Read the full post on our website!
Recent Releases from Duck Prints Press!
Dec. 4th, 2023 02:40 pm
November marks the first month when all of Duck Prints Press’s new short story releases are direct to Patreon!
How do short story releases now work?
Formerly, we published two short stories to Patreon and between four and eight short stories to our website each month. However, after considering the purchasing patterns of our customers and Patreon backers, we’ve decided to consolidate these releases and only publish short stories to Patreon (and authors are paid a lump sum instead of royalties). We will aim for six stories a month, though may sometimes publish more if we didn’t hit our target in a previous month (for example, we didn’t publish six in October, so we are publishing an extra in November). The level at which each story is released is determined randomly. What level people back at determines how many stories they receive each month!
All Backers: receive one general imprint short story per month
All backers at the $5/month level and up: receive one additional general imprint short per month
All backers at the $7/month level and up: receive one additional general imprint short story + one explicit imprint short story per month
All backers at the $10/month level and up: receive one additional story per month, which may be from either imprint
$25/month backers: receive all short stories we release every month!
Put another way, $3/month = 1 story; $5/month = 2 stories; $7/month = 4 stories; $10/month = 5 stories; and $25/month = 6 stories.
This is in addition to all the other backer rewards we offer, such as behinds-the-scenes access, Discord membership, webstore discounts, free merchandise, bonus stories, and more!
November General Imprint Releases
Title: The Lightkeeper and the Sea
Author: Zel Howland
F/NB, Eerie Fantasy with a Healthy Splash of Dark Humor, End-of-Life Decisions, Corporations are Evil Actually, Ambiguous Ending
The elderly Lightkeeper of Beaufort Spire is suffering from terminal cancer, so a representative from RIXACOM Corp comes to the lighthouse to discuss the contractual obligations related to her death. Unbeknownst to the corporate crony, though, there is a third presence in Beaufort Spire on this fateful day…
Available to Backers at the $5/month level and up!
-
Title: Sarisa
Author: N. C. Farrell
Friendship Between the Like-Minded, Bigender Main Character who Uses She/Her and He/Him Pronouns, Mecha and Space Battles
Lu and the crew of maintenance workers she leads in maintaining the mecha Sarisa have been waiting for sometime for Sarisa’s new pilot to be ready to take the mecha’s helm.
Today, Carina arrives.
Lu was expecting someone like the previous pilot who died in the line of duty; he was not expecting Carina.
Available to Backers at the $7/month level and up!
-
Title: Pour One Out
Author: A. J. Ash
Two M/M Relationships, All Book Characters Can Hang Out Together Metafiction, Two Fictional Men Commiserate While Their Other Halves are Elsewhere, Characters Critiquing the Authors Who Created Them
Whenever Adam and the love of his life Silas aren’t inhabiting the book By Mage’s Might, they hang out in the Between Place for some relaxation and downtime, and even some time apart. For example, this evening Silas is at a weight-lifting meet-up, so Adam goes to hang out at his favorite bar.
There’s someone in his seat.
Available to All Patreon Backers!
-
Title: The Wayward Timekeeper
Author: Terra P. Waters
M/M, Questing Together, First Meeting to Lovers, Immortality and Gods and Godly Offspring (Oh My!)
Tanyl is the oldest uncapped cleric among all his siblings, the child of Father Death and the Summer Queen. Frustrated that he hasn’t had a chance to prove himself, he awaits the return of his mother from the Underrealm and the mission that will bring him: caring for and rearing the infant she is pregnant with.
It should be an easy mission to earn him his cap, the recognition of adulthood he deserves at his age.
But when the spring equinox comes, and the Summer Queen is supposed to return from the Underrealm, the God Gate instead sits silent and empty.
Available to Backers at the $10/month level and up!
November Explicit Imprint Releases
Title: Orchidelirium
Author: Dei Walker
F/F/M, Reunited Lovers, Wealthy Regency Society and the Associated Norms, Consensual Aphrodisiac Consumption
Beatrice’s mother is determined that Beatrice must make a good match before the end of the Season. All Beatrice wants is to get through the last few weeks of social engagements without bringing scandal down on her family.
Three unexpected discoveries in the wilds of Lord Penrose’s hothouse threaten Beatrice’s efforts to maintain an uneventful social presence… but when all is said and done, she can’t say she really minds…
Available to Backers at the $7/month level and up!
-
Title: What Monsters Need
Author: Lyn Weaver
This story is a make-up for October.
M/M, Dubious Consent, Vampire Point of View with Vampiric Self-Esteem Issues, Sparring Gets Sexual
Lazarus Blythe loves his sister, but sometimes her antics frustrate him and bring him nothing but trouble. Like now, for example, when her seduction of a woman led to the murder of that woman’s husband. Now monster hunters have come knocking on Lazarus’s door looking for Leona. The interruption of his usual daily activities is annoying, but the chance to fight, and win, and prove himself against a member of the powerful Albrecht monster hunter clans?
The arrival of that opportunity on his doorstep, in the form of a blond, burly brick of a man, brings him nothing but excitement.
Available to Backers at the $7/month level and up!
-
Title: Pretty 7 Days a Week
Author: R. L. Houck
F/F/F/M/NB and Permutations There Of, BIPOC Characters, Everyone Has Sex With Everyone, Non-Binary Sex Worker Point of View, Pretty Woman Vibes
When Lydia texts Tomas to arrange for an overnight liaison with them, they’re excited. Lydia is their favorite client, and they’ve never gotten to spend the night before.
That excitement fades when they arrive and discover three other people in Lydia’s hotel room.
But, with some TLC and sexy times spread liberally between the five people present, perhaps Tomas can recover those happier feelings, and advance their hope that Lydia will like them enough to keep them…
Available to Backers at the $25/month level!
So become a Duck Prints Press Supporter on Patreon, and let the Reading Commence!
And don’t forget – pre-orders are still running for the m/m sports romance Hockey Bois by A. L. Heard – make sure you come by our campaign page, learn all about the book and merchandise, and order your copy NOW!
The time has come: we're ready to share the contributor list for our forthcoming anthology Aim For The Heart: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Alexandre Dumas's "The Three Musketeers"!
For this collection, 15 artists and 21 authors have created fanart, original art, fanfiction, and original fiction inspired by the adventures of Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and d'Artagnan. We have been hard at work on this anthology since last fall, and we're anticipating a crowdfunding launch in late spring or early summer. We'll have lots of teasers, excerpts, a cover reveal, merchandise announcements, and more to come, but first - meet the creators!
Artists
Cris Alborja: I’m an illustration and comic artist from Spain. I’ve got a nursing degree, but I decided to pursue my passion. I have studied Illustration at EASD Pablo Picasso in A Coruña and comics at O Garaxe Hermético in Pontevedra. I have done cover art for an anthology called Infiniteca by Retranca Editorial and comics for Altar Mutante, Nai dos Desterrados, and Abraxas en Cuarentena fanzines, as well as in Gaspariño 21 by Retranca Editorial. (Instagram)
bloomingtea: Téa is a hypothetical writer and artist, a professional procrastinator, and a merch hoarder. When they aren’t working on personal projects, they moderate zines and bake the same loaf of bread over and over again. From their pile of WIPs, they’ve managed to self-publish one book and are currently working on other manuscripts to eventually release into the world. Until then, they remain the worst gamer on Twitch and like to spend their free time ranting about books and thinking about fictional lawyer video games. (Personal Website | Twitter)
C: A massive drinker of coffee and a lover of old TV shows and movies, C is a small-time concept artist and illustrator who likes to dabble in all things literature and history. When she’s not busy drawing and nodding along to Bruce Springsteen while researching the Kentucky Cave Wars, she’s trying to save up for grad school to become to a forensic artist so she can draw some more. (Tumblr)
Amy Fincher: Amy Fincher (she/her) is a producer and artist with over a dozen years of experience in the video game and animation industries. She has contributed to various AAA and indie titles, including the Civilization, XCOM, and Skylanders series. Amy is currently working on Open Roads as Executive Producer. When the mood strikes and time allows, she teaches art classes and takes on art commissions on the side. Her hobbies include learning aerial silks, collecting aesthetically pleasing empty containers, looking at shiny rocks, and taking very long naps.
Kou Lukeman: Kou Lukeman is an artist, composer, writer, and video-game developer. His long-term goal is to someday lead a video-game company that makes video games by queer and neurodivergent people. Kou identifies as queer, neurodivergent, and is proud to be both. He is an avid Final Fantasy 14 player, a huge Kingdom Hearts fan, and video games have inspired Kou to create from a very young age. While his main creative interests tend to be in queer and neurodivergent horror, Kou also dabbles in fantasy as a genre. He is currently working on releasing his first few games and a graphic horror novel about neurodiversity and queer people in society. (Instagram)
Giulia Malagoli:
Giulia Malagoli (she/they) got into art because of generally friendly competition with a classmate in middle school, and now she has an entire Bachelor’s Degree in Concept Art to show for it.
For about ten years, she has been hopping through fandom spaces—from video games, to comics, to movies and TV series—and has drawn inspiration from each of them for both fan and original art. The result is a passion for character design and for art that weaves a story into its visuals, with a whole lot of feelings about the role of The Narrative to boot.
