"All this he saw, for one moment breathless and intense, vivid on the morning sky; and still, as he looked, he lived; and still, as he lived, he wondered."

― Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

The Swineherd King

An evil stepmother, three princesses in danger, magical waters, and a helpful lizard with a tail that points to the truth.
I’m querying for an agent to represent my Gothic novel, and I publish an eBook for Patrons every time I get a rejection. I just got one!
And do you want to know what? This system is actually helping. The natural disappointment is quenched with the happy thought that I get to prepare something nice for you guys. I’ll keep querying, you keep on reading.

As usual, guys in the lower tier get the first portion of the book, while people in the 2nd and 3rd one get the full text with some additional notes on the theme of the three princesses. It’s another literary fairytale written by the Italian symbolist poet Guido Gozzano.

 
books and literature

Bulgakov’s The Fatal Eggs

Mikhail Bulgakov (Kyiv, 1891–1940) was a novelist, playwright, and former physician, whom I’m sure you know for The Master and Margarita, published posthumously. His work blends sharp satire, fantasy, grotesque comedy, and moral seriousness, often targeting Soviet bureaucracy and ideological hypocrisy, but I had no

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October 31, 2026 9:00 am
Spooktober

Spooktober 30 – The Black Monk (5)

Conclusion Kovrin received a professorship at the University. The inaugural address was fixed for the second of December, and a notice to that effect was hung up in the corridor at the University. But on the day appointed he informed the students’ inspector, by telegram,

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October 30, 2026 6:00 am
Spooktober

Spooktober 29 – The Black Monk (4)

Chapter 7 One long winter night Kovrin was lying in bed, reading a French novel. Poor Tanya, who had headaches in the evenings from living in town, to which she was not accustomed, had been asleep a long while, and, from time to time, articulated

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October 29, 2026 6:00 am
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Bulgakov’s The Fatal Eggs

October 31, 2026

Mikhail Bulgakov (Kyiv, 1891–1940) was a novelist, playwright, and former physician, whom I’m sure you know for The Master and Margarita, published posthumously. His work blends sharp satire, fantasy, grotesque comedy, and moral seriousness, often targeting Soviet bureaucracy and ideological hypocrisy, but I had no

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Conclusion Kovrin received a professorship at the University. The inaugural address was fixed for the second of December, and a notice to that effect was hung up in the corridor at the University. But on the day appointed he informed the students’ inspector, by telegram,

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