Sneak Preview: Sister Chaos by Bryn Hammond
about 1 year ago – Thu, Feb 23, 2023 at 07:29:28 AM

Byrn Hammond told a marvelous tale in issue #0 of NESS, "The Grief-Note of Vultures". If we fund issues #1&2, then you'll all get to enjoy a follow-up tale featuring the same Steppe-inspired protagonist and setting. 

Here's an excerpt of an early draft of what is currently being called...

Sister Chaos 

by Bryn Hammond (Excerpt of a work-in-progress)

Disembowelled

by a spear called Pear in Flower.

This woman enthralls

our Reign of Peace and Harmony:

Sister Chaos.

     Perversely, the king of the Scarlet Jacket bandits had become a cult among the scholar-

gentry, such that they circulated poems upon her in the polite teahouses of the capital Irighaya

– often poems that questioned themselves as to why a bloody ex-peasant bandit held persons

of their erudition, elegant manners and attainments under an unhealthy spell of fascination.

     Goatskin Duzmut too knew the disadvantages of popularity, although her tale was told

in street entertainments, not in salons, by actors who were as low in rank as she, nevertheless

whose comedy sketches poking fun at authorities or petty gods amused the respectable

classes in towns like Fattimbet and Khara Khoto.

     Fame was already a problem for both of them, when the Scarlet Jackets’ king

enormously exacerbated hers by the murder of an eminent scholar on the road. She killed him

in his coach with her spear Pear in Flower, and left a pressed pear flower pinned to the body’s

lapel as her signature to claim the deed.

     “I am led from a boast to another boast, from a feat to another feat,” Angaj-Duzmut

lilted into the wind. Grass blew, flickering light, on every side to the horizon.

     “A line from a song? It has a melancholy air.”

     “It is the complaint of a hero who has to keep up his reputation or outdo himself, in an

escalating sequence until he meets the thing that is too much for him. Do you not find, Goose,

that a legend is as hounding as it is gratifying?”

     They were walking by remote ways to escape the pursuit, Angaj-Duzmut – known as

Goatskin for her outfit, stitched hide with the hair on, the daily wear of her goat nomad

people but rough and wild to settled folk – and the bandit king who collected names like

trophies. Foe and friend called her Qi Miao, that in Han meant a marvel. In the bandits’

marshes she possessed the title of the Wild Goose Utszu, for gangs in that sanctuary went by

waterbird aliases and every leader, a dozen or two dozen, was an ‘utszu’ in mockery of the

one and only Utzsu on his throne in the royal city Halachar. ‘Sister Chaos’ had caught on as

her latest.

     “These reflections, Duzzy, after my highest-profile kill?” An arm curled around her

cherished spear, which she never relinquished to their camel. “I can go higher.”

If we fund, then you'll get to read the complete, final version of the story in issue one or two of New Edge Sword & Sorcery. Thanks so much for backing, and please keep sharing the campaign with anybody and everybody!

Sneak Preview: Neurodivergence in Sword & Sorcery
about 1 year ago – Wed, Feb 22, 2023 at 01:21:28 PM

Jon Olfert has written for us a great non-fiction essay about those of us who think a little differently, how that has been portrayed in Sword & Sorcery, and some exciting possibilities for exploring neurodivergence in future S&S tales! 

Please enjoy this one page preview of the current draft:

Neurodivergence in Sword  & Sorcery

By Jonathan Olfert

Do you bestride the world sullen-eyed, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth? Do you find yourself unsettled and on edge -- so to speak -- when authorities demand obedience to empty convention? Do you feel alien but not lesser, both isolated and empowered by fundamental differences in your mind, heart, and perspective?

Congratulations! You may be neurodivergent. Have a seat by the fire, friend; let's talk.

Once upon a time, in the early 20th century, madness was a staple of tales we still hold dear. Madness: an invasive, infectious irrationality that rendered the madman uncannily not-quite-human. Blame the cursed amulet or the evil book, yes? I see a persistent fascination without the vocabulary, the toolbox, to explore it. Consider how often the Cimmerian Himself is spoken of as prone to madness, a slide into irrational passion without sense of proportion.

These days we have other words. Gaze upon a quick introduction to the lexicon of our spellbook.

Neurodiversity, per autistic psychiatrist Judy Singer, refers to the human race's near-infinite variation in perspective. Our brains work in many, many different ways. There is no normal. There are, however, neurological minorities, and necessary work around representation and understanding.

Neurodivergent is an even newer term, but just as common these days. Autistic activist Kassiane Assumasu coined it as inclusively as possible: ADHD, learning disabilities, epilepsy, mental illnesses, or any number of other conditions that change how we perceive and interact with the world, with or without a specific diagnosis. By some data I've seen, as many as one in eight people consider themselves neurodivergent once the term is explained. It's a big tent by design.

Being neurodivergent, I've often found that when I want to read about people like me, I need to write it myself. And sword-and-sorcery turns out to be a perfect fit.

 If we fund, then you'll get to read the complete, final version of the essay in issue one or two of New Edge Sword & Sorcery. Thanks so much for backing, and please keep sharing the campaign with anybody and everybody!

FAQ: Will shipping charge at the end of the Kickstarter or when the book ships?
about 1 year ago – Tue, Feb 21, 2023 at 09:33:35 AM

Thanks to Backerkit,  shipping will be charged separately from the Kickstarter, about a month before we ship. Our goal is to ship in the Fall of this year.

This way you get to pay in two nicely spaced installments.

This has been coming up elsewhere, so I thought an update might be a good idea just to make sure everyone's aware.

Meanwhile we hit 75% funding on Sunday! Thanks again to you all for backing and sharing this campaign.

Interview with Gemma Files on Horror and Sword & Sorcery
about 1 year ago – Sun, Feb 19, 2023 at 02:52:08 PM

Please enjoy this recording of yesterday's livestream interview with horror author, and NESS contributor, Gemma Files! If all goes according to plan we'll have a panel discussion of Sword & Soul next Saturday featuring contributors Milton Davis, Kirk A. Johnson, and Sarah Macklin.

Meanwhile we just crossed the 75% funded threshold! Man, we're getting there... Thanks again to you all for backing and sharing. Let's get this thing across the finish line...maybe even unlock DOUBLE ART!

Why Read Short Fiction Magazines?
about 1 year ago – Fri, Feb 17, 2023 at 08:35:33 AM

We've done updates for people who've never thought about buying a magazine in hardcover before (less than 25 left!), for people who've never used Kickstarter before, and today we've got an update for people who've never gotten into short fiction magazines before!

In the video I discuss:

• How they're an easy way to try out new authors and artists
• How you can sample character's adventures before committing to buying their books & series
• How they go easy on your to-be-read pile, and can provide a satisfying reading experience in very little time
• The joys of serialized characters
• Being able to start anywhere with a character's adventures, thanks to episodic storytelling
• The great short fiction fan communities you can find

If you're already a fan of short story magazines like New Edge Sword & Sorcery and want to tell friends how great they are, why not consider sharing this post and let me tell them?

Thanks again to everyone who has been backing and sharing the campaign.