#era j. m. couts

[duckprintspress]

New Release: “Warmer Lights” by Era J. M. Couts

Title: Warmer Lights

Author: Era J.M. Couts

Genre: Modern

Rating: General Audiences

Relationship: m/m

Tags: berlin, fluff, germany, present tense, reunions, second chances, second person, sports (dancing)

Teaser:

In the beginning, it feels like a game.

A playful game, where there’s laughter and giggling and energy to no end. A game where every move is fun, every day is fun, every breathing second is fun.

You’ve just met someone, and it’s exciting and pure and intense.

Length: 7 pages/1,430 words

This Saturday we bring you second chances, short and sweet! Check it out now!

Who we are: Duck Prints Press LLC is an independent publisher based in New York State. Our founding vision is to help fanfiction authors navigate the complex process of bringing their original works from first draft to print, culminating in publishing their work under our imprint. We are particularly dedicated to working with queer authors and publishing stories featuring characters from across the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. Love what we do? Want to make sure you don’t miss the announcement for future giveaways? Sign up for our monthly newsletter and get previews, behind-the-scenes information, coupons, and more!

Want to support the Press, read about us behind-the-scenes, learn about what’s coming down the pipeline, get exclusive teasers, and claim free stories? Back us on Patreon or ko-fi monthly!

[duckprintspress]

*waves* here we are! Some published tumblr authors we work with who are open/public about their "publishing identity" and its connection to their "fandom identity" include...

@unforth (writes as Nina Waters - unforth owns us, and wrote this post, hi y'all. :D )

@jhoomwrites (writes as A. L. Heard)

@tryslora (writes under at least two names, but most recently and most often as Tris Lawrence)

@owlishintergalactic (writes as Lacey Hays)

@ashcroft-writes (writes as I. A. Ashcroft)

@alocalband (writes as Jessica Black)

@theleakypen (writes as Puck Malamud)

@jmatheison-fic (writes as Jo Mathieson)

@erajakira (writes as Era J. M. Couts)

@arialerendeair (writes as Aria L. Deair and under several other names as well)

@nottesilhouette (writes as Sanjita Jain)

@dragonmuse (writes as Veronica Sloane)

@draco-at-dawn (writes as Nicole Wilkinson)

We've worked with over 30 authors, and nearly ALL of them have Tumblrs, but these are the ones who've authorized us to share both their pen name of choice and their Tumblr account. :D (tho we'll be posting a whole bunch more when we formally announce the contributor list for our next two anthologies - that should come out within the next week, so be on the look out)

And: basically all our writers are queer, and all of our books/stories are also queer. Duck Prints Press exists because a lot of fanfic authors want to break into publishing their original fic, but doing so can be so intimidating, difficult, time consuming, disheartening, etc. We try to bridge those challenges by creating a less arduous, less frightening route to having works in print. We only work with authors who have published fanfiction (and we only work with artists who do fanart, and we work with graphic designers who've done fandom graphics/typeset fanfiction/etc., you get the idea). Every single person we work with, from me the owner all the way down, is heavily involved in fandom as a fic author, fanartist, graphics maker, meta writer, etc., etc.

So yeah, if you're looking for authors on Tumblr...hi, we're here, and we're definitely on Tumblr. :D

And, to people who already follow us and see this post, hey look, here's some other awesome-sounding authors who are on Tumblr and you might want to check out! :D

let’s make a list of tumblr writers whose books we should be supporting

[duckprintspress]

Our monthly “created works round-ups” are Duck Prints Press’s opportunity to spotlight some of the amazing work that people working with us have done that ISN’T linked to their work with Duck Prints Press. We include fanworks, outside publications, and anything else that creators feel like sharing with y’all! Inclusion is voluntary and includes anything that they decided “hey, I want to put this on the created work’s round-up!”

Check out what they’ve shared with us this month…

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Hold it together by Era JM Couts

fiction || naruto || no ships, platonic or familial || teen & up || no major warnings apply || 940 || complete

summary: Hold it together had been Sakura’s mantra for far too many years. Existing for others, surviving a war, forcing her mind to endure just one more day, just one more mission, just one more battle.

But as Naruto and Sasuke fight their final fight, Sakura slowly has no more reasons to hold it together.

