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nothwell · 5 months

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I am a human author telling human stories to other humans. Supporting human artists to illustrate these human stories is the only logical and ethical choice.

@thistlearts is my cover artist. He did incredible paintings for Mr Warren's Profession, Oak King Holly King, Tales from Blackthorn Briar, and Fiorenzo.

@lauravian_arts designed adorable stickers for Oak King Holly King. (Available now in my etsy - and perhaps soon, a Kickstarter?)

Collaborating with human artists is a joy and a dream.

AI is unethical, illegal, and dangerous theft from real human beings. No excuses.

(And thank you to @noahhawthorneauthor for inspiring this post!)

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theoldgaylion · 2 years

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I just learned that shrikes are known as butcher birds because they impale their victims on... pikes and thorns... That's why Shrike's house is surrounded by thorns!! Wow!! Now I love him even more

#josh.txt #random ramblings #oak king holly king #butcher of blackthorn #shrike #i also think shrike's appearance is based on loggerhead shrike because his hair is black AND silver

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elaine-white-author · 2 years

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Fangirl Friday: Oak King, Holly King

Blurb Shrike, the Butcher of Blackthorn, is a legendary warrior of the fae realms. When he wins a tournament in the Court of the Silver Wheel, its queen names him her Oak King – a figurehead destined to die in a ritual duel to invoke the change of seasons. Shrike is determined to survive. Even if it means he must put his heart as well as his life into a mere mortal’s hands. Wren Lofthouse, a…

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#best of #book #excellence #fangirl #fangirl friday #favourites #five star #reading

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lucifer-kane · 2 years

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Looking at getting Oak King Holly King by Sebastian Nothwell and ohhh my god the description of this book is literally. It’s SO my tastes

“Shrike, the Butcher of Blackthorn, is a legendary warrior of the fae realms. When he wins a tournament in the Court of the Silver Wheel, its queen names him her Oak King - a figurehead destined to die in a ritual duel to invoke the change of seasons. Shrike is determined to survive. Even if it means he must put his heart as well as his life into a mere mortal’s hands.

Wren Lofthouse, a London clerk, has long ago resigned himself to a life of tedium and given up his fanciful dreams. When a medieval-looking brute arrives at his office to murmur of destiny, he’s inclined to think his old enemies are playing an elaborate prank. Still, he can’t help feeling intrigued by the bizarre-yet-handsome stranger and his fantastical ramblings, whose presence stirs up emotions Wren has tried to lock away in the withered husk of his heart.

As Shrike whisks Wren away to a world of Wild Hunts and arcane rites, Wren is freed from the repression of Victorian society. But both the fae and mortal realms prove treacherous to their growing bond. Wren and Shrike must fight side-by-side to see who will claim victory - Oak King or Holly King.”

#i saw victorian society and was like WELL NOW I HAVE TO #oh looking at this writers other works and ohuhuhu they look SO good

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rhodrymavelyne · 2 years

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#new release

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nikotron · 3 years

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The bird with a zorro's mask.

The blood is dripping down the thorn. The little sparrow-like bird is sitting on the branch of a dried-out bush. He’s looking at the once beautiful blackthorn that now looks like a mournful cemetery.

Why is this bush strewed by mutilated corpses of little birds, mice, lizards... What went wrong there?

Cold eyes are shaded by his chalk-black mask; there's his territory, he observes his butchery. But, even if he has a lot in common with other Passeriformes, he's a natural-born killer. First, he kills victims and hooks them up on thorns; he waits when it begins rotting on purpose; thereafter, the meat becomes more gentle, melting in the mouth, oh, sorry, in the beak.

Let me introduce Shrike, aka Lanius, which means butcher in Latin.

His target is bugs, lizards, little mammals like mice, even birds and snakes... It seems murder is too dull for him; that's why he does it with morbid sophistication; thereby, he turns the world into martyrdom for his victim that came to his crawl by a miserable chance.

