The busiest shopping weekend of the year is upon us, and I’m delighted to share (though sorry for adding yet more advertising to your life) that Duck Prints Press is running two big sales this weekend!

Kickstarter Flash Bundle

The Kickstarter campaign for our next anthology, A Truth Universally Acknowledged: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” is nearly 85% funded with 6 days left before the end. We’ve still got a bit to go to hit our base goal, though, and we’d love to hit some of our awesome stretch goals to get backers more rewards (without them having to spend a penny more!) and to get our contributors more pay!

To help us reach this goal, we’re offering a bonus flash reward level for new backers and current backers who’d like to upgrade: get A Truth Universally Acknowledged, all our campaign merch, AND e-book and print copies of all seven of our past anthologies, all for one massively discounted price of $290 – a savings of almost $100 over the list prices for these items! (Small print but not small: This level is US-only, and the $290 doesn’t include shipping.)
 

This is the best price we’ve ever offered for our anthologies! Wondering what Duck Prints Press is all about? This is your moment! Amazing books at an amazing price – now through Monday December 2nd!

Small Business Saturday Coupon

Saturday November 30th is Small Business Saturday, the day to show small and local business you appreciate them – and for us to show we appreciate you by offering great deals! Duck Prints Press has a whole lot of new things now available for the occasion, and we’re running our best sale of the year – 20% your entire (pre-shipping) purchase!

Use coupon code duckysbs01 to save 20% off your purchase, and check out our new shop listings!

• Scrap Metal Angel by Nicola Kapron e-book and trade paperback
• Scrap Metal Angel two-sided bookmark
• Scrap Metal Angel Adrian and Kade poster
• Scrap Metal Angel two-postcard set
• In Good Company by Nicola Kapron trade paperback
• Puppetry by Nina Waters trade paperback
• Moongatherer by Willa Blythe trade paperback
• Lightbringer by boneturtle trade paperback
• Dux Prints Lanyard
• Musketeer Dux die-cut sticker
• Desire Dux die-cut sticker
• Barista Dux die-cut sticker
• …and so much more awesome stuff in the Duck Prints Press webstore!

Did you know? People who back our Patreon can get discounts at our shop year-round! $3/month and $5/month backers get a permanent 10% off coupon, backers at the $7/month and $10/month level get 20% off, and backers at the $25/month level get a whopping 30% off purchases from our webstore – the lowest price available – the whole year!

Join Duck Prints Press in shopping small this weekend – by backing our Kickstarter, and/or by visiting our store! And we hope you have a wonderful holiday season.

Coupon small print: Coupon usage and terms apply. Offer valid only on online purchases made between Friday November 29 and Monday December 2. Can be redeemed on US and international orders. Shipping & handling and sales tax do not qualify for discounts. This offer cannot be redeemed for cash or gift cards, cannot be applied to past purchases, and can only be used once per purchaser. May not be combined with other coupons, discounts, offers, or promotions. Void if altered, copied, transferred, auctioned, or sold. Valid for use purchasing in-stock items only. No rain checks issued. Other restrictions may apply. Cash value 1/10 cent USD.

We are thrilled to share that we’ve met our minimum funding goal to cover the publishing of Scrap Metal Angel by Nicola Kapron!

Our first stretch goal, which will reward all our backers with a bonus prequel story about Kade Mauzy (already written and edited and ready to go!) is just over $500 away. Can we hit it? That depends on you! We’d love help signal boosting this post or any other post about the campaign that suits your fancy – word-of-mouth is how our campaigns succeed.

What’s it about? Well, the above graphic gives some basics, but for more…

Secret Gates have protected mankind from the unknown chaos beyond the edges of reality for millennia, and now, all that stands between everything humanity knows and the horrors outside it are a depressed trans man, his exhausted partner, and a creature ill-suited to the world after being pulled from his own horrific reality. This is Scrap Metal Angel by Nicola Kapron, an urban fantasy where only fragile Gates protect all we know from eldritch, incomprehensible magic. This is the world that Adrian Somer is determined to save.

Learn all about the book and the merch we’re offering by visiting the campaign page!

