Latest from the Creator
Jay Wolf
28 days ago
A Taste For Music
So I recently devoured the romantasy streaming series MY LADY JANE and loved it; it is unrelentingly goofy and endearing, and I have a huge crush on both of the leads, they're delightful. I try to take a wide lens on fantasy romance for somewhat obvious reasons, in the same wa...
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Oliver
about 2 months ago
Funded! Bonus Story Unlocked! New podcast interview! Rainbow Metal Battle-Axe? SIX TIMES THE ART???
IN SHORT
• We've funded in almost exactly four days! That was first thing Monday morning but we're reporting it now because hoo boy our publisher has lots to do.
• There's a p...
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Oliver
about 2 months ago
TROPES
Jay Wolf, editor of the anthology here!
One of the reasons we think Sword & Sorcery & Romantic Fantasy go together so nicely is they both have genre-defining tropes, but those tropes can also be used to great effect to subvert reader expectations and surprise them as well.
H...
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CREATOR
Repeat Backer of Brackenbury Books
Previously backed this creator's crowdfunding project
Previously backed this creator's crowdfunding project
Gold Tier
This user is a top contributor to this community!
So I recently devoured the romantasy streaming series MY LADY JANE and loved it; it is unrelentingly goofy and endearing, and I have a huge crush on both of the leads, they're delightful. I try to take a wide lens on fantasy romance for somewhat obvious reasons, in the same way that I do for sword & sorcery, and if you're going to offer me eight episodes of something this funny and this horny, what can I say? I will sign up.
That said: outside of all of the other cleverness of the show, I spent a lot of time thinking about the music cues, which trend very contemporary (which, to me, adds to the goofy charm, but I can easily see someone without a sterner stomach struggling with it) and usually these music cues trend specifically to "cover of a modern pop song by a girl-pop band" type choices. It feels unconventional, but to me says something about the audience they want to capture and entertain, and I think it works.
This, of course, led me to a question that might be really polarizing:
What sort of music would you put to a fight scene--or a love scene!--in a romantic fantasy, especially in sword & sorcery, where atmosphere is a huge part of the appeal?
--scenes you might want to write?
--scenes you have already read?
--scenes you might be hoping for in our fair tome?
There are no wrong answers, but I'm dying to know what you might pick!
Nota bene:
Please don't slag anyone else's choices--it takes all kinds, and sometimes something really unexpected works well to highlight a scene that might be very understated with the "expected" choices!
That said: outside of all of the other cleverness of the show, I spent a lot of time thinking about the music cues, which trend very contemporary (which, to me, adds to the goofy charm, but I can easily see someone without a sterner stomach struggling with it) and usually these music cues trend specifically to "cover of a modern pop song by a girl-pop band" type choices. It feels unconventional, but to me says something about the audience they want to capture and entertain, and I think it works.
This, of course, led me to a question that might be really polarizing:
What sort of music would you put to a fight scene--or a love scene!--in a romantic fantasy, especially in sword & sorcery, where atmosphere is a huge part of the appeal?
--scenes you might want to write?
--scenes you have already read?
--scenes you might be hoping for in our fair tome?
There are no wrong answers, but I'm dying to know what you might pick!
Nota bene:
Please don't slag anyone else's choices--it takes all kinds, and sometimes something really unexpected works well to highlight a scene that might be very understated with the "expected" choices!
PROJECT UPDATE
Oliver
CREATOR
23 days ago
Project Update: 151% Funded! (What Comes Next?)
IN SHORT
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WE FUNDED! THANK YOU SO MUCH! That's three crowdfunds for three, y'all.
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Right now backers are being charged for their pledges.
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Backers will be charged for shipping approx. four weeks before fulfillment. This is also likely when surveys will be sent out to collect necessary information such as mailing addresses, though the surveys may come sooner.
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Our current goal for fulfillment is "Winter 2024", so expect to be charged for shipping in late September at the earliest.