OR

Sakura’s pov of manga chapters 696-699. As per my view and poetic liberty.

other tags: Final Battle, POV Haruno Sakura, Angst, Chapter 696-699 (Naruto), Building anxiety, Sakura’s pov of the Final Sasuke/Naruto fight.

TUMBLR – AO3 – INSTAGRAM

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​I’d Call As You Climbed by Puck Malamud

fiction || arcane: league of legends (2021) || platonic or familial, f/f || caitlyn/vi (league of legends) || teen & up || no major warnings apply || 5,639 || complete

summary: > “You’ll have to excuse Vi,” the skinny kid with big eyebrows drawled. “She’s a punch first, ask questions later sort of girl.”

Caitlyn goes down to the undercity after Jayce’s workshop is destroyed and meets Vi and her gang. This doesn’t change anything. But then again, it might change quite a lot.

Written for Fandom Trumps Hate 2022

other tags: Alternate Universe – Canon Divergence; Alternate Universe – Different First Meeting; Arcane: League of Legends Season 01 Act 01; POV Caitlyn (League of Legends); Pre-Relationship; Pre-Femslash; Enforcers (Arcane: League of Legends) – Freeform; background Caitlyn & Jayce; Team Up; Privileged Character Unlearning Biases; Making Bureaucracy Work For You

TUMBLR – AO3

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​thinking (about last night) by Rhosyn Du

fiction || red, white & royal blue || m/m || alex claremont-diaz/henry fox-mountchristen-windsor || explicit || no major warnings apply || 18,743 || complete

summary: “I hope you know that I am literally never going to stop reminding you that you said that. I’m going to, like, take out an ad in the student paper. Maybe hire a skywriter or something. I am definitely telling Pez.”

“I hate you,” Henry tells him.

“Lies,” Alex says, still laughing. “You know you love me.”

Henry lets out a heavy sigh. “Well,” he says softly, “that’s rather the problem, isn’t it?”

“What, you think we’d be better off if we still hated each other?”

“I think,” Henry says slowly, “I’d be better off if I could figure out how to stop being so stupidly in love with you.”

It takes a few seconds for the words to really register, as distracted as Alex is by the heat of Henry’s breath and wondering how much it would cost to actually hire a skywriter. Once they do, it takes a full minute before Alex can move. Can breathe. Can think.

Finally, he forces out a whispered, “What?”

When that gets no response, he tries again. This time, his voice actually cooperates. “Wait, what?”

The only response he gets is a soft snore and Alex realizes that Henry, the utter fucking asshole, has passed out on his shoulder.

other tags: Alternate Universe – College/University, Roommates, Drunken Confessions, Communication Failure, Idiots in Love, Pining, Jealousy, Light Angst, References to Depression

AO3

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​Castles in the Sky by Shadaras

fiction || 全职高手 – 蝴蝶蓝 | quánzhí gāoshǒu | the king’s avatar – húdié lán || platonic or familial, queerplatonic f+m (just in case: this is distinctly separate from the platonic relationships!) || queerplatonic chǔ yúnxiù & yè xiū, chǔ yúnxiù & shū kěyí, chǔ yúnxiù & team misty rain || general audiences || no major warnings apply || 36,613 || complete

summary: Here are two truths and a lie:

Chu Yunxiu is Misty Rain’s captain.

Chu Yunxiu is dating Ye Qiu.

Chu Yunxiu is happy to have the Shu twins on her team.

Of course, a lie can become true if you believe in it enough…

(A Chu Yunxiu character study.)

other tags: Aroace Characters, Mostly Canon-Compliant, Post-Canon, Team Feelings, Women-Centric, Fake Dating to Queerplatonic Marriage

AO3

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Fledgling Bonds by Tris Lawrence/tryslora

fiction || teen wolf || poly (one gender: male) || derek/stiles/jackson || teen & up || no major warnings apply || 6,143 || complete

summary: When Jackson’s ambo is called to the building where he lives, he’s terrified it’s Derek. But no, it’s the guy next door, who has crowds of noisy people over all the time, and plays his TV loud enough to bother Derek into getting noise-canceling headphones. Jackson and Derek are more than a little surprised to discover exactly who that person is.

other tags: Panic Attacks, Canon Divergence, Future Fic, Polyamory Negotiation

AO3

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​All of this month’s shared works are fanfiction – so if you’re in the market for something new to read this New Year’s Day, why not check them out?