#shrike #sketch #novelist #write my essay #essay #birds #birds of prey #raw #writing #written episode

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nothwell · 3 months

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inspired by a recent poll

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nothwell · 3 months

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folks keep putting Hozier on Oak King Holly King playlists and while that's very sweet and all i just need everyone to know that this is the track playing on loop in Wren and Shrike's minds at any given moment

#obsequiae #oak king holly king #shrike the butcher of blackthorn #wren lofthouse #this is cottagecore to me #Bandcamp

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nothwell · 8 months

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#aubrey warren #sir lindsey althorp #aubrey & lindsey #mr warren's profession #throw his heart over #sir evelyn winthrop #morgan turner #hold fast #shrike the butcher of blackthorn #wren lofthouse #oak king holly king #tales from blackthorn briar #alignment chart #fiore #enzo #fiorenzo #sebastian nothwell

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nothwell · 9 months

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#fae #faecore #cottagecore #fae romance #fantasy #fantasy romance #historical fantasy #queer fantasy #queer romance #mm romance #mlm romance #historical romance #gay romance #oak king holly king #sebastian nothwell #wren lofthouse #shrike the butcher of blackthorn

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nothwell · 14 days

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the thing about Shrike responding conversationally to the cat is that he can probably actually talk with it.

Aubrey, Morgan, and Enzo are just being polite.

#a cat meows #character meme #kit morgan #alexandra cranbrook #sir lindsey althorp #sir evelyn winthrop #wren lofthouse #fiore #shrike the butcher of blackthorn #aubrey warren #morgan turner #enzo scaevola

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nothwell · 5 months

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say what you will about the boys, none of them would eat a baby.

#i think lindsey and evelyn would genuinely be good dads #aubrey and morgan would also be good dads but they would be so stressed every single second of it #there is a vague distant sequel to Hold Fast wherein evelyn and morgan adopt one of basil's out-of-wedlock offspring #shrike and wren could probs successfully raise a baby despite wren's misgivings #shrike has a positive guardian to model himself after #enzo would be a good if stressed father but fiore absolutely could not parent his way out of a wet paper bag #fiore would however make an excellent uncle #sebastian nothwell #oak king holly king #shrike the butcher of blackthorn #wren lofthouse #fiorenzo #enzo scaevola #fiore #aubrey warren #morgan turner #sir lindsey althorp #sir evelyn winthrop #mr warren's profession #aubrey and lindsey #aubrey & lindsey #hold fast #i want a baby meme

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nothwell · 7 months

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Later, when he had a moment to reflect on the incident, Wren would realise his error. He, a mortal man, weighed some ten or eleven stone. The white hart, being ethereal, weighed nothing unless it chose to.

And in that instant, it chose for its hooves to prove as hard as adamant as it struck the ice and bounded away.

A sound like a thunderclap resounded across the lake. The crack shot across the ice from the point the hart had struck, spreading from the drinking hole and shooting between Wren’s boots. He had just time to perceive it before another noise burst the air, this one like lightning cleaving an ancient oak in twain, as the ice shattered beneath him.

Wren plunged into darkness.

Cold like a thousand knives raking his skin. Cold fit to turn his very veins to ice. Cold that burned in his bones in a way he’d never realised cold could do before. He wanted to shut his eyes against it. He couldn’t.

And a very good thing that turned out to be, for he was not alone.

~

TALES FROM BLACKTHORN BRIAR is the sequel to Oak King Holly King, a queer Victorian fae romance featuring hurt/comfort and many happily-ever-afters - out now wherever fine books are found!

Shrike, the fae Butcher of Blackthorn, and Wren Lofthouse, a mortal Victorian clerk, are bound together by love and fate. Their continued adventures (and those of their friends) are told in this collection of fantastical tales following the story of Oak King Holly King, including…

The Holly King's Peril

Wherein Wren and Shrike discover danger in the wilds of the Fae Realms.

Amazon • Apple Books • Barnes & Noble • Kobo • Scribd • Smashwords

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nothwell · 2 years

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The Tales from Blackthorn Briar paperback is here - coming soon to wherever you find your books!

Tales from Blackthorn Briar is a sequel to my gay Victorian fae romance Oak King Holly King, featuring hurt/comfort and many happily-ever-afters - available now wherever fine books are found!

Shrike, the fae Butcher of Blackthorn, and Wren Lofthouse, a mortal Victorian clerk, are bound together by love and fate. Their continued adventures (and those of their friends) are told in this collection of fantastical tales following the story of Oak King Holly King, including...

