The Road to Enlightenment
NOVELS
THE TINKER KING - Sequel to THE UNNATURALISTS, coming in Spring 2014 from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
After Vespa, Syrus and Bayne defeated the Grue and restored order to their world, they thought their future was secure. Empress Olivia, committed to peace and equality for humans and Elementals alike, was a fair and just ruler. And the Creeping Waste had vanished for good, giving them hope for the first time.
But rebellion is brewing in the far-off city of Scientia, and dark Elementals are plotting war in the ruins of New London. When a wave of unimaginable terror threatens to destroy everything in its path, Vespa, Syrus and their friends are plunged into a new swamp of intrigue, deception and magic---and the cost of survival may be more than any of them are willing to pay.
THE UNNATURALISTS (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)
In an alternate London where magical creatures are preserved in a museum, two teens find themselves caught in a web of intrigue, deception, and danger.
Vespa Nyx wants nothing more than to spend the rest of her life cataloging Unnatural creatures in her father’s museum, but as she gets older, the requirement to become a lady and find a husband is looming large. Syrus Reed’s Tinker family has always served and revered the Unnaturals from afar, but when his family is captured to be refinery slaves, he finds that his fate may be bound up with Vespa’s—and with the Unnaturals.
As the danger grows, Vespa and Syrus find themselves in a tightening web of deception and intrigue. At stake may be the fate of New London—and the world.
Available at IndieBound, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.
Read Chapter 1 at simonandschuster.com.
The HALLOWMERE series (Mirrorstone/Wizards of the Coast) - YA historical dark fantasy set in Reconstruction-era Virginia and Victorian Scotland and London. The series is currently out-of-print, but is available in libraries and second-hand stores. Books in the series include:
IN THE SERPENT'S COILS - a BookSense (IndieBound) Autumn 2007 Children's Pick and a New York Public Library Book of the Teen Age 2008
BY VENOM'S SWEET STING
BETWEEN GOLDEN JAWS
MAIDEN OF THE WOLF (with Angelika Ranger)
QUEEN OF THE MASQUERADE (with Amanda Jenkins)
ORACLE OF THE MORRIGAN (with Paul Crilley)
SHORT STORIES
"Driftwood." SCHEHEREZADE'S FACADE. (Circlet Press). Michael Jones, ed. From the description: "Don't leave the deeps, Maebelle. Let others fill their own hollow places. Let them rediscover their own Wo/man within. Weep for the Water-kin. Seal. Selchie. Selkie. Sad. Take the original ending of Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid for a close parallel. Behold the awesome terribleness of human fear coupled with distrust and intolerance. Dive into the gazes of those humans who live by the seashore separated by sand and surf from those who could help them return to any self they chose if the humans would only choose love. Remember Maebelle." Mature teens. Available at: IndieBound, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.
"Resurrection." WILLFUL IMPROPRIETY:13 TALES OF SOCIETY, SCANDAL, AND ROMANCE. (Running Press/Constable & Robinson). Ekaterina Sedia, ed. A young tough bites off more than he can chew when he decides to be a delivery boy for resurrectionists in Victorian London. But he has a few tricks up his sleeve, as well. Suitable for mature teens. Available at: IndieBound, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.
"The Well Keeper and the Wolf." RIVER. (Dark Quest Books). Alma Alexander, ed. At the beginning of the River, the Well-keeper and the Wolf circle one another in an eternal dance of love and revenge. Mature teens. (Some stories may be more adult than others). Available at: IndieBound, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.
"The Emperor's Man." CORSETS & CLOCKWORK: 13 STEAMPUNK ROMANCES. Trisha Telep, ed. An Imperial Guard and the princess he serves find danger, romance, and (as it happens) a Manticore, in the dungeons of New London. This is a prequel to THE UNNATURALISTS. Purchase from IndieBound, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or your favorite bookseller. Suitable for teens.
"Death by Chocolate". The December Lights Project. A baker discovers the magic of cupcakes and the dangers of love. Suitable for teens.
"Black Gold." BREAKING WAVES: AN ANTHOLOGY FOR GULF COAST RELIEF. Tiffany Trent and Phyllis Irene Radford, eds. A prequel to the HALLOWMERE books, this story tells of first encounters during the Battle of New Orleans from the Fey Prince's point of view and reveals the identity of the mysterious bloody-handed Captain. All proceeds from the sale of this anthology at Book View Cafe go to the Greater New Orleans Foundation's Gulf Coast Relief Fund. Please note this anthology does contain some adult tales.
"Blackwater Baby." MAGIC IN THE MIRRORSTONE. (Mirrorstone/Wizards of the Coast) Steve Berman, ed. The origins of Mara, daughter of the Marsh King, are revealed in Civil War-era Charleston, South Carolina. Was given Honorable Mention in Year's Best Horror 2008. Suitable for teens.
"The Vampire, the Witch, and the Yenko." THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF VAMPIRE ROMANCE 2. (aka LOVE BITES in the UK). (Running Press/Constable & Robinson). Trisha Telep, ed. A witch must save a vampire from his own kind in this adult tale of muscle cars and magic mobsters. Not for teens or children.