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Marie Brennan

@swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy
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Author of the Memoirs of Lady Trent & more. Also 1/2 of M.A. Carrick. (she/her) 🌉 bridged from wandering.shop/@swan_tower on the fediverse by fed.brid.gy

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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 9h
Six days left in the @lightspeedmagazine.com / @nightmare-magazine.com #Kickstarter, and they're getting close -- but they still need backers and signal-boosting! www.kickstarter.com/projects/lights…
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 06/10/2026
California voters! My husband has assembled his usual explainer doc for the propositions: why they're on the ballot, who's backing them, relevant history, etc. Feel free to share far and wide! docs.google.com/document/d/1nRwC55F…
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 06/10/2026
It's pub day for THE WRITER'S LITTLE BOOK OF METER! As poetry's starting to get a bit more of a moment in the sun, I offer up this introduction to how one writes with rhythm: www.swantower.com/writing/the-write…
swantower.com
The Writer's Little Book of Meter - Swan Tower
Metrical verse is hugely popular when it takes the form of song lyrics, and yet its written cousin has fallen out of fashion in recent decades. To help guide writers unfamiliar with matters metrical through the thicket of terms and concepts, Hugo Award-winning poet Marie Brennan offers up not only a brief introduction to iambs and dactyls, tetrameters and pentameters, but advice on how to go about drafting rhythmic poetry -- including ways the rules can be bent and broken!
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 05/10/2026
THE WRITER'S LITTLE BOOK OF METER comes out tomorrow! Mysteries metrical, mapped out for you! www.swantower.com/writing/the-write…
swantower.com
The Writer's Little Book of Meter - Swan Tower
Metrical verse is hugely popular when it takes the form of song lyrics, and yet its written cousin has fallen out of fashion in recent decades. To help guide writers unfamiliar with matters metrical through the thicket of terms and concepts, Hugo Award-winning poet Marie Brennan offers up not only a brief introduction to iambs and dactyls, tetrameters and pentameters, but advice on how to go about drafting rhythmic poetry -- including ways the rules can be bent and broken!
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 02/10/2026
I can finally share the cover for THE WORST MONK IN OMNU, out next May from Angry Robot! It's the story of Diligence-and-Care-in-All-Things, a Buddhist-style monk with really terrible karma, who goes on pilgrimage to try and stop disasters from happening all […] [Original post on wandering.shop]
Cover art for THE WORST MONK IN OMNU by Marie Brennan. In a nighttime landscape, an Asian-looking monk is silhouetted against a glowing waterfall plunging down the mountainside.
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 30/09/2026
Just over 24 hours left, and this anthology Kickstarter is only ***$62*** away from goal! www.backerkit.com/c/projects/merc-f…
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 22/09/2026
And then in December, we move onto different poetic forms, and how to tell if a form with a refrain line or a volta is right for your idea: www.swantower.com/writing/the-write…
swantower.com
The Writer's Little Book of Forms - Swan Tower
Sonnets, limericks, haiku: a few poetic forms are widely familiar. But the field of possibilities extends well past that, through hundreds of forms all around the world -- so how is a poet to decide among them? Breaking them down according to features like syllable count or refrain lines, Hugo Award-winning poet Marie Brennan analyzes what effects different features create, and how to tell which form might best support what you want to say!
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 22/09/2026
The same is true for the next installment in the Writer's Little Books series, where we turn our attention to rhyme: www.swantower.com/writing/the-write…
swantower.com
The Writer's Little Book of Rhyme - Swan Tower
From time to time, a poet finds they need to write in rhyme. But what are the different types, what effect do they have on a poem, and what’s the best way to go about drafting in rhyme? In this companion to The Writer’s Little Book of Meter, Hugo Award-winning poet Marie Brennan tackles the sonic side of the field!
