CUrrent Projects
In the four years I’ve been writing seriously, I’ve created six unique projects that are in varying stages of development. Read about each below, and click on it for a sample reading.
The Flame Between us
The Flame Between Us is a multi-pov adult epic fantasy novel. It features three protagnists: Anri, Evi, and Xav. It takes place far to the north in an outpost colony called Dun Vurn.
Anri is an upstart young captain in the military, and is eager to prove himself and earn a living. He quickly realizes he’s out of his depths when the colony’s governor orders him to attack a local tribe, unprovoked, and take them prisoner. Thoguh reluctant, Anri is a good soldier and will do as told. If the Empire wills it, so shall it be.
Evi never thought her tribe would be imprisoned, enslaved. Before, Evi had been the glue that held her family togeher. Her father and mother had always argued, the loss of her oldest brother leaving a permanent shadow upon their family. Now, Evi has more pressing concerns. The Roselandi colonizers have discovered that Evi possesses the ability of pyromancy. The crooked governor quickly zeroes in on this, and will stop at nothing until he can shape Evi into his own personal weapon.
Xav wasn’t there when his tribe was captured, when his family was taken. Why? A moment of cowardice — just as his father expected. Xav would never be like the older brother he had lost, the perfect son that his father still mourned for. Yet with his tribe enslaved, he is the only one left who could save them. However, he’ll have to do more than overcome his cowardly ways if he means to defeat the powerful Roselandi empire.
The Flame Between Us is currently in it’s fourth draft, and is my work that is the closest to completion. It aims to explore how empires and colonialism affect people. You can expect themes of rebellion, power, corruption, and strength.
a taste of melor
Melor is the most valuable substance in the world. A vial’s worth of the golden liquid will bestow supernatural luck upon it’s user for a short time. A gambler could win every game. A thief will pull off the perfect heist. A hopeless romantic will find their one. However, the stakes are high when it comes to Melor. The Sultan maintains a vicelike grip on it’s production, and carefully limits it’s trade. Or, at least, he used to…
Lin Adir barely remembers her late father, but she means to change that. A deal with a witch means she can touch objects that hold sentimental value to her father, and thus experience a glimpse into his memories. Others say her father was a criminal of the highest degree — practically a demon — but Lin refuses to believe it. After all, what would that make her?
Her quest takes her to Sadar, the biggest city in the desert region. She and her companion Wan begin exploring the city, searching for clues, but something is wrong with the city. A once booming metropolis is now a shell of it’s former self. The people are starving, and the Vizier’s draconian rule has driven away the foreign merchants the economy depended on. But as Lin digs deeper, she learns that her father may have played a key role in shaping the world she lives in today.
On his thirtieth brithday, Salas Adir learned he would die in less than a year. Sal worked as a tour guide at a local Melor-Distillery, and though he was skilled at his job, it was unfulfilling, and did not pay enough. Faced with his own mortality, Sal decided to take matters into his own hands, in the hopes of having something substantial to leave behind for his wife and infant daughter, Lin.
What began as a single, small crime escalates into more. If Sal wishes to sell supernatural luck, he’ll have to contend with rival dealers, the Janissary constables, the cartel, and the guild of Mystics, who can summon spirits and speak with the dead. All this, without letting his wife discover his activities. They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions… Sal is about to find this out first hand.
This book is the fifth that I’ve written, and is the one I am most excited for. Though it is only on it’s second draft, I see great potential in this novel. It pulls together many fun ideas as it explores themes of identity and heritage. This novel is unabashedly inspired by Breaking Bad, though it’s been injected with a heavy dose of the epic fantasy treatment. Expect spirits, scythes, zombies, and witches, as well as massive battles and quiet moments with a likable crew.
To Dance on
strings of shadow
Warren Chambers used to be one of the most powerful men in the Roseland empire, a representative for the Emperor himself. However, a tragic loss sent him in a spiral of grief, wondering the countryside as as bounty hunter, hoping to encounter someone dangerous enough to do what his oaths prevent him from doing himself.
This was until he meets a young lad named Liam Atwood. Liam, thouugh only eighteen, has already been working in the mines for years, trying to pay off his family’s debts. However, he wants nothing more than to escape this life and to become a professional fighter. He trains with his spare time, but without a coach he has little chance of escaping the local circuit. That is, until Warren comes to town, and Liam begs for a chance to prove himself worthy.
Eight months later, Warren and Liam arrive in Ser Vien, the empire’s capital. Here, they meet with Elle Pennington, who wants to become a detective in the constabulary, as well as her socialite friend Alex Morrowyn and her younger cousin Blair Kidham, who was just kidnapped from a ball. Elle convinces Warren to help her save her cousin, but Warren quickly realizes much more is afoot than he thought. Skinwalker demons, once thought extinct, have reappeared, and these are but an omen for the dark deific powers that stir.
This novel is fast-paced and fun, but it’s only a first draft. It’s the fourth one I wrote, and I haven’t gotten around to editing it more, yet. Currently, the novel is split into five parts, but I have plans to remove the first part and use it in the next project on this list. This should help to make both stories more cohesive. This novel is the centerpiece for Warren and Liam’s saga, and has lots of potential. It’s got one of my favorite antagonists I’ve written — Astaroth, the Dreamwalker Isshin. He is powerful enough that he can manipulate a person’s sense of reality.
Warren and Liam’s Adventures
This will be a prequel of sorts to To Dance on Strings of Shadows. It will take part 1 (of 5) from that book, which tells the story of how Warren and Liam meet. This, which reads like a short story of it’s own, will be combined with several other short stories featuring Warren and Liam, telling the tales of their adventures during the eight months they spend on the road. The showpiece of this collection is a short novel called To Unravel a Tapesty of Lies. This was my first attempt at writing a murder mystery, and I’m quite proud of how it’s came together, though it is only a first draft.
I’m in the process of drafting the other accompanying short stories that occupy the middle section of this collection. Estimated length = 120k words.
Church of Luna:
The Nighthawk
Ah, Church of Luna,the first book I wrote. I look back on this book with both fond memories and contempt. Fond memories of discovering my love for writing and storycraft. Contempt for how I have tried and failed to make this book good. I consider it trunked, as of now. Four drafts of it have been attempted. Only two of them were actually completed. This novel has good moments, and fun ideas, but functionally, as a story, I just don’t feel it holds up to the same caliber as my other works. Something I thought would be fun is to publish each draft of this book. Each draft was completely re-written with little to no copy and pasting (if I remember correctly). So if you’re a nerd about these things like I am, you may enjoy seeing the progression of how the writing, characters, and plot all changed.
Bedowin Finarial is a street thief in the city of Cataluna, which is ruled by the Church. A chance encounter gives Bedowin the opportunity to steal a mysterious chest from a Bishop of the Church. The Bishop strikes back in the most brutal manner he knows. In his grief, Bedowin vows vegeance upon this man, Bishop Romani.
Asha Telemon is a ward of the Church, and all she’s ever wanted is to help others, to do good. It seems to her the best way to do the most good is to be a Bishop. She apprentices under Bishop Romani, but the more she learns about the Bishops and their arcane abilities, the more she begins to doubt if the Church still follows the teachings of the god they claim to worship.
Church of Luna:
Agent of Change
And this is the sequel to the novel I’ve trunked, the second in a planned trilogy. This was only a first draft, But becuase the first novel is considered trunked, this one is too. Still, I don’t regret writing it. There' are lots of fun ideas here, and I got to practice writing a sequel, which will one day be important. So feel free to read this, if you want, though I can make no promises as to the quality of the writing.