Category: Lyn Weaver

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Backer Reward Fluff Story: “Count the Number of Seeds” by Lyn Weaver

Every month, every single backer of our Patreon and ko-fi gets access to a brand new, six-month-exclusive free story! This month’s free story is Count the Number of Seeds by Lyn Weaver, the third story in the “Sunrise Over the Black Forest” universe; the first written (though third chronologically) is the erotica story We All Need to Get By (available in our webstore!) and the second, Things We Know, But Don’t Recall, is also erotica and is currently Patreon exclusive. Combined, the stories explore the meetings between Sevan, vampire and Lord of the Black Forest, and Kel, a less-than-innocent priest who takes over an abandoned church deep in the woods.

Title: Count the Number of Seeds

‘Verse: Sunrise Over the Black Forest

Author: Lyn Weaver

Genre: Fantasy with Technology, Gothic

Rating: General Audiences

Relationships: interspecies relationship, m/m, relationship of convenience

Character Features: amnesia, in a religious order, immortal, magic use, nature spirit, non-human, vampire

Tags: church setting, fluff, past tense, pov third person limited, unreliable narrator, vampiric feeding (mentions of)

Teaser:

Kel was bent over the stage, attacking various stains with the concentrated effort of a man taking out his frustrations on something that couldn’t fight back. His golden hair was up in a messy ponytail, and he’d taken off his outer vestments, presumably to keep them clean.

Sevan wanted to tug that tail. To materialize beside Kel instead of meters away. To sink his teeth into the nape peeking out of Kel’s untidy dress shirt.

He carefully set that train of thought aside and tossed one of the apples up. It made a satisfying thunk when he caught it. “Good evening.”

“Hello, neighbour,” Kel said. He glanced up briefly, then went back to scrubbing. “You’re later than usual. I was starting to think you weren’t coming.”

Length: 9 pages/2,407 words

Best of all? This is only one of the TWENTY-FOUR stories you could read RIGHT NOW if you backed our Patreon or ko-fi for at least $3/month! And, as if that’s not enough, if you backed at $10/month or $25/month, you could access forty-seven stories posted for our backers, AND claim free stories from our webstore!

Intrigued? Back us on Patreon or ko-fi now, and find out what awaits Kel in the depths of the Black Forest…

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!

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“He Bears the Cape of Stars” and “She Wears the Midnight Crown” Books and Merchandise Now on Sale!

Duck Prints Press’s anthologies He Bears the Cape of Stars and She Wears the Midnight Crown, featuring 34 stories by 34 authors exploring the potential for mlm and wlw relationships growing and changing during unusual masquerades, are now available! From science fiction to fantasy to modern to historical, these anthologies take the reader to many different settings, with larger-than-life characters exploring the world around them, the people they meet, and themselves! The casts are as diverse as Pride itself, and whether they’re looking for love, a second chance, a companion, or a friend, these books have a little bit of everything!

HE BEARS THE CAPE OF STARS, featuring 17 mlm stories, is available for sale on:

The Duck Prints Press Website | Barnes and Noble | Kobo

SHE WEARS THE MIDNIGHT CROWN, featuring 17 wlw stories, is available for sale on:

The Duck Prints Press Website | Barnes and Noble | Kobo

…and many other major e-book sales platforms! And you can request your library purchase it through the e-book lending program of their choice!

AND THAT’S NOT ALL!

Extra merchandise from the masquerade anthologies crowdfunding campaign is now on sale too! Did you miss the campaign? Are you dying for an amazing tote bag, a gorgeous bookmark, an aromatic candle, a glossy sticker or two, a new patch, or some lovely queer art for your walls? You can get this merch, and lots of merch from our past campaigns, from our website NOW!

She Wears the Midnight Crown merchandise: art print | bookmark | dux sticker

He Bears the Cape of Stars merchandise: art print | bookmark | dux sticker

Other campaign merchandise: chibi masquerade patch | scented candle | tote bag

Was there campaign merch you wanted that’s not available on our store? We have very limited quantities left of our enamel pins, and we have a whole heck of a lot of seconds (as in, damaged copies) of the print books! If your interested, feel free to drop us a line on any of our social media platforms or at info at duckprintspress dot com – we’d be delighted to hook you up!

