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!
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?”
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!