The next book in the Eternal Library Series, an adult fantasy quintet about an intergenerational found family of magic bookbinders. Featuring an all queer, mostly neurodivergent cast of lovable characters using storytelling and art to heal from trauma.
THE FLAME THAT SINGS is the third book in the Eternal Library Series, an adult fantasy quintet about an intergenerational found family of magic bookbinders. This series features an all queer, mostly neurodivergent cast of lovable characters as they learn their craft, heal from trauma, and protect the Library from falling into the wrong hands.
Already caught up on the series? Grab an ebook, paperback, and/or exclusive hardcover copy of this next book! First time hearing about it? Grab all three books in the series so far and enjoy your new mini-library of deeply emotional but comforting, sometimes cozy queer and neurodivergent fantasy.
The three paperback/digital covers for the Eternal Library series so far: THE THREAD THAT BINDS, THE TALE THAT TWINES, and THE FLAME THAT SINGS.
The Flame That Sings
The Flame That Sings (Book 3)
Fire speaks in song. At the tender age of sixteen, Aeronwy Silverdream married the spirit of the great volcano, Mount Cináed. But the mantle of Flamekeeper is a heavy one, and the cult known as the Fellowship of the Ardent is an unkind place to grow up for an autistic child. It’s only when Aeronwy runs away to the modern capital of Caspora City and the Eternal Library that e finds freedom to be emself—with the help of new friends Siobhan, Inyene, and especially Mairead Moonsea.
Years later, Aeronwy becomes apprenticed to Illuminator Catrina Rosefall, a quirky artist and former circus actor who is determined to help Aeronwy face eir past. Their personalities couldn’t be more different, but friction starts fires, and isn’t fire what Aeronwy needs the most right now? Throw in an ancestor spirit with an unfinished story, confusion over what "romance" really means, and an increasingly toxic best-friendship, and what started as a spark threatens to blaze out of control.
Creation and destruction are two sides of the same coin, and death is necessary in order to be reborn. As the Flame of Ashes, Aeronwy knows this, but after a life of lies and deception, how does one relearn how to recognize the truth?
Heat Level: Medium. Contains innuendo/jokes, reference to kink, mild flirting, general discussion of sexuality, light kissing, and some euphemistic description of sexual encounters, but no described on-page sex.
Content Warnings Please be advised that the following appear or are referenced in The Flame That Sings, and though I’ve done my best to handle them with care, may be upsetting to some:
surviving a religious doomsday cult
discussion of past childhood emotional abuse and neglect
gaslighting and codependency within a friendship
bigotry against an ethnoreligious minority (may feel similar to antisemitism)
allusions to past genocide of an ethnoreligious minority
Exclusive reward for Early Bird Backers (first 48 hours)! "Smoky" - A bonus Eternal Library short story about Aeronwy befriending and adopting (or being adopted by?) a grumpy black cat.
Exclusive reward for Returning Backers (have backed a campaign of mine that used BackerKit before)! "Legends and Librarians" - A bonus Eternal Library short story about the prequel gang (June, Aeronwy, Siobhan, Inyene) playing Legends and Librarians, their world's version of D&D, narrated by June.
Both short stories will be distributed to backers as digital .epub files and/or PDFs.
Unfortunately, due to new GPSR requirements, I cannot currently ship physical merchandise to the European Union. Digital/ebook tiers are still available!
Other small creators you know may be able to comply and still ship to the EU, but sadly, with my personal disabilities/time/income, I cannot manage the new requirements. I truly am very sorry and understand it is very frustrating for all of us.
You can find buy links to other retailers here which may ship paperbacks to your country. The Flame That Sings will be available at the same retailers in early 2026:
BackerKit Crowdfunding charges shipping LATER, during fulfillment, rather than up front with your pledge. This helps creators charge the appropriate amount of shipping and make the process smoother. Here are the APPROXIMATE shipping costs you can expect for each pledge tier. All amounts are in USD.
Please note that I intend to use the following services for shipping:
USA - USPS Media Mail (books only) and Ground Advantage (more than books)
Canada and Mexico - UPS Standard
Australia and everywhere else - UPS Worldwide Expedited
Add-on items may require additional shipping costs. Here is an ESTIMATE of what you can expect to add per add-on item for shipping costs, in addition to the above:
ESTIMATED Add-On shipping costs by region, per item. Add to pledge level cost.
CUSTOMS FEES, VAT, TARIFFS, ETC
‼️ Backers who ship to locations outside of the USA are responsible for any additional fees or taxes their country may collect when you receiving packages. ‼️
When can you expect to receive your book(s)? Here's the info!