Come now to the Duck Prints Press website and GET YOUR BOOK ON! You’re not going to want to miss these amazing collections or any of the gorgeous merch!

(and if you can help us spread the word by sharing this post, we’d appreciate it a lot, too!)

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, claim free stories, and get backer-exclusive extras when you support our crowdfunding campaigns? Back us on Patreon or ko-fi monthly!

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New Erotica Release: “We All Need to Get By” by Lyn Weaver

For this Saturday’s new story release, we share with y’all the first-written story set in a world that will soon have three installments on our Patreon/ko-fi. Lyn Weaver’s Sunrise Over the Black Forest ‘verse is an poignant m/m human/vampire story with a heaping dose of sex to love, mutual pining, and idiots who won’t use their words. Meet Kel and Sevan, and sink your teeth into their debut story…

Title: We All Need to Get By

Author: Lyn Weaver

Genre: Fantasy with Technology, Gothic

Rating: Erotica

Relationship: established relationship, friends with benefits, interspecies relationship, m/m, relationship of convenience

Character Features: in a religious order, magic use, non-human character, panic attacks (mentions of), self-esteem issues, vampire

Tags: biting, blood drinking, blood play, church setting, coming untouched, dubious consent (mild), multiple orgasms, mutual pining, overstimulation, past tense, pov third person limited, priest kink (minor), vampiric feeding

Teaser:

Kel hadn’t set out to become a vampire’s snack. Like most things in his life, it had just sort of happened. He’d done something stupid because it had looked like fun, realized exactly where that path would lead him if he continued down it, and then somehow been surprised when he ended up exactly where he’d thought he would. The very first time Sevan had showed up in the old church, looking to thank the new neighbour for banishing that dreadful aura of zealotry that had been clinging on for centuries, Kel had looked at him and thought, I’m gonna end up being sucked dry, aren’t I?

Length: 14 pages/4,290 words

Take a bite out of this awesome story!

Love Lyn Weaver’s work? She and many other authors also contributed to our anthology And Seek (Not) to Alter Me: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing.”

Hungry for more m/m erotica this weekend? Check out our m/m tag! We’re up to 9 m/m stories to heat up your Saturday!

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!

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Coming Soon: Duck Prints Press February Release Schedule

Wondering what we’ve got coming out in February? Well, wonder no more! Learn all about it, and read some teasers!

The theme for February is Storm’s Coming. Themes are selected by our monthly backers on Patreon and ko-fi, and we invite all our authors to interpret the theme loosely and draw inspiration from it. In February, three of the six stories we’re releasing are theme stories.

Duck Prints Press Titles (General Imprint)

February 11th: In Good Company by Nicola Kapron (theme story). Genre: Modern. Relationship: m/m. Primary Tags: horror, murder-husbands-to-be. Length: novelette.
Teaser: The first time Haruki Aoyama had gotten close to someone rotten, he’d been heartbroken. Now he was so used to being disappointed that he’d begun to seek it out. The signs were easy to spot once he’d learned to see them: a household with a too-quiet child and a too-loud adult. Kids who were never dressed right for the weather sitting in parks and under overhangs, waiting for someone to finally let them in. People who bought kids’ toys and clothes at the counter Haruki worked and said contradicting things when he commented on how the kid never seemed to join them at the store. Yes, once you had your eyes open, it was easy to see how many children were being failed by the monsters of this world.

February 18th: Princes Antonia del Montari, aka The Accidental Barista by A. L. Heard. Genre: Modern. Relationship: f/f. Primary Tags: meet cute, fluff. Length: short story (under 3k words).
Teaser: Toni slumps in her chair and stairs forlornly out the cafe windows. It’s a beautiful day, complete with a cloudless sky, birds singing cheerfully, and that perfect spring temperature appropriate for wearing anything from tank tops to sweatshirts. Really, it’s perfect.