To chase this passion Giulia has moved from their home country of Italy to the United Kingdom and back again. They now work as a freelance illustrator with enthusiasm, always scraping some time at the end of the day to keep up with fandom friends. (ArtStation | Twitter)
MidnightSilver: I’m MidnightSilver (They/Them). I’m a freelance artist who specialises in fandom art, most often inspired by Supernatural the TV show, and I can usually be found illustrating stories for independent authors—my favourites are those that combine adventure/magic/horror with a boatload of feels! As a bi, non-binary, mixed-race person, I don’t believe in restrictive boundaries, and I love tales that highlight diversity and freedom of expression while at the same time incorporating the fantastical and magical elements that I fell in love with when reading stories as a child. It’s my aim to take all the many wondrous worlds and people with whom we visit when lost in book pages at 2 o’clock in the morning and to share them with you in visual form. It’s a project I never tire of pursuing. (Archive of Our Own | deviantArt)
Queen Sponge Studios: Thanks for reading my bio! My name is Sponge, and I use they/them pronouns! I am currently studying for a Game Arts degree through online courses at SNHU. Along with working at a thrift store, I enjoy working on projects with others. Based in Northern Wisconsin, I majorly entertain myself through art and media pertaining to it. On the long list of my hobbies, I enjoy staying active as well as collecting. I am an avid, crazed Sanrio fanatic with a long list of fandoms dating all the way back to when I was ten. I may be more reserved, but I love making new connections through creation! Meeting like-minded individuals working toward a common goal has been the most fulfilling experience I have had to date. As a young artist, I have dabbled in vending at conventions, game art, and selling my own merchandise online. I hope to one day fully chase after my ambitions of artistry full-time through a studio! Thank you for your support and interest in my work! (Etsy | Instagram | TikTok)
Jennifer Smith: Smith has been drawing since a young age. With a focus in traditional drawing techniques, she has recently started using digital mediums to imitate traditional styles. Her focus is in portraiture and landscapes, especially with watercolor. You can find more of her art on her Tumblr. (Tumblr)
Toby.exe: Freelance Animator and Illustrator based in the UK. He/They LGBTQ+ friendly little goblin who plays excessive amounts of DnD and loves to play Live Action Roleplay events all over the country! If I am not at home drawing, I am out and about playing a variety of fantasy characters in the woods and hitting people with silly foam swords. (Personal Website | Instagram | Patreon | Twitter)
Jupiter V: Hailing from Kjipuktuk/Halifax, Nova Scotia (that’s in Canada), Jupiter V is an artist, musician, and creative crackerjack with a career spanning over a decade. Cutting their teeth designing award-winning gig posters, they’ve gone on to illustrate for film, graphic fiction, children’s literature, and more. At times, they have been caught painting murals at the circus (?!) and whooping their child mercilessly in Rivals of Aether.
Jupiter is currently toiling away at their next graphic work of fiction, Wizards 99k, as we speak. (Instagram)
Amy Alexander Weston: Alex, AKA foxymoley, (she/her) is best described as a jack of all trades, but practices digital art more than anything else. She just wants to make things and change the world for the better. (Archive of Our Own | Instagram | Tumblr)
Amalia Zeichneren: Amalia Zeichnerin (she/her) lives in Hamburg, Germany. She is a disabled queer woman with a chronic illness and lives in a polyam polycule. Amalia mostly writes original fiction (SFF, cosy Victorian mysteries, Queer Romance) in German and has also one English Star Wars fan fiction on AO3, with one of her favorite shippings, StormPilot. Amalia also likes to draw and paint, especially fantasy world maps, character portraits, and sometimes also fanart. Amalia’s hobbies include pen-and-paper RPG and LARPing; these also have inspired some of her writing and artworks. (Linktree)
Jagoda Zirebiec: Hiya! I’m Jagoda or MizuShiba. I am a game dev artist currently working on a few unannounced titles. In my spare time I love to join collaborative projects like this, or charity Zines. This is my first project with DPP and hopefully not last!
I’m located in Poland and currently live here with my family. Aside from art, I’m interested in collecting dice and playing ttrpgs with friends. (ArtStation | Tumblr | Twitter)
Authors
Len Amin: Len Amin was brought up living between worlds in her small suburban town in the Midwest throughout the year, and summering frequently to visit her Palestinian Family living in the West Bank. Her family is larger-than-life in true Arabian fashion, including a very prissy puppy named Charles who refuses to sleep alone and chews up all of her sister’s barbie dolls. Though never quite feeling like she belonged in either world, she instead fell in love with the stories with the people that resided in these places—how the humanity can be found so effortlessly if one just delved that bit deeper into someone’s “once upon a time.” Etching down words into her flower-printed journals and shuffling a fresh spread from her star-printed tarot deck for her friends were always her way to connect to someone and to open up that channel of understanding. Len is now about to hit her mid-twenties, and has nothing to lose as she strives for her Social Work degree while also focusing on her true passion of writing her first full-length novel. You can find the updates on her writing journey, and support her endeavors on her Tumblr page. (Archive of Our Own | Tumblr | Twitter)
Aria L. Deair: Aria L. Deair is an author who has been writing and (while cursing her excessive comma usage) publishing fanfiction online for more than sixteen years. Freelance writer by day and author every other hour that she isn’t sleeping, she spends her days courting carpal tunnel and “forgetting” to wear her wrist brace.
As a proud member of more fandoms than she can count, Aria can be found blogging about some of the writing that she is avoiding doing at arialerendeair.tumblr.com.
Like a dragon with her hoard, she can be found in her New Hampshire apartment, surrounded by notebooks (most of which are empty), half-filled mugs of tea, and some of the comfiest blankets that have ever existed. Disturb her at your own risk, especially during NaNo Season. (Discord: Dragon#5555 | Tumblr | Twitter)
Rhosyn Goodfellow: Rhosyn Goodfellow is an author of queer romance and speculative fiction living with her spouse and two dogs in the Pacific Northwest, where she is sad to report that she has not yet mysteriously disappeared or encountered any cryptids. Her hobbies include spoiling the aforementioned dogs, drinking inadvisable amounts of coffee, and running unreasonably long distances very slowly. She’s secretly just a collection of loosely-related stories dressed up in a meat suit. (Personal Website | Instagram | Mastodon | Tumblr | Twitter)
Catherine E. Green: Catherine E. Green (pronouns: xe/xem/xyr or they/them/their) is an agender person, one who’s had an on-again, off-again love affair with writing. Xe began writing when xe was a wee thing, when xyr other major pastimes were playing xyr mother’s NES and roughhousing with the boys next door. It’s only in the past few years that they have begun writing consistently and publishing their writing, fanfiction and original writing alike, leading to their first published short story titled “Of Loops and Weaves.”
Outside of writing, xe is a collector of books and sleep debt and an avid admirer of the cosmos. Playing video games, reading a variety of fiction genres (primarily fantasy, queer romance, and manga and graphic novels of all kinds), and working on wrangling their own personal data archiving projects occupy most of their free time. Xe has also started meeting up with a local fiber arts group and is excited to be crocheting xyr first scarf.
J. D. Harlock: J.D. Harlock is a Syrian-Lebanese-Palestinian writer and editor based in Beirut. In addition to his posts at Wasifiri, as an editor-at-large, and at Solarpunk Magazine, as a poetry editor, his writing has been featured in Strange Horizons, Star*Line, and the SFWA Blog. You can always find him on Twitter and Instagram posting updates on his latest projects. (Instagram | Twitter)
A. L. Heard: A. L. Heard is an aspiring writer from Pittsburgh. She’s been writing fanworks for over a decade and self-published her first novel, Hockey Bois, in 2021. Some of her short stories have been published through the indie press Duck Prints Press, where she also contributes as an editor. Ultimately, though, she spends her free time writing about characters she adores in worlds she’d like to explore: contemporary romance, historical fiction, science fiction, and fantasy. In between writing projects, she works as a language teacher, plays hockey, tours breweries with her boyfriend, and spends her evenings playing dinosaurs with her two sons. (Instagram | Twitter)
D. A. Hernández: AKA Mitch, an author who works as a teacher, reads fanfiction compulsively, tells anyone who will listen about their weird dreams, takes long naps, and once in a while manages to write a story or two. You can find another of their stories in the Duck Prints Press anthology She Wears the Midnight Crown.
R. L. Houck: R. L. Houck (she/her) still has one of the first stories she ever wrote, all the way back from elementary school. It was about flightless penguins reaching the sun and was a good indication of her boundless imagination and her love of animals. The latter became a full-time veterinary career; the former keeps her occupied with fanfiction and original fiction in her downtime.
She’s sometimes found wandering the woods around her house in Virginia with her dog. If not there, she’s sitting on the couch, catching up on a Netflix series, and smothered by her five cats. Sometimes, there’s even space for her wife. (TikTok)
Lucy K. R.: Lucy K.R. (she/her) is technically in existence. Every time she is free, she writes. Sometimes when she is not free she also writes. This has occasionally created problems. She is fortunate to be supported (read: enabled) by her enthusiastic fiancée Tomo, a loving OG family, and a lively found family as well.
Eager for a change after a decade of waitressing, Lucy K.R. took the chance in March of 2021 to make her first steps into the world of published work. Prior to the success of the largely-fabricated German translation of the short-story found in this collection, ‘die Karaoke-Königinnen’, she was best known for her work on Mageling: Rise of the Ancient Ones and in the Duck Prints Press anthologies “And Seek (Not) to Alter Me” and “She Wears the Midnight Crown”.
In her stories, Lucy K. enjoys writing evil ideas as gently as possible, portrayed through unexpected lenses. She would like to acknowledge that she has never written a biographical statement that did not turn out weird, beg your indulgence, and express her hope that you enjoy her work in this anthology. The people at Duck Prints Press have been a delight, and she is deeply grateful to be included! (Personal Website | Twitter)
Aeryn Jemariel Knox: Aeryn Jemariel Knox first identified as a writer in second grade. With both parents involved in theater and a house full of bookshelves, they grew up surrounded by stories, and as soon as they could hold a crayon, they felt the urge to tell their own. In 2001, they discovered the wide and wonderful world of fanfiction; since then, they have gone by Jemariel in fandom spaces across the internet, engaging with their favorite media and communities in the best way they know. Previous fandoms include Harry Potter, Star Trek (The Original Series), Torchwood, and BBC’s Sherlock, but their most prolific writing and strongest community ties are in the Supernatural fandom. Now, nearly a decade after their last original fiction attempt, Aeryn is eager to explore the wider writing word.
A native of Portland, Oregon, Aeryn currently lives in the suburbs with their husband and 16-year-old cat. For a day job, they work as a tech writer and general paper-pusher for an energy drink factory. Their favorite stories, both to tell and to read, are stories about love, identity, and magic. (Archive of Our Own | Tumblr)
Sebastian Marie: Sebastian Marie (he/him) is an engineering student with a penchant for writing off-the-wall fantasy, darkly comedic prose, and sickeningly indulgent short stories. He has a lot of opinions about dragons, pirates, and sword fighting. Track him down on Ao3 and he’ll share these opinions through fanfiction for various fandoms including BBC Merlin, The Mechanisms, and Our Flag Means Death. His original works often combine fantasy and dystopia into what he calls “queer fantasy hopepunk,” something that will be explored in his future novels. He loves to write conflicting traditional and non-traditional family dynamics, especially where they intersect with queer relationships. And if he can throw werewolves and brujas into the mix? So much the better. When not writing, frantically studying dirt, or reading, he can be found singing loudly, sewing impractical coats, playing Dungeons and Dragons, and going on long rambling walks while plotting stories (and occasionally falling into rivers).