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All backers are cordially invited to join our Discord server through this link: https://discord.gg/qSrsxqVhwZ
- Though we'll be much quieter for a little while, if you'd like more regular updates and other fun info, we can be followed on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
IN DETAIL
Hey hey, we're book publishers now! Thank you so much for making that happen.
We have made fantastic progress on the writing for the anthology, with drafts of all six stories already being edited by Jay. This is also a blessedly simpler project compared to the magazine, though no less exciting, and that gives me hope for how fast we'll be able to get the books to y'all.
I'd like to repeat that The New Edge Sword & Sorcery Discord, a great online hang-out I'd love to see your digital faces in, is a fun spot to chat aboutthe magazine our publications, Sword & Sorcery in general, and otherwise connect with your fellow readers, writers, artists, and more.
We have made fantastic progress on the writing for the anthology, with drafts of all six stories already being edited by Jay. This is also a blessedly simpler project compared to the magazine, though no less exciting, and that gives me hope for how fast we'll be able to get the books to y'all.
I'd like to repeat that The New Edge Sword & Sorcery Discord, a great online hang-out I'd love to see your digital faces in, is a fun spot to chat about
It's also a breeding ground for goofs like, as you may have seen in our NESS 2024 crowdfund, how Meatball Subs Are The Only Real Sandwich, and the only time I get to eat one is when we've finished funding another publication.
Can we make meatball subs the official sandwich of Sword & Sorcery? Perhaps with enough battle-axe emojis...
Alright, that's all from me for now. Please make sure to read through IN SHORT for the practical details of what's happening with charging backers for pledges, charging for shipping, our rough schedule and more.
Keep your
Sincerely,
Includes Backer-Exclusive Content
PROJECT UPDATE
Oliver
CREATOR
about 1 month ago
Project Update: Sextuple Art UNLOCKED. Onward to cheaper shipping!
Huzzah! This book just got a whole lot better, with lovely art for every tale. Thanks everybody, I really enjoy art direction and now I'll get to more of it! Until the book comes out, you can see more samples of Trevor aka KUBO's art on his Instagram.
Now we press onward to our International Shipping Discount! With the rest of the week to go, we just might make it.
Please do feel free to share the campaign with anybody you think might be interested, either individuals in your life or online communities that might dig a spicy, romantic Sword & Sorcery cocktail of an anthology - now with plenty of art!
Meanwhile, did you see we have a better picture of the Battle-Axe Rainbow Metal Pin add-on?
Includes Backer-Exclusive Content
Oliver
CREATOR
about 1 month ago
This stretch goal covers reducing shipping costs for all backers outside the United States: $5 USD off for Canadian backers, and $10 USD off for anyone outside of North America.
Goal: $8,281
/ $10,265
80%
We need $1,984 more to reach this goal.
PROJECT UPDATE
Oliver
CREATOR
about 1 month ago
Project Update: NEW UNLOCKABLE BONUS STORY, LIVESTREAMS, AND MORE
If we get at least 300 backers, then all crowdfund backers, and only our crowdfund backers, will receive a bonus story by editor Jay Wolf, credited to their authorial pseudonym, called "By Thieves-Light".
An adventure fantasy m/m romance that answers the question 'what if "Ill-Met in Lankhmar" was a meet-cute?' with light improvisational bondage and a twist on the classic sex-pollen trope, "By Thieves-Light" is loosely inspired by our back cover Illustration.
The story will be provided in PDF and ePub formats.
Right now we're at 272 / 300...
MEANWHILE
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Missed last night's livestream interview with Brent C. Lambert? You can watch the recording here on Youtube.
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We're also at 90% of the way to SEXTUPLE ART. Please keep sharing the campaign with anybody you think might dig it!
- UPCOMING LIVESTREAM: Starting at 11am EST this Saturday, Editor Jay Wolf and publisher Oliver Brackenbury will be discussing how they each approach editing fiction, and taking questions from the chat. You can also submit a question in advance, in the comments for this update, and they'll address it on the livestream.
Includes Backer-Exclusive Content
