The guide mentioned puddles, but I envisioned lakes, deep treacherous lakes, and I was drowning. One turn has passed, another Solstice is just around the corner, and having an illicit affair with not one but two lovers—smith Ianys and shunned forester Taruif—is taking its toll on truth seeker Kelnaht. A stripling has gone missing from the tribe, and heavy rainfall hides all traces of his whereabouts. With days creeping by without a lead, it's hard to keep the tribe's spirits up, more so when Kelnaht's own future depends on the elders. Taruif has been shunned for almost twenty turns, but now that a possible forester's apprentice is coming of age, the elders consider reducing his sentence. Taruif could be set free. In gaining one lover, Kelnaht may lose another. Ianys seems to be pulling away from them both. He doesn't want to hinder Taruif's happiness while an old promise keeps Ianys from loving Kelnaht openly. But Taruif needs Kelnaht and Ianys' support more than ever. If they lose faith in each other, the puddles in their paths will swallow them all. ___________________________ 116 pages / 35,000 words TALES OF THE FOREST is an ongoing series of standalone stories linked by a forest world. Content warnings are available in the book's front matter and on the author's website.

An exploration of the West German attempt to repress and refashion concepts of "race" after the Holocaust

My earliest memory isn’t one of fire and falling, of pain and fear and sorrow too great for a child. That’s what people believe it is. That’s what I tell them it is when Aba has me speak to small, trusted bands of slaves to encourage them. But that’s a lie. It’s one of my memories—a strong one that weaves itself into my nightmares, forcing me awake drenched in sweat and tears. But when I soothe myself back to sleep, I remember my earliest memory is actually of sitting on my ima’s lap, dangling a flower in front of my baby brother’s face while she sings us a lullaby. Lia Benarvela was born with a different name, similar but different—Asil Liani Hara Elisya. The two names signify her two roles as slave and savior, though she’s often had difficulty reconciling being both at the same time. When an unexpected move from the emperor forces her back into the palace that makes up the setting of her nightmares, Lia knows that plans have changed. But when she rushes ahead in a desperate effort to fulfill her destiny, she ends up becoming a trophy of the empire rather than a rescuer. Now, with freedom hanging in the balance, she has to learn how to use her voice to keep her promise before her worst fear comes to life. Liani is the second in the "Tales from Cassidy" series of interconnected stand-alone novels. They can be read in any order. CW: This book contains references to the trauma of enslavement, physical abuse, and implied sexual abuse.

People say it like a joke, but Henry Bell really did run away from home to join the circus. A talented new performer with a struggling circus, he's found a place for himself among the fire-eaters, tightrope walkers, and contortionists. But no matter how far the show travels, Henry's past is never far behind—the mother he lost, the violent father he fled, the brother he abandoned. As Henry pushes himself to create bigger, better performances, his actions become a wrecking ball to the relationships around him. From his costar, to the former headlining giant of the circus, to the circus manager himself, no one is untouched. Left unchecked, Henry's blind ambition becomes the very thing that could save—or destroy—the circus itself. Unless Henry can reckon with the family and past he's left behind, the spark which drives him to perform may burn out or ignite—engulfing everyone and everything he loves. A story of the passion that drives creativity, Everything You Came to See is an unforgettable debut, challenging our ideas of family—and what it takes to rebuild them.