Who We Are: Duck Prints Press LLC is an independent publisher based in New York State. Our founding vision is to help fanfiction authors navigate the complex process of bringing their original works from first draft to print, culminating in publishing their work under our imprint. We are particularly dedicated to working with queer authors and publishing stories featuring characters from across the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. Love what we do? Sign up for our monthly newsletter and get previews, behind-the-scenes information, coupons, and more

[duckprintspress]

Creator’s Spotlight: 6 Recent Works Created in April by Duck Prints Press Contributors!

Our monthly “created works round-ups” are Duck Prints Press’s opportunity to spotlight some of the amazing work that people working with us have done that ISN’T linked to their work with Duck Prints Press. We include fanworks, outside publications, and anything else that creators feel like sharing with y’all! Inclusion is voluntary and includes anything that they decided “hey, I want to put this on the created work’s round-up!”

Check out what they’ve shared with us this month…

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Waiting Between Worlds by Era JM Couts

fiction || naruto || f/f, m/m, f/m || haruno sakura/yamanaka ino, uchiha sasuke/uzumaki naruto, hyuuga neji/nara shikamaru || explicit || no major warnings apply || 1,896 || work in progress

summary: The war was over but there was no sudden happiness. Their problems didn’t disappear, their trauma didn’t disappear, and the political landmine of the post-war relations didn’t suddenly solve itself. In a perverse, twisted way, the post-war was harder than the war itself.

Anbu offered an exit. A broken, temporary solution. A way to erase the emotional pain.

Ten years later, they’re deeply entwined in the reality of life politics and the hard choices of a grey world.

But Sakura has a goal, Hinata has a plan, Ino has a mission.

And they’re done waiting.

other tags: Post-Fourth Shinobi War, ANBU, Konoha politics, Hyuuga Clan Politics, Fighting the System, Mostly Canon Compliant until Manga #698, Drama, Angst, Friendships, SNS in Denial, Friends to Lovers, Idiots to lovers, A lot of emotional damage from the war, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Casual Sex, ONS Naru/Saku, FWB Ino/Tema, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fake Engagement Sasu/Hina, Hyuuga Hinata & Uchiha Sasuke Friendship, Depression, Canon-Typical Violence, Explicit Sexual Content

TUMBLR – AO3

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Rules Were Made to Be Twistificated by firefly124

fiction || mcyt, traffic life series, double life smp, hermitcraft smp, empires smp || m/m || jimmy solidarity/tango tek || teen & up || no major warnings apply || 2,190 || ongoing series

summary: His communicator vibrated. Jimmy looked at it and was surprised to see it was a message from Grian and not an inquiry about when the coffee shop would be handling custom orders again. It wasn’t even his eight-millionth request for tea. That would’ve just been funny. Instead, it was pretty ominous.

“Meet me at the entity. We need to talk.”

other tags: mention of past Jimmy/Scott, blaze hybrid Tango, avian Jimmy, watcher-listener lore

AO3

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We Were Always Going to End Up Together by jumblejen

fiction || supernatural || f/f, m/m, f/m || castiel/dean winchester, eileen leahy/sam winchester || mature || no major warnings apply || 52,289 || complete

summary: When Dean’s best friend Charlie drags him to a haunted corn maze, he’d expected a few scares, a few laughs and maybe pie afterward. Instead he meets someone that might just change everything.

other tags: au – no supernatural, something at first sight, dean is trying to be a person, happy ending, dean’s dating history is not pretty, some angst, mostly fluff, mention of alcoholism, panic attacks, big thoughts

AO3

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In Bloom by unforth

fiction || heaven official’s blessing || m/m || hua cheng/xie lian || general audiences || no major warnings apply || 705 || complete

summary: Hua Cheng gives Xie Lian a gift. Xie Lian worries that history will repeat itself.

other tags: Post canon, fluff, emotional hurt/comfort

TUMBLR – AO3

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Like You Can Stop Us? by unforth

fiction || daomu biji || poly (one gender: male) || wu xie/zhang qiling/wang pangzi || general audiences || no major warnings apply || 100 || complete

summary: Wu Erbai meets Pangzi for the first time.

other tags: outsider point of view, drabble

TUMBLR – AO3

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Double Vision by unforth

fiction || supernatural || poly (one gender: male) || dean winchester/castiel/jimmy || mature || no major warnings apply || 972 || complete

summary: Dean is somewhere between “still drunk” and “annoyingly hungover” when he wakes up in an unfamiliar bedroom with the certainty that he got laid the previous night.

