Claimer: I do hereby claim all rights and responsibility for the characters in this series of vignettes because the Amaranthine Saga is mine. (Which means I should probably behave myself since anything I say or do could be taken as canon.) Indulge the lot of us, especially the entitled one.
246
Prima Donna
Claimer: I do hereby claim all rights and responsibility for the characters in this series of vignettes because the Amaranthine Saga is mine. (Which means I should probably behave myself since anything I say or do could be taken as canon.) Indulge the lot of us, especially with the one who usually sticks to proper channels.
245
Death Knell
Claimer: I do hereby claim all rights and responsibility for the characters in this series of vignettes because the Amaranthine Saga is mine. (Which means I should probably behave myself since anything I say or do could be taken as canon.) Indulge the lot of us, especially the one who’s trying to be polite.
244
Skipping Forms
Claimer: I do hereby claim all rights and responsibility for the characters in this series of vignettes because the Amaranthine Saga is mine. (Which means I should probably behave myself since anything I say or do could be taken as canon.) Indulge the lot of us, especially for the underestimated one.
243
Pride and Joy
Claimer: I do hereby claim all rights and responsibility for the characters in this series of vignettes because the Amaranthine Saga is mine. (Which means I should probably behave myself since anything I say or do could be taken as canon.) Indulge the lot of us, especially the one who’s probably on guard duty.
242
Smile Pretty
Governed by Whimsy. Join me over at Cryptid Audio, where Travis Baldree will soon be wrapping up Governed by Whimsy: The Anthology with its titular story. Today’s probably the last session for my books (for a while). If you weren’t able to drop in, fear not! The anthology audio book will be available from Tantor on August 10, 2021. And Mikoto and the Reaver Village will release on August 17, 2021.
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Claimer: I do hereby claim all rights and responsibility for the characters in this series of vignettes because the Amaranthine Saga is mine. (Which means I should probably behave myself since anything I say or do could be taken as canon.) Indulge the lot of us, especially the one who’s a bit of a gossip.
241
Do Tell
Dragged Through Hedgerows. Join me over at Cryptid Audio, where Travis Baldree is narrating Governed by Whimsy: The Anthology, which will release in audio format from Tantor on August 10, 2021. Travis has done the first few chapters of Songs 03, establishing voices for Daroo, Charles, and Coop, so look forward to the balance of that story today. If you can sneak a peek, it’s loads of fun to watch him work.
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**ADDENDUM** He fit in an early session this morning & will return at his usual time, which is 1pm (Pacific).
Little Ladies. Back when I posted “Naproom,” art that features Michael reading bedtime stories to Lilya & a bunch of boys, someone asked if there were no female crossers at Stately House. There are! Fox and I had already been plotting a companion piece of sorts, with Ginkgo in the garden.
“Garden Girls” | art by FoxOfTwilight
. . .
From left to right: Be’el-garva, Ginkgo, Tawny, Mei, and Kyrie. Plus assorted kittens and Ephemera. (Who else has begun playing spot-the-nippet in Fox’s art?) Yes, Tawny is part lynx. And Mei’s Amaranthine parent is from one of the cozy clans. A chipmunk!
Tawny’s arrival at Stately House can be found in Lord Mettlebright’s Man, Ch55:
Argent appeared suddenly, as if he’d been leaning against the door this whole time. He relieved Adoona-soh of a tawny-tailed toddler who hissed and bared tiny fangs. “Desist,” he chided.
Like that would help.
She went limp.
Touché.
Most of the time, the girls are mentioned alongside the boys, like in LMM, Ch83:
Gilen with his banded tail.
Tawny, the little feline with a big hiss.
Raife of the unfortunate hair.
Mori, whose eyes were far too old.
Mei, who clung to Mori and called him brother.
But where had Nonny gone?
But they’re sometimes singled out for special attention, like in LMM, Ch155:
Sansa and Isla paddled in the shallows, giving Annika and Mei a swimming lesson. How they’d pried Mei from Mori’s side was a mystery. Tsumiko sat close enough to the water that waves swished around her and a skittish Tawny. Poor kitten.
And naturally, when Kyrie & Lilya are reminiscing about home in Bk4, its their foster siblings they miss:
She could almost see Gilen’s banded tail disappearing high above, with Tawny in close pursuit. And hear Mori’s stern voice reminding everyone to stay with their buddy. Right now, she even missed Nonny, who was a terror and a tease with everyone except Uncle Jackie.