And Toni’s stuck inside, working on an essay and about to get her third cup of coffee

February 25th: Moonweaver by Willa Blythe (theme story). Genre: Fantasy with Science Fiction. Relationship: f/f. Primary tags: trauma, climate change, friends to lovers. Length: short story.
Teaser: “The Universe has spoken,” Grandmother Flame said quietly, tossing a bit of powder on the fire and turning the flames a brilliant indigo. “Pomegranate and Honeycomb will beseech the Moon on our behalf to bring back the night and restore the balance of the world. I trust you will all send them both off with honor.”

Duxxx Prints Press Titles (Erotica Imprint)

February 4th: Lightbringer by boneturtle (theme story). Genre: Fantasy. Relationship: m/m. Primary Tags: amnesia, martyrdom, reunion, second chances. Length: novelette.
Teaser: There is a village at the far edge of the world where the people return to the same life each time they die. Endlessly, they forget, and live each of their lives as though it was their first. They climb the mountains, and fish in the frozen lakes, and eat what the forest provides. They are improbably happy, and they pray to no one.

Except for once, each year, when the light begins to fade.

February 18th: The Fated Prince by Mikki Madison. Genre: Historical with Magic. Relationship: m/m. Primary tags: arranged marriage, human/fae relationship, as slow a burn as you can get in 5,000 words. Length: short story.
Teaser: “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today—” 

To watch His Royal Highness, Prince Richard, sacrifice himself on the altar of his father’s hubris.

February 25th: We All Need to Get By by Lyn Weaver. Genre: Gothic/Fantasy with Technology. Relationship: m/m. Primary tags: relationship of convenience, human/vampire relationship, vampiric feeding kink. Length: short story.
Teaser: Kel hadn’t set out to become a vampire’s snack. Like most things in his life, it had just sort of happened. He’d done something stupid because it had looked like fun, realized exactly where that path would lead him if he continued down it, and then somehow been surprised when he ended up exactly where he’d thought he would. The very first time Sevan had showed up in the old church, looking to thank the new neighbour for banishing that dreadful aura of zealotry that had been clinging on for centuries, Kel had looked at him and thought, I’m gonna end up being sucked dry, aren’t I?

Intrigued? Want to make sure you don’t miss any of these? Your best bet is to sign up for our monthly newsletters and get previews, behind-the-scenes information, coupons, and more! Alternatively, pick any of our social media platforms to follow us on – we always cross-post about new releases!

Interested in reading more, and maybe claiming some of these stories for free? Backers on our Patreon and ko-fi get lots of extra content, sneak peeks, and a minimum of one free story each month!

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.

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December Storygraph Giveaway: She Wears the Midnight Crown Anthology!

What’s this? Why, it’s Duck Prints Press doing another giveaway on Storygraph! Our two masquerade-themed anthologies, She Wears the Midnight Crown and He Bears the Cape of Stars, will be distributed to crowdfunding-campaign backers in early January, and listed for sale on our website in late February or March. Didn’t back the campaign and want to get a copy of She Wears the Midnight Crown, which features wlw stories set at unusual masquerades or masquerade-inspired settings, before the official release? Well, this is your moment!

What is Storygraph? The awesome independently owned-and-operated alternative to Amazon-owned Goodreads! Working with them as a publisher doing this giveaways has been phenomenal: they’re organized, receptive to feedback, interested in innovative, and responsive. We’re thrilled to continue working with them on giveaways. If you’ve wanted a Goodreads alternative for organizing your reading, posting your reviews, logging your book collections, and more, you should definitely check them out.

What is Duck Prints Press? We’re the indie publisher dedicated to helping creators transition from creating primarily fanworks to creating primarily original works! We especially focus on publishing works featuring LGBTQIA+ characters.

What is She Wears the Midnight Crown? Along with He Bears the Cape of Stars, She Wears the Midnight Crown is one of a a pair of anthologies which share the same theme, but feature different kinds of relationships. For these anthologies, we sought pitches for stories featuring masquerades – the more unusual, the better! While we love classic “historical setting, mistaken identity” shenanigans, we’re looking for stories more out-of-the-box (under-the-mask?) than that. 17 authors contributed wlw stories to this collection, and the works range from heartwarming fluff through dystopian drama!