But nothing could have prepared him for who he wakes up to…

other tags: incest/twincest trigger warning, drunk sex (implied),

TUMBLR – AO3

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See a fandom you love? Check out these fics! Or, find a whole new fandom! Happy reading…

Who We Are: Duck Prints Press LLC is an independent publisher based in New York State. Our founding vision is to help fanfiction authors navigate the complex process of bringing their original works from first draft to print, culminating in publishing their work under our imprint. We are particularly dedicated to working with queer authors and publishing stories featuring characters from across the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. Love what we do? Sign up for our monthly newsletter and get previews, behind-the-scenes information, coupons, and more!

[duckprintspress]

In honor of the 54th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots – June 28th, 1969 – Duck Prints Press is thrilled to share with you how we’re celebrating Pride Month: with queer stories, of course!

Introducing our Pride 2023 Bundles: two collections of short stories, one general imprint, one erotica, each priced at a discounted $19.69, with all purchases benefiting two wonderful queer charities selected by the authors of the stories in the bundles: The Ali Forney Center and the Transgender Law Center.

We’ll be donating roughly 35% of the proceeds from these bundles to charity – the Press is donating 10% off the top, and many of the authors chose to donate part of their royalties as well, bringing the totals to approximately 40% of the list price of the erotica collection and approximately 35% of the list price of the general imprint collection.

How This Works

you buy one or both bundles between now and July 28th, 2023.

we tally up all the proceeds earned and do some math-e-magic to figure out how much we’re donating!

we divide the charity share in half right down the middle and, within the first week of August, we donate raised money to the Ali Forney Center and the Transgender Law Center; then, we post the proof we’ve done so.

you get fantastic stories!

we all get that happy, glowy feeling of knowing that money has been well-spent on fantastic causes!

About the Press

Duck Prints Press is a queer-owned indie press, founded to publish original works by fancreators. We’ve been in operation for over 2 years, and in that time we’ve worked with well over 150 creators to publish four anthologies and almost 70 other stories, from shorts to novels, and we’ve got more on the works (our fifth anthology is Kickstarting RIGHT NOW, as a matter of fact!). The vast majority of our creators and their creations are queer/LGTBQIA+ (maybe even all, but we don’t out anyone and we don’t ask demography because, frankly, it’s none of our business).

20 of our authors have chosen to include their short stories in one or both of these short story bundles, and these 20 and others nominated charities, then voted to narrow it down to these two! Participation in these bundles was entirely voluntarily, as was choosing to donate shares of royalties, which about a third of the authors have opted to do.

About the Charities

Note: These charities are not affiliated with the Press, do not know we’re doing this fundraiser, have not endorsed this in anyway and are, as such, utterly uninvolved in this beyond being the beneficiaries of our efforts! Text is from the websites of each charity and is being used under fair use laws.

The Ali Forney Center was founded in 2002. Committed to saving the lives of LGBTQ+ young people, our mission is to protect them from the harms of homelessness and empower them with the tools needed to live independently. A 24-hour program, The Ali Forney Center never closes its doors. We provide more than just a bed and food for those in need — from initial intake at our drop-in center to transitional housing and job readiness training, we provide homeless LGBTQ+ youth a safe, warm, supportive environment to escape the streets [of New York City].

Transgender Law Center is the largest national trans-led organization advocating self-determination for all people. Since 2002 we’ve been organizing, assisting, informing and empowering thousands of individual community members towards a long-term, national, trans-led movement for liberation.

About the Bundles

(this is getting long, so read more...)

