There’s a new episode of Right Here Write Queer waiting for you in your favorite podcast app!
RK Ashwick (she/her) chats with me about her upcoming cozy fantasy novel, A Draught for a Dragon—featuring every Dungeons & Dragons player’s dream of dragging your favorite NPCs along for the quest.
RK Ashwick (she/her) is the author of the Lutesong trilogy beginning with TheStray Spirit, as well as the cozy fantasy series Sidequest Row beginning with A Rival Most Vial. You can connect with her at her website: rkashwick.com
Chapter Twenty-Seven of A Mirror for the Prince’s Shadow – a historical m x nb romantasy featuring dark academia, hurt/comfort, and dragon royalty – is now on Patre♡n! Wherein a grand gala is anticipated.
~
“Will you attend the ball with me?”
If tasked to conjure the seven most unlikely words to emerge in sequence from his prince’s lips, Rat thought he could do no better. And yet Emlyn had said them nonetheless. The cogs in Rat’s brain whirred wildly to make sense of them until, several seconds too late for a reasonable reply, the answer struck him. His shoulders released a tension he hadn’t realised they’d acquired. In a tolerably casual tone, he replied, “Join your friends, y’mean?”
A bashful smile flitted across Emlyn’s lips, accompanied by a softly-fluttering laugh. “No, I meant… may I escort you to the ball? As your partner.”
The most cursory medical education would tell its poorest student that the human heart did not wander throughout the ribcage or beyond. It certainly did not fly. Yet Rat, with a full semester of medical college under his belt, nonetheless felt his own heart take wing and flutter all the way up to his throat. Joy and panic alike kept it aloft.
~
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… ♡ 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)
Chapter Twenty-Six of A Mirror for the Prince’s Shadow – a historical m x nb romantasy featuring dark academia, hurt/comfort, and dragon royalty – is now on Patre♡n! Wherein a tentative acquaintanceship is attempted.
~
Emlyn didn’t oft feel intimidated.
Part of it was xir natural disposition. Xe was always eager to make fresh acquaintances. As Alistair had so aptly put it once upon a time, “Every stranger is just a friend Aemilianus hasn’t met yet.”
As optimistic as xe felt in this regard, xe remained well aware of the other factor ever looming in the equation; xir rank. Few would dare to cross a mortal prince. Fewer still would dare to cross a dragon. A draconic prince in xir own realm was rarely challenged—for better or for worse. Which left very little room for intimidation.
Griswold, however…
~
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… ♡ 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)
He’d found nothing in all the world in all his years to equal the relief of seeing Chastity after a month of holding himself to an exacting standard. The promise of release saw him through day after day of drudgery in the account-books of the bank where he clerked. He had no family to support beyond his mother and doubted he ever would. He did not gamble, nor was he a drunkard.
He had no vice, save Chastity.
~
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)
There’s a new episode of Right Here Write Queer waiting for you in your favorite podcast app!
Ever wonder about the overlap between gaming and writing in cozy fantasy? RK Ashwick (she/her) chats with Sebastian Nothwell (he/him) about her new video game, Potion Shop Designer.
RK Ashwick (she/her) is the author of the Lutesong trilogy beginning with TheStray Spirit, as well as the cozy fantasy series Sidequest Row beginning with A Rival Most Vial. You can connect with her at her website: rkashwick.com
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.
Chapter Twenty-Five of A Mirror for the Prince’s Shadow – a historical m x nb romantasy featuring dark academia, hurt/comfort, and dragon royalty – is now on Patre♡n! Wherein secrets begin to fester.
~
“I’ve told Alistair,” Emlyn announced.
Having remained at the library with Griswold until the librarians all but chased them both out at midnight, Rat was surprised to find Emlyn awaiting him in their dormitory. It felt even more shocking to his system to hear xir speak so frankly of what still felt illicit to him.
“And Quince,” xe added.
Rat realised he’d remained silent for entirely too long. He forced himself to speak. “All well?”
Emlyn beamed. “Of course.”
Rat wished he could believe xir. Or rather, that he could believe Mordaunt. For while doubtless Emlyn believed xe spoke true, Rat doubted Mordaunt had been entirely honest when giving their newfound bliss his blessing. Then again, Rat supposed, perhaps he had misjudged Mordaunt, and he was as capable of making himself happy on xir behalf as Rat. As for what Quince made of it all, Rat could hardly guess either way. Though if he were granting Mordaunt the benefit of doubt, he thought it would be boorish not to offer Quince the same grace, even if only in his own mind.
Belatedly, Rat remembered to mirror Emlyn’s smile.
~
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… ♡ 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)
Chapter Twenty-Four of A Mirror for the Prince’s Shadow – a historical m x nb romantasy featuring dark academia, hurt/comfort, and dragon royalty – is now on Patre♡n! Wherein a complex navigation is attempted.
~
Moreso than confessing everything, moreso than kissing, and even moreso than consummation, was the sheer relief Emlyn felt to sleep with Rat in xir arms again.
It wasn’t that xe hadn’t realised xe missed it. It was that xe hadn’t permitted xirself to grieve the loss. Now to have it returned filled xir heart to bursting and xe drifted off to a slumber as deep as it was serene, as if xe were Endymion—or perhaps Selene, with Rat as Endymion tumbled limp and languid in xir grasp, more at peace than xe had known him since their return to the realm. No drowning night-mare could reach xir.
This tranquility was broken with a single whispered word.
“Sorry.”
~
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… ♡ 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)
Chapter Twenty-Three of A Mirror for the Prince’s Shadow – a historical m x nb romantasy featuring dark academia, hurt/comfort, and dragon royalty – is now on Patre♡n! Wherein the best of intentions begin to go horribly wrong.
~
Rat forced his voice to remain even. “I’m not going to keep you from—whatever you need.”
Emlyn’s brow did not unfurrow. “What I need is for you to be honest with me.”
Trust Emlyn to ask for the impossible.
~
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… ♡ 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)
And now, the excerpt – wherein the slow-burn simmer becomes an inferno.
~
The word hung in the silence between them.
Emlyn’s dark eyes had flown wide with shock.
Rat knew what would follow. Disgust. Anger. Betrayal. He braced to see the worst of it in Emlyn’s gaze. If Emlyn would even deign to continue to look upon him.
But instead Emlyn smiled.
Soft and handsome and radiant as ever. Rat’s heart thrilled to see it despite the wretched circumstances.
“Me?” Emlyn said with soft wonder, as though xe couldn’t believe it—ludicrous, for who wouldn’t want a prince, and moreover one so strong and beautiful and kind. “What for?”
Perhaps Emlyn had misunderstood him. Rat supposed he’d better make his meaning plain. “I want to kiss you.”
Unmistakable joy flashed through Emlyn’s dark gaze. Xe quickly tempered it. “You don’t have to—”
“I want to.” Rat felt as startled by his own honesty as Emlyn evidently felt to hear it, judging by xir astonished blink. He pressed on nonetheless. “And more. Worse.”
Emlyn’s brow furrowed. “Worse?”
“I want to do things to you.” Rat swallowed hard and forced out the confession his prince deserved. “Terrible things.”
Rather than horror, a hopeful and unaccountable smile lit up Emlyn’s already-brilliant features. “Such as?”
~
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… ♡ 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)
Sebastian Nothwell 