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 22/09/2026
Two weeks until THE WRITER'S LITTLE BOOK OF METER comes out! And while this one is aimed at poets, prose writers, there's a fair bit to be said for staying aware of the rhythmic patterns of your words: www.swantower.com/writing/the-write…
swantower.com
The Writer's Little Book of Meter - Swan Tower
Metrical verse is hugely popular when it takes the form of song lyrics, and yet its written cousin has fallen out of fashion in recent decades. To help guide writers unfamiliar with matters metrical through the thicket of terms and concepts, Hugo Award-winning poet Marie Brennan offers up not only a brief introduction to iambs and dactyls, tetrameters and pentameters, but advice on how to go about drafting rhythmic poetry -- including ways the rules can be bent and broken!
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 22/09/2026
You can now buy Vol. 9 of @oldmoonquarterly.bsky.social, with my alliterative Norse-style Huginn and Munnin poem "Thought and Memory"! Available in ebook and print: www.oldmoonpublishing.com/product-p… […]
wandering.shop
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 22/09/2026
Two weeks until THE WRITER'S LITTLE BOOK OF METER comes out! And while this one is aimed at poets, prose writers, there's a fair bit to be said for staying aware of the rhythmic patterns of your words: www.swantower.com/writing/the-write…
swantower.com
The Writer's Little Book of Meter - Swan Tower
Metrical verse is hugely popular when it takes the form of song lyrics, and yet its written cousin has fallen out of fashion in recent decades. To help guide writers unfamiliar with matters metrical through the thicket of terms and concepts, Hugo Award-winning poet Marie Brennan offers up not only a brief introduction to iambs and dactyls, tetrameters and pentameters, but advice on how to go about drafting rhythmic poetry -- including ways the rules can be bent and broken!
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 14/09/2026
And if you missed 'em, all the previous WRITER'S LITTLE BOOKS are still available! READINGS: www.swantower.com/writing/the-write… RESEARCH: www.swantower.com/writing/the-write… PLATITUDES […]
wandering.shop
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 14/09/2026
Then, in December, we put those together with other features (like refrain lines and turns) to take a look at poetic forms, and how to match form to content! www.swantower.com/writing/the-write…
swantower.com
The Writer's Little Book of Forms - Swan Tower
Sonnets, limericks, haiku: a few poetic forms are widely familiar. But the field of possibilities extends well past that, through hundreds of forms all around the world -- so how is a poet to decide among them? Breaking them down according to features like syllable count or refrain lines, Hugo Award-winning poet Marie Brennan analyzes what effects different features create, and how to tell which form might best support what you want to say!
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 14/09/2026
That one's out in October. Next, in November, comes a brief but deep dive into the varieties and arrangements of rhyme, and tactics for working within that constraint: www.swantower.com/writing/the-write…
swantower.com
The Writer's Little Book of Rhyme - Swan Tower
From time to time, a poet finds they need to write in rhyme. But what are the different types, what effect do they have on a poem, and what’s the best way to go about drafting in rhyme? In this companion to The Writer’s Little Book of Meter, Hugo Award-winning poet Marie Brennan tackles the sonic side of the field!
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 14/09/2026
The next three WRITER'S LITTLE BOOKS are up for pre-order! As SFF poetry starts to step out of the shadows, I'm taking a run at certain aspects of poem-writing craft, starting with meter: www.swantower.com/writing/the-write…
swantower.com
The Writer's Little Book of Meter - Swan Tower
Metrical verse is hugely popular when it takes the form of song lyrics, and yet its written cousin has fallen out of fashion in recent decades. To help guide writers unfamiliar with matters metrical through the thicket of terms and concepts, Hugo Award-winning poet Marie Brennan offers up not only a brief introduction to iambs and dactyls, tetrameters and pentameters, but advice on how to go about drafting rhythmic poetry -- including ways the rules can be bent and broken!
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 14/09/2026
The next three WRITER'S LITTLE BOOKS are up for pre-order! As SFF poetry starts to step out of the shadows, I'm taking a run at certain aspects of poem-writing craft, starting with meter: www.swantower.com/writing/the-write…
swantower.com
The Writer's Little Book of Meter - Swan Tower
Metrical verse is hugely popular when it takes the form of song lyrics, and yet its written cousin has fallen out of fashion in recent decades. To help guide writers unfamiliar with matters metrical through the thicket of terms and concepts, Hugo Award-winning poet Marie Brennan offers up not only a brief introduction to iambs and dactyls, tetrameters and pentameters, but advice on how to go about drafting rhythmic poetry -- including ways the rules can be bent and broken!
