Category: Fiorenzo

Your Nothwell Newsletter – Happy Book Birthday to Fiorenzo!

This September marks the third anniversary of Fiore and Enzo’s sword-crossed romance. How shall we celebrate?

For those who are just now joining us, a few words of elucidation may prove prudent. Fiorenzo is a queer fantasy-of-manners romance featuring swordplay, hurt/comfort, and a happily-ever-after. It tells the story of Fiore, a courtesan with a plan, and Enzo, a masked aristocrat whose arrival in Fiore’s life absolutely annihilates that plan, to both their benefit. Both Fiore and Enzo are near and dear to my heart, and I’m delighted to celebrate the third year since their story first reached readers like yourself.

And as for celebrations… first, I’m officially releasing the Enzo face-reveal postcard print, illustrated beautifully by Katabay (@katabay on tumblr). Long-time loyal subscribers may have seen it before, but if you’ve just recently joined us, here’s a sneak peek of what’s coming. Spoilers for Fiorenzo below!

This illustration will be available as both a postcard print and as a sticker from my Etsy shop starting this September.

To further celebrate…
♡ all annotated books will be 30% off for the whole month with the coupon code FIORENZOANNIVERSARY,
♡ and for September only, the postcard print will also be included as a freebie with every Etsy order of a Fiorenzo paperback, signed and annotated alike!

That’s all for this Nothwell newsletter, and as always, thank you for reading.

—Sebastian

Spicy Signing at Come Hither!

If you’re intrigued by the contents of Fiore’s sea chest, this is the event for you.

Come Hither of New Bedford will host an 18+ Fiorenzo-focused event, featuring a live reading, author Q&A, and book signing from yours truly.

Come Hither is a welcoming space for all sexualities and relationships. Riding crops, ropes, and more abound. I cannot imagine a more perfect venue to host this auspicious event.

WHAT
Fiorenzo reading, Q&A, and book signing!

WHERE
Come Hither on the third floor of the Kilburn Mills
127 West Rodney French Blvd
New Bedford, MA

WHEN
Saturday, August 1st
noon to 4pm

Crossword – Fiorenzo

Across

  1. A ruthless prince.
  2. A victim of operatic machinations.
  3. A poison allegedly used by the Borgias; no real-world analog has been found.
  4. One who knows his price but not his worth.
  5. The fantasy-of-manners genre.
  6. A newspaper, named for the coin it costs.
  7. The ideal novel contains no fewer than five instances of this.
  8. One who wears a beaked mask with glass eyes.
  9. A mask that hides scars carved deep by betrayal.

Down

  1. The bestest boy.
  2. An opera house master and producer, not unlike Vivaldi.
  3. A master artisan who knows Fiore better than he knows himself.
  4. A knight of Halcyon.
  5. The most fun a man can have with his clothes on – or off, frankly.
  6. Curtained cabin aboard a gondola.
  7. Begging for the chance to be someone’s righteous blade.
  8. A devoted sister.
  9. A city of serenity wed to the sea.

Fiorenzo is a queer fantasy-of-manners romance featuring swordplay, hurt/comfort, and a happily-ever-after.

Fiore has a plan. Find a wealthy elderly gentleman, delight him until the end of his days, and retire on the resulting inheritance. It’s the best outcome a low-born courtesan in the city of Halcyon can hope for.

And it seems a perfect scheme… until a mysterious masked man upends it.

Banished from university after a disastrous duel, Enzo wanders the city searching for scraps of the affection he’s lost. His public mask conceals private agonies. A single night in the company of a courtesan, however, balms his wounded heart, and he finds himself returning again and again to Fiore, revealing more of himself than he’s ever dared before.

Furthermore, and more astonishing still, Fiore finds he returns Enzo’s affections.

But while Fiore wears no mask, he nonetheless has secrets of his own. And when the ghosts of their pasts return to haunt them, only the bond of trust between them will carry them through.

Amazon • Apple Books • Barnes & Noble • Bookshop.org • itch.io • Kobo • Smashwords

The Sebastian Nothwell Contemporary Expanded Universe on Patreon

A thought experiment that frankly got out of hand is up on Patre♡n! Daring to answer the question no one asked – what would the casts of Mr Warren’s Profession, Hold Fast, and Fiorenzo get up to in a modern setting?

Joining me on Patre♡n will give you access to “drawer fic” – aka the 500k+ words worth of manuscripts that have been shelved until I figure out how to fix or finish them. You’ll also be invited to join an exclusive Discord server just for patrons!

A new chapter will go up every week. Missing (unwritten) scenes will be indicated by brackets describing what would probably happen if the scene were written. Example: [in this scene Aubrey and Lindsey ride a carousel]

Currently posting…
♡ The Sebastian Nothwell Contemporary Expanded Universe

Completed works…
♡ the Aubrey & Lindsey solar fantasy project (mm)
♡ A Willing Canvas – John Halloway x Lord Cyril Graves (mm)
♡ The Train Job – Rowena Althorp x Rebekah (ff)
♡ Hold Fast 2 – Hold Faster (mm)
♡ Vampires Vampires Vampires (mmm)

See you on Patre♡n!

