Forthright .'s Blog, page 55

Bard & Barbarian

Narrated Edition. Bard and Barbarian has been posting slow and steady over on my Patreon account. Reading along is great, but supporters on some tiers can now listen along. The story is being narrated by Travis Baldree. Ch37, “Together We Fare” just went live for those in qualifying tiers. AND Ch33, “Finest of the Fine” has unlocked for the Twinkle and Sparkle tiers.

New narrated chapters will arrive every other Wednesday, which means … there’s always something more to look forward to!...

Lord, it’s gone quiet.

Lord Mettlebright’s Man. There have been a handful of private asides, but It’s been unusually quiet in comments lately, and I’m curious why.

Tongue in Cheek. You don’t actually have to comment for me to keep going. I know lots of you love Jacques and care about his outcomes. This is mostly me popping up to ask my own aside. “Hey, are you okay, over there?” If life’s been crazy where you are, please know that I care & hope my stories can somehow keep you company. :: hug ::

LMM 476: Parked

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 with questions.

476
Parked

Jacques hit his turn signal and pulled to the side on a country road that saw almost no traffic. Turning and lowering his sunglasses, he said, “I’ll be needing some confirmation.”

...

LMM 475: Contextual Clues

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 rises to the challenge.

475
Contextual Clues

Jacques angled his chin just so.

Sonnet was staring, and not in a way that begged him to stop.

So he went one better, adding a hand gesture. Feline again,...

Quarterly Art Card

September 2022. This will be a busy month for the mailboxes of those readers who’ve become patrons. The regularly scheduled September mailing will feature another illustration in the Ephemera collection:

Midivar | art by Ren

Normally, this mailing would only be available to patrons beginning at the Sparkle tier ($14/month), but a couple of times a year, I will do an Open Offer, making a mailing available to patrons at any tier. That’s what I’ve done for the midivar postcards, so if you...

ART: Mani-Pedi

The Adorning of Dragons. Stately House has become a peaceful retreat for those Argent trusts and respects. Lord Mossberne is one of the fortunate few, and he has long-since made himself at home.

“Mani-Pedi” | art by FoxOfTwilight

Although it’s only been hints here and there, it’s clear that those who call Stately House home love Lapis. He’s there as often as he can be. Throughout Book 4, Kyrie recalls Lapis often and fondly, since the dragon lord has been mentoring him almost since bi...

GO! Fest

Gotta Catch ‘Em All. Taking a little break from writing today in order to play. Yep, I’m into Pokemon GO! If you are, too, and you need a friend, message me. My email is always.forthright at gmail dot com. Always happy to play with reading friends. ::glomp::

“I Choose You!” | chibi by FoxOfTwilight

LMM 474: Front Seat, Back Seat

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 doesn’t need words.

474
Front Seat, Back Seat

During the drive home, Sonnet was quieter than usual.

Jacques didn’t mind. When it came to wolves, words weren’t the thing.

Dipping into his repertoire o...

How Old is Sonnet?

Sonnet Skybellow. This question came up in comments today for Lord Mettlebright’s Man, and a blog post seems appropriate. As is usual with my writing, you have all the facts, but they’re somewhat scattered. I’ll go through his appearances in publishing order:

We first meet Sonnet in Hemmed in Silver (Songs of the Amaranthine, #5), which is set in post-war England (1950s or 60s, given Alfie’s reference to seeing things on the telly). Midway through that story, Sonnet’s father turns up, inadve...

LMM 473: All that Matters

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 lone one.

473
All that Matters

“You rather put this off,” Jacques murmured. “Was it for lack of a suitable partner?”

“I’ve been… busy.”

“I keep busy myself.” Jacques chose to be straightforward. “You know I ...