This is his second time writing for Duck Prints Press, having previously contributed to She Wears the Midnight Crown. This brings his grand total of published works up to two! He’s looking forward to more, as soon as he gets some sleep. (Archive of Our Own | Tumblr)
Nova Mason: Nova Mason spent a significant portion of her childhood fantasizing about dragons, spaceships, and other worlds. She is now, allegedly, a grown-up, with two kids, and more varied interests. Dragons, spaceships, and other worlds are still pretty high in the list, though.
Sage Mooreland: Sage Mooreland (they/them) is a city-dwelling gremlin from Chicago. They are embarking on the adventure that is their 40s equipped with three amazing partners, one very ridiculous eighteen-year-old biological offspring, and a fleet of teenagers and twentysomethings that adopted them through work over the last several years. Sage put themselves through the torture of grad school, and now holds a Bachelor’s in English and a Master’s in English and Creative Writing – Fiction, to which they say, “Now I have expensive pieces of paper that make it seem like I know what I’m talking about.”
Sage has been writing since they were wee small, entering their first writing contest in fifth grade/at ten years old. In high school and college, they made small offerings to school literary magazines, and have done eighteen years of National Novel Writing Month. As their writing career grows, they hope to provide stories that are entertaining, caring, inclusive of all, and full of the stuff of which dreams are made.
D. V. Morse: D. V. Morse (she/her) is a writer of fantasy and science fiction, generally (though not always) with some romance in there somewhere. She’s been in various aspects of healthcare for a couple of decades, most recently nursing. A lifelong New Englander who has been writing for as long as she can remember, she loves to find the liminal spaces in the local landscape and find the stories lurking within. She also loves playing with fiber arts, cycling through knitting, crochet, cross-stitch, and blackwork. She has also contributed to “Stand Where You’re Afraid,” in I Am the Fire, a limited edition charity anthology by a collective of SF/F romance authors raising funds for the National Network of Abortion Funds. (Carrd | Blog | Twitter | Facebook )
MouMouSanRen: MouMouSanRen (she/her) was born and raised on unceded Matinecock territory in what is now known as Flushing, New York. She has been published in multiple non-fiction magazines including Polygon. Aim for the Heart is her fiction debut. She resides in her native Queens, practicing martial arts and taking care of her dogs. (Twitter)
J. D. Rivers: J. D. writes speculative fiction where they fall deeply and madly in love and find a dead body, not necessarily in that order.
She collects hobbies as others collect books and has an unhealthy addiction to watching competitive cooking shows.
J. D. lives close to the woods with her husband and the cutest dog in the world. (Personal Website | Twitter)
Veronica Sloane: 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. (Archive of Our Own | Tumblr)
Shea Sullivan: Shea Sullivan is a life-long writer living in upstate New York. As a late-blooming queer person, she enjoys writing about complex characters coming into themselves and finding comfort in being exactly who they are.
Shea’s day jobs in computer programming and middle management have molded her into the patient, sarcastic, big-hearted, frustrated human she is today, but it’s what she does outside the 9-5 that really excites her. When she’s not writing, she can be found painting, napping, making quilts, watching documentaries, and trying not to adopt more animals, usually with a cup of tea in hand.
Xianyu Zhou: Xianyu Zhou is a translator and aspiring garment and plushie cloning specialist hailing from a coastal city in the tropics. Despite staying a 20-minute drive away from the nearest beach, they have yet to visited one, preferring to dwell in their darkened room luminated by a table lamp and ever-shifting RGB of a CPU fan. They have the tendency to accidentally wander into new and exciting forays such as joining Duck Prints Press (and enjoying it!), learning to sew (stitching and unstitching the same part of a “coaster” for the nth time) and working on their language skills (watching shows to scruntinize take notes about how their subtitles are written).
Xianyu’s contribution to the anthology is their first publication, and they have reportedly made a party hat for their computer to celebrate the occasion.
We couldn't be more thrilled to have all these amazing people working with us on this collection! You're not gonna want to miss what they've written and arted!
Make sure you sign up for our monthly newsletter and/or follow us on social media to always here the latest about Aim For The Heart and our other upcoming projects! (and you can always get behind-the-scenes access on our production progress, sneak-peeks of works-in-progress, and more by backing us on Patreon!)
Who we are: Duck Prints Press LLC is an independent publisher based in New York State. Our founding vision is to help fanfiction authors navigate the complex process of bringing their original works from first draft to print, culminating in publishing their work under our imprint.
Today, March 31st, 2023, is International Transgender Day of Visibility! To celebrate, we’re spotlighting eight trans authors who work with Duck Prints Press. The individuals included in this post either indicated in their biographies that they were trans, or they volunteered to be included. We’re delighted to be able to share their work with you. 😀 We work with other trans authors who chose not to be included in this post, and we support them too! It’s scary times to be out in a lot of countries, we get it, and protecting the anonymity and privacy of the people who work with us is one of our top priorities. To be visible on this day, in the current international climate, is an act of bravery, and we salute everyone choosing to publicly celebrate their identity today, and we respect everyone choosing not to. <3
Adrian Harley
Works:
Editor on He Bears the Cape of Stars and She Wears the Midnight Crown
“Some Sparks That Are Like Wit,” in the anthology And Seek (Not) to Alter Me (has a trans male main character!)
“So a demon walks into a party…,” in the anthology She Wears the Midnight Crown (has a main character for whom gender is complicated)
Adrian Harley is an almost-lifelong North Carolinian and a fantasy fiction aficionado who didn’t start delving deep into fandom until adulthood. They are an editor of research by day and an aspiring novelist, also by day. They go to bed early. They have short stories forthcoming in OFIC Magazine and future Duck Prints Press anthologies. They live with their husband and a perfectly reasonable number of cats.
Link: Twitter
Stephen G. Krueger
Works:
“On Not Going to Parties,” in the anthology He Bears the Cape of Stars (includes a trans male character, an agender character, and a non-binary character!)
Stephen G. Krueger (he/him/his), fandom name WithBroomBefore, is queer, trans, and aroace; he is an academic librarian in the northeast United States. His other writing includes the book Supporting Trans People in Libraries, a handful of professional chapters and articles, and The Trans Advice Column (a co-authored blog that is exactly what it sounds like). Stephen holds a B.A. in English from Warren Wilson College and an M.S. in Library Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; he is currently making leisurely progress towards an M.A. in Arctic and Northern Studies from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He knits and sells hats, some with pride flag colors on them, and enjoys watching figure skating while his three cats take turns claiming lap space.
Links: Archive of Our Own | Etsy | Personal Website
Puck Malamud
Works:
“Confluence,” in the anthology Add Magic to Taste
A Shield For the People (has a trans male main character!)
Puck Malamud (pronouns: ve/ver/vis/verself or they/them/theirs/themself) is a librarian, writer, and poet who has lived in a variety of large East Coast US cities since immigrating from Ukraine in the 1990s. Ve is co-author of a chapter on being L.G.B.T.Q. in the library profession, and author and co-author of multiple fanfics in various fandoms, though primarily The Untamed and Mo Dao Zu Shi. When not desperately trying to keep up with vis Libby holds, Puck can be found practicing dance, playing TTRPGs and board games, hanging out in various Slacks and Discords, and shitposting on Tumblr.
Links: Tumblr
Alec J. Marsh
Works:
Editor on our upcoming anthologies Aim For The Heart and Aether Beyond the Binary
“To relish a love song, like a robin redbreast,” in the anthology She Wears the Midnight Crown
Aether Beyond the Binary author contributor (forthcoming)
To Drive the Hundred Miles (has a trans male main character!)
Alec lives in the Pacific Northwest, where they write romantic adult fantasy and self-indulgent fanfiction. They make candles inspired by their favorite characters.
Links: Etsy | Instagram | Twitter
Catherine E. Green
Works:
Editor on our upcoming anthologies Aim For The Heart and Aether Beyond the Binary
Aim For The Heart author contributor (forthcoming)
Aether Beyond the Binary author contributor (forthcoming)
Of Loops and Weaves (trans female main character, this is Patreon/ko-fi exclusive)
Catherine E. Green (pronouns: xe/xem/xyr or they/them/their) is an agender person, one who’s had an on-again, off-again love affair with writing. Xe began writing when xe was a wee thing, when xyr other major pastimes were playing xyr mother’s NES and roughhousing with the boys next door. It’s only in the past few years that they have begun writing consistently and publishing their writing, fanfiction and original writing alike, leading to their first published short story titled “Of Loops and Weaves.”
Outside of writing, xe is a collector of books and sleep debt and an avid admirer of the cosmos. Playing video games, reading a variety of fiction genres (primarily fantasy, queer romance, and manga and graphic novels of all kinds), and working on wrangling their own personal data archiving projects occupy most of their free time. Xe has also started meeting up with a local fiber arts group and is excited to be crocheting xyr first scarf.
S. J. Ralston
Works:
Aether Beyond the Binary author contributor (forthcoming)
S. J. grew up in the distinctly weird town of Athens, GA, bounced around in the American southwest for a while, and landed in Houston, TX, where they currently work as a Mars Research Scientist. They’ve been writing original works and fanfiction since they could hold a pencil semi-correctly, and continue to write both whenever possible (as well as still holding a pencil only semi-correctly). They’re currently working on developing a portfolio of published original works. In their clearly copious spare time, S. J. enjoys hiking, tabletop RPGs, jigsaw puzzles, and enthusiastically crappy sci-fi.
Links: Personal Website
N. C. Farrell
Works:
“Eldest Daughter Seeks Her Wife,” in the anthology She Wears the Midnight Crown
N. C. Farrell (they/he) grew up in California’s Silicon Valley, where they spent long days hiking the coastal mountains, reading an impressive number of books about dragons (and cats, and spaceships, and magic, etc.), and creating stories with their friends. He moved to Massachusetts for college, where he studied psychology while reading more books (some of which were even for classes!), participating in LARPs, and ensuring that the SF/F club’s student-run convention had a solid schedule. Since graduating, N. C. Farrell has worked in various education-related roles. They currently spend much of their free time reading (more translated webnovels than paper books right now), writing (a lot of fanfic), practicing aikido, playing TTRPGs, and being supervised by a small shadow in the shape of a cat.
Alex Ransom
Works:
“Flowers Bloom Even Then,” in the anthology Add Magic to Taste (has a non-binary main character!)
“A Midwinter Night’s Dream,” in the anthology He Bears the Cape of Stars
Alex Ransom is a longtime fan writer and translator recently expanding into original fiction. Her favorite trope, as both reader and writer, is “Earn Your Happy Ending,” in which characters fight through perhaps inordinate amounts of difficulty to come out happier and more content on the other side. She is especially interested in the intersection between social circumstances, personal history, and the formation and maintenance of identity. Her favorite genres are space opera, fantasy, queer romance, and poetry.
