The Book of the New Moon Door: Release Date, Preorders, and Markets (oh my!)

A metal seal with a whale swimming among stars, planets, a crescent moon, and three quadrilateral shapes faces the viewer. It is balanced on a stick of red sealing wax on top of a stick of metallic copper sealing wax. Hemp cord is draped over the pile.

I am excited (and a little chagrined) to announce that The Book of the New Moon Door will release, come hell or high water, on December 15, 2023.

I very much wanted to manage an October release, but life circumstances and my inability to estimate how long a task will take got the better of me. I’m just about finished with the rewrites of Part One, which is the longest portion of the book. Parts Two and Three should proceed quickly and comparatively smoothly. I plan to have my files ready to submit by mid-November, giving me a whole month for approval and ordering proofs. (For comparison, I submitted my files two weeks in advance of Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea‘s release date, a window of time I do not recommend in the slightest.)

So, what does that mean for the two markets I’ll be attending next month? The first will be Bitchcraft Fair on Saturday, October 8, and the second is What the Hex on Sunday, October 22. (Links will take you to the Facebook events. I’ll have more information on both as we get closer!) I will have a form for preorders of The Book of the New Moon Door, which will be signed, wrapped, tied up with string, and sealed with my Space Whales Press seal, pictured above. Listen, everyone loves book mail, but book mail in an antiquated package is even better. I’ll have a mockup for you soon, so stay tuned! If you preorder at either of these events, you should receive this package via USPS Media Mail in early December, before the book goes live to online retailers.

If you can’t make it to either market, and you’d like to receive Fantasy Bookmail that must be unsealed like a secret missive, I should have extra copies toward the end of November or beginning of December that I will make available here on the website. I’ll have more information on that once my files are formatted and approved.

I hope that these special preorders will delight you. I truly appreciate your patience with me, and I am working hard to make The Book of the New Moon Door worth the wait. Thanks for being here, and stay tuned for more updates.

Song of the Week

Talking Heads, “Take Me to the River” (Al Green cover)

I don’t think I’ve posted this version yet!

So, What the Hex Summer Witches’ Market was a delight, but something terrible has happened:

A miniature legal pad, wrinkled with water damage. The words "newsletter signup" are barely legible in pink, with blurred bands of pink and blue ink beneath them.

My newsletter signup sheet got wet on the way home and is completely illegible. If you signed up and happen to see this, you can put your email into the box at this link and it will send you a confirmation! I’m so sorry for the inconvenience.

I’ll be finishing up the Great Reread of The Book of the New Moon Door this week, and there will be a new chapter on Patreon tomorrow. There will also be a new chapter of Journey to the Water here on Wednesday.

Thanks for being here! Have an excellent week, and stop by again soon.

Song of the Week

Darby DeVon, “The Knight at Dublin Castle”

Hello! It’s Monday again.

First and most importantly: on Sunday (the 16th), I’ll be accompanying Brooke and her Figuratively Speaking Tarot to the What the Hex Summer Witches’ Market! It will be at Dresden Castle: 3775 E Underwood Ave, Cudahy, WI. Admission is free, and the doors will be open from noon until 6, and there will be mermaids. Here’s a link to the Facebook event if that’s where you like to keep track of things. I have been moving HEAVEN and EARTH to get enough copies of Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea in time for you! I hope to see you there!

In the meantime, 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 here Wednesday. Also, I am halfway through the Great Reread of New Moon Door. I’m hoping to finish that before the end of the month and make some structural changes in preparation for a Great Rewrite in August.

Thanks for being here! Have an excellent week.

Song of the Week

Tuvaband, “Everything We Do Is Wrong”

Happy Monday!

I’m finally back on my regular posting schedule. There will be a new chapter of The Book of the New Moon Door on Patreon tomorrow, if you’ve got some downtime during the holiday, and the latest chapter of Journey to the Water will be here on Wednesday.

Also, mark your calendars: Brooke and I will be returning to What the Hex Witches Market! The Summer Market will take place on Sunday, July 16, at Dresden Castle in Cudahy, WI. Admission is free, and the market is open from noon until 6. Here’s a link to the Facebook event for more information. I’ll be signing books, and Brooke will have her new mermaid-themed cards available!

Thanks for stopping by! Be safe and have an excellent week.

Song of the Week

Genesis, “Jesus He Knows Me”

Good morning! I’m posting early because I’m traveling today. Also, this is the blog’s 500th post!

Editing of The Book of the New Moon Door begins this week. In the meantime, I’ll have a new chapter of that on Patreon tomorrow, and you can read the latest chapter of Journey to the Water here on Wednesday.

I’m also excited to announce that I’ll be at What the Hex Witches’ Market again on July 16! More on that later.

Thanks for stopping by, and have an excellent week.

Song of the Week

The Renunciate, “When the World is Dead”

Good morning and happy Monday! Please enjoy this song, inspired by N.K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season, one of my very favorite books. I met the band on Instagram, so if you like them, check them out!

Brooke and I went to What the Hex Witches’ Market on Saturday! It was a delight and a smashing success. Hello to everyone we met there!

Image of our booth!

For this week, I’m continuing to sprint towards the end of The Book of the New Moon Door. I’ll have a new chapter of Journey to the Water on Patreon tomorrow, though it may be a little later in the day than usual. The latest chapter of New Moon Door will be up here on Wednesday.

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

What the Hex Witches’ Market: May 6, 2023

What: A witchy craft fair with workshops, Tarot readings, vendors, food, free entry AND a free gift!

Where: Falcon Bowl, 801 E Clarke St., Milwaukee, WI

When: Saturday, May 6, 12pm-6pm

Who: Brooke Miller (the artist behind the Figuratively Speaking Tarot), me, and a whole bunch of other fantastic creators, including hosts Tres Ojos and Bee Batty Studios and sponsors Materia Magicka and Ritual Floral

Here’s a link to the Facebook event

Here’s a link to the Instagram page

I’m packing up a box of books and bookmarks, including a BRAND NEW ONE Brooke painted in honor of The Book of the New Moon Door‘s upcoming publication. This is the original:

A watercolor painting of Isabel Rainier, a light-skinned woman with long brown hair, dressed in a black Victorian dress and holding a bell in one hand and a book in the other. A black candle and a corpse covered in a sheet sit on the table in front of her, with one of the corpse's hands visible.

Brooke also has fancy new packaging for her cards as well as new paintings for your perusal and divination enjoyment.

Black paper envelopes big enough for individual Tarot cards, blazoned with an embossed silver letter C and sealed with stickers featuring a watercolor rose.

We hope to see you there!

Song of the Week

Hozier and Bear McCreary, “Blood Upon the Snow” (from God of War: Ragnarök)

You know, I’ve never played a God of War game, but this song makes me want to.

That’s going to have to wait, however, because I’m starting Part Three of The Book of the New Moon Door! I’ll post a NaNo update on Friday. The last chapter of Part Two will be up here on Wednesday. There will also be a new chapter of Journey to the Water on Patreon tomorrow.

Responses to the New Moon Door poll were sparse and mixed, so I think I will maintain the chapter-by-chapter posting schedule for now. I’ll reevaluate when Part Three is written (my goal is by the end of May), and maybe again when editing is done (late summer). If all the chapters haven’t been posted by then, I may save the ending for the published book 😉

Also, I’ll make a bigger announcement later, but I’ll be at the What the Hex Witches’ Market on May 6 at Falcon Bowl in Milwaukee! Mostly, I’ll be supporting Brooke and her Figuratively Speaking Tarot, but I’ll have a few copies of Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea to sell and sign and some bookmarks to hand out. Stay tuned for more details.

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