Pre-orders close at midnight on October 25th 2024. Unable to back the campaign before pre-orders close? Don’t worry! Scrap Metal Angel will be available for sale to the general public starting during the winter of 2024/25, from our website, major online retailers, libraries, and many other places where books are sold!

Secret Gates have protected mankind from the unknown chaos beyond the edges of reality for millennia, and now, all that stands between everything humanity knows and the horrors outside it are a depressed trans man named Adrian, his exhausted partner Kade, and a creature ill-suited to the world after being pulled from his own horrific reality whose name is unpronounceable in any language known to man. This is Scrap Metal Angel by Nicola Kapron, an urban fantasy where only fragile Gates protect all we know from eldritch, incomprehensible magic. This is the world that Adrian Somer is determined to save.

There are only a few days left in our crowdfunding campaign to fund the publishing of Scrap Metal Angel, and we’re still several hundred dollars from our goal. If you haven’t checked out what we’re offering yet, now is a great time to do so by visiting our campaign page.

Checked it out, but were on the fence about backing? Well…

We’re thrilled to share that now, you can preview Scrap Metal Angel before backing! The first chapter is now available as a free pdf download to help whet your appetite for this awesome story. Download it now!

Campaign ends at midnight on October 25th!

Secret Gates have protected mankind from the unknown chaos beyond the edges of reality for millennia, and now, all that stands between everything humanity knows and the horrors outside it are a depressed trans man, his exhausted partner, and a creature ill-suited to the world after being pulled from his own horrific reality. This is Scrap Metal Angel by Nicola Kapron, an urban fantasy where only fragile Gates protect all we know from eldritch, incomprehensible magic. This is the world that Adrian Somer is determined to save.

As part of Duck Prints Press’s crowdfunding campaign to launch the publication of Nicola Kapron’s new novella Scrap Metal Angel, we’ve worked with artist Felix Vanasse (website, Instagram, and Facebook) to create artwork of the main protagonists Adrian Somer, Kade Mauzy, and Whistler, and main antagonist Shion Matreva. The gorgeous results will be made into a poster, two postcards, and a two-sided bookmarks – all of which can be purchased individually or as part of our main book + merchandise bundle.

Want the deets? We got those for you!

• Scrap Metal Angel bookmark (2 in x 7.25 in/5 cm x 18.5 cm). (Printed by UPrinting.) A lovely two-sided glossy bookmark featuring art by campaign artist Felix Vanasse (Website | Instagram | Facebook), with main character Adrian Somer on one side and the Scrap Metal Angel himself, Whistler, on the other.
• Two Postcard Set (4 in x 6 in/10.25 cm x 15.25 cm). (Printed by UPrinting.) A set of two glossy postcards—expandable to three if we hit our stretch goals!—the first featuring the second Gate, the second featuring book character Shion Matreva. Art by Felix Vanasse.
• Gatekeepers Poster Print (11 in x 17 in/28 cm x 43.25 cm). (Printed by UPrinting.) A glossy poster print, shipped folded, featuring Adrian Somer and Kade Mauzy, the Gatekeepers who are striving to save the world. Art by Felix Vanasse.

Want even more? We got that too! Anyone who backs our Patreon at the $10/month or $25/month level AND backs this campaign will get an extra – a bonus magnet featuring this lovely artwork (also the scene divider in the book!):

PATREON EXCLUSIVE: Rainbow Feather Magnet (3 in x 1 in/7.5 cm x 2.5 cm). (Printed by Vograce.) A thick magnet with a layer of acrylic on front and a shiny iridescent hologram finish, featuring a version of our pretty feather divider on which the white has been replaced with a rainbow gradient. All Duck Prints Press $10/month and $25/month Patreon supporters who also back this campaign will get this magnet for free! Become a backer today.

And all this is above and beyond your opportunity to get an awesome, intriguing book! What’s not to love?

Support our Crowdfunding Campaign today!

Campaign ends October 25 2024!

Pre-orders for Nicola Kapron’s novella Scrap Metal Angel are now live!

