Schoolbooks & Sorcery – Update and Excerpt!

schoolbooks cover comp 600 px

As sent out to the backers of the Schoolbooks & Sorcery Kickstarter (which, if you haven’t heard of, where have you been?)

Dear Friends and Backers –

As I type this, we’re less than $200 away from our goal, and 6 days away from the end of the campaign period. That has us sitting at an amazing 96%–so close, yet not quite there. I have full faith in our ability to make it, which is why I’m posting this update to let you all in on some of our plans.

1) I’ve added a new reward level at $45, for those who wish to get the ebook and trade paperback bundle, but also a little something else specifically created for this project. This set of 5 watercolor buttons, handcrafted by an amazing artist I personally lured in with cookies, celebrates both our theme and our LGBTQ-inclusive, pride-centric, mission statement. I could only get her to commit to a few sets to begin, which is why it’s a limited edition. And because of add-on logistics, I thought it best to stick to the one level. Should anyone who’s selected a different pledge level wish a set, please feel free to adjust your current pledge by $20, and message me so we can figure something out. A few sample images below, to give you an idea of what to expect:

 

2) Stretch goals! I’ve added some of our stretch goals to the page, but in short, if we hit $6500, we’ll add a new Magic University story by Circlet Press founder and author extraordinaire, Cecilia Tan. Suitable for a YA audience, it stars fan-favorite character Frost… or so I’m told.

If we hit $7000, we’ll be able to add 2 more stories, to further our representation and diversity. I, for one, want to include several more stories giving voice to non-binary, trans, and asexual protagonists. I’ll open up submissions for a limited time to seek out those voices, and look forward to seeing what I get.

After that… the sky’s the limit. Interior art, or pay bonuses to the contributors, or catnip for my cats… (just kidding!)

3) I’d like to give a quick shout-out to our friends over at the 2018 Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide, who are also running a lovely-looking Kickstarter for the latest volume in their fantastic anthology series. Check them out after you’re done here!

And now… an excerpt from the wonderfully entertaining “The Grimoire Girls,” by E.C. Myers. What happens when an evil-fighting teenager transfers to a new school? Is it business as usual, or will Lexi finally run into something she can’t defeat?

———

“Oh my God!” Mom says.

“What?” I pull my nail file from my kneesock and look for danger.

“I just realized my Paul Anka CD was in your car.”

“So there’s the silver lining.” I slide the nail file back into my sock. “Mom, I have to get to class.”

She closes her car door. “You’ll tell me if you have any cute teachers?”

“No. Remember what happened with Mr. Logan?”

“I knew he was an incubus,” she says. “No English teacher is that hot and charming.”

“Uh huh. Then why did I have to save you?”

“I had him exactly where he wanted me.”

“And I can never unsee that. Good-bye.”

I open my door and hop out. I sling my bag over my shoulder and walk down the cobbled path to the entrance, concentrating on not tripping while everyone is watching. The truck roars to life and gravel crunches behind me as mom drives away.

I feel naked without my Winchester rifle–and did I mention this skirt?–but they frown on students carrying that sort of thing around, even if you’re trying to kill an urban wendigo that’s masquerading as the high school’s QB1 and eating cheerleaders.

In fact, the only weapons I can sneak into schools these days are the crucifix around my neck, which is only any good because it’s made of iron; a wicked sharp nail file boiled in the blood of a dead man; a mini-crossbow, some assembly required, that fires really pointy pencils; a pencil sharpener; a water bottle filled with holy water (the good stuff, not just lake water); a steel garrote rolled into the waistband of my skirt; a lunch bag filled with salt; a bracelet with an unspecified protection spell on it, which I worry is only going to protect my wrist from harm; and the Grahame family Grimoire–which is worth more than everything else combined.

I don’t carry the actual thing around of course. The tome is like, 800 pounds, and moldy and falling apart. But I had scanned it in as an eBook.

And then, of course, there’s me. As long as I can speak the spells I need and I keep my eReader charged, I’m the best weapon of all. I always keep the eReader charged; Mom still won’t let me forget the time it died during an incantation. Instead of being banished, the demon imploded, and my skin was green for a week. Fortunately, it was Halloween. So things worked out.

Curious about what Lexi encounters at the mysterious Doheny Preparatory Academy? Find out in Schoolbooks & Sorcery


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