Ch. 9 – Booksellers and Bone Setters – a new Oak King Holly King story on Patreon

The ninth chapter of Booksellers and Bone Setters – a brand new Oak King Holly King tale – is now on Patreon! Wherein a mortal learns fae secrets.

Ephraim knew not what to expect.

The ways of the fae were largely unknown to him, as a mere mortal. (Hull had never called him “mere,” had never once even implied it, but the alliteration sprang to mind nonetheless.) Their customs were a vast dark sea roiling beneath him while he sailed along as a passenger in a splendid ship captained by his Hull. Every so often something new would surface, like the wulpertinger, and Hull would explain it, and Ephraim would marvel at it, and they would sail on, content to explore the unknown together. It never occurred to him to demand to know what lay beneath the surface. He felt secure in his conviction that it posed no danger to him, and if he were unfamiliar with these seas, at the very least his Hull knew how to navigate them.

Now, however, he had glimpsed something gliding beneath their vessel—some looming thing with the sharp edges of fin or fang and unfathomable tendrils trailing behind—and for the first time in all their acquaintance, his Hull seemed reluctant to explain.

Joining me on Patreon 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…
♡ A Mirror for the Prince’s Shadow (historical m x nb romantasy)

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)
♡ The Sebastian Nothwell Contemporary Expanded Universe (mmm+)
♡ Theo. (transmasc historical mm romance)

See you on Patreon!

Oak King Holly King 3 – First Chapter on Patreon

The third volume of Shrike and Wren’s tale is a ways off yet. In the meantime, however, please enjoy this glimpse into the beginning of their next adventure.

What does the Summer Solstice ritual look like after Wren’s grisly injuries over the winter? How will the Oak and Holly Kings contrive to overcome this new obstacle? And what fresh marvels will their rite display?

Find out now over on Patreon! (Warning: spicy!)

Ch. 7 – Booksellers and Bone Setters – a new Oak King Holly King story on Patreon

The seventh chapter of Booksellers and Bone Setters – a brand new Oak King Holly King tale – is now on Patre♡n! Wherein Dr. Hitchingham reveals a startling soft spot.

On the second evening after Hull’s injury, Dr. Hitchingham expressed his profound relief at Hull’s absence, that he and his old friend might at last speak freely without curtailing their conversation lest a mere clerk hear more than he ought. As the ensuing conversation deviated not a whit from its usual track, regardless of Hull’s presence or absence, Ephraim set the comment aside on the little shelf in his mind that he reserved for his oldest friend’s oddest remarks.

On the third evening after Hull’s injury, Dr. Hitchingham began their dinner in much the same vein, but as the minutes wore on towards the hour mark, he lapsed into a brooding silence more oft than not. Ephraim, concerned for his friend, discreetly-yet-earnestly enquired after what might trouble him, but Dr. Hitchingham merely sighed and blamed the fog for aggravating his rheumatism. As Ephraim could do very little about the fog or the rheumatism, he endeavoured to brighten the mood with his own chatter, which seemed to alleviate at least a part of his friend’s unease.

On the fourth evening after Hull’s injury, Dr. Hitchingham appeared downright gloomy.

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!

Currently posting…
♡ A Mirror for the Prince’s Shadow (historical m x nb romantasy)

See you on Patre♡n!

Ch. 6 – Booksellers and Bone Setters – a new Oak King Holly King story on Patreon

The sixth chapter of Booksellers and Bone Setters – a brand new Oak King Holly King tale – is now on Patre♡n! Wherein Ephraim lavishes Hullvardr in every comfort imaginable.

If Ephraim were not already a lawyer, Hullvardr thought he’d make an excellent nurse.

Per the Holly King’s instruction (at first) and in accordance with his own inclinations (after he’d met Ephraim himself), Hullvardr always arose before Ephraim to perform his valeting duties. As such, Ephraim hadn’t enjoyed the opportunity to show his affection through acts of service.

Until now.

Currently posting…
♡ A Mirror for the Prince’s Shadow (historical m x nb romantasy)

See you on Patre♡n!

Ch. 4 – Booksellers and Bone Setters – a new Oak King Holly King story on Patreon

The fourth chapter of Booksellers and Bone Setters – a brand new Oak King Holly King tale – is now on Patreon! Wherein the bone-setter arrives.

Ephraim knew not what to expect of a fae bone-setter.

He’d already begun on the wrong foot from the first mention of the trade by assuming the practitioner was a man rather than a woman. From there he struggled to return to the proper track. As he knew even less of women than he did of the fae, his assumptions ran thin and in the vaguest possible direction. What little imagination he had to spare in the face of his dear Hull’s agonies summoned a wispy willowy sort of creature with damselfly wings and diaphanous garb—a sort of nymph to Hull’s apparent satyr, he supposed, though he knew full well that Hull was a huldrekall and satyrs merely his distant cousins. How such a delicate individual as a lady nymph would do something so visceral as setting bones he did not know. Magic, perhaps. A wave of a wand, a whisper of a spell, and Hull’s leg would knit back together in its proper shape as if no dreadful accident had ever befallen him.

The trudging step up the stair forced Ephraim to reconsider his theory.

Currently posting…
♡ A Mirror for the Prince’s Shadow (historical m x nb romantasy)

See you on Patreon!

Ch. 3 – Booksellers and Bone Setters – a new Oak King Holly King story on Patreon

The third chapter of Booksellers and Bone Setters – a brand new Oak King Holly King tale – is now on Patreon! Wherein Mr Grigsby and Hullvardr have a hurt/comfort adventure.

