Seanan McGuire (seanan_mcguire) wrote,
Seanan McGuire
seanan_mcguire

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But my mama's gone, like the prarie dawn, and the Lord of the Buffalo.

It's time for some free fiction, and for the last story of the Johnny and Fran era. The year is 1945. Frances Healy, born Frances Brown, is gone, and the time has come, however little we might want it, to say goodbye to a friend.

With "Star of New Mexico," we close the book on Johnny and Fran, and look to the future. It's the end of an era. It's the beginning of something new.

You can download the new story now from the InCryptid short fiction page.

This also serves as your discussion post.

As an author's note, if you want the perfect song to accompany this story, download "Chasing Twisters" (the song, not the EP) by Delta Rae. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Goodbye, Fran. I'll miss you.
Tags: giving stuff away, incryptid, short fiction
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  • 62 comments

Deleted comment

She already made me cry, so yeah.

deborah_c

2 years ago

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seanan_mcguire

2 years ago

Oh, oh. My heart breaks for Fran's human family, but it was the mouse priest who really got to me. So much love and so much loss.
Yes. Especially because I think this is the first time we see the Aeslin mice on their terms. Certainly most of the time we see them, it's through the lens of the Price-Healys. It's easy to be amused by 'Cheese and Cake!' without remembering that the mice have their own society that is intertwined with their gods', but still separated, and their own understanding of mortality (both Aeslin and human).

anne_d

2 years ago

museclio

2 years ago

tylik

2 years ago

My eyes are filled with tears and the cats are confused as to why I'm crying. This was a beautiful, tragic end to the Fran and Johnny story and oh, will I miss you! This was lovely, Seanan and heartbreaking and I want to hug them all.
You are so very welcome.
When I read this, my heart and lungs hitched up in my chest, and everything went tight. I cried. You are the only author who has ever been able to cause that kind of physical effect in me - others can cause joy, or suspense, or aggravation....and you do, too, but you're the only one who can make my body go to pieces like that. This was fantastic. You are fantastic. And I am really glad I waited till after my weekly lab meeting to read it, because I would've been a wreck otherwise. Thank you.
<3
I haven't read the story yet -- just wanted to say that Delta Rae is the *best*. You have excellent taste in music! :)
I love them so much OMG.
I wasn't ready.

Like other folks have already said, I'm surprised that what really upset me was the mouse. That was when I lost it. I also really loved that I got to see the mice from their point of view, rather than just having them get in the way, or having them as amusing diversions. Their pain makes them more real now.

I love that you're sharing the history of this family. It makes the family and backstory more real and gives me emotional investment in them, too, not just the current generation of books. Thank you so much for writing and sharing.
I've been saying for ages that the mice are heartbreak in motion. They just don't get many chances to show it.

jenfullmoon

2 years ago

wendyzski

2 years ago

Thanks.
Welcome.
No others would ever know Her glory, or be held, transfixed, in the cathedral chamber of Her palm.

That was where I started crying. The whole thing was beautiful and heartbreaking, but the part with the mice was what really hit me.

(And Chasing Twisters really is the perfect song for this. It'll probably be a while before I can listen to it without tearing up again.)
For the mice, their gods are the world.

Deb Anderson

2 years ago

Painful, and perfect. Thank you
Very welcome.
I'm trying to suppress my weeping long enough to ask, "But what did kill Fran?"
Some kind of river hag, according to Enid.

To be honest, I don't know. And neither will anyone else. That wasn't the important part.

acelightning

2 years ago

seanan_mcguire

2 years ago

acelightning

2 years ago

I sobbed and sobbed and sooooobbed. and then I got to the part where ghost!Fran chooses not to say goodbye to her family so as not to hurt them more and my heart shattered into a billion tiny pieces and I feel emotionally destroyed :( On that note, fantastic story and an amazing series!!! I will miss Fran and Jonathon, but look forward to what comes next!
I am so excited to get to Alice and Thomas!

jenfullmoon

2 years ago


I am going to have to have a wash and clean up, seeing the computer is hard right now.

Frances and Jonathan's stories have always been my favorites here.
I will miss them too.

Deleted comment

Aw. :(

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I want to say something about how incredibly well-written the story was, how beautiful and everything, but I can't seem to get further than "The poor mice! Poor Johnathan! Poor Alice!" and then I start crying again.
Thank you!
This was an excellent epilogue to this era. I don't think I cried, but I came close, I think.

I sorta felt myself mostly absorbed into the state of shock that it felt like they were in. It felt very familiar to me. The closest I came to crying was during the scenes with Johnathon.

It was very well made and I wish everyone could have as good of a send off as Fran did.

Thanks for this.

Another thing--I really like the little detail with Alice wondering about her mom going after St. Valentine (followed up on from the last story). That, paired with what we've heard about Santa Claus in your books--really makes me wonder about the family's relationship with holiday figures. I like that :)
You're welcome.
Thank you for the story. It was awesome. I don't really have any more words than that. The mice totally did me in.
Aw, yay.

badgermirlacca

June 9 2015, 00:43:08 UTC 2 years ago Edited:  June 9 2015, 00:49:24 UTC

For some reason, when I click on "download as MOBI," I get a page full of code which does not download. I know I'm doing something wrong. Does anyone have any hints? I love these stories!

ETA: Never mind! I have discovered the joys of downloading via Firefox rather than IE. Works great. Am now joyously reading!
Glad you worked it out!
[sniffle]

I don't know whether I'm more worried about Jonathan, or about Alice...
Yes.
Someday I will learn not to read your stories before bedtime.

It says something about your skill that a wife and a mother dies, and we do not weep for her husband or her child but for a devoted mouse who has lost his reason for living.

Do you own stock in kleenex?
No, but maybe I should...
Oh, the mice. But oh, the rest of them too. I wept for all of them. Once I get these blasted papers graded and summer session done, I'm going to treat myself to a nice, leisurely reread of all the short stories so far... and weep some more.

You're awesome. :) Thanks for telling us these stories.
You are very welcome.
I just finally got caught up with the last couple of short stories, and... wow. What really got to me (other than the mice, of course) was how comparatively ordinary Fran's death was. No going out in a blaze of glory, no saving someone from the jaws of death. Just a moment's inattention. The image of Jonathan carrying her into the house broke my heart. And in this one, his words at the graveside did me in. He's so broken. :(

Great story, Seanan. Thanks so much for delving deeper into this family.
You are very welcome.
I have not cried this hard since Judy Plum died.