Wizard's Tower Press

It is @octocon.bsky.social day in Dublin, so it is time for a story featuring our frenemies across the water.

It is worth noting that Saint Patrick was a Welshman. He was captured in a raid and taken back to Ireland as a slave. He eventually managed to escape, and returned years later as a missionary. Perhaps we'll do an update about him another day.

The cover of They Are Still Here (Mae Nhw Yma O Hyd). The image is of the sorceror, Gwydion, surrounded by wild animals (wolf, boar, deer) in a Celtic knotwork frame. Gwydion's hat is crowned with antlers. He carries an axe in his right hand and an oak twig in his left. Art by Josh Arklin.

Today's update features a giant, and some deadly enemies of the Welsh. No, not the English, they didn't arrive in Britain until later. I'm talking about the dastardly Irish! www.kickstarter.com/...

They Are Still Here (Maen Nhw Yma O Hyd) An anthology of contemporary fantasy stories featuring creatures and characters from Welsh mythology and folklore

We’ve reached 100 backers and are closing in on £3000 raised. Can we hit that target today? www.kickstarter.com/projects/191...

This project sounds so cool!

The cover of They Are Still Here (Mae Nhw Yma O Hyd). The image is of the sorceror, Gwydion, surrounded by wild animals (wolf, boar, deer) in a Celtic knotwork frame. Gwydion's hat is crowned with antlers. He carries an axe in his right hand and an oak twig in his left. Art by Josh Arklin.

Hooray! We are past 50% in our campaign. Thank you, everyone!

Today Cheryl is off to Aberystwyth for the October Queer Lit Quarterly meeting. In honour of that, today's update tells the very queer story of our cover. (Content warning for sexual assault.)
www.kickstarter.com/...

The cover of They Are Still Here (Mae Nhw Yma O Hyd). The image is of the sorceror, Gwydion, surrounded by wild animals (wolf, boar, deer) in a Celtic knotwork frame. Gwydion's hat is crowned with antlers. He carries an axe in his right hand and an oak twig in his left. Art by Josh Arklin.

Excitingly we are only £42 away from being 50% funded. Hopefully we will get there before I wake up tomorrow morning.
www.kickstarter.com/...

The cover of His Majesty's Starship by Ben Jeapes. The image is of a giant spaceship against the background of a gas giant.

Ben Jeapes will be a Guest of Honour at BristolCon this year. We are lucky enough to publish a couple of his books. Want to know what happens to the British Royal Family in the far future? Try this: wizardstowerpress.co...

The cover of They Are Still Here (Mae Nhw Yma O Hyd). The image is of the sorceror, Gwydion, surrounded by wild animals (wolf, boar, deer) in a Celtic knotwork frame. Gwydion's hat is crowned with antlers. He carries an axe in his right hand and an oak twig in his left. Art by Josh Arklin.

We have a bonus upfate for you today, with some exciting news about the most holy island in Wales. Do you fancy the life of a hermit? www.kickstarter.com/...

The cover of They Are Still Here (Mae Nhw Yma O Hyd). The image is of the sorceror, Gwydion, surrounded by wild animals (wolf, boar, deer) in a Celtic knotwork frame. Gwydion's hat is crowned with antlers. He carries an axe in his right hand and an oak twig in his left. Art by Josh Arklin.

Today's update in the Kickstarter campaign is about Walter Map, a 12th century writer of amusing stories, some of which featured Welsh folklore.
www.kickstarter.com/...

Cover of Of The Emperor’s Kindness by Chaz Brenchley. Art by Ben Baldwin. Image is of a young woman in a long pale dress stood outside the gates of a large, wooden mansion. The word ‘Verantha’ is written on the gates. White birds fly above her.

"I will read anything Chaz Brenchley writes. His prose is melted butter with tarragon, and his characters and worldbuilding equally delicious. Open this book to any page, and you will find something to delight you." - Ellen Kushner on Of the Emperor's Kindness
wizardstowerpress.co...

There's no news as yet from PayPal regarding the credit card fraud attacks on their payment gateway. We have therefore re-opened the store using a payment gateway from Square. This is credit card only. We will restore PayPal functionality as soon as we can do so safely.

The cover of They Are Still Here (Mae Nhw Yma O Hyd). The image is of the sorceror, Gwydion, surrounded by wild animals (wolf, boar, deer) in a Celtic knotwork frame. Gwydion's hat is crowned with antlers. He carries an axe in his right hand and an oak twig in his left. Art by Josh Arklin.

Today's update on the Kickstarter campaign is all about the Lady of Lake, and all her sisters, because there are lots of them. Come and meet the Grawgedd Annwn: www.kickstarter.com/...

A selection of folklore-themed charmed used on the bookmarks. The designs include a fairy, a dragon, a pixie and a ghost.

Among the addons for our Kickstarter campaign are these lovely folklore-themed bookmarks made by Welsh writer, Hazel Hitchins.
www.kickstarter.com/...

Vivi was apparently in another mood, imperious, explicit. No surprise. Vivi’s hand on her cheek. turning her head: gentle, firm. Irresistible, yes. Vivi’s eyes, wide and dark, determined. Vivi’s lips on hers: exploratory, insistent, assertive. Nothing tentative or suggestive, nothing like her own ways of seduction. No offer of pulling back, or waiting longer. Malance could lean into that certainty and find comfort there, and support. It was too soon for promises, but tonight she’d take this gladly. Someone who could seem stronger than herself, someone who knew what they wanted. Someone to take charge, just for the night. In the morning she would need to be herself again, ambassador again, mistress in her own house. Tonight, though—tonight she could yield, and follow Vivi’s determined lead, and let her choose the way.

