Tag: writing

Song of the Week

Kate Bush, “The Morning Fog”

Good morning!

The Book of the New Moon Door releases this Friday! I’ll have all the retail links for you then. If you preordered a copy, they are supposed to arrive at my house tomorrow. I’ll be heading to the post office today to get some Priority Mail envelopes to put them in, and the wrapping paper, sealing wax, bookmarks, and stickers are already here. Gods willing and the weather holds, I should be sending them out on Wednesday!

No new chapters this week. Journey to the Water should start up again next week with a new chapter on Patreon, and then I’ll be back to a regular posting schedule. All the previous chapters are under the Stories tab above (under the Menu if you’re on mobile), if you need to catch up. Thank you for being patient while I was focusing on getting New Moon Door done.

Here’s a tool from the Friends Committee on National Legislation to write Congress asking for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. I’ve sent a letter, and I hope you will too.

As always, thanks for being here. Stop by again later this week for more updates as we get closer to release day!

One week until The Book of the New Moon Door!

The book will be available in paperback and ebook from whatever online retailer you prefer on Friday, December 15.

Also, preorders have left the printer! They’re on their way to me, so I can sign and wrap them. I’ll update you when I have an estimated arrival date. Once they’re here, I should get them finished and back into the mail within 24 hours.

Stay tuned for more updates as we count down to release day!

The Book of the New Moon Door: Part Three, Chapters Twenty-Five and Twenty-Six

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

Chapter Twenty-Five: Answers

The mass of people under the dome turns to Isabel, and by extension to Berend, leaning on her shoulder. They’re packed in side by side, with barely enough room to rotate in place. There’s no room to sit. An old man leans on a younger relative, exhaustion and pain written in the lines of his face. 

The little boy with the grubby face shoves his way out of the foyer. He stops short, pigeon-toed feet in too-large shoes skidding on the smooth marble, and stares at the sky. 

“It’s all right, Jemmy,” Isabel says, but there’s no weight behind her words. It’s not all right. It’s probably never going to be all right again.

Jemmy’s eyes go wide, and he breathes in short gasps. A thin, terrified whine escapes his throat. 

“Are we still safe?” someone asks from inside the foyer. 

Continue reading “The Book of the New Moon Door: Part Three, Chapters Twenty-Five and Twenty-Six” →

Song of the Week

Delta Rae, “The Beast”

Good afternoon!

Preorders for The Book of the New Moon Door are officially closed! I’ve ordered the books from the printer, and hopefully I’ll have some more news about that soon. The book officially releases December 15, when it will be available from all the major online retailers (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, probably others too).

The last two chapters of the serial version of New Moon Door will be up here on the blog on Wednesday. I’ll be working on getting Journey to the Water running again, so expect to see new chapters in the next couple of weeks. I’m hoping to publish Journey next year, so I’d better get on that.

Tell President Biden to redouble his efforts to renew the ceasefire in Gaza. Win Without War is hoping to collect 10,000 signatures today.

Thanks for all you do! Have an excellent week.

Last day to preorder The Book of the New Moon Door!

I’m closing the preorders first thing tomorrow morning.

Preorders include a signed copy of the book (paperback) wrapped in paper and sealed with wax, plus some bookmarks and stickers as a special thank-you. You can read the first chapter here, and order the book here. (Both these links are under the Buy my books tab above, or under the Menu if you’re on mobile.)

Thank you so much for your support! I’m so excited to finally bring this finished book to you.

The Book of the New Moon Door: Part Three, Chapter Twenty-Four

Endings

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 can only stare at him. “You’re bleeding out,” she says, uselessly. “I don’t think you can stand.”

Berend takes another breath, thin and shaky. “Sure I can,” he says. 

“Why? Where do you want to go?” She’s got to find some way to stop the bleeding—and keep him where he is before he wanders off, numb from shock. She pushes his left arm aside and puts both hands to the spreading dark stain on his coat. The fabric squelches under her weight. 

“Don’t know. Just would rather die on my feet.” He stops, breathes for a moment, and adds, “If I can help at all, more the better.”

Continue reading “The Book of the New Moon Door: Part Three, Chapter Twenty-Four” →

The Book of the New Moon Door, Chapter One (Free Preview)

Continue reading “The Book of the New Moon Door, Chapter One (Free Preview)” →

The Book of the New Moon Door: Part Three, Chapter Twenty-Three

Time

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

“Well, hello,” Berend says through his teeth, wincing from the renewed pain in his side as Isabel’s weight falls on his chest. “Fancy meeting you here.” 

As far as grateful embraces after harrowing journeys go, he’s had better. Isabel’s sharp elbows dig into his shoulders, and she smells like mold, soot, old paper, and something that reminds him of lightning storms out at sea. He puts his arms around her anyway, despite the strain it puts on the wound in his side, and breathes in the terrible smell and feels like maybe things aren’t so bad, really. 

Continue reading “The Book of the New Moon Door: Part Three, Chapter Twenty-Three” →

The Book of the New Moon Door: Part Three, Chapter Twenty-Two

Sacrifice

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

“What have you done?” Isabel gasps. 

In an instant, the sky full of eyes turns to her, stretching the loose flesh of each socket. Though the eyes are bright and alert, the skin is gray and soft with advanced decay. Rot has settled in to the wall of books, as well, and the pages swell and blacken as white mold creeps over the covers. Isabel can only guess what happens once they disintegrate entirely. A cold, damp wind whistles between the moldering bookcases and across the office floor, tugging at stacks of wet, sticky paper and the lines of the ritual circle. 

She takes one cautious step into the room and weighs a quick escape over the impending panic that will surge through the temple if the people there can see what’s happened. She closes the door and turns the lock. 

The diagram on the floor is one she doesn’t recognize. Three concentric circles enclose the office from the line of books to a foot before the door; the outermost circle is solid and thick, while the inner two are thinner, with deliberate gaps of thirty degrees or so that don’t overlap. In each gap is a sigil. Isabel can recognize Ondir’s, Alcos’s, and the symbol for protection. Inside the innermost ring is the sigil for sacrifice. In front of it sits Father Pereth.

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

The Book of the New Moon Door: Part Three, Chapter Twenty-One

Vengeance

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

Hybrook Belisia tosses the pistol aside and draws the rapier from his hip. He’s light on his feet, one polished toe pointed, his fingers loose around the hilt. “After all this,” he says with a sneer, “you still don’t have the good sense to lie down and die.”

In contrast, Berend grips his saber like he’s hanging from a cliff. It was a glancing blow, the pistol shot, otherwise his guts would be several feet behind him, but he’s still losing blood at an alarming rate. His shirt is already soaked through, and a thick, red stain spreads down one leg and into the heavy fabric of his borrowed coat. He presses his free hand onto the wound, hoping the pressure will keep him upright a little longer. He’ll worry about infection later, if he lives that long. 

Continue reading “The Book of the New Moon Door: Part Three, Chapter Twenty-One” →