As a child, Alex thought everything was better if it was more complicated and that the best answer to a yes or no question was usually “both”. Consequently, today she is bi/pansexual, trans/nonbinary, has worked a variety of jobs, and has three degrees in completely unrelated fields. When she isn’t writing or doomscrolling on the internet, she likes to travel, hike, and build marginally functional furniture. She lives outside Boston, Massachusetts, with her spouse and adult daughter.
Thanks for joining us in celebrating gender diversity and supporting trans creators on Trans Day of Visibility!
Who we are: Duck Prints Press LLC is an independent publisher based in New York State. Our founding vision is to help fanfiction authors navigate the complex process of bringing their original works from first draft to print, culminating in publishing their work under our imprint. We are particularly dedicated to working with queer authors and publishing stories featuring characters from across the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. Love what we do? Want to make sure you don’t miss the announcement for future giveaways? Sign up for our monthly newsletter and get previews, behind-the-scenes information, coupons, and more!
Want to support the Press, read about us behind-the-scenes, learn about what’s coming down the pipeline, get exclusive teasers, and claim free stories? Back us on Patreon or ko-fi monthly!
Creator’s Spotlight: September, 2022
Oct. 1st, 2022 01:40 pm
Welcome to our monthly “round up” of fan creations and original works by people involved with Duck Prints Press! This list is “opt in,” so you bet our creators made a lot of other things, but these are the ones they wanted to share with y’all this month!
The Sin by Artcake
art || criminal minds || m/m || aaron hotchner/spencer reid || mature || no major warnings apply || complete
summary: Based on the classical painting "the Sin" by Heinrich Lossow, priest Aaron Hotchner and nun Spencer Reid steal away for some intimacy, even when kept apart.
the ember in the dark by Catherine E. Green
audio || the magnus archives || platonic or familial, m/m || martin blackwood/jonathan sims || teen & up || no major warnings apply || 05:17:10 || complete
summary: "Will you kill Jonah Magnus? If you do, Jon will, assuredly, take his place," Annabelle said. "What would you do to save Jon? What wouldn't you do?"
Martin leaned against his fist, eyes closed. "Alright. What would it entail? This - thing you want to do."
---
At the end of the world, Martin makes a different choice. With unlikely allies Annabelle Cane and Agnes Montague, Martin enacts a plan to save what they can of the world and - more importantly - Jon.
other tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, Kissing, Fix-It, Season Five Fix-it, Canon-Typical Torture, Minor Georgie/Melanie, Pining, Canon-Typical The Desolation Content (The Magnus Archives), Canon-Typical The Beholding Content (The Magnus Archives), Podfic, Podfic Length: 5-6 Hours, Podfic & Podficced Works
World Domination > Romance by FuziPenguin
fiction || transformers (idw) || platonic or familial, poly (one gender: male) || starscream/thundercracker/skywarp; starscream & wheeljack || teen & up || no major warnings apply || 3,409 || complete
summary: Wheeljack helps Starscream discover something about his romantic orientation. And for once, a lab accident is not Wheeljack's fault.
other tags: Established Relationship, Aromanticism, Self-Discovery, Friendship, Explosions, Injury, Post-War
Go forth, and show some love for these awesome things!
Creator’s Spotlight: August, 2022
Sep. 1st, 2022 12:54 pm
Welcome to our second monthly “round up” of fan creations and original creations by people involved with Duck Prints Press! This list is “opt in,” so you bet our creators made a lot of other things, but these are the ones they wanted to share with y’all this month!
*
The Meaning of Home (Chapters 32-38) by Tris Lawrence (tryslora) /
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tryslorafiction || original work || poly (one gender: male) || teen & up || no major warnings apply || 26,324 || complete
summary: In the final chapters of The Meaning of Home, Pawel finds his place in this new family of his.
other tags: adult audiences, angst, animal transformation, bisexual character, cat shifter, character has ptsd, established relationship, family, fostering, found family, homosexual character, lawyer, missing persons, mlm, modern, modern with magic, mute character, mystery, New York, off screen death of a parent, only one bed, parenthood, past temporary character death, police officer, polyamorous relationship negotiation, polyamory, pov third person limited, professor, reunion, rodent shifter, siblings, single parent, taekwondo, United States of America, mentions of off-screen transphobia
TUMBLR – PILLOWFORT
-
love all to match point by Tris Lawrence (tryslora) /
tryslorafiction || tiger & bunny || m/m || sengoku subaru/thomas taurus || teen & up || no major warnings apply || 10,108 || complete
summary: Subaru was scouted as a doubles player in badminton, and left his home and family to come play for this school. His partner has never played doubles, and is probably the most irritating, disagreeable guy Subaru’s ever met. They are never going to figure out how to make this partnership work, no matter how much Coach Kaburagi and Coach Brooks seem to think it’s going to be perfect.
other tags: Alternate Universe – High School, Alternate Universe – Sports, Background Relationships, Minor Barnaby “Bunny” Brooks Jr./Kaburagi T. Kotetsu, Minor Karina Lyle/Ryan Goldsmith, Other Relationships If You Look Hard Enough, badminton au
AO3
*
Go forth and read some things!
Creator's Spotlight: July, 2022
Aug. 1st, 2022 10:42 am
Welcome to our newest monthly feature, a monthly “round up” of fan creations and original creations by people involved with Duck Prints Press! This list is “opt in,” so these three works were submitted to us by their two creators. We only opened the list for submissions a few days ago, so July our list is small, but we look forward to featuring a growing diversity of works by people who work with us in the months to come!
-
and the fierce reluctance of disastrous stars by nottesilhouette
fiction || percy jackson & the olympians || no ships, platonic or familial || teen & up || major character death || 2,488 || ongoing series
summary: That voice, so full of hope and horror, is shouting now, banging and scratching and tearing itself raw against the bars of his compartmentalization. Something is wrong, and it wants Nico to know — to notice.
Nico doesn’t care. His bones have calcified this quiet numbness, and his body saps strength from the hellscape of Tartarus, and his heart glitters red like a pomegranate’s shell. He survives.
At this rate, the voice will not.
other tags: cw: implied PTSD, canon non-compliant, cw: depression
-
and mix his immortality with death by nottesilhouette
fiction || percy jackson & the olympians || no ships, platonic or familial || teen & up || major character death || 639 || ongoing series
summary: Luke is a brother turned enemy to the people he called family, whom he raised and praised till the heavens came crashing down to crush his heart.
Iapetus is a titan turned ally to the people he called nemeses, whom he despised and demised till hell rose up and held its hand out to hold.
In Tartarus, any kind of kindred spirit is more alive than the death that swallows their hope whole.
other tags: cw: depression, cw: implied PTSD, cw: implied history of abuse
-
The Meaning of Home by Tris Lawrence (tryslora)
fiction || original work || poly (one gender: male) || teen & up || no major warnings apply || work in progress
summary: Chapters 28-31 of the serialized novel "The Meaning of Home." In which Pawel manages to send his son's mother off to disappear (again), and gets in far deeper with Leo and Colt than he expected. A story of magic, second chances, and avoiding looking at the relationships in front of you by investigating every possible mystery that presents itself. All while dealing with a lot of kids.
other tags: Magic, Shapeshifters, Polyamory Negotiations, Single Parent, Foster Kids, Mystery
-
Go forth and read some things!
What's that? A new stand-alone title? Our first erotica title?? YES! BOTH! WE HAVE A NEW BOOK OUT FOR Y'ALL!
Heated Desperation by Aria D. Leren
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Erotica, Modern
Rating: Explicit
Relationship: alpha/omega, dom/sub (subtext), established relationship, implied dom/sub switching, mlm
Character Features: alpha character, bipoc character, omega character, omega in heat
Tags: anal fingering, anal sex, blow job, comeplay, dirty talk, emotional hurt/comfort (mild), frottage, hand job, heat sex, knotting, mating cycles, orgasm delay, past tense, pet names, plot what plot, pov alternating third person limited, praise kink, rough sex
Word Count: 4,101
Teaser:
Desperation and not a small amount of panic had Soren pounding on the door of Quinn’s apartment at ten-thirty in the evening. He was sweating under the softest pair of pants he owned, and his shirt felt like it was slowly strangling him. The plans that he’d had for Quinn to come over to his house the next morning was gone, replaced by the need to have the alpha wrap his arms around him and never let go.
There was no answer at the door.
*
Uh oh, sounds like Soren is in trouble! Will Quinn be able to help with his problem? (Yes. The answer is yes. No twists here, just really hot A/B/O established relationship heat sex.) You know you gotta read it!
Get your e-book copy now (ePub and PDF both included) – only 99 cents US!
BUY IT NOW!
Heated Desperation by Aria D. Leren
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Erotica, Modern
Rating: Explicit
Relationship: alpha/omega, dom/sub (subtext), established relationship, implied dom/sub switching, mlm
Character Features: alpha character, bipoc character, omega character, omega in heat
Tags: anal fingering, anal sex, blow job, comeplay, dirty talk, emotional hurt/comfort (mild), frottage, hand job, heat sex, knotting, mating cycles, orgasm delay, past tense, pet names, plot what plot, pov alternating third person limited, praise kink, rough sex
Word Count: 4,101
Teaser:
Desperation and not a small amount of panic had Soren pounding on the door of Quinn’s apartment at ten-thirty in the evening. He was sweating under the softest pair of pants he owned, and his shirt felt like it was slowly strangling him. The plans that he’d had for Quinn to come over to his house the next morning was gone, replaced by the need to have the alpha wrap his arms around him and never let go.
There was no answer at the door.
*
Uh oh, sounds like Soren is in trouble! Will Quinn be able to help with his problem? (Yes. The answer is yes. No twists here, just really hot A/B/O established relationship heat sex.) You know you gotta read it!
Get your e-book copy now (ePub and PDF both included) – only 99 cents US!
BUY IT NOW!
We’re entering the home stretch on Duck Prints Press’s third crowdfunding campaign. She Wears the Midnight Crown and He Bears the Cape of Stars are anthologies of wlw and mlm stories that share a common theme: masquerades, the queerer and more unusual the better! The 18 stories in each anthology – 36 stories total if you get both books! – are set in many different times and places and genres, and feature diverse queer and genderqueer characters…and every story has a happy ending!
First you’re hearing about it? You can learn everything you could want to know by checking out our campaign page, visiting our website, and/or reading the updates we’ve posted throughout the last month!
