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Showing posts from October, 2016

Story for #Halloween: The Rumbling Burr

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Halloween is upon us, which means NaNoWriMo is around the corner. We'll be ending the writing challenge this year by publishing the third novella in the Marridon series. Everyone who joins out Patreon campaign during the month of November will receive a free copy of the book at the end of the month. To tide everyone over, here is an excerpt from the first part of The Ship's Crew: B artleby slipped farther into the seat of the chair. Here was pleasure, here was the blissful pinnacle of his subsistence, and Bartleby could only be made happier by never being expected to leave it.   He could have made himself more immediately easy by taking an axe to the stoat and using its hacked carcass for kindling, but Attenburrow’s manuscript was beckoning him, and he would leave all ideas of golden weasels to the captain, who seemed to have a fascination with anything that was deemed valuable regardless of how extraordinary it was. Tea and books must prevail in Bartleby’s mind, and wi

Story for the day: The Blue Farmhouse

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War ruins all promise of decency, and when the Gallieisians invaded Frewyn during the Second War, many small villages along the Menorian Mountains were ravaged by pillaging parties, and when one such village was particularly ungrateful to Tyfferim Company for having saved them, Boudicca ends up asking herself: what is it all for? Jaicobh, as always, has an answer. An excerpt from our newest novella on Patreon . Join the campaign here for the full story: T he rain continued, and Boudicca watched her footprints drown with eyes low and heart sinking. The sound of heavy footfalls neared, the shuffling of scudding heels stopped beside her, there was sidelong glance, and the worn workboots and stained overalls told her who had approached. The chair in the corner of the porch creaked as it moved, and someone exhaled as they sat down. A large form slumped into the seat, and the chair groaned as it craned backward, a head leaning back on the rest, the force from well-planted and heavy th

Save A-Level #Archaeology

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The AQA Exam Board have decided to remove Archaeology from the A-Levels, a most untoward and foolish decision. A certain professor emeritus would like a word: To the AQA Exam Board: I have just been told the most hideous news, and by this letter, I am hoping that someone in your organization can make this business intelligible to me. I have been told that your little collection of directors has decided to remove archaeology from the A-Levels. If I have heard rightly, and I suppose I have, because everybody seems to be undermining education these days, you can be very sure I will refute this nonsense, and I will not yield nor will I bend to the officious and nothing-meaning excuses of budget cuts or needing to make way for what your set deem to be more lucrative subjects until this decision be reversed. What can you mean by removing archaeology from the A-Levels? A student does not get into archaeology because he wants to learn how to make money-- that is what the law is for-- h

Happy #NationalComingOutDay: The Two Carpenters

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There are many across the Two Continents who are proud to express their inclinations, and while Nidello and Arkestino, Vathrasta and Hathanta, and many other such couples are glad to openly proclaim their affection for one another, there are none so proud as Ujaro and Brogan, the two carpenters on Captain Danaco's ship: D anaco took a small book from his vest pocket and held it up, and instantly Bartleby was interested.   His ears twitched, his eyes blazed in grim curiosity,the tip of his nose quivered, and he had quite forgot about the slight that Rannig and Brogan had laid against him. He sniffed and sniffed again, his eye following the direction of the scent, his mind everywhere awake to the joys of a book unblemished. He inhaled, the dust of knowledge untouched pervaded his senses, and as he turned and reached for the volume, it was swiftly retracted and hidden behind Danaco’s back.                 “An unread book?” said Bartleby, with beseeching aspect, frantically snuf