Stories on the edge of familiarity

Category: Fantasy

Opening to “Star and Ice” (actual title TBD)

Thea van Diepen

Sema didn’t sleep as well as she used to. Her back ached, the house creaked, and her mind would rise full of thoughts and memories when the stars shone on the ice, which was every night. So, this night, when the crash against the door that made the house shake intruded around the edges of her sleep-muzzed consciousness, she only wrapped the blankets around tighter and curled up on the bed. There was a voice in the wind, she thought

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Stillborn

Thea van Diepen

A dark shape moved among the trees, nearly indistinguishable from ebony night. The wraith-figure stepped cautiously closer to the edge of the forest, glancing once up at the sky. The new moon teased the stars into shining but, despite their brightness, the could not remove the shadow that kept him hidden. He progressed with an almost sinuous grace, nauseating to watch, halting at last beneath the great pine near the house at the edge of the village. Searching each window

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Today is a Good Day

Thea van Diepen

I finished the beta version of The Tree and the Grave (my Twine game which I’ve been tweeting about as I work on it) today and sent it to the proofers.   55h 53min of work, starting on April 26th and ending today.   146 save files.   11 graphics, including 3 wallpapers, a logo, an icon, and an illustration.   An uncounted number of hairs pulled and scabs picked in frustration.   An uncountable amount of love in my

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World Tour, Day 39 Special Edition: Do Serious Unicorn Characters Exist in Books for Adults and Teens? Yes, Yes They Do

Thea van Diepen

When I started telling people about Hidden in Sealskin, the fact that it has a unicorn seemed to be the deciding factor for everyone. Not a single person had a mild response to it. For the most part, the fact that it’s an insane unicorn drew people’s interest, or at least curiosity, but I also had negative responses. For example, as soon as I said the word unicorn to one person, they informed me that they don’t read fantasy with

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Oops, I Think We Just Broke Space-Time: What Happens When Characters from Different Worlds Meet

Thea van Diepen

What happens when the characters of two different authors encounter each other? Teddi Deppner and I decided to find out what would happen if Izzie, her character from an upcoming story who sometimes knows things she couldn’t possibly know, met Adren and Nadin in the middle of the events of Like Mist Over the Eyes. The result had us giggling all the way through – especially at the part where Izzie shows them a drawing of little winged fairies and

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Erica's Story (WIP title) | The Books of Bílo (WIP title) #1
First draft 29%
Hunter and Prey | White Changeling #3
First draft 100%

Grow Your Library

Hidden in Sealskin
The Illuminated Heart
Dreaming of Her and Other Stories
The Kitten Psychologist Tries to Be Patient Through Email
The Tree Remembers
Like Mist Over the Eyes
The Kitten Psychologist Broaches the Topic of Economics
The Kitten Psychologist
Plunged Ashore
The Kitten Psychologist Versus The Kitten's Owners
Fa6-bluesky Envelope Rss

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