Fiction, Kingdom of Rust

Building Relationships with the Fair Folk: 3

denalistannard

Fairies are whimsical and enjoy changing their shapes. They can even take the form of animals and plants for fun and to play pranks.

Content warning: Coarse language

“…Pidge?” Wes said warily.

The pigeon stayed where it was, looking fat and stupid. It was sitting where Judd had said it was, on weathered boards of their porch, legs sticking out in front of it, feathers puffed out, dull eyes staring in opposite directions.

“Did you fly into the window?” Wes asked it gently. “Or get mauled? I think you’re in shock, but maybe you’re just a pigeon?”

The pigeon continued to be a pigeon.

Continue reading “Building Relationships with the Fair Folk: 3” →

Fiction, Kingdom of Rust

Building Relationships with the Fair Folk: 2

denalistannard

On the making and setting of fairy traps

Content warning: Coarse language

“Where the hell have you been?”

Pidge sat bolt upright on the mossy couch where he’d been lounging watching Animal Planet and the Real Housewives simultaneously on split screen. His eyes were pointing in slightly different directions but he narrowed them both as Chick dropped down from the rafters and started pulling her boots off with a groan.

“It’s been five days,” said Pidge, as if Chick didn’t know. “Not a peep from the birds and I heard nothin’ through the grapevine.” He glanced at the trellis in the corner where dark green foliage and heavy purple fruit hung indolently. “No texts, neither.”

“Aw,” said Chick, tapping soil out of her shoe. “Were you worried?”

“No,” said Pidge and then added, jealously, “You were with Mozzie, weren’t you? You can tell me.”

Continue reading “Building Relationships with the Fair Folk: 2” →

Fiction, Kingdom of Rust

Building Relationships with the Fair Folk: 1

denalistannard

How to summon a fairy queen

Content warnings: Coarse language, mild sexual references

She was slim and beautiful and covered in peanut butter.

“Pidge?” said Wes, and then said it again, higher and more desperate. “Pidge??”

Pidge said something barely audible from the kitchen where he was wrist deep in a fucking turkey, Westopher, this better be a fucking emergency.

“It’s an emergency,” said Wes, and leapt back as she swiped for his ankles. “Pidge! It happened again!”

Continue reading “Building Relationships with the Fair Folk: 1” →

Uncategorized

NaNoWriMo 2k18: This time it’s weed

denalistannard

Okay, weed brownie.

And okay, it doesn’t actually have anything to do with pot, or brownies. It has a lot to do with our manuscript for Kingdom of Rust, which we called Weed Brownie for like a month before we came up with a real title. It’s a pun! Because the character who deals weed is a fairy! Which is also known as a brownie! It’s hilarious.

This time last year we used November to finally edit and complete the manuscript for our first joint novel (…that’s not a pun either), Star Boys. This November, we’re in the exciting position to actually have a second manuscript, and an agency to review it! And you better believe they have opinions. Good opinions, natch.

So well ahead of NaNoWriMo – like, October 31st – we decided what better way to spend 30 days than responding to these opinions and revising the bejesus out of Kingdom of Rust, v1? We’re pretty hype for it, despite Megan currently being an incubus of viral plague and Denali having been oxygen-deprived and work-drunk in the mountains for a week.

Follow, exhort, and commiserate with us here.

Promos

Giveaway!

denalistannard

One of the coolest parts of being repped by the awesome Saritza Hernandez is that it puts us in the company of other new authors. And that means that sometimes we get to share super rad things – like giveaways of Julia Lynn Rubin’s debut YA title, BURRO HILLS. If you’re into LGBTQ+ fiction, YA, awesome new authors, or free autographed books, check it out!

Screen Shot 2018-10-03 at 5.26.40 PM

Housekeeping

Welcome

denalistannard

You’d think writing the first post for a website would be like penning the opening chapter to a novel, but it really isn’t.

Chronicling the misadventures of a group of appealingly useless misfits is fun. Chronicling your own adventures comes with the tickling realization that the only misfit here is you, and all you can do is hope like hell that you’re appealing about it.

We’re Denali Stannard, and this is Jackass. Or a website on which we’ll post news, updates, and short stories, despite the fact that making the leap into traditional publishing feels about as nerve-wracking as climbing into a ball pit full of anacondas. In a nice way! It’s exhilarating.

We have two upcoming novels: Star Boys, which follows two actors through the rigors of falling in love and creating prime time TV; and Kingdom of Rust, in which a burnout med student and a drug-dealing prince of Faerie attempt to save Worcester, MA from a very deadly form of gentrification.

(If you’re wondering about the royal we, it’s because we’re the literary equivalent of three children wearing a trenchcoat; two women sharing a pen name.)