Contributor Spotlights:
Kit Alexander and Bunny K. Solomon
Jessica Black and Sebastian Marie
Willa Blythe and Veronica Sloane
Sanne Burg and Alec J. Marsh
Rebekah D. Cook and Nina Waters
Era J. M. Couts and N. C. Farrell
B. T. Fish and J. D. Rivers
Mare Griffen and Stephen G. Krueger
Adrian Harley and K. B. Vimes
Rascal Hartley and J. S. Lenore
Lacey Hays and M. K. Mads
A. L. Heard and Lex T. Lindsay
D. A. Hernández and Alex Ransom
Lucy K. R. and Tevye J. Schmidt
Tris Lawrence and Annabeth Lynch
Louise Long and Lyn Weaver
S. Z. Meriläinen and Maggie Page
Julia Perroni and Emma Victoria
Merchandise Spotlights:
Bookmarks and Pins!
The Cover – and Art Prints!
Stickers, Patches, Candles, and more!
Also – did you know? Patreon and ko-fi backers at the $10 and $25 level who also back the Seed & Spark campaign will get a campaign-exclusive bonus (on top of all the other awesome benefits our monthly backers receive, like free stories, access to our Discord and backer blog, and more!)! So, consider becoming a regular Duck Prints Press supporter; be an even more awesome person, and get even more awesome stuff!
After July 15th, 4 PM Eastern Time, you won’t be able to get these books in-print again – so back now to make sure you don’t miss out!
He Bears the Cape of Stars Contributor Spotlight: Sanne Burg
Biography: I am a Dutch author (born in 1995), and my preferred pronouns are she/her. I’ve been weaving stories for most of my life, but so far they have mostly been fandom-related. This story is my first original (non-Patreon) publication, and I have previously written erotica stories for DPP’s Patreon.
I studied English language and culture, literary studies, and history, and decided early modern English magic is simply too intriguing to let go, but unfortunately the job market disagrees. I have a steady job but enjoy some hobbies outside of that. My hobbies include bouldering (and talking about bouldering), hiking, researching magic, discussing fandom (most notably Supernatural, The Witcher, and Our Flag Means Death), reading, and occasionally writing. I am also a massive fan of the Efteling and will try to get you to visit if you ever visit the Netherlands.
Links: Archive of Our Own | Instagram | Tumblr | Twitter
Story Title: The Summoning Circle
Teaser:
“This is awkward.”
Jamie’s head snaps up, eyes falling on a blurry shape in front of him. “Wha–”
The shape slowly solidifies into something resembling a man – short, dark hair, stubble on their cheeks, sharp cheekbones, flat chest, a tall and wiry stature visible only because they’re just in boxer shorts and a white tank-top.
They interrupt, “You summoned me, and you’re not even actually asking any questions?”
Jamie blinks and slowly gets back on with the program. “I… wait, but I-I tried to summon a spirit. You…”
“Not a spirit, no,” they say. “Hi, I’m Romaniel, I’m a demon, and judging by your silence, I’ve got some explaining to do.”
She Wears the Midnight Crown Contributor Spotlight: Alec J. Marsh
Biography: Alec lives in the Pacific Northwest, where they write romantic adult fantasy and self-indulgent fanfiction. They make candles inspired by their favorite characters.
Links: Etsy | Instagram | Twitter
Story Title: To Relish a Love Song, Like a Robin Redbreast
Teaser:
They turned to the left of the dais, where a handsome youth sat and watched the crowd. He wore white hose, a black vest and jacket, and brilliant black shoes tooled with iridescent-violet designs.
No, not a youth.
Beneath the tricorn hat and domino mask, the lips were too full, the shoulders too slim.
The woman straightened at Tabitha’s approach and smiled. “Lady Tabitha, how nice to see you again. And where is Hal?” She had a pleasant, low voice, thick with a French accent.
Tabitha smiled. “My husband isn’t allowed to see you again; we both know you’ll take all his money.”
The woman’s smile was smug. “He was a most entertaining partner.” She slid from the chair with a languid grace, and the indigo lining of her coat caught the light. “Pardon my manners, mademoiselle.” Her eyes slid over Myrtle in a way that would be utterly indecent were she the man she masqueraded as, and Myrtle flushed at the sharp attention. No one looked at her that way.
“My sister, Lady Myrtle Teynham,” Tabitha answered. “Myrtle, may I introduce you to Julie de Bellefonds, of the French Royal Opera?”
Myrtle’s breath caught as recognition struck her. “Oh,” she said. “I saw you perform two nights ago. You were marvelous!”
*
Less Than Four Days Left in Our Campaign – Don’t Miss Your Chance!
He Bears the Cape of Stars Contributor Spotlight: K. B. Vimes
Biography: K.B. Vimes lives in West Virginia with his fiance and their six cats, four frogs, three lizards, and a number of fish. In his spare time he makes paper craft, takes long walks with his fiance, and visits state parks. He’s been writing since he was old enough to hold a pencil, and for years has told stories to anyone willing to hold still long enough to listen.
Teaser:
The lights were bright in an unnatural way, brighter than the stars that ruled the night and the sun that ruled the day, and the god was reminded of the tractors and other machinery used to harvest in these modern days. The slice of the scythe had been replaced with the dance of tractors and trucks, fields larger than ever before, humans further from their roots. He didn’t mind. Larger fields meant longer runs and more chases. The cars that whizzed by were not so different than the trucks the god saw pulling into his fields to transport the grain after it was harvested.
He was so busy looking up and around him, so busy admiring the many works that humans had wrought with the energy given to them by their large fields of grain, so reliant on the fact that the humans avoided him by instinct, that he didn’t notice the young man in front of him until it was too late.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” the young man said from the ground where he had fallen. His coffee had spilled down the front of the god, and the god looked down at himself in confusion. Then he turned to the young man.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
She Wears the Midnight Crown Contributor Spotlight: Adrian Harley
Biography: Adrian Harley is an almost-lifelong North Carolinian and a fantasy fiction aficionado who didn’t start delving deep into fandom until adulthood. They are an editor of research by day and an aspiring novelist, also by day. They go to bed early. They have short stories forthcoming in OFIC Magazine and future Duck Prints Press anthologies. They live with their husband and a perfectly reasonable number of cats.
Link: Twitter
Story Title: So a Demon Walks Into a Party…
Teaser:
“Hey, hey. Tiffany. Look at me. I know this hurts. But you are so much better than him. I mean look at you! You are a killer in this outfit, to start.” Anna waved her free hand out of Tiffany’s line of sight and cast significant looks at the other women. They chimed in with compliments ranging from the superficial to the profound. Ah, Anna was the general of this operation. Malabrox felt a twinge in its being, almost like a conscience. This Anna perhaps could have been a worthy adversary, or even a worthy summoner. A shame that it had to kill her.
And then Anna looked at Malabrox, straight on, and the weight of her eyes on Malabrox felt so much like a command that Malabrox had to check with all its magical senses to make sure the woman hadn’t cast a spell. “Come on, doesn’t she deserve better?” said Anna.
Malabrox could have disappeared. Malabrox could have wiped everyone’s memory. Malabrox could have leapt on Anna, right then and there, and eaten her soul in a single gulp.
Instead, Malabrox said to Tiffany, “Yes. You have…” What was a good compliment for a human? What was the best thing a human could have? “You have a delicious soul,” it said.
*
Intrigued? You should be! But, if you want to read the rest of these stories you’ll need to back our campaign, running now through July 15th, 2022!
Laughs, Love, Life, and Unlife, All in Two Awesome Collections!
Welcome to She Wears the Midnight Crown and He Bears the Cape of Stars, two brand-new anthologies that share a common theme – masquerades – but tell different types of stories – wlw in She Wears the Midnight Crown and mlm in He Bears the Cape of Stars. These collections are the latest titles from Duck Prints Press, the indie publisher founded by fans to publish original works by fan creators, and they’re crowdfunding NOW, only on Seed & Spark!
Curious about the collections? Well, here’s a sneak peek of the works of two of our creators!
He Bears the Cape of Stars Contributor Spotlight: A. L. Heard
Biography: Ashley, pen name A.L. Heard, fandom name jhoom, is a 35 year old teacher, writer, and mother of two little boys. She’s been writing fanworks since she discovered fanfiction.net back in her middle school days; the platform has changed and the writing’s improved, but Ashley ultimately still spends her free time writing about characters she adores in worlds she’d like to explore. Her first novel, Hockey Bois, was published in 2021. In between writing projects, she works as a language teacher in the Pittsburgh area, plays hockey, and plays trains with her sons.
Links: Archive of Our Own | Discord: jhoom#6351 | Tumblr | Twitter
Story Title: Masquerade on Melchor
Teaser:
Masquerade on Melchor!
You are invited to join the Royal Family in their celebration of the
upcoming nuptials of Lady Vensel, Crown Princess of Melchor,
to Lord A’velle of the Wanydean Nebula.
This invitation permits entry for one guest to the Royal Masquerade.
Formal attire and mask required; dancing shoes recommended.
Come experience a night you’ll never forget!
Andrean reads the invitation one more time, hoping to gleam something new from the familiar words, now that he’s actually on Planet Melchor. Nothing. This is… not Andrean’s usual heist. On first glance, it’s straightforward enough: get into the palace, sneak past security, steal the crown jewels of Melchor. It’s everything else about this job that makes it challenging. The extreme lack of information about the palace and royal family. The masquerade ball and the hundreds of guests pose obvious issues. The fake identity he’s traveled here under. The unbelievable pressure of having to pay for the invitation and get the funds to continue his career…
It’s a lot.
She Wears the Midnight Crown Contributor Spotlight: Lex T. Lindsay
Biography: Lex T. Lindsay likes cats, tats, and cool hats. When she isn’t shaking words loose or yelling about Captain America, she can often be found lurking in the woods. Find other sapphic love stories in ADD MAGIC TO TASTE (also from Duck Prints Press); UPON A TWICE TIME (Air and Nothingness Press); and CLOCKWORK, CURSES AND COAL (World Weaver Press). Occasional Tweetslextlindsay.
Links: Goodreads | Linktree | Twitter
Story Title: Tidally Locked
Teaser:
The life of a god was a lonely one most days, lonelier still when—
“I would like the next dance if you’re not otherwise engaged.”
Ellie turned to face her would-be partner. She was a large woman—larger than Ellie who could rarely stand to manifest in a body that felt small. She wore a blue brocade corset and a matching gown of a deeper blue. On her face sat a mask of intricate silver filigree, a myriad of moving parts guided by so many gears twining together.
