This is the Anecdota

Plural of anecdote. From Greek anekdota, “things unpublished”.
Secret or hitherto undivulged particulars of history or biography. The revelation of secret stories.

The Damning Moths Anecdota has become a cross-media project featuring dark fantasy stories written by Ashlee Scheuerman. From long-form novels, to the shortest of tales, Ashlee is always daydreaming off to the fictional land of Gantiri where the books are set and gleefully pens the outcome of their imaginings.

When researching a name, the word “anecdota” came up as a particularly curious term. The modern use of “anecdote” usually describes a short, humourous tale being related. The original use of the word referring to stories which are secret, untold, or unrevealed, seemed very befitting. A collection of works, linked together through their ambiance of hushed whispers and political ploys. Much moreso than the alternatives:

“Series”, meaning a sequence of things arranged in a line. The Anecdota was never intended to be linear. At its heart, it’s a look into the many lives of those in Gantiri. The private affairs of one character might never have any impact on others being written about.

“Saga”, meaning a long, convoluted prose narrative. Again, when the Anecdota was conceived, it was seen as a collection of all kinds of tales, both long and short, all adding layers to the continuity instead of drawing out a single lengthy story.

“Chronicles”, meaning yearly books, or the books covering a period of time. Truthfully, “chronicles” came close to being chosen as the name for this collection, but “The Damning Moths Chronicles” doesn’t roll off the tongue with nearly so much enjoyment as “The Damning Moths Anecdota”.

There are many, many books which don’t have a title for their collection, which works well for most of them. “Anecdota” simply resonated.

Art and design seen throughout the Anecdota is masterfully crafted by Ty Scheuerman. Cover art and illustrations complimenting and building upon scenes in the novels; the life-like painting of Lacilegwen used as the background image of this website; all decorative embellishments, fleurons, glyphs, and vignettes; and many other artful pieces all hand drawn.

This website holds small tales and the gateway to longer stories for your enjoyment. You will find pieces of art and photographs around the many pages. We are expanding to bring you an online copy of the Lexicon and Pronunciation Guides found in the back of the books, which will grow to include other world history, cultural information for the many places and peoples of the Anecdota, as well as snippets of information which might not otherwise be shared in the books. TheDamningMoths.com seeks to be a hub of lore.

In time, other media connected directly with The Damning Moths will be released. Coming up next… the second volume of the Snowflesh Trilogy.

Tell the world:

by Author and comments are closed.

This is the Anecdota

The Damning MothsDark fantasy by Ashlee Scheuerman