Songs of the Amaranthine, #10. In case you missed it, this short story is ready for readers.
She’s used to writing headlines. She’s about to become one.
Levity Jones is a local celebrity. As a journalist with the Perspective, her reports connect a whole city. Nobody would believe that the one bringing them heartwarming human-interest stories isn’t human. Unless she goes public. Which is exactly what the Five are asking her to do. The clans are about to become breaking news, and they need influencers like Levity to cast the Amaranthine people in the best possible light. Contemporary rom-com with an Amaranthine twist. Workplace romance.
Songs of the Amaranthine, #10. I clicked “publish,” so the newest short story is releasing! Kindle usually shows up within a few hours. Other virtual venues often take up to 5 days, but Pressed into Service is on its way!
You can also shelve this story (or any of my books) on Goodreads. Follow me there!
Squee Post. If you need a place to react, confer, or kick up a fuss, this is the spot. I’ll enjoy your enthusiasm, I might be willing to clarify small points, but I reserve the right to evade questions that will be answered later in upcoming Interludes & Songs. ::twinkle::
Releasing in August. Quick update on the next Songs of the Amaranthine title. I’m aiming for an August 22 release. I can’t set up pre-orders, so I’ll be hitting “publish” and we’ll count down together. Heh.
The main cast members for the story are a journalist & her editor. So … workplace rom-com vibes with an Amaranthine twist. Look forward to it!
Coming Soon. I’ve been tinkering with a new short story for months. Patrons have been getting the odd teaser, but it’s finally time to announce the upcoming release here. ::twinkle::
She’s used to writing headlines. She’s about to become one.
Levity Jones is a local celebrity. As a journalist with the Perspective, her reports connect a whole city. Nobody would believe that the one bringing them heartwarming human-interest stories isn’t human. Unless she goes public. Which is exactly what the Five are asking her to do. The clans are about to become breaking news, and they need influencers like Levity to cast the Amaranthine people in the best possible light.
. . .
Pressed into Service is basically a contemporary workplace rom-com … with an Amaranthine twist. And if you’re truly, amazingly tuned into every possible detail, you might actually remember that Levity was mentioned once in the main series. (Because I do things like that. All. The. Time.)
Thanks to the debacle surrounding the set-up of Bk7, I can’t offer pre-orders for this story, but I’m holding out hope to sneak Pressed into Service out by the end of the month. That would make me so happy.
Congrats, Lara! I happened to stumble across an upcoming graphic novel release last week, just in time to get my pre-order in. What caught my eye? The author/illustrator is Lara Pickle, who was charming to work with a few years back, when I commissioned celebratory art to use as art cards for the first four stories in the Songs of the Amaranthine series.
The four Songs illustrations (these are obviously just close crops) were titled The Dance, The Dark, The Den, and The Drama … and early patrons received these as art cards. Recognize these cast members? They’re all still figuring prominently in current storylines!
Lara’s graphic novel is a brand new release. I received my copy yesterday. Join me in celebrating her success … and if you’re interested, be sure to pick up her book. :: confetti toss ::
Patrons and Perks. I’ve been away for a few weeks, being a semi-adventurous traveler, but now that I’m safely home & settling in for holiday shenanigans, I’m catching up. Some of the boxes that awaited my return held the art cards for December. This month’s regular mailing features art by Mart on a lovely linen paper. It’s the first in what will be a set of four commissions, and patrons have the chance to collect them all.
Kusunoki | art by Mart
Dichotomy Day is nearly upon us, and that means there’s also a Quarterly Art Card mailing. This time around, I chose another lettered piece by Asha, and for the first time, I splurged on gold foil. The results have given some serious shine to her favorite quote from Kimiko and the Accidental Proposal.
“Forgive my lack of eloquence…” | lettering by Asha
I’ll also mention that it’s “courting comb” season. This year’s selection features a phoenix.Those go out in January, but in order to qualify for the mailing, you’ll need to be at the appropriate tier (beacon or reliquary) for both December and January. So now’s the time to make that leap. Quantities are limited, and I do have a few leftovers from past year’s combs (fox, dragon, chrysanthemum).
Quarterly Art Card. Happy Solstice! I’m finally getting around to showing you the art for this quarter. Junpei’s portrait turned into a larger piece incorporating paper parasols. Fox and I decided that while red flowers were a must … we could next-level things by including the Junzi/Four Gentlemen. Junpei is the main character from Flattered by Flowers (Songs of the Amaranthine, #8), and yes … as many of you have guessed, he’ll be recurring in Kimiko and the Cycle of Moons. (Coming this fall! A patreon-exclusive serialization!)
Junpei | art by FoxOfTwilight
For the art card, there’ll be an original story snippet on the reverse, titled “Sacred Tree.”
Oh, look! You know how much I love making connections … right? I hope many of you have been able to enjoy Scribbled in Margins (Songs of the Amaranthine, #9). Many thanks to those who bought, shelved, read, rated, and reviewed. It means a lot to any author. I appreciate your support.
Scribbled in Margins. Today’s the day! The 9th Songs of the Amaranthine tale has released. Here’s hoping you enjoy the new addition to the collection. And since such tales are short & sweet, I’ll make this post do double duty as the Squee Post for Scribbled in Margins.