It is Book Quote Wednesday and the word is 'strong'. In Of the Emperor's Kindness by Chaz Brenchley, Malance has had a terrible shock and Vivi thinks she needs a distraction. #BookQW
wizardstowerpress.co...

Riz, a white lady with curly red hair and oval glasses wearing a grey cardie, holding two copies of Duo 3

Happy editor @rozc.bsky.social with the next @wtpress.bsky.social Wiz Duos from @r-emrys.bsky.social and @aknighton.bsky.social - launching at WFC!

“Sounds awfully Crowley-ish,” says Candace. “I mean yes, that’s where the tradition comes from, and also fuck the British Empire,” says Chloe. I guess magic “workers” are up there with Neopagans for having strong views on 19th Century cult leaders. Not that I’m personally short on opinions about either Crowley’s fashion sense or his basic grasp of consent, mostly based on Candace’s rants. “We’re not big drinkers,” says Del, “and I definitely don’t want to magically reinforce my stoned level of stupidity. But music works, and I could paint something?” “In here!” I wave my hands at the blank wall where we’ve talked about hanging a tapestry. “We could make a mural—Candace’s storytelling, your art, my, um, I realize home improvement is not the most excitingly Bohemian demonstration of identity, but I’m not actually an excitingly Bohemian girl.”

It is Book Quote Wednesday and the word is 'strong'. In this excerpt from 'The Sheltering Flame' by Ruthanna Emrys in Wiz Duo #3, our heroes need to come up with a magical ritual, which is a challenge for middle-aged academics.
wizardstowerpress.co...

Queer Crow Death Magic Tarot A 78-card potent jewel-coloured tarot deck created with linoprinting. Artwork is complete & project is ready to print.

But there are many other fine products on offer. We'd like to particularly draw your attention to the tarot set being sold by our good friend, Frank Duffy:

The Witchstarter badge. Purple with a big W in the middle.

Our Kickstarter campaign is part of the Witchstarter collection being featured throughout October. All of the campaigns in the collection have some connection with the supernatural. Ours, of course, has lots: www.kickstarter.com/...

Cover of Fight Like A Girl #2. Art by Oisin McGann. Image is of a brown-skinned girl in light armour wielding a Very Big Sword. She is surrounded by images of other things she might use to fight, not all of them obviously weapons.

With stories by Danie Ware, Juliet McKenna, Anna Smith Spark and many others, Fight Like A Girl #2 has been a feature on award short lists this year. Find out why people love it so much:
wizardstowerpress.co...

The cover of They Are Still Here (Mae Nhw Yma O Hyd). The image is of the sorceror, Gwydion, surrounded by wild animals (wolf, boar, deer) in a Celtic knotwork frame. Gwydion's hat is crowned with antlers. He carries an axe in his right hand and an oak twig in his left. Art by Josh Arklin.

Today's update on our Kickstarter campaign is from superstar Welsh folklorist, Claire Fayers. She tells us all about her love for giants. One of the rewards in our campaign is a first chapter critique from Claire, which is an amazing opportunity for a budding fantasy writer.
www.kickstarter.com/...

I have written a series of short travelogues about atmospheric and historic places to visit in Wales to help with a fundraiser for this forthcoming anthology for @wtpress.bsky.social

This first one is about Ty Canol Woods in Pembrokeshire 🙂

Kickstarter's Project We Love badge. It is circular with the words in an outer rim and a throbbing heart in the centre.

Excellent news! Our Kickstarter campaign has been selected as a Project We Love by the Kickstarter team.
www.kickstarter.com/...

The cover of They Are Still Here (Mae Nhw Yma O Hyd). The image is of the sorceror, Gwydion, surrounded by wild animals (wolf, boar, deer) in a Celtic knotwork frame. Gwydion's hat is crowned with antlers. He carries an axe in his right hand and an oak twig in his left. Art by Josh Arklin.

Today's update on our Kickstarter campaign is from Tej Turner, who introduces us to the unearthly beauty of Tŷ Canol Wood: www.kickstarter.com/...

Cover of Wiz Duo Book 2. Art by Roz Clarke. The images are of a shield superimposed on a flying dragon, and a girl with a hole through her belly.

Love novellas? How about two in one book? In Wiz Duo 2, Juliet Kemp sends a reluctant knight on a quest, while E M Faulds gives her heroine a superpower that totally sucks.
wizardstowerpress.co...

Good news! The Green Man's War is a Kindle ebook deal for October. You can get fully caught up with Dan Mackmain's adventures before The Green Man's Holiday is published on 30th October.
www.amazon.co.uk/Green-Mans-W...

Cover of The Jicker Man by Ben Mears. Art by Ben Baldwin. Image is a silhouette of a young man in a military greatcoat. Through him we can see a steampunk van surrounded by wolf-like creatures. In the sky behind him there are airships and giant birds.

Recently published, The Jicker Man is a heartwarming tale of a boy and his dog. In this video Ben Mears talks about this inspiration for the canine character: vimeo.com/1113891080...

wizardstowerpress.co...

Our store is currently closed due to a bot attack by credit card fraudsters. We are working with WooCommerce and their partners to find a solution. Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.

The cover of They Are Still Here (Mae Nhw Yma O Hyd). The image is of the sorceror, Gwydion, surrounded by wild animals (wolf, boar, deer) in a Celtic knotwork frame. Gwydion's hat is crowned with antlers. He carries an axe in his right hand and an oak twig in his left. Art by Josh Arklin.

We are pleased to see that we passed the £2000 mark overnight. There won't be an update today because people tend to be offline on Sundays, but we will be back on Monday with the first of Tej Turner's travelogues.
www.kickstarter.com/...

Trust me on this one