Something about her made the night feel new again, and Ellie became conscious of the constant hum of prayer singing through her soul.
Ellie’s head angled toward the floor, and she took the hand offered to her.
*
Curious about the collections? Well, here’s a sneak peek of the works of two of our creators!
He Bears the Cape of Stars Contributor Spotlight: A. L. Heard
Biography: Ashley, pen name A.L. Heard, fandom name jhoom, is a 35 year old teacher, writer, and mother of two little boys. She’s been writing fanworks since she discovered fanfiction.net back in her middle school days; the platform has changed and the writing’s improved, but Ashley ultimately still spends her free time writing about characters she adores in worlds she’d like to explore. Her first novel, Hockey Bois, was published in 2021. In between writing projects, she works as a language teacher in the Pittsburgh area, plays hockey, and plays trains with her sons.
Links: Archive of Our Own | Discord: jhoom#6351 | Tumblr | Twitter
Story Title: Masquerade on Melchor
Teaser:
You are invited to join the Royal Family in their celebration of the
upcoming nuptials of Lady Vensel, Crown Princess of Melchor,
to Lord A’velle of the Wanydean Nebula.
This invitation permits entry for one guest to the Royal Masquerade.
Formal attire and mask required; dancing shoes recommended.
Come experience a night you’ll never forget!
Andrean reads the invitation one more time, hoping to gleam something new from the familiar words, now that he’s actually on Planet Melchor. Nothing. This is… not Andrean’s usual heist. On first glance, it’s straightforward enough: get into the palace, sneak past security, steal the crown jewels of Melchor. It’s everything else about this job that makes it challenging. The extreme lack of information about the palace and royal family. The masquerade ball and the hundreds of guests pose obvious issues. The fake identity he’s traveled here under. The unbelievable pressure of having to pay for the invitation and get the funds to continue his career…
It’s a lot.
She Wears the Midnight Crown Contributor Spotlight: Lex T. Lindsay
Biography: Lex T. Lindsay likes cats, tats, and cool hats. When she isn’t shaking words loose or yelling about Captain America, she can often be found lurking in the woods. Find other sapphic love stories in ADD MAGIC TO TASTE (also from Duck Prints Press); UPON A TWICE TIME (Air and Nothingness Press); and CLOCKWORK, CURSES AND COAL (World Weaver Press). Occasional Tweets
lextlindsay.Links: Goodreads | Linktree | Twitter
Story Title: Tidally Locked
Teaser:
The life of a god was a lonely one most days, lonelier still when—
“I would like the next dance if you’re not otherwise engaged.”
Ellie turned to face her would-be partner. She was a large woman—larger than Ellie who could rarely stand to manifest in a body that felt small. She wore a blue brocade corset and a matching gown of a deeper blue. On her face sat a mask of intricate silver filigree, a myriad of moving parts guided by so many gears twining together.
Something about her made the night feel new again, and Ellie became conscious of the constant hum of prayer singing through her soul.
Ellie’s head angled toward the floor, and she took the hand offered to her.
*
Five Days ‘Til the Campaign Ends! Don’t miss your chance to get these gorgeous books in print!
She Wears the Midnight Crown Contributor Spotlight: Rebekah D. Cook
Biography: Rebekah D. Cook is an author of queer romance and speculative fiction living in the Pacific Northwest with her spouse and two dogs. She is sad to report that she has not yet mysteriously disappeared nor encountered any cryptids. Her hobbies include spoiling the aforementioned dogs, drinking inadvisable amounts of coffee, and running unreasonably long distances very slowly. She’s secretly just a collection of loosely-related stories dressed up in a meat suit.
Links: Personal Website | Tumblr | Twitter
Story Title: Nice Girls Don’t Get the Superweapon
Teaser:
Ever since it became clear Mia’s negligible fire starting power wasn’t enough for her to make a go of it as a supervillain, Mia’s dream has been to become a top-tier henchwoman. It’s practically the family business, and anyway, sometimes a girl just wants to be the one setting off the explosions instead of watching them happen.
“Morning, Miller.” The greeting is punctuated by a sharp and wholly unnecessary knock on Mia’s desk.
Mia gives Brandon Pratt her most withering look. The man is epitome of corporate nonsense: all flash and smarm with no substance underneath. He’s also barely competent at his job and somehow manages to come in egregiously late any morning Doctor Bombardier isn’t in the office. Mia doesn’t understand why he hasn’t been fired yet.
“Barely,” Mia says with a pointed look at the clock.
“Lighten up,” Brandon says with a laugh straight out of a Hollywood satire of corporate corruption. “It’s Friday. Working hard or hardly working, eh?”
He shoots her a pair of finger guns before heading toward his office, and Mia valiantly refrains from setting his tie on fire.
He Bears the Cape of Stars Contributor Spotlight: Nina Waters
Biography: Claire Houck (she/they/he), pen name Nina Waters, fandom name unforth, is the founder and sole proprietor of Duck Prints Press LLC. She is queer, 39 years old, married to the lovely Lisa, and a mother of two. Claire has been writing fanfiction since the young age of seven, when she penned (well, two-finger typed and printed dot matrix) the timeless classic “the story of my littl ponies and the glob.” Since then, her spelling, grammar, and prose have improved immensely. She has written over three hundred short stories, a number of novellas, and 16 novels—some original, some fanfiction—including A Glimmer of Hope, which was successfully Kickstarted and self-published in fall, 2016. Before she became a full-time writer, Claire had a career as a professional grant writer and program evaluator, providing consultation services for the New York City Department of Education and other non-profit education organizations.
Links: Archive of Our Own | Tumblr | Twitter
Story Title: To Sing a Song of Many
Teaser:
The agora bustled with the usual business of the day. A hawker offered what they claimed were freshly gathered mushrooms. A Priest promised that the penis charms they’d blessed were especially effective at warding off evil. A Hero struck a noble pose, as if she were cast from marble instead of merely flesh clothed in bronze and linen, while beside her the two members of her Chorus sang her story. Perhaps, if she adventured long enough and successfully enough, she’d be captured in marble in truth, as the once-King Azan was in the marketplace’s center; an artist sprawled at the sculpture’s feet to refresh the bright, gilded paint of his sandals. A melee of colors, sounds, smells, and movements could have captivated, begged to captivate, but Himeros couldn’t spare them the attention he longed to, because he had bigger concerns.
How on Gaia was he going to pass through the crowd to reach the other side of the town’s center without being accosted?
Behind Himeros, his Chorus shifted impatiently. All right, no, in their defense, the four men were actually calm, patient, along for Himeros’s quest as observers and recorders and criers. It was Himeros’s jitteriness that made their normal weight-shifting, robe-swaying, and mask-adjusting seem loaded and imminent.
Truly, what was Himeros going to do?
*
Only Days Left to Back – Read Our Campaign Now!
She Wears the Midnight Crown Contributor Spotlight: Lacey Hays
Biography: When Lacey isn’t dreaming of the stars or magical worlds, she can be found stomping around in the wild areas of Northern Oregon with her wife and son, or sipping on a coffee with her trusty notebook and fountain pens. Her writing journey began in the Star Trek: Voyager fandom and has continued for over two decades. At the moment, she’s plugging away at her first novel—a world that’s taken twenty years to come to life. Lacey is eager to continue sharing diverse stories set in dark, but hopeful, worlds.
Teaser:
“These are far from simple.” The woman picked up a mask of shimmering emerald with golden feathers and faceted obsidian jewels bordering it. From the top hung a veil of Xxisan silk lace (Demi had sewn it herself in the floral patterns of the Naysan people). It’d taken a few weeks to complete the mask, and it was one of Demi’s favorite pieces. “You might not be the best diplomat, but you’re a wonderful artist. This has tech built in?”
“Yes. The sparkles on the veil are nano holo-projectors. When you wear the veil, each nano holo project a single pixel. Working together, they can change your appearance; you can give the impression of being a fairy, or that you’re glowing from within, or enhance your cosmetics – or make you look like you’re wearing them when you’re not. You can even appear to be another species, though I encourage my clients to present as mythological beings over known beings.” Was she talking too fast? Going on too much? “It’s fully adaptable to movement, too. You could perform an entire ballet and the image would shift and move with you and your facial expressions.”
The woman’s eyes lit up with the flames of an active imagination, and a smile tugged at the corner of her full and very pink lips. A thrill bolted through Demi’s heart, straight down into her stomach. It had to be the thought of selling such a treasured piece, right? She definitely wasn’t experiencing another lightning attachment to a one-off customer at the sector’s largest craft fair. That never ended well.
He Bears the Cape of Stars Contributor Spotlight: M. K. Mads
Biography: M. K. Mads has been writing stories since she was seven years old. While she is most prolific in fanfiction and has works scattered among more than a dozen fandoms, she has been making strides into original fiction. Her favorite genre to read is romance. When she isn’t reading, writing, or falling headfirst into a new fandom, she can be found baking, walking, doting on her niblings, or playing Pokemon Go.
Story Title: The Date & Dasher
Teaser:
If only he had some way of making this whole process go faster so he’d have some hope of making progress. Like…go on a dozen dates every day—maybe even twice that. Be have to be on every single dating app in the area and have a dozen profiles on each one. He’d have to—
Theo stopped and raised his head, blinking vacantly at the movie posters on either side of his lone bedroom window.
Who said he couldn’t?
People would see what they wanted to see. There was no reason itthat wouldn’t apply to online pictures, too. It’d probably be the fastest way to clear out a ton of people.
He fumbled for his phone and called Brian.
Brian picked up on the first ring. “Hey, man, what’s—”
“I have an idea,” Theo cut in. “And I’m going to need your help.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.”
*
Support Queer Independent Publishing and Fiction – Back Us Now
!
She Wears the Midnight Crown Contributor Spotlight: N. C. Farrell
Biography: N. C. Farrell (they/he) grew up in California’s Silicon Valley, where they spent long days hiking the coastal mountains, reading an impressive number of books about dragons (and cats, and spaceships, and magic, etc.), and creating stories with their friends. He moved to Massachusetts for college, where he studied psychology while reading more books (some of which were even for classes!), participating in LARPs, and ensuring that the SF/F club’s student-run convention had a solid schedule. Since graduating, N. C. Farrell has worked in various education-related roles. They currently spend much of their free time reading (more translated webnovels than paper books right now), writing (a lot of fanfic), practicing aikido, playing TTRPGs, and being supervised by a small shadow in the shape of a cat.