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Good News Community @good-news-community.mastodon.cosmicnation.co.ap.brid.gy · 13/09/2026
Scientists have discovered a promising new way to help damaged nerves regenerate, opening possibilities for future treatments of nerve injuries. It’s still early research, but understanding how to encourage the nervous system to repair itself could have important implications for medicine. Read […]
mastodon.cosmicnation.co
Original post on mastodon.cosmicnation.co
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Kit Bashir @unixbigot.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 10/09/2026
If you travel with a wheelchair I will build you a shock recording black box for free. www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-11/qant…
abc.net.au
Qantas changes tune over broken wheelchair after ABC questions
Qantas has backflipped and says it is now planning to replace an expensive powered wheelchair broken beyond repair on one of its flights, after questions from the ABC.
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 09/09/2026
And it all started with THE WRITER'S LITTLE BOOK OF NAMING, when I decided I wanted to go on a random bender of talking about the cultural side of what names mean and how we use them, and therefore how to create them for stories! www.swantower.com/writing/the-write…
swantower.com
The Writer's Little Book of Naming - Swan Tower
Names and terms in a fictional setting should ideally be more than just random sounds thrown together. Award-winning fantasy author Marie Brennan leverages her anthropological background and her experience with seven different languages to guide you through the social side of naming: how it can reflect everything from gender to geographical origin, implying a whole three-dimensional world behind the words on the page.
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 09/09/2026
So far, the most popular has (not surprisingly) been the second, THE WRITER'S LITTLE BOOK OF PLATITUDES: in which I take on the old saws of standard writing advice and evaluate how to know when to follow them and when to chuck 'em out […]
wandering.shop
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 09/09/2026
This is fourth in the series of Writer's Little Books, all 99-cent dives into focused topics. Third was the LITTLE BOOK OF RESEARCH, giving advice on how to hunt out the information you need for your stories: www.swantower.com/writing/the-write…
swantower.com
The Writer's Little Book of Research - Swan Tower
Writers of all genres can have a dizzying array of research needs, from broad contextual information to highly specific facts. Thanks to her academic background, award-winning author Marie Brennan is unafraid to dive in on matters ranging from history to ecology to medicine, and has now collected her most reliable techniques into one simple guide. If you need to know something for your fiction but don’t know where to start, this ebook is for you!
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 09/09/2026
#ICYMI, THE WRITER'S LITTLE BOOK OF READINGS came out yesterday! 99 cents to level up your ability to read to an audience: aimed at fiction writers, but I think we all know some academics and presenters who could use improvement […]
wandering.shop
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 09/09/2026
I saw this on Tumblr, and my brain instantly burst into song: 🎶Noooo . . . oooooone . . . caaaaaan . . . Hench like our Al Make fists clench like our Al No one's such a great villainous mensch as our Al He's especially good at intimidating Hire him now, Al Leong! 🎶
Black and white photo of actor Al Leong, a Chinese-American man with long hair, a receding hairline, and a goatee.