Want your own copy of this awesome, innovative collection? Enter our giveaway on Storygraph NOW!

Holding out for a copy of He Bears the Cape of Stars? Don’t despair – we’ll be doing a Storygraph giveaway for that one in January, ending February 18th, so keep your eyes peeled and your “enter now!” button click-finger ready!

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 and read your fill!

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Monthly Storygraph Giveaway: And Seek (Not) to Alter Me

Duck Prints Press returns to the second round of Storygraph giveaways with our second anthology And Seek (Not) to Alter Me: Queer Fanworks Inspired by William Shakepeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing.“

What is Storygraph? The awesome independently owned-and-operated alternative to Amazon-owned Goodreads! Working with them as a publisher doing this giveaways has been phenomenal: they’re organized, receptive to feedback, interested in innovative, and responsive. We’re thrilled to continue working with them on giveaways. If you’ve wanted a Goodreads alternative for organizing your reading, posting your reviews, logging your book collections, and more, you should definitely check them out.

What is Duck Prints Press? We’re the indie publisher dedicated to helping creators transition from creating primarily fanworks to creating primarily original works! We especially focus on publishing works featuring LGBTQIA+ characters.

What is And Seek (Not) to Alter Me? In And Seek (Not) to Alter Me, 16 authors and 16 artists have come together to create an exquisite, full-color collection of artwork and stories inspired by William Shakespeare’s play Much Ado About Nothing. We encouraged contributors to stretch their imaginations, think outside the box, and put their own unique—and queer—twists on Benedick, Beatrice, Hero, Claudio, Don Pedro, and the whole gang! In true Shakespearean fashion, our creators utilize gender, sexuality, romanticism, and a host of costume changes to tell unique artworks and stories—some featuring original characters, some characters from the play—that show Shakespeare’s work in a whole new light.

Want your own copy of this awesome, innovative collection? Enter our giveaway on Storygraph NOW – or, if you don’t want to wait that long and leave it to chance, you can always buy your own copy immediately from our webstore!

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“And Seek (Not) to Alter Me: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing'” – Now Available in Our Webstore!

Did you miss our crowdfunding campaign for And Seek (Not) to Alter Me: Queer Fanworks Inspired by William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing”? Was there merch you wanted that you didn’t get? Have you been eagerly awaiting it’s arrival in our webstore (haven’t we all been?)? Well YOUR TIME HAS COME!

In And Seek (Not) to Alter Me, 16 authors and 16 artists have come together to create an exquisite, full-color collection of artwork and stories inspired by William Shakespeare’s play Much Ado About Nothing. We encouraged contributors to stretch their imaginations, think outside the box, and put their own unique—and queer—twists on Benedick, Beatrice, Hero, Claudio, Don Pedro, and the whole gang! In true Shakespearean fashion, our creators utilize gender, sexuality, romanticism, and a host of costume changes to tell unique artworks and stories—some featuring original characters, some characters from the play—that show Shakespeare’s work in a whole new light.

And now, you can get your very own e-book copy from our webstore! Only $9.99 for 16 phenomenal stories and 20 gorgeous art pieces!

We’ve also listed four merchandise items from the original crowdfunding campaign that we have extras of – if you want ‘um, you’d better grab ‘um, because once these extras are sold out, we will never be making more!

Art Prints of the Front Cover

(featuring the gorgeous artwork by Gio Guimarães in all it’s colorful, queer glory!)

Art Prints of the Back Cover

(featuring even more of Gio Guimarães‘s wonderful work!)

“Taming My Wild Heart to thy Loving Hand” Bookmark

(with artwork by Alicia Matheson and the signatures of our contributors!)

Bard Dux Sticker

(created by Alessa Riel)

Don’t Miss Out! Visit Our Store Today!

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Only 48 Hours Left to Back “She Wears the Midnight Crown” and “He Bears the Cape of Stars”

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:

Merchandise Spotlights:

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!