We’re offering two bundles: one containing 14 stories from our general imprint, the other containing 11 stories from our erotica imprint. For all the deets, you’ll need to visit the page for each story, but here’s an overview…

Titles in the General Imprint Charity Bundle:

A Mutual Interest by Alec J. Marsh

The Problem with Wishes by Annabeth Lynch

Let the Solstice Come by D. V. Morse

Warmer Lights by Era J. M. Couts

An Odd Gathering of Peculiar Cats by J. D. Harlock

Dead Man’s Bells by Nicola Kapron

Widow’s Black by Nina Waters

twin flames by nottesilhouette

A Shield for the People by Puck Malamud

Much Ruckus by R. L. Houck

Bubble, Bubble by Sage Mooreland

Settling Down by Theresa Tanner

Best Friends AND… by Tris Lawrence

To Fill My Cup by Violet J. Hayes

Approximately 35% of the $19.69 list price of this bundle will go to the charities.

Titles in the Erotica Imprint Charity Bundle:

Pas de Deux by Aeryn Jemariel Knox

Study Hall by Alec J. Marsh

A Safe Place to Land by boneturtle

Clerical Error by Dei Walker

In the Moonlight by E. V. Dean

We All Need to Get By by Lyn Weaver

The Fated Prince by Mikki Madison

Lust by Nina Waters

No One Right Way by R. L. Houck

Easier Than Expected by Samantha M. Piper

Urchin Juiced by Xianyu Zhou

Approximately 40% of the $19.69 list price of this bundle will go to the charities.

What are you waiting for? Come get some great stories, support a queer-owned business this Pride, and benefit two fantastic causes. Win-win-win situations don’t get much better than this!

These bundles will only be available for one month, so don’t miss out. Visit our webstore between now and July 28th and get yours!

[duckprintspress]

Time is running out to participate in Duck Prints Press’s 2023 Pride Bundle fundraiser! Through July 28th, we’re offering two book bundles – one containing 14 short stories from our general imprint, one containing 11 short stories from our erotica imprint – with nearly 40% of the proceeds going to the Ali Forney Center and Transgender Law Center.

Since we listed these bundles on the 54th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, June 28th, 1969, we’ve raised $225.25 to donate! We’d love to increase that number, and with your help we can!

Check out everything you can get:

Titles in the General Imprint Charity Bundle:

A Mutual Interest by Alec J. Marsh

The Problem with Wishes by Annabeth Lynch

Let the Solstice Come by D. V. Morse

Warmer Lights by Era J. M. Couts

An Odd Gathering of Peculiar Cats by J. D. Harlock

Dead Man’s Bells by Nicola Kapron

Widow’s Black by Nina Waters

twin flames by nottesilhouette

A Shield for the People by Puck Malamud

Much Ruckus by R. L. Houck

Bubble, Bubble by Sage Mooreland

Settling Down by Theresa Tanner

Best Friends AND… by Tris Lawrence

To Fill My Cup by Violet J. Hayes

Approximately 35% of the $19.69 list price of this bundle will go to the charities.

Titles in the Erotica Imprint Charity Bundle:

Pas de Deux by Aeryn Jemariel Knox

Study Hall by Alec J. Marsh

A Safe Place to Land by boneturtle

Clerical Error by Dei Walker

In the Moonlight by E. V. Dean

We All Need to Get By by Lyn Weaver

The Fated Prince by Mikki Madison

Lust by Nina Waters

No One Right Way by R. L. Houck

Easier Than Expected by Samantha M. Piper

Urchin Juiced by Xianyu Zhou

Approximately 40% of the $19.69 list price of this bundle will go to the charities.

Looking for a big W this week? A small, queer indie press gets support, two wonderful charities get money to help queer youth, and you get great stories? Sounds like winning to us! So come visit Duck Prints Press’s webstore and get your stories now!

You can read all the details about us, the charities, and how this sale works by visiting the main post here.

[duckprintspress]

Today is July 28th, which means it’s the last day to buy our General Imprint Pride Bundle and Erotica Imprint Pride Bundle, save money on our stories, and help us raise funds to donate to the Ali Forney Center and Transgender Law Center!

Each bundle costs $19.69, in honor of the year of Stonewall. The Press is donating 40% of our share of the proceeds to the charities, and many of our authors chose to donate part of their share to charity as well, with the result that more than 35% of each bundle sale will go directly to the causes our authors have chosen to support. Thus far, we’ve raised just over $300; we’ll divide our final total in half and make the donations once the fundraiser is complete, and we’ll post receipts for transparency purposes.