June 2 to July 2, 2025 - Crowdfunding campaign Summer 2025 - Book 3 Line edits Early fall 2025 - Off to my editor! October/November 2025 - Applying final edits and formatting, ordering printed formats November 2025 - Shipping costs charged to backers around this time
DECEMBER 2025 - ESTIMATED SHIPPING DATE AND DIGITAL FILE DISTRIBUTION FOR BACKERS
If there are any delays due to illness or manufacturing, I will communicate those in a prompt manner through campaign updates. Addresses and shipping will be collected in the fall. Further updates post-campaign will let you know more exact dates and time periods to expect.
The book will be available to the public via my shop and other retailers in early 2026.
THE FLAME THAT SINGS (Book 3) The most recent book in the series, the one this campaign is intended to support! Comes in the following formats:
eBook (.epub format, compatible with all devices, will come with upload instructions)
Paperback
Hardcover with signed bookplate
Special Hardcover with signed bookplate and hand-painted edges
The Tale That Twines Book Formats
THE TALE THAT TWINES (Book 2) The second book in the series, and the first of the prequels. See next section to learn more about this book. Comes in the following formats:
eBook
Paperback
Hardcover with signed bookplate
Special Hardcover with signed bookplate and hand-painted edges
The Thread That Binds Book Formats
THE THREAD THAT BINDS (Book 1) The book that started it all! See next section to learn more about this book. Comes in the following formats:
eBook
Paperback
Hardcover with signed bookplate
Special Hardcover with signed bookplate and hand-painted edges
Special Painted Hardcovers
Special Hardcovers with hand-painted edges and signed bookplate Limited quantities available! Cedar hand-paints the edges of these books individually for a beautiful touch. Each one will come with a signed bookplate that looks like an old fashioned library check out card.
Bonus Content PDF Exactly what it sounds like: a downloadable PDF of bonus content for the series, focusing on The Flame That Sings. Includes material such as:
Deleted scenes
Character bios and artwork
Music playlist links and explainer
Worldbuilding notes
Library Card Front and Back artwork
Library Card Bookmark A laminated library card for the in-book Eternal Library of Caspora City, which you can use as a bookmark! I imagine the characters carry the same one in their wallet...
The Threadbound Oracle Box
The Threadbound Oracle cards
The Threadbound Oracle A 50-card oracle deck I designed specifically for the world of the Eternal Library. One of the main characters uses this deck in The Thread That Binds (Book 1) to do readings! The real life version contains illustrations of the characters themselves in very metatextual ways. Comes with a guidebook in a cute book-shaped box with a magnetic closure. Great for personal psychological exploration or storytelling prompts.
Party of Fools book formats
PARTY OF FOOLS (Novella 1) The first installment in my novella series, the Empire of Eats! The Empire of Eats is a new comedic fantasy series with a culinary twist! These quick reads are lighthearted, absurd, food-themed fun in a D&D/jRPG flavored world. There are lots of tropes, and even more bad puns. The diverse ensemble cast is all queer and half are neurodivergent (ADHD and autism). Later in the series, there’ll be a slow-burn ace sapphic romance subplot. Available in:
eBook
Paperback (pocket-size)
My Heart Burns For Books Print
Handmade Linocut Print These limited edition prints were carved by hand, by me on linoleum and then printed with eco-friendly ink on colored paper. Each one is signed and numbered by the artist and would look great framed on your wall. Prints measure approximately 8.5"x11" or 21.59x27.94cm. Because they are handmade, each one is unique and may contain minor inconsistencies. Paper color will vary between several dusty shades and be selected at random.
There have been two books in this series prior to The Flame That Sings. I recommend that you read them in publication order as they are written to be read that way. However, some people do start with The Tale That Twines (Book 2), as it is a prequel. The Flame That Sings continues the prequel story, which will eventually be wrapped up in Book 4. A book which does not exist yet! So, choose wisely, but also--I can't stop you from doing whatever you like.
The Thread That Binds
The Thread That Binds (Book 1)
The books are restless. At the Eternal Library, books are more than the paper, ink, and thread they're made from--they're full of spirits. Only a handful of people will ever be invited to the Bindery to learn the craft of Illumination: the magical creation of intricate illustrated manuscripts, bound with a secret that will make them last forever.
Tabby is a dreamwalker, a witch who escapes into the stories of sleep to avoid a birth family that's never loved em enough. Amane is a cartomancer, a medium who speaks for the Unseen, but doesn’t know how to speak her own needs. Rhiannon is a psychic, an archivist who can See into the past, but only has eyes on the future.
Their stories intertwine as they discover the secrets of Illumination, the Library's archives, and those of their mentors--the three of whom are competing to be the next Head Librarian, the Speaker for all the books. How do you know who's truly worth being part of your family? Sometimes we must forge connections in order to heal; other times, those bonds must be broken.
Heat Level: Basically none. There is some mild flirting and a kiss or two.
