The Secret Seller

Bardians live for delicacies. Lace that makes their dresses look new. Rugs that warm or cool the room they’re in. Face creams that mask their faces for an hour. Flowers whose scent conjures beautiful scenery. Wines that bring intense joy or sorrow.

But behind these harmless fineries lurks a thriving market for the darker delicacies. Slaves trained to thrive on abuse. Perfume that hunts down eavesdroppers and kills them. Wine that allows its maker to selectively erase the memories of those that drink it.

Bell loves her magical city, and lives to make it more beautiful through her exquisitely tended flower garden. But the Secret Seller, the master of all Bardia’s secrets, decides that Bardians  would be better off as forgetful children. When Bell discovers his plot to smuggle powerful memory wine into every noble household, it’s up to Bell to stop him and save her people.

 

 

Seal up the Stars

Fear not, those who follow His fire, for He shall light your way. The stars that have been sealed up will break free and sing.

Ravenna Lastoria has three days to escape Celidom and its leader, Vitrel. Vitrel keeps the entire city captive under the Ambitus, a vast dome. Ravenna was born with the prophesied Mark of the Tyger, and in three days Vitrel will force her to marry his cruel son and fulfill the dark side of the Prophecy. If she refuses, her younger brother, Brend, will be made to drink the sacred water of Vitrel’s dark god.

In the middle of the night, Jasper, Vitrel’s nephew, kidnaps Ravenna and drags her from Celidom. She’s devastated to leave Brend behind, but she can’t turn back once she learns Jasper’s secret.

There is another side to the Prophecy, but to fulfill it, Ravenna must choose to trust Eloi, the God who gave it.

Together they search the Sharrah Desert for an army strong enough to rescue Brend and crush Vitrel. But what Ravenna and Jasper set in motion may destroy the people they’re trying to save.

Seal up the Stars is Book I of The Great Rescue. I’m currently looking for the right place to publish it. Scroll down to see an excerpt from Chambers of the South, Book II.

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Chambers of the South

I pushed up through the brilliant light and burst to the surface, breathed hard.

Ben was leaning over a rock that jutted from the bank. “You were underwater a long time,” he said, eyebrows raised.

I grinned. “It’s fun.”

“Have you ever gone swimming before?”

“Not like this. Where I used to live, the water was bad.”

He made a face. “That would be terrible.”

“It was. My little brother has never been able to swim.”

“You have a little brother? Is he here?”

My heart twisted. “No, he’s not here. He’s still in the bad place.”

“You’re going back to get him.”

He said it so assuredly, as if that was my only option.

It is.

“Yes. I’m going back to get him.”

Ravenna will do anything to rescue her little brother, Brend, from Vitrel, the evil ruler of the Temptors. When betrayal scatters the leaders of the Abati, the people she hoped would help her, she and Jasper are caught by Temptors. Ravenna must  escape before they reach Celidom and she’s forced to take Shasta in lingas. Can she trust Eloi, the One who spoke the Prophecy that’s Marked her for good or evil?