Can you guess which first line goes with which book? This should be a breeze for those of you that have read my books, but you never know 👀
Also the first lines for the anthologies are for my stories only, not for the anthology itself.
We return to the magickal world of Levena this year with a sassy star and their grumpy vampire. You do not need to have read the first two books to read Mochizuki and Xlato as it focuses on a different couple, but it helps with the 🌜lore🌛
For reading this year, it’s almost indie all the way for me. There are quite a few I have been wanting to get to, and some that I’ve started and need to finish. Especially the ones already on my shelves.
Commence the 2025 Wrap Up!
I published my first historical fiction and ran my first Kickstarter, and participated in an anthology with the Right Here Write Queer Podcast. I also was nominated in the Indie Ink Awards!
For reading, there was a lot of rereading (and rereading again in the case of the Big Bad Series) but I did discover a lot of new favorites and other stories I really enjoyed. There was only a few that I didn’t care for as much.
Stay tuned for this year’s hopes and dreams!
My urban fantasy and historical fiction were nominated for the Indie Ink Awards!
Phantom and Rook, the first in my Levena series, made it as a finalist last year and it makes me so happy to see Matsdotter and Adrastus getting love and attention this year! And my beloved gay explorers, in a category that is so very fitting.
You can vote for your favorite indie books beginning on Monday, December 15th. Check out Indie Story Geek to learn more. 🎉✨️📚
Presenting An Outstretched Hand: A Tarot Spread of Queer Stories, from the Right Here Write Queer podcast! My story is inspired by the tarot card Temperance, and you may have seen excerpts of it here and there.
Tune into the podcast to learn more about each story, our first anthology episode is about The Star!
Blurb:
A hand reaching to you from the shadows. Six cards over-turned. Six enchanting queer tales inspired by the magic of tarot.
The Star by Tess Carletta
A lighthouse keeper who influences the fate of her people by wrangling misbehaving stars back into place must remedy her own constellation.
The Hierophant by Carolina Cruz
A knight who was disabled in battle gives up on asking the gods for healing and turns to something dark in the woods for help instead.
Strength by Luna Daye
A warrior is sent to investigate the rumors of a raided village and is forced to face the trauma of his past, and has to battle more than his grief after a terrifying discovery.
The Chariot by R.K. Ashwick
Two witches vie desperately for a goddess’s blessing- but the fortune they seek might be right in front of them.
Temperance by Noah Hawthorne
A grieving mercenary searches for the tallest mountain to throw himself from, but a mystery and curious folk keep him grounded for a little while longer.
The Devil by Sebastian Nothwell
A repressed Victorian finds fleeting release in a fae courtesan’s arms until iron chains threaten their growing bond.
Explore the forest, meet the fae, pray to the gods, shepherd stars, or fight creatures of myth. An offering for you, if you accept the Outstretched Hand.
Pre-orders are open here, release date is November 11th, 2025.
Cornelius gazed up at Watt, their chests inches apart. His steely eyes seemed to glitter in the dark, like Lake Michigan under full moonlight. “I made a promise, and I intend to keep it.”
“Aventurier,” Watt whispered, overcome with an intense desire to bend down, and kiss Cornelius.
He—he wanted to kiss Cornelius.
He wanted Cornelius.
🧭🏳️⚧️🌈✨️
One of the goals we hit on the Kickstarter was a hardback, and Crossroad Art has been working on the cover. These fellas are not the main focus on the new cover, but boy are they handsome.
Only 26 days until The Voice of Wild Places releases !
Prints, packaging, and the final copy of the book have arrived!
Bookmarks and stickers are on the way, as are cartons upon cartons of books. That pesky spine and I fought hard, but it’s certainly behaving now.
Only 35 more days until release !
After the chaos of the last year, and some consideration, I have decided to thin my Patreon tiers one last time. Instead of two tiers with content divided, there is now one which provides access to everything. Chapters excerpts, art, full short stories, the NSFW stuff, writing resources, all of it.
I hope this will make things more accessible, and less confusing. I have updated the layout, and collections.
When it comes to new stuff, the next few months are going to be chock full of it. Between the short stories, Mochizuki and Xlato, and Witchtober, there is a lot of new writing content coming to Patreon. As much as I love the explorers, it’ll be nice to switch it up and write about some new folks, and give you something different to read.
For art, there will be upcoming sneak peeks at the VOWP hardback cover, and a potential commission for one of my anthology stories.
For writer talk, I was thinking about a post-kickstarter discussion about what it was like to release a book that way, and how it’s gone so far.
Anything else you’d like to see from me on Patreon? I would love some feedback!
🍁Witchtober Prep Time ! 🍁
Gagakuma Draws is hosting this fun challenge next month, and I’m tagging along ! We have done a Witchtober prompt list in the past, which was a great time and yielded many short stories for me. (Including what would become the prologue to Mochizuki and Xlato, and the lesbian blacksmith short)
Instead of 31 days, we’re doing 13. Burnout and all that. Feel free to use the prompt list as you wish for any kind of creative activity, from art to writing, and more. Do it consecutively, spread them out, or however you like.
Give it a share, share your work, and let’s revel in the finer months of the year. If you’d like us to share, use the tag! #13DaysOfWitchtober
All aboard, this ship is getting ready to take off. The Kickstarter is funded, and we met two stretch goals !
This means bonus short stories, a special hardback edition illustrated by Crossroad Art, and one grateful and overjoyed indie author.
There are 112 backers who all get first stabs at the special hardbacks. These will be ready to go shortly after the new year, and I’ll be opening pre-orders for everyone else in December, starting with Patreon and newsletter folk.
Stay tuned for more updates !
Neshama Publishing 