The General Imprint bundle includes 14 short stories – 175 pages of very queer fiction – with works by Alec J. Marsh, Annabeth Lynch, D. V. Morse, Era J. M. Couts, J. D. Harlock, Nicola Kapron, Nina Waters, nottesilhouette, Puck Malamud, R. L. Houck, Sage Mooreland, Theresa Tanner, Tris Lawrence, and Violet J. Hayes. Approximately $7 of every General Imprint bundle purchase goes to charity (35%).

The Erotica Imprint bundle includes 11 short stories – a steamy, smutty 151 pages – with works by Aeryn Jemariel Knox, Alec J. Marsh, boneturtle, Dei Walker, Lyn Weaver, Mikki Madison, Nina Waters, R. L. Houck, Samantha M. Piper, Tris Lawrence, and Xianyu Zhou. Approximately $8 of every Erotica Imprint bundle purchase goes to charity (40%).

DUCK PRINTS PRESS gets your eyes on two whole bundles of our publications.

THE CHARITIES get cold, hard cash!

AND YOU get great stories, a sampler of works written by the authors who are part of Duck Prints Press! Some come on over and BUY YOUR 2023 GENERAL IMPRINT AND EROTICA IMPRINT PRIDE BUNDLES NOW!

You can read more about this charity drive, the Press, the charities, and the stories by reading this post!

[duckprintspress]

Contributor Spotlights: N. C. Farrell and Era J. M. Couts

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!

She Wears the Midnight Crown Contributor Spotlight: N. C. Farrell

Biography: N. C. Farrell (they/he) grew up in California’s Silicon Valley, where they spent long days hiking the coastal mountains, reading an impressive number of books about dragons (and cats, and spaceships, and magic, etc.), and creating stories with their friends. He moved to Massachusetts for college, where he studied psychology while reading more books (some of which were even for classes!), participating in LARPs, and ensuring that the SF/F club’s student-run convention had a solid schedule. Since graduating, N. C. Farrell has worked in various education-related roles. They currently spend much of their free time reading (more translated webnovels than paper books right now), writing (a lot of fanfic), practicing aikido, playing TTRPGs, and being supervised by a small shadow in the shape of a cat.

Story Title: Eldest Daughter Seeks Her Wife

Teaser:

I couldn’t help but think Bea would want to document this as I mixed milk and honey in my mother’s silver bowl. Bea wanted to document everything; it made her a fantastic journalist while also making any journey we took last twice as long. The photos were worth it, though; Bea’s scrapbooks were tomes of rich memory from our college meeting to graduating together to marriage and the newness of a home of our own.

She took in the whole world, and I wasn’t going to let anyone take her away from it. 

I pricked my finger and squeezed a few drops of blood into the honeyed milk before wrapping a bandage tight around the tiny wound. I didn’t want the fairies having free access to my blood; there were too many things they could do if they touched it outside of my own ritual.

Then I picked up the silver bowl and approached the fairy circle. “I wish you were here to see this,” I whispered to Bea. “You should be the one making history.”

He Bears the Cape of Stars Contributor Spotlight: Era J. M. Couts

Biography: I’ve been a writer for over 20 years.

Well, if I actually think about it carefully, it has probably been longer than that. I do remember writing a story on MS Paint when my age was still single digits. I could have used Word, but Paint was funnier, it let me draw my scenes there too.

So maybe I should rephrase it: I have been a fanfic writer for over 20 years. There, that looks a bit better. I wrote a few originals, too, but those never saw the light of day. They will, eventually.

I like to write about characters and their development. I like to write about feelings and struggles and how complicated life can be even when it looks so simple. I like to write epic love stories that don’t always have a happy ending. But most often they do.

I will, one day, write a dystopian series that I’ve been plotting for over a decade. One day, certainly one day.

Aside from being a writer, I’m a reader, an opinionated mind, an Aries, an immigrant, a coffee lover, and a night owl that has been forced to conform to the social norm of waking up early only to become a “Morgenmuffel.”

I am passionate, energetic, lazy, and sarcastic. I’m a CrazyCatLady in the making, a food lover that cannot cook, the Man™ my grandma wanted me to marry, and a happy soul in my own shoes.