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 09/09/2026
#ICYMI, THE WRITER'S LITTLE BOOK OF READINGS came out yesterday! 99 cents to level up your ability to read to an audience: aimed at fiction writers, but I think we all know some academics and presenters who could use improvement […]
wandering.shop
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 09/09/2026
For those on the other side of the planet, you're still welcome to post questions to the M.A. Carrick #AMA I did today with @alychelms over at r/Fantasy! We'll keep an eye on it for the next day or two […]
wandering.shop
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 09/09/2026
For those on the other side of the planet, you're still welcome to post questions to the M.A. Carrick #AMA I did today with @alychelms over at r/Fantasy! We'll keep an eye on it for the next day or two […]
wandering.shop
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 08/09/2026
@alychelms and I are doing an #AMA today over at r/Fantasy! Come ask us about THE EYE OF LEVIATHAN, the Rook and Rose trilogy, future books, RPGs, archaeology in Wales, or anything else! www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/1…
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 08/09/2026
@alychelms and I are doing an #AMA today over at r/Fantasy! Come ask us about THE EYE OF LEVIATHAN, the Rook and Rose trilogy, future books, RPGs, archaeology in Wales, or anything else! www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/1…
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 24/08/2026
With #LACon coming up, it seems like a dandy time to mention that I have advice for authors doing readings! Pre-order THE WRITER'S LITTLE BOOK OF READINGS now and get it . . . uhhh, on the 4th, so, after #Worldcon. But in time for the next con! […]
wandering.shop
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 25/08/2026
The omnibus of my very first series is currently 25% off at Kobo! (Discount applies at checkout; you won't see it on the book page.) www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-doppel…
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 24/08/2026
With #LACon coming up, it seems like a dandy time to mention that I have advice for authors doing readings! Pre-order THE WRITER'S LITTLE BOOK OF READINGS now and get it . . . uhhh, on the 4th, so, after #Worldcon. But in time for the next con! […]
wandering.shop
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 23/08/2026
alas for the passing of sink fruit season peaches, plums, nectarines every bite bitten bent forward, juice running down to drip from the point of chin and palm #sharepoetry (Because poetry doesn't have to be deep. It can be incidental stuff thought up over the sink!)
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 19/08/2026
Have you ever heard of cosmography? (Not the astrophysics kind.) Neither had we, until we started work on THE EYE OF LEVIATHAN! www.macarrick.com/2026/08/19/cosmog…
macarrick.com
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 19/08/2026
One day in, and I'm a little verklempt at how many people have already turned out to help Em. In gratitude, may I offer up a picture of her one-eyed cat, Kenway, whom you are also helping to keep housed? #GoFundMe www.gofundme.com/manage/keep-emily-…
A white and tabby cat missing his left eye looks toward the camera
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 18/08/2026
I hate that the 21st-century American safety net is GoFundMe, but here we are. My friend @strangetree needs help staying in her apartment post-surgery until disability insurance comes through, so I have set up a campaign on her behalf: gofund.me/95d0d4cd2
gofundme.com
Donate to Keep Emily Dare Housed Post-Surgery, organized by Marie Brennan
I'm Marie Brennan, and I'm asking for your help on behalf of a friend. Emily Dare,… Marie Brennan needs your support for Keep Emily Dare Housed Post-Surgery
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 18/08/2026
I hate that the 21st-century American safety net is GoFundMe, but here we are. My friend @strangetree needs help staying in her apartment post-surgery until disability insurance comes through, so I have set up a campaign on her behalf: gofund.me/95d0d4cd2
gofundme.com
Donate to Keep Emily Dare Housed Post-Surgery, organized by Marie Brennan
I'm Marie Brennan, and I'm asking for your help on behalf of a friend. Emily Dare,… Marie Brennan needs your support for Keep Emily Dare Housed Post-Surgery
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 16/08/2026
New story out today! "Chorus for Solo Voice" is paywalled but if you subscribe to Sunday Morning Transport, not only do you get this story about how to preserve what you can in horrible times, but many other fantastic stories from other authors! […]
wandering.shop
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 14/08/2026
Another behind-the-scenes look at THE EYE OF LEVIATHAN, about writing historical Catholicism! www.macarrick.com/2026/08/13/writin…
macarrick.com
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 11/08/2026
We are over at @maryrobinettekowal.com's site with Our Favorite Bit from THE EYE OF LEVIATHAN! Come hear about our cosmological murder board, alchemy, and what happens when all stories are true […]
wandering.shop
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 04/08/2026
THE WRITER'S LITTLE BOOK OF RESEARCH is out now! Get it in ebook from your retailer of choice (for just $0.99 USD), and learn new tactics for digging up sources for your stories! www.swantower.com/writing/the-write…
swantower.com
The Writer's Little Book of Research - Swan Tower
Writers of all genres can have a dizzying array of research needs, from broad contextual information to highly specific facts. Thanks to her academic background, award-winning author Marie Brennan is unafraid to dive in on matters ranging from history to ecology to medicine, and has now collected her most reliable techniques into one simple guide. If you need to know something for your fiction but don’t know where to start, this ebook is for you!