Reality, tiny and fragile, is cut off from the sea of chaos and nightmares that surrounds it by seven Gates. One of them is open—and has been since the Stone Age. Through that opening, strange creatures and energies slip through. Some are malevolent. None are harmless. And all of them must be kept a secret.

Every hidden magical world needs a shadowy clean-up crew. Adrian Somer is a Gatekeeper, sworn to protect the cosmic Gates, to defend reality from the unknown entities that exist beyond them, and to help those whose lives are affected by magic.

When a grieving sorceress starts punching holes in reality to try and resurrect her murdered fiancé, Adrian must turn to a ghost from his past in order to save the city, and perhaps the world—even if that means digging up someone he thought was safely buried: the twin brother he killed eight years ago.

In this dark but hopeful urban fantasy novella, masterful storyteller Nicola Kapron introduces us to a world that, on the surface, appears similar to our own, but underneath has complex magic, secret rituals, hidden organizations, and the constant shadow of danger from the mysteries that dwell beyond the six closed Gates. What lies outside the portals locked to protect humanity? Join trans man Adrian Somer, his Cambodian immigrant colleague Kade Mauzy, and the other characters in Scrap Metal Angel to find out…

What can you order?

• Scrap Metal Angel E-Book
• Scrap Metal Angel Trade Paperback
• Merch: Adrian and Scrap Metal Angel‘s eponymous angel, Whistler, Two-Sided Bookmark
• Merch: The Second Gate and Shion Matreva (the “grieving sorceress” mentioned in the blurb!) Two Postcard Set
• Merch: Gatekeeper Adrian and Gatekeeper Kade Poster Print
• Merch: Rainbow Feather Magnet (Patreon Exclusive! For $10/month and $25/month Patrons who back this campaign)

Or, Get a Bundle!

• Scrap Metal Angel E-Book + Trade Paperback Bundle
• Scrap Metal Angel E-Book + Trade Paperback + All Merch Bundle

Can’t get enough of Nicola Kapron’s stories? We can help with that! For this campaign, we’ve also debuted a short story bundle containing 7 short stories and 1 novelette by Kapron, including all the work she’s done with Duck Prints Press. AND, for the first time ever, the print version of the novelette In Good Company is also available on our website. Buying either of these also goes to help us reach our campaign goal!

This campaign is live from NOW until October 25th, 2024. Back us now, and help us reach our $2,800 goal to fund publishing this awesome story! Visit duckprintspress.com to learn all the details.

Duck Prints Press currently releases our single-author non-anthology short stories solely to our Patreon. The higher one backs, the more stories one gets! Not only do backers get access to our new releases based on their backer level, but they also get access to the entire back catalog of short stories we’ve published to Patreon! That means that someone who becomes a new backer at the $3/month level RIGHT NOW would instantly receive access to 41 short stories. Yes, $3 for 41 stories! Higher levels get even more; at our highest level, $25/month backers who subscribe now automatically gain access to 100 short stories and two exclusive art pieces. That’s a whole lot of awesome queer tales to read and art to view, so check it out, and read on to learn more about this month’s releases!

New General Imprint Titles

• Telemachy by Willa Blythe. A bittersweet first-person exploration about a young lesbian who moves to the big city but can’t escape her regrets. Available to Patreon backers at the $10/month level and above.
• Junk by J. D. Harlock. Set in a future when sentient robots box for human enjoyment, the fighter Junk Boy confronts his owner about his desire to retire. Available to Patreon backers at the $7/month level and above.
• The Deadman’s Gambit by Nicola Kapron. An undead man who has long sought his equally undead husband and a young woman eager to rid herself of her family legacy join forces against the corporation that makes super soldiers in this zombiepunk sci-fi second-person story. Available to Patreon backers at the $7/month level and above.
• In Fine Feather by Violet J. Hayes. After being summoned to be the familiar to an herbalist mage, a crow shifter is frustrated to discover that his summoner appears to already have another crow as his familiar. Available to Patreon backers at the $10/month level and above.