Mabon

• Wherein Shrike and Wren repay their debt to the Court of Hidden Folk.

Mr Grigsby's Clerk

• Wherein Mr Grigsby finds a replacement for Wren - and perhaps more than he bargained for.

Jack in the Green

• Wherein a certain Horse Guard wanders into Blackthorn Briar.

Winter Solstice

• Wherein the Holly King surrenders to the Oak King.

The Holly King's Peril

• Wherein Wren and Shrike discover danger in the wilds of the Fae Realms.

The Ballad of Daniel Durst

• Wherein Daniel embarks on his authentic life in a bold new land.

#fae #fantasy #fae romance #fantasy romance #cottagecore #historical fantasy #gay romance #mm romance #queer romance #mlm romance #mxm romance #tales from blackthorn briar #oak king holly king #sebastian nothwell

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nothwell · 2 years

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Tales from Blackthorn Briar, the long-awaited sequel to Oak King Holly King, comes out Sept. 21st – which means you can celebrate Mabon with Shrike and Wren!

Shrike, the fae Butcher of Blackthorn, and Wren Lofthouse, a mortal Victorian clerk, are bound together by love and fate. Their continued adventures (and those of their friends) are told in this collection of fantastical tales following the story of Oak King Holly King, including…

Mabon • Wherein Shrike and Wren repay their debt to the Court of Hidden Folk.

Mr Grigsby’s Clerk • Wherein Mr Grigsby finds a replacement for Wren – and perhaps more than he bargained for.

Jack in the Green • Wherein a certain Horse Guard wanders into Blackthorn Briar.

Winter Solstice • Wherein the Holly King surrenders to the Oak King.

The Holly King’s Peril • Wherein Wren and Shrike discover danger in the wilds of the Fae Realms.

The Ballad of Daniel Durst • Wherein Daniel embarks on his authentic life in a bold new land.

~

Amazon • Apple Books • Kobo • Smashwords

#mabon #fae #fantasy #historical fantasy #cottagecore #fae romance #fantasy romance #historical romance #hurt/comfort #tales from blackthorn briar #oak king holly king #sebastian nothwell #holly black #the stolen heir #gay romance #mm romance #mlm romance #queer romance

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nothwell · 2 years

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Thanks to Bev for this heartwarming review of Tales from Blackthorn Briar!

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Thank you Sebastian for this little anthology of stories/novellas from the Oak King/Holly King realm. Some spicy 😉 [Mabon, Jack in the Green and Winter Solstice], some featuring old friends [Mr Grigsby's Clerk, and I so loved reading about the ever clueless Mr G and Hullvadr 💜, and The Ballad of Daniel Durst featuring a trans character]; the crowning glory for me however was a much longer length story, The Holly King's Peril. I really do hope that this will not be the last we see of Wren, Shrike and Blackthorn Briar. 5 well-deserved stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 .

~

TALES FROM BLACKTHORN BRIAR is a collection of sequels to Oak King Holly King, featuring hurt/comfort and many happily-ever-afters - available now wherever fine books are found!

Shrike, the fae Butcher of Blackthorn, and Wren Lofthouse, a mortal Victorian clerk, are bound together by love and fate. Their continued adventures (and those of their friends) are told in this collection of fantastical tales following the story of Oak King Holly King, including…

Mabon • Wherein Shrike and Wren repay their debt to the Court of Hidden Folk.

Mr Grigsby’s Clerk • Wherein Mr Grigsby finds a replacement for Wren - and perhaps more than he bargained for.

Jack in the Green • Wherein a certain Horse Guard wanders into Blackthorn Briar.

Winter Solstice • Wherein the Holly King surrenders to the Oak King.

The Holly King’s Peril • Wherein Wren and Shrike discover danger in the wilds of the Fae Realms.

The Ballad of Daniel Durst • Wherein Daniel embarks on his authentic life in a bold new land.

Amazon • Apple Books • Barnes & Noble • Kobo • Scribd • Smashwords

#fae #fantasy #historical fantasy #cottagecore #fae romance #fantasy romance #historical romance #gay romance #queer romance #mm romance #sebastian nothwell #oak king holly king #tales from blackthorn briar #kind words

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