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 04/08/2026
Following a discussion of sword-fighting, I have decided that "Stanzas and Stances" is the name of my . . . *something*. Band? Magazine? Tea shop x dojo?
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Nicole J. LeBoeuf (she/her) @nicolejleboeuf.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 30/07/2026
If you, too, were published by Daily Science Fiction, your story might have been reprinted without your permission too. For the rest of y'all: Please know this is not a good faith actor. They are lying about republishing DSF stories "with author's consent." They cannot be trusted. And while I […]
wandering.shop
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Nicole J. LeBoeuf (she/her) @nicolejleboeuf.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 30/07/2026
They say, > If you're an author and want yours added, removed, or corrected, get in touch. Their website offers no way to "get in touch" short of the Submit link - which requires you to log in before you can send them anything. Again, when they say "We re-host [older stories from Daily […]
wandering.shop
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Nicole J. LeBoeuf (she/her) @nicolejleboeuf.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 30/07/2026
Signal boost for an infuriating situation: There is a new flash fiction publisher, "Science Fiction Weekly," which purports to host late lamented Daily Science Fiction's archive of stories "with author consent"... ...I only just heard about them today. They have republished my story, "The […]
wandering.shop
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 30/07/2026
Do you need two and a half minutes of six (?) sleepy grey kittens attempting to tetris themselves into a basket, purring all the while? I think you do: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM5hQ3Qtf-8
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 30/07/2026
I have my schedule for #LAConV! In addition to panels, readings, etc., Alyc Helms and I will have a table in the dealers' hall, selling books (incl. THE EYE OF LEVIATHAN, Rook & Rose, and the Memoirs of Lady Trent), pattern decks, tea samples, and more! www.swantower.com/appearances
swantower.com
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 21/07/2026
The Year Nine collection for my New Worlds Patreon is out in ebook now! Essays on regencies, rhetoric, rebellions, relics, and more! www.swantower.com/writing/new-world…
Cover art for Marie Brennan's NEW WORLDS, YEAR NINE: MORE ESSAYS ON THE ART OF WORLDBUILDING. A bright, multicolored circle of swirling light against a black background.
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 16/07/2026
Alyc Helms and I (in our M.A. Carrick guise) have been interviewed again at the New Books Network! Head on over for a spoiler-free look behind the scenes of THE EYE OF LEVIATHAN . . . newbooksnetwork.com/the-eye-of-levi…
newbooksnetwork.com
M. A. Carrick, "The Eye of Leviathan" (Orbit, 2026) - New Books Network
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 14/07/2026
THE EYE OF LEVIATHAN is now out in the world! Come with us to an alternate Golden Age Spain, where the king claims dominion over not just the Americas but the faerie islands of the Sea Beyond . . . www.macarrick.com/writing/eye-of-le…
macarrick.com
The Eye of Leviathan - M.A. Carrick
In an alternate Spanish Golden Age, where the map becomes the territory and mapmakers are the architects of reality, the Council of the Sea Beyond has risen to unrivaled power, exploiting the world’s most precious resources for their own gain.
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Marie Brennan @swan-tower.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 14/07/2026
THE EYE OF LEVIATHAN is now out in the world! Come with us to an alternate Golden Age Spain, where the king claims dominion over not just the Americas but the faerie islands of the Sea Beyond . . . www.macarrick.com/writing/eye-of-le…
macarrick.com
The Eye of Leviathan - M.A. Carrick
In an alternate Spanish Golden Age, where the map becomes the territory and mapmakers are the architects of reality, the Council of the Sea Beyond has risen to unrivaled power, exploiting the world’s most precious resources for their own gain.
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