New Explicit Imprint Titles

• On Campaign by Dei Walker. Lilya and Maret return in this stand-alone story set some months after the events of Clerical Error. War is hell; intimacy can be a much-needed break and chance to provide mutual comfort in this f/f fantasy erotica short story. Available to Patreon backers at the $5/month level and above.
• then, too, at sea by ilgaksu. A young lighthouse keeper rescues an injured seal who washes up on the banks below his lighthouse, and discovers the seal is more than he appeared to be. Available to ALL Patreon backers!

September Backer-Reward Art Piece

Become a Patreon backer today, get a ton of amazing stuff!!

Better yet – we’ll be hosting an Ask Me Anything session with Nicola Kapron on Discord! Want to come hang out with Nicola, Nina Waters (ABTB lead editor), and other DPP authors, editors, and fans? Join us on January 6th, 2024 at 3 p.m. Eastern (time zone converter) and bring your questions!

About Nicola Kapron: Nicola Kapron has previously been published by Neo-opsis Science Fiction Magazine,  Rebel Mountain Press, Soteira Press, All Worlds Wayfarer, Mannison  Press, and more. Nicola lives in British Columbia with a hoard of  books—mostly fantasy and horror—and an extremely fluffy cat. Link: Personal Website

Read an interview with Nicola Kapron.

Stories Nicola Kapron has Published with Duck Prints Press: 

•  The Act of Salvation (science fantasy, m/m, second person pov)
•  Be Not Afraid (modern fantasy, m/m, omg they were roommates, the apocalypse happened and life didn’t actually change that much) (included in the contributor short stories add-on!) 
•  Campfire Stories (modern horror, no ship, trading campfire monster stories)
•  Dead Man’s Bells(fantasy, m/nb, dark romance, demonic possession)
•  In Good Company (modern horror, m/m, enemies to accomplices)
•  More Than We Deserve (dystopian sci-fi, m/m, friends to lovers) (included in the contributor short stories add-on!) 
•  The Ocean Went on Forever (sci-fi, m/m if you squint, very hard to summarize – see “challenge: easy-to-tag works)

Nicola’s Aether Beyond The Binary Contribution:

Title: How Your Garden Grows

Tags: alternate history, attempted murder, character injury (serious), elemental (nature), environmentalism, genderfluid, natural disaster (unnatural), non-binary, non-human character, past tense, post-apocalypse, science fiction with magic, scientist, siblings, third person limited point of view

Excerpt:

The dive chamber was dark. The only light filtered upward from the moon window set into the floor. Large and circular, it served as the portal through which ze would exit and, hopefully, return. A transparent barrier of purple-tinged glass sat between Stone and the outside. The Nightmare Sea spread out below zir.

“Copy,” Leigh said. “Three…”

The color of the glass made the ocean of trees below look blue. Even with that tint, the swirls of cloud that clung to the spiralling shapes shimmered through every colour Stone knew and several ze didn’t.

“Two…”

Wind currents batted at the treetops. Most of them splashed off like water on the shore, faint trails in the sky the only evidence they’d even tried.

“One…”

Stone breathed in deeply, then let the air hiss out between zir teeth. Zir fingers flexed inside the heavy gloves. Far below, something in the shining sea reflected like metal instead of like heat shimmer or phantasmal crystal. It was near zir planned diving path.

“Diving.”

Learn more about the anthology and our other contributors by visiting our page on Kickstarter!

We’ve got three new short stories out September 28th 2023!

Title: A Ghost for Halloween
Author: K. B. Vimes

General/No Relationship, Family and Siblings, Ghosts, Mourning and Grief, Child Point of View

In the spirit of Color by Owl Outerbridge, The Offered Ones by A. L. Heard, and The Fairy Garden by Rhosyn Goodfellow, K. B. Vimes continues our authors’ tradition of writing compelling stories that explore the fears and hopes attendant with raising children in the modern world.

Halloween is Maggie’s favorite day of the year; she just wishes she knew why her parents hate it so much, why they always refuse to go trick-or-treating with her, why her mother spends the night drunk. At least this year, she’s found another kid to go with her. He’s strange, but Maggie will overlook a lot if it means she gets to have a friend.