Kyrie stopped inspecting a cluster of mushrooms growing up the side of a tree like stairsteps to say, “Jarrah would call for a climbing contest.”
So true. She said, “Finnick would have lost his shoes by now.”
“Disa would beg to be carried.”
“And Raife would give in first.” Lilya tightened her grip. “I wish we could have brought everyone.”
With a wistful smile, Kyrie said, “We miss them because we love them. They are a part of us. Our family.”
Our little cobra-crosser is Be’el-garva, who also received a mention in Bk4. (She hasn’t yet arrived at Stately House in the current timeline of LMM.)
Mother asked him to be gentle and kind and patient. Give newcomers a chance to see past the red eyes and horns and scales, to see how much his other denmates liked and trusted him. And mother was wise, because that’s how it always worked out. Even the worst crybaby—which was Be’el-garva, a little half-cobra—would trail after Kyrie, wanting to hold hands.
Look forward to daily chapters of Lord Mettlebright’s Man in June. (It’s become a Pride Month tradition.)
Followed & Dragged. Join me over at Cryptid Audio, where Travis Baldree is narrating on Governed by Whimsy: The Anthology, which will release on August 10, 2021. He’s well into Songs of the Amaranthine, #2, Followed by Thunder. We’ll likely make a first foray into Dragged by Hedgerows, too. (Yay, My weekend needed some Coop!) If you have a little time, it’s a treat to watch Travis work.
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Fandom Foray. Every month, I’m hosting a foray into fandom on my Ko-Fi account. Usually, I’d be working up a handful of Vassal chapters for you, but because of Travis Baldree’s narration of Governed by Whimsy: The Anthology, I’m doing things a bit differently for May’s updates. No Vassal (boo), but I’ve prepared TWO new chapters of Unexpected. One just posted, and you’ll have another later this afternoon. Enjoy!
Marked & Followed. Join me over at Cryptid Audio, where Travis Baldree is working on Governed by Whimsy: The Anthology. He’s already begun his foray into Marked by Stars. After that short story wraps, I’m sure we’ll go straight into Songs of the Amaranthine, #2, Followed by Thunder. I wonder if we’ll get more drop-bys with it being the weekend …?
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Mikoto and the Reaver Village + Anthology Time. Join me over at Cryptid Audio, where Travis Baldree will (definitely) be wrapping up his narration of Mikoto and the Reaver Village today. Then, it’s straight into Governed by Whimsy: The Anthology, which includes the first four short stories in the Songs of the Amaranthine collection. First up: Marked by Stars! ::twinkle::
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Mikoto and the Reaver Village. Join me over at Cryptid Audio, where Travis Baldree will (probably) be wrapping up his narration of Mikoto and the Reaver Village today. It’s been fascinating to peek behind the scenes & fun to hang out with readers. Come chat with us. And maybe level up! ::twinkle::
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Quarterly Art Card. There are plenty of reasons to consider supporting me on Patreon. The higher your tier, the more lavish your returns. By now, you know about Bard & Barbarian, the exclusive tale with the added gloss of Travis Baldree’s narration. At every level, there are opportunities to receive mail, from occasional open offers to monthly mail drops. One of my favorites is the Quarterly Bubble Mailer, which I jokingly refer to as an avian courtship. And then there’s the Quarterly Art Card, which is coming up just in time for Dichotomy Day in June.
This time around, patrons will receive “Heart of Wardenclave,” which features Waaseyaa and Zisa (Marked by Stars, Mikoto and the Reaver Village). The art card is 5″ x 5″ and is printed onto a heavy, cream-colored linen. Very summery. Very pretty. If you want to receive one, you’ll need to become a patron at the Twinkle tier ($4/month) or higher. Twinkles must request the art card. Higher tiers receive these mailings automatically.
Don’t forget, I have a community goal set for my Patreon account. Once I reach 400 patrons, I’ll begin posting Patreon-exclusive chapters of a novel-length serialization. Kimiko and the Cycle of Moons (Amaranthine Interludes, #2) will take readers back to Kikusawa. “Loosely based on the old Amaranthine tale, ‘The Wolf and the Moon Maiden,’ this serial will involve three sisters, twelve pledges, and the long-awaited stirring of a sleeping landmark.” We’re nudging higher every month (140 patrons as of this posting), and my notes for the book have me giddy. It’ll be worth the wait! ::twinkle::
“Heart of Wardenclave” | art by Nicko
FORTHRIGHT 