They were sent into solitude, yetneither of them was ever truly alone. Wrongfully accused of insulting a man of higher rank, a bright young man is banished to a remote post where he must stand watch over a signal fire. Batu isn’t entirely alone, though. There’s an orange-robed monk who checks in on him from time to time, and he’s somehow befriended a golden eagle. But strange things begin to happen when the guard changes in the next tower over.
Qara can’t bear to face the future her father planned, so she runs away, pretending to be her older brother. But her new commanding officer isn’t so easily fooled. For her own good, she’s bundled off to a mountaintop watchtower. Qara is safe, but the cold and the solitude become too much to bear … until she befriends a wild sheep, a cheery villager, and the man in the next tower over.
Squee Post. If you need a place to react, confer, or kick up a fuss, this is the spot. I’ll enjoy your enthusiasm, I might be willing to clarify small points, but I reserve the right to evade questions that will be answered later in the Saga & Songs. ::twinkle::
Scribbled in Margins. The official release day for the next Songs of the Amaranthine story is tomorrow, April 4, but as per usual, many of you will find the story downloading onto your devices early. (Mine always shows up before 10pm.) OR you live in the future, because it’s already the 4th in your hemisphere. So the festivities begin early. Happy Release Eve!
An official Release Day post (with Squee Post tacked on) is scheduled to go up at midnight here. Until then!
Scribbled in Margins. The next Songs of the Amaranthine short story will be releasing in a few days. There’s still time to pre-order it … along with the three other stories releasing between now and June. Here’s a peek at the first page of Songs 09’s digital release:
They were sent into solitude, yetneither of them was ever truly alone. Wrongfully accused of insulting a man of higher rank, a bright young man is banished to a remote post where he must stand watch over a signal fire. Batu isn’t entirely alone, though. There’s an orange-robed monk who checks in on him from time to time, and he’s somehow befriended a golden eagle. But strange things begin to happen when the guard changes in the next tower over.
Qara can’t bear to face the future her father planned, so she runs away, pretending to be her older brother. But her new commanding officer isn’t so easily fooled. For her own good, she’s bundled off to a mountaintop watchtower. Qara is safe, but the cold and the solitude become too much to bear … until she befriends a wild sheep, a cheery villager, and the man in the next tower over.
. . .
As a reminder, here are all four books and helpful links:
Scribbled in Margins (Songs of the Amaranthine, #9) Release Day: April 4 Amazon | shelve on Goodreads
Suuzu and the Nine Nippets of Legend (Amaranthine Interludes, #2) Release Day: April 22 Amazon | shelve on Goodreads
Four Stories Coming Soon! After a weekend of set-up, I have firm release dates & links to pre-orders (only Amazon/Kindle so far) for the next four stories that will release. Here they are:
Scribbled in Margins (Songs of the Amaranthine, #9) Release Day: April 4 Amazon | shelve on Goodreads
Suuzu and the Nine Nippets of Legend (Amaranthine Interludes, #2) Release Day: April 22 Amazon | shelve on Goodreads
Lord Mettlebright’s Man (Amaranthine Interludes, #1) Release Day: June 4 Amazon | shelve on Goodreads
. . .
Yes, these books will be available on other sites. Amazon is just always first out of the gates. Closer to release day, these titles will start showing up in other storefronts. Thanks for reading! ::twinkle::
Pre-Order Now! The next short story in the Songs of the Amaranthine collection will be releasing on April 4, 2023!
They were sent into solitude, yetneither of them was ever truly alone. Wrongfully accused of insulting a man of higher rank, a bright young man is banished to a remote post where he must stand watch over a signal fire. Batu isn’t entirely alone, though. There’s an orange-robed monk who checks in on him from time to time, and he’s somehow befriended a golden eagle. But strange things begin to happen when the guard changes in the next tower over.
Qara can’t bear to face the future her father planned, so she runs away, pretending to be her older brother. But her new commanding officer isn’t so easily fooled. For her own good, she’s bundled off to a mountaintop watchtower. Qara is safe, but the cold and the solitude become too much to bear … until she befriends a wild sheep, a cheery villager, and the man in the next tower over.
Scribbled in Margins. The next short story in the Songs of the Amaranthine collection will be releasing next month!
They were sent into solitude, yet neither of them was ever truly alone.
Wrongfully accused of insulting a man of higher rank, a bright young man is banished to a remote post where he must stand watch over a signal fire. Batu isn’t entirely alone, though. There’s an orange-robed monk who checks in on him from time to time, and he’s somehow befriended a golden eagle. But strange things begin to happen when the guard changes in the next tower over.
Qara can’t bear to face the future her father planned, so she runs away, pretending to be her older brother. But her new commanding officer isn’t so easily fooled. For her own good, she’s bundled off to a mountaintop watchtower. Qara is safe, but the cold and the solitude become too much to bear … until she befriends a wild sheep, a cheery villager, and the man in the next tower over.
. . .
I’ve been tweeting teasers, and early peeks are a perk of patronage, so some of you already know that this story will involve wild sheep, golden eagles, snow leopards … and a “new” moth clan (as per the cover art). Scribbled in Margins will be a digital-only release. In fact, you can pre-order the ebook now if you buy through Amazon. It’ll turn up in other storefronts closer to the release date. Eventually, once I have four stories written, there will be a print anthology & an audio edition.
Songs of the Amaranthine. Good news! The audio edition of Governed by Whimsy: The Anthology is on sale until 2/24/23. Travis Baldree narrates the first four short stories in the Songs of the Amaranthine collection:
FORTHRIGHT 