Title: Be Not Afraid
Author: Nicola Kapron

M/M, Angels and Demons and the Apocalypse Oh My!, the Hardest Part of the Post-Apocalypse is Finding a Job, There’s Only One Bed (but the Roommate Doesn’t Sleep)

Nicola Kapron returns with her seventh story published with Duck Prints Press, this time exploring how “the end of the world” can mean very different things depending on one’s circumstances.

Tora survives the end of the world, and so does his sister, even though he can’t escape the niggling feeling that one or both of them shouldn’t have. Still, that’s not his immediately problem. No, he’s more concerned about his demon roommate and his odd-job daily gig.

Title: Commute
Author: Eliot Lovell

F/F, the Inherent Awkwardness of Sitting Together on the Train, WLW Disaster Flirting

Fluffy f/f is one of our most popular short story genres. Eliot Lovell’s debut story with Duck Prints Press joins our extensive catalog of works by such authors as A. L. Heard, Violet J. Hayes, Annabeth Lynch, and D. V. Morse. You can check out all of our f/f general imprint titles here.

Eloise intensely dislikes when she has to work in the city, not least because of the commute by train. But the longer the beautiful woman sits across from her in the facing row of seats, the more she starts to think maybe commuting isn’t so bad…

Also Now Available: The Summer 2023 General Imprint Bundle!

Happy Release Day, Everyone! We publish new short stories and novelettes for our General Imprint on the fourth Thursday of the month, and here we are with five new short stories and a novelette! 

June 22nd Releases:

Title: Of Loops and Weaves
Author: Catherine E. Green

F/F, Getting Together, Maximum Fluff

Robin loves to sit in the local coffee shop, crocheting a sweater for her friend Dee, who she hopes will become more than a friend.

She doesn’t expect to need to frog a chunk of project.

And she really doesn’t expect Dee to walk in on her doing so…

-

Title: Solarpunks: Viva la Revolución (a story in the Solarpunks ‘verse)
Author: J. D. Harlock

Found Family, Utopian Future, the Very Teenage Urge to Rebel Against Authority

The future is perfect, with strong community ties, collective ownership, plenty for all, and an ideal balance of private life and public life.

In such a setting, what’s a group of bored teenagers to do to shake up the order of things?

Sami, Ros, and Amara aren’t sure…but Sami has a plan.

-

Title: Seal Island
Author: K. B. Vimes

M/M, Queerplatonic Relationship, Ace Trans Main Character, Selkies

Michael has always known he was a boy, and always known he didn’t fit in with either the boys or girls around him in the quiet fishing community where he grows up. To escape the insistence of his friends and family that he become a “proper young lady,” he seeks refuge on the island in the bay where the seals sun themselves during the summer.

It’s not until he’s 18 that he realizes he might be able to make the island a more permanent home. Will the seals welcome the young man who’s never felt like he’s belonged?

-

Title: More Than We Deserve
Author: Nicola Kapron

M/M, Finding a Slice of Hope Amidst Dystopia, Trans Main Character, Spies and Super Soldiers

Every year, the employees of The Winterborne Group have to fill out Form 301-A, checking off boxes related to gender and sexuality to enhance the megacorp’s diversity numbers. 

This year, Dice uses this opportunity to finally, after years of passing, tell the company he’s trans.

That’s not the problem.

The problem is that Grey, Dice’s favorite company-owned Horizon super soldier, has asked for Dice’s help completing his Form 301-A.

-

Title: Live Like There’s No Tomorrow (a short prequel story in the Welcome to PHU ‘verse)
Author: Tris Lawrence

Family Feels, Surviving Cancer, Finding Hope Through Everyday Struggles

Middle-school student Jackson is not particularly upset about his cancer; the doctor’s assure him he’ll recover, and his biggest concern is that his friends will be a grade or more above him by the time he’s able to get back to school.

Well, that and that he’s sure that his mother is keeping a secret from him, but he can’t figure out what that secret is and she’s not talking about it.

-

Title: Moongatherer
Author: Willa Blythe

F/F, PTSD, Recovery From Trauma, Bonding While on a Quest Together

The Summer Solstice is approaching, the day when the sunlight lasts the longest and the dangers of being out in the world, exposed to the harsh rays, is greatest. As is their way, Clan Firefox has once again chosen two representatives to travel to Moon’s Rest and make an offering to the Goddess to bring the moonlight back.