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Contributor Spotlights: Lyn Weaver and Louise Long

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: Lyn Weaver

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

Story Title: The Thing with Feathers

Teaser:

They say the masked Delvers who harvest the Dungeon’s riches become monsters if they stay too long or dig too deep, and that those monsters flood out of the Dungeon at night and kidnap women. That was why the tower was built so close to the gaping wound leading to the earth’s core: so you would learn to be grateful you weren’t down there. In your experience, the Dungeon is an ugly hole in the ground and the Delvers are your fellow prisoners. Precious few would choose to step into a pitch-black hole in the ground they might never return from, after all. Most of them are out there because they can’t live any other way. Or they’re simply being forced to, the way Nasha was. To top it all off, you haven’t seen a single monster. Not until tonight.

A soft thump rouses you from uneasy slumber. You sit up, rubbing the sleep from your eyes, and freeze. There’s a woman on the windowsill. The windowsill hundreds of feet above the ground.

“Huh,” she says. “Three years of searching and you were just outside home all along.”

You blink. Then you shoot upright and stumble toward her. Her skin is grey in the moonlight, short wild hair reaching up toward the moon. Something about the shape of her isn’t quite right, but she’s the first person you’ve seen up close in three years. You don’t care.

He Bears the Cape of Stars Contributor Spotlight: Louise Long

Biography: Louise Long (she/they) lives in Cardiff and writes contemporary and urban fantasy. She also writes speculative fiction as J. L. George, and her first novel, The Word, is published by New Welsh Rarebyte. In her other lives, she’s a library monkey and an academic interested in literature and science and the Gothic.

Links: Personal Website | Twitter

Story Title: Give Him a Mask

Teaser:

Tam’s shoulders bunched up; he forced himself to relax. “Most people round here are a little weird,” he said. It was true: the Pearl teemed with the arty kids, the queers and outsiders. “Lot of them don’t talk about their families much, either. Better off without them.”

Defensiveness made its way into his voice, and the stranger looked at him curiously. “Are you better off without yours?”

“They’re arseholes.” Tam sighed and pushed himself upright. Anna was beckoning him from the stage door. “I’d better go. Stick around and watch us, if you like.”

“Maybe I will.” The stranger took a half-step forward, held out his hand for a second, then let it fall back to his side. “I’m Emlyn, by the way.”

Tam could hardly give his real name. “Starry,” he said, after a moment.

Emlyn blinked at him. “Starry?”

“Starry Knight.” Tam’s cheeks warmed. “It’s a stage name.”

“That’s terrible,” Emlyn informed him, solemnly. But there was a twinkle in his eye, sudden and unexpected. It did equally unexpected things to Tam’s insides, putting a vertiginous, swooping feeling in his belly.

He grinned, suddenly reckless with it. “Wait ’til you see me onstage.”

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!

You Know You Need to Know What Happens Next – Back and Find Out!

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Now Live: Duck Prints Press’s Third Crowd-funding Campaign!

Duck Prints Press LLC is over the moon to share our next to anthologies with you: She Wears the Midnight Crown and He Bears the Cape of Stars!

These two anthologies share a common theme – masquerades – and each features different kinds of relationships. She Wears the Midnight Crown contains 18 wlw stories; He Bears the Cape of Stars contains 18 mlm stories. Both collections tell myriad stories exploring how these characters’ relationships develop, grow, and change while they attend or participate in masquerades!

Our 36 contributors have stretched their imaginations to present innovative stories exploring what a masquerade can be…and, of course, tell rich, engaging tales of wonderful queer folk finding love, companionship, acceptance, the queer platonic relationship of their dreams, or the found family they deserve. The collected works feature characters in all the colors of the Pride rainbow, queer and genderqueer, and these diverse individuals inhabit worlds ranging from science fiction settings where everyone must be masked to breathe, to fantasies where no one wears a literal mask but everyone shows the world a false guise, to iterations of the real world where some people lean into deception.

You’re definitely not going to want to miss it – you can buy one book or both books, some merch, or all merch – we’ve got 8 backer levels to help you get exactly what you want!

We’d love for you to attend the masquerade! Don your mask and read on…

The Seed&Spark Campaign for She Wears the Midnight Crown and He Bears the Cape of Stars runs from now through July 14th, 2022!

Go Forth, and Back It Now!