Novellas:
Prequel to the Become Series
Two half-brothers born a day apart.
First born, Gaian is the son of the king and a goddess. His more-than-human strength seems a poor exchange for the support of a flesh-and-blood mother as he struggles to be worthy of Becoming a god himself. Or just struggles to rise above the machinations of the queen.
A single day younger, Benar is the son of the king and queen. Like his mother, he refuses to believe the story of Gaian’s birth. He struggles to fulfill his mother’s wishes by proving himself to be his father’s true heir. But frustration and guile prove to be poor weapons against Gaian’s unnatural strength.
Until a coming-of-age trial forces them either to cooperate—and become brothers in truth—or else one of them may not survive the trial.
Inspired by the legend of Hercules.
When her bridegroom won’t talk to her or even look at her, Liri thinks her betrothal is a disaster. She never considers that Rusten might be trying to hide his scarred face from her.
Rather than go through with the marriage, she runs away–right into the arms of the very man she’s supposed to marry and find love in the place she least expects.
This is a novella.
Short Stories:
Sometimes the gift of the right story to tell at the right time is a blessing. Sometimes it’s a curse. But the Norse gods don’t leave Astrid much choice, either way.
On the eve of a desperate battle, with her father lying mortally wounded, the gods give her a story about the first dragon to learn to breathe fire. As usual, the story doesn’t come with instructions. It’s up to Astrid to decide if the story is meant to calm the frightened children or encourage the dispirited men. Or if she just might be able to do both with the same story. All their lives may depend on her skill with a story.
There’s a large burl on the huge old oak at the heart of the forest that makes the tree appear to be pregnant. What will it give birth to?
Kerica is born from the oak tree knowing nothing of the humans among whom she finds herself. The tree had a reason for making her, but Kerica has to figure out what it was for herself before she can decide where she belongs.
This is a 9500-word short story.
A Dual Magics Short Story
Living among a people who distrust magic in any form, Kiara has a secret. She can sense magic in others and she’s maddeningly sure that she has the potential for magic, too. She just can’t quite reach it. Considering the way her people react to magic, that might be just as well.
When her people are threatened, Kiara must make the choice whether to reveal her hidden talents in order to save them. And to trust the one man who can help her learn to use her magic–the same man who betrayed her trust once before.
A Dual Magics Short Story
Changing his apprenticeship from the Smiths’ Guild to the Merchants’ gives Arcas a second chance. Not just for a career that suits him far better, but also to prove himself worthy of the lovely Elaria.
But to accomplish that, he must leave his seaside city—and Elaria—for a year. In that time, he travels among the barbarians, hoping to find something to trade for that will be worth the hardships and dangers.
Something like gold.
Meredith Mansfield, Author 