No one is surprised that Pomegranate will be making the journey.

But everyone is shocked when Honeycomb is selected, and no one more so than Honeycomb herself.

And, as they set out on their journey, all Honeycomb can see is the memory of harsh solar rays and burning fires…

Maybe during this journey, these two young women can find more than they ever thought to seek…

-

Think they all sound amazing? Well, you should, because they are. And we’ve got you covered – you can buy ALL SIX of these new titles in one awesome bundle – and save 20% off the list price for buying each story individually! 

Come on over to the Duck Prints Press webstore and find your new favorite short story! And, while you’re at it, don’t forget to check out the anthology we’re Kickstarting!

Want more stories, and to support our awesome, queer-owned, fandom-based small business indie Press? We rely on your backing on Patreon to keep our prices low and maximize the royalties we pay to authors! Support us, and get free stories every month – the higher your backer level, the more you get!

Dead Man’s Bells by Nicola Kapron

Dark Fantasy, M/NB, Demonic Possession (Voluntary)

The vines were alive. They writhed like snakes as he ran a hand over them. As one, they untangled themselves from the shrouded shape of the spear. A few even dropped off entirely and nudged at his ankles. Underneath, the weapon gleamed with the soft, wet shimmer of fresh growth.

Around it, he could make out the silhouette of something that was almost human. Luminous green eyes. Roots wrapped tightly into the shape of arms, legs, musculature. Foxglove flowers blooming in the hollow of a throat.

A forest demon persisting long after it had been cut down and sanded into a useful shape.

Beautiful, Liam thought. This feeling might be awe. If he didn’t need to keep moving forward, toward it, he would have fallen to his knees.

For a moment, the ringing paused, and the vines slowed in their movements. “I am not dead,” said the voice that wasn’t his own. “You did not kill me. Even like this, you cannot tame me. Raise me, and I will live again.”

Follow Liam as his life intertwines with that of the verdant growth possessing the basement of his family’s manor. Read Dead Man’s Bells now!

Away With the Fairies by Annabeth Lynch

Modern with Magic, Siblings and Family, Fae/Fairy Kidnapping (Consensual)

“Why do the lightning bugs only fly up?” I asked Linda.

“Not all of them do. But this kind produces light as they fly. They’re sending signals to the others,” she said, coming to look at the ones I grabbed. “They’re telling each other things with the lights.”

“Like what?”

“Like what kind they are, or if they’re boys or girls, or whether they want to have babies. They talk by flashing. That’s why they blink.”

“What about that one?” I pointed at a fast-moving one. “That one isn’t blinking at all.” Linda looked at the one I pointed at. She watched it for a long time, waiting for its light to blink off.

It didn’t.

What have Linda and her sister Suzy found amidst the fireflies (spoilers…it might be in the title…)? Read Away With the Fairies and find out!

Love works featuring nature spirits, fae, and fairyfolk? These two aren’t the only ones in our catalog! Check out our anthologies Add Magic to Taste, He Bears the Cape of Stars, and She Wears the Midnight Crown, or…

• Let the Solstice Come by D. V. Morse (historical with magic, elementals are enslaved by humans, rebellion)
• The Fairy Garden by Rhosyn Goodfellow (modern with magic, child point of view, fae and fairyfolk)
• A Glimmer of Hope by Nina Waters (modern with magic, m/m, novel-length, angst with a happy ending)

Who we are: Duck Prints Press LLC is an independent publisher based in New York State. Our founding vision is to help fanfiction authors navigate the complex process of bringing their original works from first draft to print, culminating in publishing their work under our imprint. We are particularly dedicated to working with queer authors and publishing stories featuring characters from across the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. Love what we do? Want to make sure you don’t miss the announcement for future giveaways? Sign up for our monthly newsletter and get previews, behind-the-scenes information, coupons, and more!

Want to support the Press, read about us behind-the-scenes, learn about what’s coming down the pipeline, get exclusive teasers, and claim free stories? Back us on Patreon or ko-fi monthly!