Story Title: Eldest Daughter Seeks Her Wife
Teaser:
I couldn’t help but think Bea would want to document this as I mixed milk and honey in my mother’s silver bowl. Bea wanted to document everything; it made her a fantastic journalist while also making any journey we took last twice as long. The photos were worth it, though; Bea’s scrapbooks were tomes of rich memory from our college meeting to graduating together to marriage and the newness of a home of our own.
She took in the whole world, and I wasn’t going to let anyone take her away from it.
I pricked my finger and squeezed a few drops of blood into the honeyed milk before wrapping a bandage tight around the tiny wound. I didn’t want the fairies having free access to my blood; there were too many things they could do if they touched it outside of my own ritual.
Then I picked up the silver bowl and approached the fairy circle. “I wish you were here to see this,” I whispered to Bea. “You should be the one making history.”
He Bears the Cape of Stars Contributor Spotlight: Era J. M. Couts
Biography: I’ve been a writer for over 20 years.
Well, if I actually think about it carefully, it has probably been longer than that. I do remember writing a story on MS Paint when my age was still single digits. I could have used Word, but Paint was funnier, it let me draw my scenes there too.
So maybe I should rephrase it: I have been a fanfic writer for over 20 years. There, that looks a bit better. I wrote a few originals, too, but those never saw the light of day. They will, eventually.
I like to write about characters and their development. I like to write about feelings and struggles and how complicated life can be even when it looks so simple. I like to write epic love stories that don’t always have a happy ending. But most often they do.
I will, one day, write a dystopian series that I’ve been plotting for over a decade. One day, certainly one day.
Aside from being a writer, I’m a reader, an opinionated mind, an Aries, an immigrant, a coffee lover, and a night owl that has been forced to conform to the social norm of waking up early only to become a “Morgenmuffel.”
I am passionate, energetic, lazy, and sarcastic. I’m a CrazyCatLady in the making, a food lover that cannot cook, the Man™ my grandma wanted me to marry, and a happy soul in my own shoes.
And, above all, I am weird. I am queer. And so damn proud of it.
Links: Archive of Our Own | Tumblr
Story Title: Fragments of Sand
Teaser:
“Do you miss it?” Aoi’s voice was so low Kaveh could barely hear him. The witch’s Mask was old past an age any human should reach, frail as wet paper. They sat together in the belvedere of what had been a castle, eyeing the ruins taken by nature. Kaveh’s Mask – tall, handsome, healthy – contrasted with Aoi’s. He sighed, unsure of what the witch meant but too tired to ask. “Your home.”
“It’s a dark and humid place, devoid of life except from the ones I feed from,” Kaveh shrugged, flexing his hand. The burn in his palm gently fading, pointing to the success of yet another mission. Year 317 of 400, mission no. 3981. “There’s nothing to miss there.”
“I meant the desert,” Aoi said, as though commenting on the blue colour of the sky. Kaveh closed his eyes, clenched his teeth, shook the damn tingle from his blood before staring at the centenarian woman next to him. Aoi gave him a delicate smile. “Your soul smells like the desert. Dusty, dry herbs, and camel breaths. Far older than most of the religions that walk the earth today.”
“Aoi,” Kaveh warned, low and gravelled, a bleeding wound refusing to heal.
“An ancient Bedouin turned vampire…” It wasn’t pity that crawled under Aoi’s broken voice. It was a cold tone of deep sorrow, a relatableness that Kaveh hadn’t encountered before. It was foreign and, in all its passiveness, it pulled strings that Kaveh thought long broken. “Born under the scorching sun only to have it turn into your demise… it must’ve been hard.”
“What’s your point?!” he snapped, glaring at the Mask next to him.
“There’s no point…” Aoi said, soft, delicate, the weight of several lifetimes on his eyes. “I miss home too.”
*
Visit Our Page and Learn More!
He Bears the Cape of Stars Contributor Spotlight: Jessica Black
Biography: Jessie, pen name Jessica Black, fandom name alocalband, decided she wanted to be a writer at the age of seven and hasn’t looked back since. With a degree in screenwriting, she spent the majority of her career working on assorted projects in Hollywood, New York, and Puerto Rico. Lately, however, she’s settled down to a quieter life with her cat, her library, and a constantly filling notebook of new ideas. Hobbies include reading, hiking, gaming, knitting, and going to hockey games.
Links: Archive of Our Own | Discord: alocalband#6844 | Tumblr | Twitter
Story Title: The Numbers Game
Teaser:
The first time Braden tries on a Pro League helmet, he feels like he’s been blindfolded. No, worse. Like a bag’s been thrown over his head that he’s not allowed to dislodge. He reaches a hand out blindly in front of him, searching for purpose, only to grab at nothing. For the first time since he was three years old, the skates on his feet don’t feel nearly solid enough on the ice to keep him standing.
Braden wobbles and tries to keep the panic out of his voice as he says “I can’t see,” when what he means is I can’t breathe.
Ollie’s voice is uncharacteristically calm and reasonable, so much so that he sounds like his dad. “I’ve heard it takes a second for your eyes to adjust.”
Braden focuses on making his lungs work and on not falling on his ass like he’s still on a peewee team, but he slowly finds that Ollie’s words are correct. He’s not blindfolded; the face shield isn’t completely opaque, just dark and immersive, doubly so at first since he’s been staring at a bright, white sheet of ice under clear blue skies all day.
“I know we call them buckets, but this feels like overkill.” His attempt at humor feels strained, but Ollie laughs all the same. Ollie always laughs.
“Hold up, let me turn it on.”
There’s a thunk to the side of the helmet that Braden wasn’t prepared for, but what really startles him is the sudden graphic display across the visor. Stats to one side, biometrics on the other, and changing indicator lines down the middle, like he’s playing a video game.
She Wears the Midnight Crown Contributor Spotlight: Sebastian Marie
Biography: Sebastian Marie (he/him) is an engineering student with a penchant for writing off-the-wall fantasy, darkly comedic prose, and sickeningly indulgent short stories. He has a lot of opinions about dragons, pirates, and swordfighting that he explores through fanfiction for various fandoms. His original works often combine fantasy and dystopia into what he calls “queer fantasy hopepunk,” something that will be explored in his future novels. He loves to write conflicting traditional and non-traditional family dynamics, especially where they intersect with queer relationships. And if he can throw werewolves and brujas into the mix? So much the better.
When not writing, frantically completing homework, or reading, he can be found boxing, sewing, playing Dungeons and Dragons, or going on long rambling walks while plotting stories (and occasionally falling into rivers).
Links: Archive of Our Own
Story Title: That Danger Would Seem Sport
Teaser:
“No! I can’t…I won’t just collapse into your arms again like nothing’s changed. Not after–”
“After what? Being separated for something we didn’t do? Thinking the other was dead for years? Almost forgetting what your face looks like? I’m sorry it took me so long to find you again, and I’m sorry I had to leave you in the first place–”
“That’s not something to be sorry for! Piracy is a duty, we knew the risks–”
“No, I’m going to say sorry for that because fuck duty. You didn’t deserve me leaving you, and you definitely don’t deserve to feel so guilty or whatever that you won’t even hug me!” Mo takes a breath. She has always loved the complexity of Marianna’s emotions, how duty and empathy pull her in so many different directions. Mo doesn’t understand all of it, doesn’t understand how Marianna can see their reunion as anything other than marvelous, but she will respect her. “If you’ve got someone else, or a family, or you don’t want me anymore, I’ll go away. But if we both want this, and we can have it, why can’t we try again?”
*
Can They Try Again? You’ll have to Back Our Campaign to Find Out!
She Wears the Midnight Crown Contributor Spotlight: Lucy K. R.
Biography:
Exhibit Depicting: Lucy K.R.
Born: North Georgia (United States), Summer of 19XX
Died: Nova Scotia (Canada), Winter of Not Yet
Role: Author, waitress, enthusiast
Eager for a change after a decade of waitressing, Lucy K.R. took the chance in March of 2021 to make her first steps into the world of published work. Prior to the success of Nicht Deine Götter, the largely fabricated German translation of the short-story found in this collection, she was best known for her work on Mageling: Rise of the Ancient Ones and in the second anthology of Duck Prints Press: And Seek (Not) to Alter Me.
She was often seen in the company of what ancient texts describe as “weirdos,” and had a particularly deep connection with an entity known as Tomo, which she appeared to worship. While some historians theorize that Tomo was a type of deity known as a GalPal, newly unearthed records have identified them simply as wives.
Though largely described as a gentle and quiet person in her daily interactions, there can be no doubt that Lucy K. R.’s true legacy lives on in her stories: a legacy of terror, bewilderment, and an enduring love of humanity.
Links: Archive of Our Own | Twitter
Story Title: The Hollow Mass
Teaser:
“Do you dance?” Sage whirls in a ruffle of fabric.
Under the lanterns, I can see her for the first time. The fullness of her lips, and the sparkle of her dark eyes. Her skin is deep brown under her Spanish-moss lace sleeves, only a shade paler than mine. Her driftwood mask twists together as if the tree grew its branches in that pattern just for her.
“I’ll try?” is all I can give her.
The ground is stable here, and the space is ringed in ragged old trees, twisted and grown as if hundreds of years ago they all turned their backs on this circle and have grown around it ever since.
One of Sage’s arms slips around my waist, drawing me close against her. Our bodies press, our clothes still wet. I fear for a moment that she intends to lead me in some complex step pattern, but instead she just starts… turning.
She holds me, stepping quick and light. She turns us faster and faster snickering as I stumble to keep up. Her arm keeps me on my feet even as we whirl.
He Bears the Cape of Stars Contributor Spotlight: Tevye J. Schmidt
Biography: Tevye has been published as an undergrad while interning at the Linden Gold at Lindenwood University, and also had a fiction piece accepted into the Arrow Rock Literary Journal at the same school. While at Lindenwood he was also invited to present the novella he wrote as his Senior Capstone at the Student Academic Showcase. He hails from northeast Missouri and spent much of his childhood pestering his parents into visiting Six Flags St. Louis, the Arch, and the St. Louis Science Center. He’s passionate about learning and creating, and is currently branching out into writing fiction in his second language, Spanish. Tevye is Jewish, and his works all contain themes inherent to the tenets of his identity and his faith. His goal in future publications is to create science fiction and fantasy that are welcoming to those who exist outside of the dominant culture of Christianity.
Story Title: In Plain Sight
Teaser:
“No way.”
“I’m sorry, but there’s nothing else. You’ve rubbed too many people the wrong way. It’s either take a leave of absence–”
Aaron let out a loud scoff, which the admiral ignored.
