“And Seek (Not) to Alter Me” Story Teasers: Lyn Weaver and Veronica Sloane

Presenting And Seek (Not) to Alter Me: Queer Fanworks Inspired by William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing”

Duck Prints Press has launched our second Kickstarter, running now through April 14th, 2022 – And Seek (Not) to Alter Me, a gorgeous collection featuring the work of 16 authors and 16 artists in a full-color, A4 size soft cover size-style book!

Today, we’re highlighting 2 more of our authors…

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Author Spotlight: Lyn Weaver

Biography: Lyn Weaver has been writing fanfiction for over a decade and original fiction for even longer. Her preferred genres are fantasy and horror, and her preferred tropes are ‘enemies to lovers’ and anything to do with identity issues. She won’t read a story if something bad happens to the cat.

Story Title: Can Virtue Hide Itself?

Tags: modern with superheroes

Teaser:

“Bea!”

Bea grimaced. “Your feet aren’t even on the tree, Hero. Hey, innocent bystander Hero definitely hasn’t met, you wouldn’t happen to have a ladder handy?”

Ursula grimaced back. Just because she lived alone didn’t mean she was a real adult. “I’m a high school student, why would I have a ladder?”

“Does your landlord—”

“I do have an anti-grav gun though. Hang on, I’ll get it.”

Both Hero and Bea looked shocked when Ursula came back, multi-colored anti-grav gun in hand.

Why?

Yeah, the device kinda looked like it’d been made by a balloon clown, but it worked like a dream. Bea flinched when Ursula pulled the trigger and remained stiff as she lifted off the branch, cradled in a sphere of wobbly gravity. Only when her feet were safely on the ground, and Ursula had turned the gun off, did Bea relax.

“That’s so cool!” Hero kicked off the tree and flew down.

Ursula coughed and looked away. “It was nothing. Why were two superheroes in my tree to begin with?”

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Author Spotlight: Veronica Sloane

Biography: Veronica Sloane has authored a novel, several short stories, some poetry, and twenty-two years worth of fanfic. She lives with one lovely spouse, one rambunctious clever child, and one sleepy cat.

Links: Archive of Our Own | Tumblr

Story Title: The False Sweet Bait

Tags: noir, nonbinary character, pov first person

Teaser:

A smart tweed suit and, as a concession to the occasion, a string of my mother’s pearls would have to do for clothes. I kept to flats. Never knew when I’d have to run.

Claudio’s estate was outside the city, but I had a good car and the desire to speed. I arrived before the bulk of the fashionably late and parked myself, scandalizing the valet. The estate was the kind that had a fancy name and rose out of the cliff face like a fairy-tale castle. At night it shone like a golden beacon.

I took my time heading up, reminding myself of its entrances and exits; all the places a shady character might hide. So, naturally, I found one.

They were standing in the lee of the kitchen door, half-hidden by a jasmine bush. The white flowers bent around them as if to hide their lean form. They were dressed to the nines in a beautiful silk suit the color of the night sky and cufflinks that caught the starlight. The moon caught the sharp angles of their cheekbones and the gleaming black coif of their hair. All beauty and grace in one Benni Padua.

What an asshole.

“What are you doing here?” I barked, pleased when they fumbled with their fussy little notebook.

“I was invited.” They were the very picture of polite confusion. “And what are you doing here, Her Private Eyeness?”

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You can read more about the collection, and more teasers, by visiting our Kickstarter! Running now through April 14th, 2022!