Deborah's Journal

Book View Cafe's catalog keeps getting better and better... and our newest offering is a collection of short fiction by Dave Smeds.

::end official announcement, commence personal cheers::

I've known Dave for about a gazillion years, since we both had stories in the early Sword & Sorceress anthologies. Over the years, we've both grown and matured as writers (at least, I hope I have -- but I know he has!) When I began work on my editorial debut, Lace and Blade, Dave was among the writers I knew I wanted to include. He sent me a jewel of a story, "The Beheaded Queen," quirky and smart and heart-breaking, as one might expect from a tale whose heroine is a disembodied head kept alive by magic and possessing more intelligence and compassion than any ten normal characters.

For The Feathered Edge: Tales of Magic, Love, and Daring, Dave crafted yet another amazing story, "A Swain of Kneaded Moonlight." Loyalty and longing and schemes, oh my, not to mention a lover spun out of moonlight and dreams.

So when I say these stories are treasures, I come from the privileged position of having edited two of them (and read more, with great pleasure). Dave isn't a prolific writer, he's a meticulous and thoughtful one. If you haven't run across his work before, you are in for a tremendous treat. I'm so pleased to see this collection published.

You can read a sample, "A Swain of Kneaded Moonlight" here.

Long ago, silver dripped from a crescent moon. The drops fell upon the land and became the glimmering brides. They were magical women. The great men of long ago won them as consorts — whether by force, seduction, or contract — and sired children upon them.

The brides lingered in the known realms until their children were grown. When their mortal flesh had aged and its grip upon them loosened, they slipped away. Now they are the stars that wander in the skies.

Or so they say. ......