“–or you take on the trip to…” the Admiral trailed off, glancing down at the tablet in front of him. “Epsilon 55/G.” His fingers hovered, unmoving, above the tablet’s surface. Aaron met his eyes briefly, and then his gaze skittered away. Admiral Jeffries smiled and pressed down on a button labelled “Assign.” Lightning flashed on cue with the assignment, and then thunder clapped and reverberated through the building. The cool fluorescents overhead flickered off and then, a moment later, the backup lights kicked on. Aaron’s warm-brown skin now appeared a deep red, and Admiral Jeffries smiled wryly. “It’s storm season here.” They both watched the cars speeding through the air past the window as rain began to pour down. The Admiral cleared his throat. “Your orders have been sent. You’ll pick up Dr. Nichols on the Ganymede satellite, just outside Jupiter station.”
“I’ll pass by Old Earth?”
Learn all the Campaign Details Now!
He Bears the Cape of Stars Contributor Spotlight: Tris Lawrence
Biography: Tris Lawrence has been writing since she was a child, filling notebooks with the worlds, dreams, and voices from inside her head. She declared in sixth grade that she wanted to be a writer, promptly started drafting her first novel in seventh grade, and never looked back.
Tris has always been fascinated by the way people work: how their relationships fit together, how they interact socially, how they learn and discover. She has read avidly her entire life, devouring mysteries, romances, science fiction, and fantasy novels, and as an adult still loves all of these genres, as well as reading YA constantly. Her favorite stories center on people who are learning or discovering new things, and coming-of-age stories top that list, which is how the school of Pine Hills University came to be. She wants to share stories of people who are learning how to relate to each other, how to adult, how to college, and how to just be. She hopes to share stories about diverse characters with representation of everything she wishes she could have read growing up, and she hopes that these stories will touch the lives and hearts of those who read them.
When not writing, Tris is a wife, a mother (to two children, a cat, and a dog), a knitter, a system administrator, a black belt in taekwondo, an avid reader, and a music aficionado. Sleep, she claims, is optional.
Links:
Story Title: Delta
Teaser:
Ellis tried to imagine any of the people at work playing the game. Maybe someone down in IT, or one of the folks in Marketing… he couldn’t imagine any of the executives he worked with, or the financial people. On the other hand, he supposed no one would expect him to play, either. While Ellis would bet money that none of the people he worked with—or the other parents and teachers he had to deal with for his family—played Delta, he could be wrong.
It’s a risk I’m willing to take. Delta is the only place I feel like me. I spend so much time feeling uncomfortable in my own skin, I just want to have something here to remind me every day that I’m still me under the hood. I feel real in Delta. More real than reality. I want to be able to see the ink and have that touchstone for myself.
Ellis cleaned up his office, neatly stacking papers for tomorrow and writing out a list of tasks that needed to be done first thing. He responded to the one email that came in, then shut down his computer for the day. Anyone else who needed him here could wait.
Sasha’s message came in just as Ellis was retwisting the low bun in his hair. He stuck the hair pin in to hold it in place, then looked at his phone.
You don’t feel real?
She Wears the Midnight Crown Contributor Spotlight: Annabeth Lynch
Biography: Annabeth Lynch is a genderfae (she/they), bisexual author who writes mostly queer stories, preferring to write marginalized characters finding love. She lives in North Carolina with her husband, daughter, and two very overweight cats.
Links: Facebook | Instagram
Story Title: Silver Secrets
Teaser:
“How did you know it was me?”
Kanna shook her head. “I will always know you. You are the one thing that is never lost to me.”
Thalia’s eyes were still bright with unshed tears when she leaned into Kanna, their lips brushing. “You always were too smart for your own good,” she whispered against Kanna’s mouth.
Kanna pulled away, putting her hands on Thalia’s cheeks. “I need you to tell me right now. You didn’t do this, did you?”
“What? Of course not. How could you think that?” Thalia gasped, eyes wide.
“I don’t. But if you did, you can’t lie to me. I need to know now. Before the cops get here and start looking. I will always protect you unconditionally. You know that.”
“You saw me through my mask, can you not see me through my words?”
There was a long pause as Kanna stroked her cheeks. After a moment she said, “I see you, Thalia.”
*
Visit our Campaign Page Now!
She Wears the Midnight Crown Contributor Spotlight: Emma Victoria
Biography: Emma Victoria was born an old soul, because you’re destined to be one when you’re given two old-fashioned names like that. She grew up with a taste for folklore and history and a penchant for going into the woods to have conversations with trees. As an adult, she’s dedicated herself to the study of photography and art criticism, but writing fantasy is a bedfellow she just can’t give up. After all, it’s the only way to meet dragons.
Link: Twitter
Story Title: The Scent of Roses
Teaser:
She was still wearing a single white dress-glove, the other one nowhere to be seen. Tris pulled it off, feeling the soft fabric catch on the callouses of her work-roughened hand. It had all been as much of a costume as the mask had been, but she had enjoyed it: not just pretending to be the kind of person who attended balls, but taking on the role the masculine clothes had afforded her. Women had curtsied to her and given her their hands to bow over; they had giggled and blushed over her compliments and let her lead them on the dance floor.
Just a few inches under six feet, Tris was tall for a woman, and had little in the way of curves. She kept her hair cropped short, and in her usual gardener’s slops she was, at best, a tolerated eccentric.
The masked ball and its anonymity had offered an interlude. Under the glittering candlelight, the borrowed doublet and the half-mask had transformed her from an undesirable woman into a lean and graceful young man in the eyes of the other revelers.
In her heart, Tris did not want to be a man.
She just wanted women to look at her the way they looked at men.
What harm could one night of deception do?
He Bears the Cape of Stars Contributor Spotlight: Julia Perroni
Biography: Julia Perroni (she/her) is a lifelong writer of fiction who was born and raised in not-so-sunny Vancouver, BC. She has been previously published in Geist Magazine and in several student writing contest anthologies, and writes on Archive of Our Own in various fandoms in her free time. Some of her favourite fic tropes include hurt/comfort, arranged marriage, and truth serum, but she’ll read (or write!) just about anything.
When she’s not writing creatively, she can be found in the library studying Ancient Greek for her ongoing graduate degree in Classics, working on her podcast, or out on the cliffs with chalk under her fingernails.
Link: Twitter
Story Title: Porcelain Skin
Teaser:
Favourite clients had come and gone over the years: some he saw only once, and had been delighted to work for; others every few years; still others once a year at least for three or four years in a row before they met their match and married, never to walk through his door again. Or so they hoped, of course. He’d had his share of widows and widowers, too, and always did his best for them.
But none were like James Elenbrook. The young lord had been through his door several times a year, every year since he succeeded his father as master of Elenbrook Grove. The first time, Benjamin had barely agreed to the job. He had been young and still building a reputation and resources from nearly nothing – he’d been nowhere near his current popularity – and it had been a very late order. In recent years, Benjamin’s time filled so quickly that he had considered creating some manner of waiting list. But he always saved a little slice of time for the man he wished he could know as James.
*
Intrigued? You should be! But, if you want to read the rest of these stories you’ll need to back our campaign, running now through July 14th, 2022!
Want to See Their Happily-Ever-Afters? Back the Campaign to Read the Whole Stories!
He Bears the Cape of Stars Contributor Spotlight: Stephen G. Krueger
Biography: Stephen G. Krueger (he/him/his), fandom name WithBroomBefore, is queer, trans, and aroace; he is an academic librarian in the northeast United States. His other writing includes the book Supporting Trans People in Libraries, a handful of professional chapters and articles, and The Trans Advice Column (a co-authored blog that is exactly what it sounds like). Stephen holds a B.A. in English from Warren Wilson College and an M.S. in Library Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; he is currently making leisurely progress towards an M.A. in Arctic and Northern Studies from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He knits and sells hats, some with pride flag colors on them, and enjoys watching figure skating while his three cats take turns claiming lap space.
Links: Archive of Our Own | Etsy | Personal Website
Story Title: On Not Going to Parties
Teaser:
“I could not go,” Nikola offers experimentally. The kitchen table, when he flops over to rest his cheek against it, has scratches in the finish which make for a pleasantly varied texture. He can’t recall whether they were there when they carried the table triumphantly back from the French department’s furniture giveaway the previous year. The burn mark in the middle is new, a memorial to Yosimar’s first attempt at pie.
The experiment, as predicted, fails. “Of course you’re going,” Theo informs him. “You know Mar’s outfit depends on your presence.”
“It doesn’t.” The box of items by the bookcase that Nikola has been informed will make up Yosimar’s costume has been growing increasingly full all month. There is a tiara now, along with a set of slightly bent wings made from gauze and glitter and wire. And of course the whole pile is draped over with the largest queerplatonic pride flag he has ever seen, a full five feet of black and gray and white and pink and yellow. “The flag is entirely self-explanatory. Where did they get a real sword?”
She Wears the Midnight Crown Contributor Spotlight: Mare Griffen
Biography: Mare is a writer and wannabe academic from the US. She’s interested in storytelling and systems of communication and, for better or worse, has a degree in Media Studies to prove it. Creatively, she likes to write about magical realism, mental health, and people figuring out how to navigate a poorly fitting world. She’s also the wrangler of a cat/gremlin, and unapologetically a Horse Girl™.
Mare writes lots of Shadowhunters fanfic, usually when she’s supposed to be doing something else. She used to write screenplays, occasional poetry, and (unfinished) novels, but this is her first foray back into original fiction in a long time. She can often be found avoiding reality, overthinking, or stopping in the middle of the sidewalk to look at lizards on the ground.
Story Title: Burn Season
Teaser:
“Can I tell you something?” she asked, voice as rough as the staticky sky above them.
“Sure.”
“Sometimes I wish there was… more. More than whatever this is. And sometimes I think there was supposed to be more, but things got derailed somewhere along the way.” The thought had lain dormant in Jack’s chest since adolescence, but Lucy’s bright approach to living had dragged it out through her ribs.
Lucy leaned against her side under the blanket. The warmth of her body almost made Jack take back her words. “More isn’t always better, though.”
Then why did Jack long for it? “Maybe.”
“Can I tell you something?”
“Yeah.”
Lucy kissed her shoulder. “I’m starting to like this world how it is.”
Jack tipped her head against Lucy’s and tried to smile. She, too, liked this moment—here, on the roof, trying to find each other. But as for the world…
Lucy only made her realize all the things that were lacking.
*
Intrigued? You should be! But, if you want to read the rest of these stories you’ll need to back our campaign, running now through July 14th, 2022!
