We are so excited to have not one, but TWO Indie Next picks in May—Book of Night by Holly Black and Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher! Thank you, booksellers!
My first pass at a design for Grace from “Paladin’s Grace” by T Kingfisher/Ursula Vernon! I love these books so much but not enough to use a consistent civet reference for Tab.
2) Her work is all really awesome! And she’s got a ton of short stories available for free online. Some of my favorites:
“Bluebeard’s Wife” – what would happen if a woman Bluebeard married just didn’t look in the room?
“The Dryad’s Shoe” – an aroace Cinderella who has zero interest in the ball or the prince but does love gardening
“Jackalope Wives” – takes the skinshifting conceit of selkies and applies it to jackalopes (folkloric horned rabbits) in the American Southwest. Also stars the absolutely iconic Grandma Harken, whose left to clean up the mess when her grandson tries to catch himself a jackalope wife. This one won a bunch of awards and there’s an audio version read by LeVar Burton.
“Sun Moon Dust” – a young farmer inherits a sword bound to the souls of three warriors, all ready to teach him to be a hero… but he has no desire to be anything but a farmer. A very sweet M/M story!
I have been slowly reading through all of T. Kingfisher’s work, and I haven’t found a single thing I don’t absolutely love.
A couple years ago, she got into writing horror novels, and has written The Twisted Ones and The Hollow Places, both of which are very chilling in a very fun way.
She’s very much an enthusiast for fairy tales and folklore, which will often make its way into her works. She implements them in really cool ways. This is especially relevant in Digger, which has dozens of nots to different bits of folklore, including the vampiric squash of the Baltic Mountains.
If you’re looking to get into her work, these short stories aren’t the only things available online. You can also read her novel, Summer in Orcus online, as well as the aforementioned award winning webcomic, Digger.
After years of seeing her sisters suffer at the hands of an abusive prince, Marra—the shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter—has finally realized that no one is coming to their rescue. No one, except for Marra herself.
Seeking help from a powerful gravewitch, Marra is offered the tools to kill a prince—if she can complete three impossible tasks. But, as is the way in tales of princes, witches, and daughters, the impossible is only the beginning.
On her quest, Marra is joined by the gravewitch, a reluctant fairy godmother, a strapping former knight, and a chicken possessed by a demon. Together, the five of them intend to be the hand that closes around the throat of the prince and frees Marra’s family and their kingdom from its tyrannous ruler at last.
‘Tis the season! Please say hi to Martin Sturdivant, former park ranger, now the friendliest bunker mermaid. Just don’t ask what he keeps petting under the water.
Mr. Sturdivant is from T. Kingfisher’s perversely cozy horror novel, The Hollow Places.
