psychopomp extraordinaire

So I've done this with Simon's vests already but Wash also has some fun style:

thought about this because it's so frustrating when people argue that 'dying in childbirth' is a historical sort of event that doesn't happen nowadays (false) and therefore is irrelevant to the legal status of abortion, since it's not a real danger.

except it super is, and i think a lot of people haven't noticed that this argument in addition to simply being incorrect is basically the same as when people say we don't need vaccines for deadly diseases because no one gets those now anyway.

Mrs. Victoria buys a brothel

a novel by Talhí Briones

1865, United States— It took thirty years and a dislocated arm for Victoria to leave her abusive husband. Heartbroken, she has to choose her own life over the hope of ever seeing her son again. She escapes the manor in the dead of night, only bringing with her a white wedding dress.

She ends up in Swainsburg, a minuscule town in Wyoming, where she’s adopted by the local prostitutes. To save them from expulsion, she buys the building and learns that in these parts, entertainment is worth more than gold. It’s almost easy, even fun, to organize piano recitals and cancan shows for the cowboys of the area, but being a Madam comes with responsibilities and dangers she isn’t ready to face. Her husband, after all, has contacts everywhere.

It’s hard to navigate the delicate tensions between respectable ladies and whores, between white society and the ‘others.’ Her new friends are women who carved their place in this merciless life; people who, like her, ended up in Swainsburg when they got tired of running.

Victoria doesn’t notice, can’t even imagine the possibility; but she falls in love. The townfolk say the widow Díaz is strange, but Natane is actually incredibly awkward, kind, and very lonely. Victoria has no name for this burning friendship, but the feeling grows and demands to be acknowledged.

This is a story about women who age, gossip, drink, love... and help you hide the body of your dead husband.

CLICK HERE TO GET MRS. VICTORIA BUYS A BROTHEL

You can also ask for it at any local bookstore or library :)

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Kickstarter news

The kickstarter for Mrs. Victoria buys a brothel managed to reach more than 350 backers! All the reach goals were unlocked in 48h!

Kickstarter fulfillment list:

Physical and e-books copies of Mrs. Victoria buys a brothel : ✅️

Physical and e-book copies of Tales of Swainsburg ✅️

Physical and digital art: ✅️

Audiobook: In production, end of 2026.

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Discord channel

Want to read along with everyone else? We have chatrooms specifically tailored to share your reactions with other readers without spoiling the rest of the story.

Link to the discord channel

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Review the book!

If you liked the book and want to help, you can write a review on Goodreads.

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FAQ

- Is this book in English of French?

English :) My previous books were in French, but this one was written directly in English.

- Is this an illustrated book?

There are chapter headers drawn by me, and illustrated maps. All the other illustrations you see online are not included in the book, I just like to draw my girls.

- Is this self-published?

No, it's traditionally published by Renaissance Press, who focus on printing diverse Canadian voices.

- Will there be an audiobook?

Yes! The kickstarter reached enough money to let us produce a professional audiobook. We have a narrator! She's amazing. It will be available to the general public and sent automatically to the Kickstarter Subscribers. We're aiming for end of 2026.

- Can I get a hardcover?

The hardcover version was made for the kickstarter and there are no more copies left, sorry. The only printed version currently available is paperback.

- Can I buy your art?

Not for the moment, but I do want to reopen my online store. Any updates will be posted here.

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You loved the book? You think other people will love it? You want to promote queer stories and bipoc authors? Don't hesitate to talk about this book with your people!

❤️

See, part of the conceit of the PotC trilogy is that all myths are true. Nearly every supernatural element in the franchise has a root in some real world mythology or pirate lore, although some of them are mashed together.

Another thing is that they take place at the end of the Golden Age of Piracy, and the more the map gets filled in, and the more the Royal Navy takes power, there less room there is for the mystical and supernatural in the world. This is explicitly called out in At World's End with the death of the kraken:

Barbossa: The world used to be a bigger place. Jack: The world's still the same. There's just... less in it.

The only way to access the world of the supernatural is through the supernatural itself. You can only get to the Isla de Muerta with Jack's compass that points to whatever you desire, or if you already know where its is. You need Tia Dalma's map to find the edge of the world. To access the supernatural, you need to already be immersed in it.

When we go to Tortuga (or any pirate controlled space) we leave behind the sensibilities of the real world and enter this bizarre perpetual revel of debauchery and violence that could never sustain itself in a world bound by sense.

That makes Jack our Puck character, a trickster of tricksters who can invert your fortunes just by letting him talk to you.