And, above all, I am weird. I am queer. And so damn proud of it.

Links: Archive of Our Own | Tumblr

Story Title: Fragments of Sand

Teaser:

“Do you miss it?” Aoi’s voice was so low Kaveh could barely hear him. The witch’s Mask was old past an age any human should reach, frail as wet paper. They sat together in the belvedere of what had been a castle, eyeing the ruins taken by nature. Kaveh’s Mask – tall, handsome, healthy – contrasted with Aoi’s. He sighed, unsure of what the witch meant but too tired to ask. “Your home.”

“It’s a dark and humid place, devoid of life except from the ones I feed from,” Kaveh shrugged, flexing his hand. The burn in his palm gently fading, pointing to the success of yet another mission. Year 317 of 400, mission no. 3981. “There’s nothing to miss there.”

“I meant the desert,” Aoi said, as though commenting on the blue colour of the sky. Kaveh closed his eyes, clenched his teeth, shook the damn tingle from his blood before staring at the centenarian woman next to him. Aoi gave him a delicate smile. “Your soul smells like the desert. Dusty, dry herbs, and camel breaths. Far older than most of the religions that walk the earth today.”

“Aoi,” Kaveh warned, low and gravelled, a bleeding wound refusing to heal.

“An ancient Bedouin turned vampire…” It wasn’t pity that crawled under Aoi’s broken voice. It was a cold tone of deep sorrow, a relatableness that Kaveh hadn’t encountered before. It was foreign and, in all its passiveness, it pulled strings that Kaveh thought long broken. “Born under the scorching sun only to have it turn into your demise… it must’ve been hard.”

“What’s your point?!” he snapped, glaring at the Mask next to him.

“There’s no point…” Aoi said, soft, delicate, the weight of several lifetimes on his eyes. “I miss home too.”

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 14th, 2022!

Visit Our Page and Learn More!

[duckprintspress]

Announcing: The Contributors to “He Bears the Cape of Stars” and “She Wears the Midnight Crown”!

36 remarkable authors—18 for He Bears the Cape of Stars, 18 for She Wears the Midnight Crown—have come together for this project. These authors have been toiling away on their stories since February 1st, 2022, and we’re currently work with them on edits to get them publication-ready. We’re delighted to share their work with you!

Contributors to He Bears the Cape of Stars:

Kit Alexander (Archive of Our Own)

Jessica Black (Archive of Our Own | Discord: alocalband#6844 | Tumblr | Twitter)

Era J. M. Couts (Archive of Our Own | Tumblr)

Ma’at James (Twitter)

Stephen G. Krueger (Archive of Our Own | Etsy | Personal Website)

Tris Lawrence (Facebook | Pillowfort | Tumblr | Twitter)

J. S. Lenore (Archive of Our Own | Facebook | Tumblr | Twitter)

Louise Long (Personal Website | Twitter)

M. K. Mads

Maggie Page

Julia Perroni (Twitter)

Alex Ransom

J. D. Rivers (Personal Website | Twitter)

Tevye J. Schmidt

Veronica Sloane (Archive of Our Own | Tumblr)

Elliott Vale (Tumblr | Twitter)

Nina Waters (Archive of Our Own | Tumblr | Twitter)

Charlie Winter (Archive of Our Own | Twitter)

Contributors to She Wears the Midnight Crown:

Willa Blythe (Personal Website | Twitter)

Rebekah D. Cook (Personal Website | Tumblr | Twitter)

N. C. Farrell

B. T. Fish (Twitter)

S. Z. Fletcher (Personal Website | Twitter)

Mare Griffen

Adrian Harley (Twitter)

Rascal Hartley

Lacey Hays (Tumblr | Instagram | Twitter | Royal Road | Wattpad)

D. A. Hernández (Twitter)

Lucy K. R. (Archive of Our Own | Twitter)

Lex T. Lindsay (Goodreads | Linktree | Twitter)

Annabeth Lynch (Facebook | Instagram)

Sebastian Marie (Archive of Our Own)

Alec J. Marsh (Etsy | Instagram | Twitter)

Bunny K. Solomon (Personal Website)

Emma Victoria (Twitter)

Lyn Weaver

You can read about them—in their own words!—see select author portraits, and more, by clicking this link: