Doing his Best. Tupper takes his job very seriously, and he’s willing to learn new skills if it’ll make life better for his Master Freydolf. New art from FoxOfTwilight, inspired by a scene from Meadowsweet (Gallieries of Stone, #1). Here’s a teaser (full piece is under the cut):
Continue reading ART: Recipe
Carpet Balls | art by FoxOfTwilight
Pleased beyond telling, Tupper hurried toward a set he’d first noticed when dusting that morning. A dozen stones had been shaped into perfect spheres, much larger than the marbles that the village boys used in their games. Touching the white one, the pink one, and the brown one by turn, he picked up the green one, marveling at how heavy it was. He would need to carry them one at a time!
While he ferried the matched spheres over to where Freydolf sat, the man began a sing-song rhyme. “Blue for sweet waters; white for the brine. Gray under moonlight; gold calls for wine.”
Tupper stared perplexedly at the rich golden hue of the orb in his hands. Rocks couldn’t be thirsty. Could they?
Freydolf chuckled and said, “Don’t mind me, lambkin. Gather the rest.”
He happily complied, and when he joined his master on the carpet, Tupper arrayed the spheres before him, fiddling with the order until he was satisfied. Smooth as glass, cool to the touch, and uncommonly pretty—he silently greeted each in turn by its color name.
The second to last one stumped him, and he looked at Freydolf. “This one?”
“Hmm?” he responded, glancing from boy to ball and back.
“What do I call her?”
“Her?” Freydolf echoed, the hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Nodding, Tupper backtracked, pointing to the earlier stones in his lineup. “Blue, gray, green, and … this?” he prompted, again pointing to the sphere in question. It wasn’t only one color, or even two; several shades of brown and a warm pink were daubed together, then sprinkled with black speckles.
“Aye, I understand,” the sculptor replied seriously. “Dapple. We call her kind dapple.”
excerpted from MEADOWSWEET
Galleries of Stone, #1
Galleries of Stone is coming to audio. You can currently pick up the first two books in the trilogy, which have been narrated by Travis Baldree. Click below to listen to a snippet from Harrow (Galleries of Stone, #2).
Meadowsweet (Galleries of Stone, #1) has released as an audio book, narrated by Travis Baldree! Here’s another quick sample:
A magical master sculptor banished from his homeland hires the only Flox boy with the nubs to take his hand.
In places where the Twelve Mountains are honored for their magic, children are tested for affinity. But the villages in Morven’s foothills no longer remember stone lore. The Flox have forgotten the Statuary and the wonders that fill its winding galleries. All that remains are stories to frighten children and gossip about a monster living in the heights.
Necessity drives Freydolf to hire a Flox servant. Tupper Meadowsweet isn’t the cleverest child, but he’s brave enough to follow his Pred master onto Morven, where he finds hints of faraway lands, diverse races, unique customs, long histories … and danger.
Meadowsweet (Galleries of Stone, #1) will release as an audio book next week! Look forward to it!
The entire Galleries of Stone trilogy has been gently edited and re-uploaded, so if you have the books lurking on your e-reader, take a moment to refresh or re-download so you’re reading the newest version. Even snazzier is the introduction of new print editions with the full-color spot illustrations that have always been in the ebooks.
Did you know that the digital editions of Meadowsweet are filled with full-color illustrations by Hannah Christenson, who also does my cover art? Worth!
Pred are pierced once they complete their coming-of-age hunt. A brutal, bare-handed, and bloody rite of passage.”
—MEADOWSWEET by C. J. Milbrandt
There are only twelve of these mountains the whole world over, sprat. You’ve lived in the shadow of a legend your whole young life.”
—MEADOWSWEET by C. J. Milbrandt
No matter how many times he witnessed the miracle, he felt that when a sculptor combined stone, shape, and seal, something was born.
—MEADOWSWEET by C. J. Milbrandt
C. J. Milbrandt 