The icy sweat trickling down Hullvardr’s scalp felt at odds with his fevered brow. The pain in his broken limb remained a constant—but, as one might grow accustomed to the howling of hounds after enough hours of ceaseless noise, so the searing agony had become just another part of the world, like the rattle of wagon-wheels over cobblestones and the crackling hearth-fire. Part of him felt better for having beheld the wound; now that he understood the shape of it, no longer did the possibility of worse torment him. The pain burst into something louder and brighter only when he moved his leg, and so he did not move it. His molars ground together to keep the more pitiful moans at bay. Giving voice to his pain would not change matters. He had but to wait for Grytha’s arrival. Until then he need only endure. And with seven centuries behind him, he could endure well enough.

The more pressing matter, to his mind, was how to look after Ephraim.

Currently posting…
♡ A Mirror for the Prince’s Shadow (historical m x nb romantasy)

See you on Patreon!

Booksellers and Bone Setters – a new Oak King Holly King story on Patreon

The first two chapters of Booksellers and Bone Setters – a brand new Oak King Holly King tale – are now on Patre♡n! Wherein Mr Grigsby and Hullvardr have a hurt/comfort adventure.

The ringing of the downstairs bell as the office’s outer door opened didn’t surprise Ephraim. After all, Hull had gone out hours ago and was due to return at any moment.

Rather than the expected click-click-click of Hull’s hooves trotting up the stairs, however, the subsequent sounds to reach his ears were a series of unsteady arrhythmic thuds lurching in ascent. Perhaps a client, then—though not any whose footsteps Ephraim recognised, unless they’d developed a very bad limp since he’d seen them last. His clerk being out, he arose to get the door himself before his unknown visitor need knock.

What he beheld when he opened the door left him aghast.

Currently posting…
♡ A Mirror for the Prince’s Shadow (historical m x nb romantasy)

See you on Patre♡n!

Happy Book Birthday to Tales from Blackthorn Briar

Happy Autumnal Equinox! Three years ago today, Shrike and Wren embarked on their second voyage out into the world – alongside Mr Grigsby, Daniel Durst, and all their other friends from Oak King Holly King, with new friends gathered along the way.

Shrike and Wren hold a special place in my memory for getting me through some rough moments, and I am so beyond grateful for every single reader who has taken their story to heart.

If you enjoy happily-ever-afters, hurt/comfort, and catching up with old friends, I wrote this book for you.

Tales from Blackthorn Briar is a collection of sequels to the fae romance Oak King Holly King – including…

Mabon

Wherein Shrike and Wren repay their debt to the Court of Hidden Folk.

Mr Grigsby’s Clerk

Wherein Mr Grigsby finds a replacement for Wren – and perhaps more than he bargained for.

Jack in the Green

Wherein a certain Horse Guard wanders into Blackthorn Briar.

Winter Solstice

Wherein the Holly King surrenders to the Oak King.

The Holly King’s Peril

Wherein Wren and Shrike discover danger in the wilds of the Fae Realms.

The Ballad of Daniel Durst

Wherein Daniel embarks on his authentic life in a bold new land.

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

Happy Book Birthday to Oak King Holly King!

Happy book birthday to Shrike and Wren! Three years ago today, Oak King Holly King was published.

Oak King Holly King is a queer Victorian romantasy wherein a fearsome fae warrior destined for ritual sacrifice seeks a mortal clerk fated to save him.

Perfect for readers who enjoy…
• big buff guys who just wanna be soft
• sharp little guys who are tired of being kicked around
• lush fantasy worlds
• liminal spaces
• cozy cottagecore vibes
• and queer community.

Amazon • Apple Books • Audible • Barnes & Noble • Bookshop.org • Chirp • itch.io • Kobo • libro.fm • Overdrive • Smashwords

Oak King Holly King (audiobook!) on Right Here Write Queer

There’s a new episode of Right Here Write Queer waiting for you in your favorite podcast app!

Please enjoy this special sneak peek into the audiobook of Oak King Holly King – a gay Victorian fae romance by Sebastian Nothwell, read by Gary Furlong.

Shrike, the Butcher of Blackthorn, is a legendary warrior of the fae realms. When he wins a tournament in the Court of the Silver Wheel, its queen names him her Oak King – a figurehead destined to die in a ritual duel to invoke the change of seasons. Shrike is determined to survive. Even if it means he must put his heart as well as his life into a mere mortal’s hands.

Wren Lofthouse, a London clerk, has long ago resigned himself to a life of tedium and given up his fanciful dreams. When a medieval-looking brute arrives at his office to murmur of destiny, he’s inclined to think his old enemies are playing an elaborate prank. Still, he can’t help feeling intrigued by the bizarre-yet-handsome stranger and his fantastical ramblings, whose presence stirs up emotions Wren has tried to lock away in the withered husk of his heart.

As Shrike whisks Wren away to a world of Wild Hunts and arcane rites, Wren is freed from the repression of Victorian society. But both the fae and mortal realms prove treacherous to their growing bond. Wren and Shrike must fight side-by-side to see who will claim victory – Oak King or Holly King.

Oak King Holly King is a romantasy wherein a fearsome fae warrior destined for ritual sacrifice seeks a Victorian clerk fated to save him.

Amazon • Apple Books • Audible • Barnes & Noble • Bookshop.org • Chirp • itch.io • Kobo • libro.fm • Overdrive • Smashwords