to the World of Darkness setting, and involves a rogue mage, a werewolf biker gang, and a detective with a secret.

If that sounds interesting to you, it’s only three posts long, and starts here.

If you have something you’re working on that you’re excited about, feel free to tell me about it in the comments 🙂

Shameless Self-Promotion Week: The Well Below the Valley

Did you know that in addition to the serial novels I’ve posted, I also write adventure modules for tabletop games? Today, I want to show you The Well Below the Valley, a campaign-length adventure for the Call of Cthulhu RPG system. It has puzzles, mysteries, historical intrigue, and eldritch horror for you and your players, and is beginner-friendly!

It also contains many elements of a good story, such as steam trains, magic spells, libraries, and manuscripts, such as this one, translated by the late Professor Ragnarsson:

“On the feast day of Mary Magdalene in the year of Our Lord 795, a party of Northmen descended upon us like wolves in the night. The heathens slew Brother Conn and Brother Faendelach and plundered all the gold from the altar and the scriptorium.

And I the unworthy Brother Bran begged the Northmen to spare us with the promise of greater riches to the north at the hollow island. They departed with their plunder and they will not return.

I fear I have done the unforgivable and I pray God might have mercy on our humble souls and on the souls of the heathens.”

Intrigued? Start from the beginning here.

It’s Shameless Self-Promotion Week! Tell me what you’re working on in the comments! Links and excerpts are encouraged.

Song of the Week

Loreena McKennitt, “Prologue”

Happy Monday!

The Official Reader Poll is still running! It will be open through Sunday, September 19. I will probably close it first thing next Monday morning. It’s pinned to the top of the blog home page, so it should be easy to find if you haven’t voted yet.

This week is going to be Shameless Self-Promo Week. I’ll be posting about all the material I have available, and you’re welcome to join in and tell me what you’re working on!

Have an excellent week.

Vote on my next project!

With Part One of The Book of the New Moon Door finished, it’s time for me to start a new project, and I want to know what my readers think. Do you want to know what happens next, or is it time for something new? The poll will stay open for a couple weeks or until I get around to closing it. ETA: The poll will close Sunday, September 19, or most likely early Monday morning.

Thank you for voting! Feel free to leave me a comment if you have any thoughts or opinions.