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Honing the Blade

August, part 2, aka September

Published by C. L. Clark in newsletter Share

Ho, what news?!

When I drafted this, it was actually my birthday month, but it was so big that I had to split it into two. So you got an earlier newsletter that wasn’t really a newsletter at all, but a bro-themed resource list, and now this. So here are all the updates that I can actually give you.

Books I’m Writing

The Sovereign aka Book 3 of The Magic of the Lost

It’s had a difficult time on hiatus due to other projects that needed to take precedence. When I can, I’m working on the third and ultimate draft. In fact, I just popped it open again today, and the sexual tension between [redacted] and [redacted] is mm! So delicious. Hopefully, I’ll turn that in to my editor by October and we’ll get a summer 2025 release, but coordinating release schedules between different publishing houses can lead to difficulties, which takes us to…

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Fate’s Bane aka Two Sad Little Lesbians in Love

Last time I wrote, I was working on revising the ending and I’m happy to say, I love it. It’s been finalized and is out to early-early blurb readers. Alix Harrow said, and I quote, “With Fate's Bane, C.L. Clark has written a book that feels like a ballad sung at dusk, or a tale told by torch-light: haunting, ancient, full of bad blood and true love. Gather round, listen close--I promise, you'll never forget it.” High praise from an author I admire greatly.

Currently, it’s scheduled to come out in September 30, 2025 with Tordotcom. (You can see why The Sovereign schedule might get bounced around a bit still.)

The cover for this book is beautiful beyond all words, and hopefully I’ll get to show that to you soon. For now…

Secret Book

Is a secret. But I did just turn in the final queries on copyedits, so we’re almost done.

The Common Press

The Common Press is a queer, intersectional bookstore and event space in London. As you can guess, these places are few and far in between and every single one is precious to us because of the populations it serves, especially offering a place for trans folks and queer people of color. In addition to its bookish events, it also offers things like comedy shows, dance lessons, and speed dating! It’s a place for people to explore their identity and their history.

Their crowdfunder will tell you more about the shop and its current situation and specific aims, but I urge you to support it if you can, and to share it. There are 41 days left as of this writing (it ends at Nov 4)—and we’re at 40% of the goal!

For my part, I’ll be joining James Woodall, a video essayist who talks queer film and television (and is coincidentally, the GM for my beloved current TTRPG campaign featuring a tragically unloved but highly lusted after drow) to raise money by doing what we do best—talking about queer stories while playing Baldur’s Gay Gate 3!

There will be a giveaway of various combinations of my books, including some anthologies, personalized notes, stickers, and Unbroken/Faithless posters! So come and hang out with us, ask us questions, help us make questionable decisions for our Tavs (comment below if you want to help me pick some features for character creation).

Put it in your calendar!!

Saturday Sept 28, 5 - 11 PM GMT (12 PM EST, 9 AM PST)

Other Events

Misc.

Along with all the rest of the above, I’ve been going through the exciting and grueling process of buying and moving into a new house, and all the attendant life admin that goes with it. We’re settling in, getting little bits of “home” sorted—giant couch, pull-up bar in the back yard—there’s a lot to do, but feeling very content. I can drop sandbags without a neighbor yelling at me! I can swing swords and kettlebells in the back yard! There’s a park nearby with a perfect running loop! The good life.

I went on a wilderness survival weekend course in April that deserves its own complete write-up, so I’ll work on that for you. But it was AWESOME. And technically for research for a later project. ;)

I’ve been playing 13th Age, my first long running TTRPG campaign (GM’d by Jim, above!), and that’s really fun, too. I’m in love with the dice I got from Soulforge.

Books I’m Reading

Oh wait! Books I’m reading/just loved:

And Finally…

Continue speaking to your governments, your elected officials, your representatives about Israel’s ongoing and ever-widening atrocities in Gaza, in the West Bank, in Lebanon. It’s been almost one year since they began with a new and horrifying intensity (because we all know by now, surely, that they did not begin October 7, 2023), and yet Europe and the United States and Canada continue to allow it for their own imperial coin.

In the UK, you can write to your councillors, support student encampments, and more. If you’re not in the UK, I urge you to look for similar opportunities and wherever you are, to participate in BDS (boycott, divest, sanction).

Alright, that’s all for now.

Stay sharp, my friends.

C.L.

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