Three new stories – for free!

So excited to finally announce that there are THREE new stories available for newsletter subscribers!

Valentine (an Aubrey & Lindsey tale), wherein Aubrey is forced to celebrate his birthday for the first time in his whole life.

Silver & Bone (a Fiorenzo tale), wherein Enzo fulfills a promise to Fiore.

Bruises Bloom in Blackthorn Briar (an Oak King Holly King tale), wherein we see a pivotal scene from a whole new point-of-view.

In addition to these three free stories, you’ll also receive updates about beta reading opportunities, ARC offers, and new releases. (The number of readers who are to this day still surprised to discover that Oak King Holly King has a sequel? Don’t fall through the cracks like them. Be alert! Be the first to know! Be a newsletter subscriber!) You’ll never miss another book!

To subscribe to the newsletter, sign up here.

And thank you for reading!

Four Free Queer Books – including Fiorenzo!

If you’ve been waiting to read Fiorenzo, QueeRomance Ink has a wonderful opportunity for you to snag a free copy – plus three more queer romance books! – when you join their mailing list.

Fiorenzo is a queer fantasy-of-manners romance featuring swordplay, hurt/comfort, and a happily-ever-after.

Fiore has a plan. Find a wealthy elderly gentleman, delight him until the end of his days, and retire on the resulting inheritance. It’s the best outcome a low-born courtesan in the city of Halcyon can hope for.

And it seems a perfect scheme… until a mysterious masked man upends it.

Banished from university after a disastrous duel, Enzo wanders the city searching for scraps of the affection he’s lost. His public mask conceals private agonies. A single night in the company of a courtesan, however, balms his wounded heart, and he finds himself returning again and again to Fiore, revealing more of himself than he’s ever dared before.

Furthermore, and more astonishing still, Fiore finds he returns Enzo’s affections.

But while Fiore wears no mask, he nonetheless has secrets of his own. And when the ghosts of their pasts return to haunt them, only the bond of trust between them will carry them through.

~

Read Fiorenzo for FREE by joining the Queer Sci Fi mailing list today!

Fiorenzo Bibliography + Paperback

FIORENZO is a queer fantasy-of-manners romance featuring hurt/comfort, swordplay, and a happily-ever-after. And it’s finally out in paperback! Shown here with some of the books that inspired it.

The World of the Castrati by Patrick Barbier
Not just a thorough examination of individual castrati lives but also the operatic world that created them. Highly recommended, even (or especially) if you know nothing of opera.

Nicoletto Giganti’s The School of the Sword
A swordfighting guide by a fencing master of Renaissance Venice. This book, combined with As You Wish (see below) and Vico Ortiz’s Fencing 101 class proved absolutely essential to making the fight scenes in Fiorenzo possible.

M: The Man Who Became Caravaggio by Peter Robb
Come for the art history lesson about a queer Renaissance painter, stay for the tennis court castration duel.

Art and Life in Renaissance Venice and Private Lives in Renaissance Venice by Patricia Fortini Brown
While the general history of Venice was necessary (see below), the more specific focus of Brown’s books provided absolutely invaluable insight into the the day-to-day habits of Venice’s historical citizens.

John Singer Sargent: Venetian Figures and Landscapes, 1898-1913
Sargent’s mind-blowing skill with oil portraits is well known, but his watercolour sketches of cityscapes and Venice architecture are truly astounding in their mastery of light and form. Seeing the city through his eyes over a hundred years ago was wildly inspiring.

Sargent, Whistler & Venetian Glass
This was an incredible traveling exhibit of Venetian glassware, lace, and other amazing examples of skilled craft alongside paintings by American artists who drew inspiration from Venice in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I had the good fortune to catch it as it came through Mystic Seaport in Connecticut. It also included an actual Venetian gondola (dry-docked, no felze) which gave me an invaluable sense of just how absolutely huge those things are.

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes and Joe Layden
Invaluable insight into the training, choreography, and filming process for one of the greatest swordfighting scenes in cinematic history.

The Princess Bride by William Goldman
It’s a swordfighting romance. Enough said.

Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner
It’s a queer swordfighting romance. Enough said. (Although I have said far more.)

Ruskin’s Venice: The Stones Revisited by Sarah Quill
Venice through the eyes of a Victorian.

Venice: A New History by Thomas F. Madden
A general history of Venice was essential in creating Halcyon.

~

FIORENZO is a queer fantasy-of-manners romance featuring hurt/comfort, swordplay, and a happily-ever-after. Available now wherever fine books are found!

Amazon • Apple Books • Barnes & Noble • Bookshop.org • Kobo • Payhip • Smashwords