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: 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!”
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!