Content Warnings
Please be advised that the following appear in The Thread That Binds, and though I’ve done my best to handle them with care, may be triggering to some:
emotional abuse, manipulation, and gaslighting by parents to an adult child, and by a mentor/boss to an employee
discussion of past emotional child abuse and its effects
descriptions of anxiety, panic attack, and PTSD symptoms, especially dissociation
The Tale That Twines
The Tale That Twines (Book 2)
All we have is now. Forty years before The Thread That Binds, Juniper Starstitch returns to Caspora City young and hopeful. Chosen to be Head Librarian Opaline Sweetfrond's last apprentice, June arrives at the Eternal Library looking to discover the magical manuscript art of Illumination—and to recover the memories lost to the trauma of the massive earthquake that killed one of eir parents a decade earlier.
June quickly discovers that these memories can be recovered through the ancient art of reading etheric Threads, the spiritual ties that link the world together. But remembering can be painful, and living in the past means missing out on the present. Even to the point that June’s beloved apprenticeship is threatened by eir inability to let go.
It will take the help of friends both old and new for June to untangle the knotted threads of time, including the mysterious and stern Aeronwy Greengrove, who June may or may not be falling in love with, one song at a time.
Heat Level: Low to medium. There are some dirty jokes, general discussion of sexual attraction, a few internal musings on attraction, kissing, and a brief euphemistic lead up to a closed-door sex scene.
Content Warnings
Please be advised that the following appear in The Tale That Twines, and though I’ve done my best to handle them with care, may be upsetting to some:
traumatic memory loss
grief over childhood loss of a parent
a scene describing the experience of surviving a natural disaster (earthquake)
descriptions of panic attacks, anxiety, flashbacks, autistic meltdowns, and depression.
✨ WINNER of "Best Mentor Character" in the 2023 Indie Ink Awards! ✨ FINALIST for "Writing the Future We Need: Trans or Nonbinary Representation" in the 2023 Indie Ink Awards!
So I guess this is what it feels like to read a fantasy novel by a fellow AuDHD queer disabled person? I just finished The Thread That Binds and it was so wholesome and good and I loved all the characters so much. And it was so refreshing to know that I could have existed there as a wheelchair user. It's just always so sad to not be able to position oneself in a story when it's really beautiful, and now I could! – Reader fanmail
A beautiful story full of magic, bravery, chosen family and healing. I love the queerness, the vibrant characters and their meaningful connections to one another as they navigate attraction, betrayal, boundaries, and honest communication together. – Erika on Goodreads
Praise for The Tale That Twines (Book 2)
✨ FINALIST for "Neurodivergent Representation by a Neurodivergent Author" in the 2023 Indie Ink Awards!
A cozy fantasy about a person who apprentices at a Library (which is central to the country’s government and society, so the capital letter is justified) and has to work through some years-old trauma related to an earthquake that happened years ago. The world is queer-norm, gender-neutral, and very literary-oriented. While there is a lot of growth and character development, the stakes are fairly low-key, so it’s not a stressful read at all. I loved it! - Julie Wilbur on Goodreads
Numinous Spirit Press is run by Cedar McCloud, a queer, auDHD disabled artist and author living in southern California with their partner and cat. They enjoy archaic crafts, nature walks, food, and fashion, despite not being any good at that last one. They use storytelling as a tool for trauma healing and self-expression, which sounds serious but is often called cozy in practice. Cedar is only able to work part time but is a full-time weirdo. Cedar is white, agender, asexual, gray-aromantic and uses they/them pronouns.
Cedar has over a decade of publishing and crowdfunding experience, beginning with their webcomic Ignition Zero in the early 2010s. Since then they have successfully funded several tarot decks, oracle decks, and fantasy novels. Their most recognized work, the Numinous Tarot, has been featured in books about the art and history of tarot and sold over 5,000 copies to date. This is their ninth crowdfunding campaign.
With eight successful Kickstarter campaigns under my belt since 2012, I am a veteran of crowdfunding and have the knowledge and experience to ensure that this campaign is a success! My last four campaigns delivered rewards exactly on time, even though two of them happened during the early pandemic. I do my utmost best to make the process easy and resolve any problems that may occur with orders, shipping, etc. That said, I am a single creator working alone, and I am disabled (autism/ADHD/cPTSD). I can only work and respond so quickly, and there is always a chance that unexpected illness might delay the process, in addition to manufacturing delays. In the past, I have communicated all and any such delays as quickly and transparently as possible, and I will do so in the future if the need arises.
Additionally, the final edits for this book may require additional time. Normally I wait until a product is 100% finished to crowdfund, but my finances have changed and this time I need the funds sooner in order to make it happen. The book is mostly finished, with only line edits, proofreading, and final interior design left to go. If there are any delays, I will let you know through updates, but I have allowed for some padding time in the timeline just in case.
The vast majority of funds raised from this campaign will go towards printing physical books. Because of my disability limitations, I no longer do stretch goals and stick only with the campaign as originally presented.
