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Realm of Giants Special Edition

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“Alright, ahuvi. I will tell you a story. Once upon a time, there was heroic prince who met a troublesome bard, and the two fell in love.”

I don’t know how much time is lost after I begin spinning exaggerated tales of our time together. I start with the first day we met, when I knocked him on his ass.

I detail our visit to Farhaven and how we defeated Loyska together, the beginnings of a friendship which quickly turned to more. The prince made new friends and explored unfamiliar lands beyond the prison walls he grew up in, he and his brother were part of a family now.

The prince confessed his love to the bard by a frozen pond, a sacred place illuminated by fireflies that thrived in the cold. That night while making love in the airship, the bard admitted his own growing love, and the two were happy.

I skip over the fact their romantic relationship only lasted a year, skimming over the hurtful parts and onto our adventures with Captain after I had left. I swallow guilt and disappointment thinking about leaving him for Sage, and focus on how we saved hundreds of people together.

It’s always been him and I.

I describe how the bard and prince brought peace to everywhere they visited. How the prince managed to feed entire villages, and how the bard revived the voices of those who were the most broken.

How everyone knew them both by name, both their terrible deeds and the good.

How they wreaked havoc on the corrupt, and saved the unfortunate, together.

🏴‍☠️🏳️‍🌈📚

The heartbreakingly beautiful special edition cover of Realm of Giants, illustrated by Fantasy Sprite Studios who has outdone herself again.

You can pre-order signed copies of this on my author page, its the second novel in my steampunk series and full of angst, queer love, and exploring new worlds.

When Witches Sing is out!

/ Aelina / Leave a comment

“Could you show me some magick?”

“Oh,” I whisper, then nod quickly. “Yeah, okay.”

I clear my throat and stand, then sit back down, because I don’t want to stand over him. He’s already so much shorter than me, I feel like a giant just sitting next to him. He tentatively presses a hand to my arm, lips parting, and I startle. He pulls back, not taking his eyes off me. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you nervous.”


“Oh, I’m not. Nervous, that is.”


Felix chuckles. “Okay. Well, you don’t have to make yourself smaller, for me.”


“Oh,” I say, then stand and straighten to my full height before him. The leaves and petals in my hair and along my skin stand to attention, and I blush at the image of preening like a fucking peacock.


“Wow,” Felix says, staring up at me with wide eyes. “You’re really tall.”


I almost lean down, but he takes my hand. This time, he doesn’t let go. “No, don’t.” Felix stands beside me, my hand in his. I stare down at our entangled fingers, then back to his face. His neck is craned and it looks painful, but the determination in his eyes is almost frightening.


I squeeze his hand, then let go. I put my hands up, smiling wide. “Okay, have it your way, tchotchke.”


Oh, how he smiles at that. He pretends to be affronted, but that smile. It’s perpetual, blinding. “I am not a small thing.”


I shrug, turning away from him. I bring my hands to chest level and smile upon coming up with an idea. I close my eyes and murmur, “Abracadabra.”


Have fun with swamp witches, chaos witches, root witches and musical witches. Just, all of the witchery and tomfoolery there ever could be. Happy Yuletide friends.

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What is the Crew of Misfits?

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The Crew of Misfits is the name I gave to my readers, and later on newsletter subscribers. I send pins with the Crew of Misfits logo to every person that buys a signed book from me. If you’ve read the steampunk series, you know the main characters compose the Crew of Misfits, and in my new series, the friend group is also called the Misfits.

If you sign up for the Crew of Misfits newsletter, you’ll receive first looks at new art, news about upcoming books, and free novellas.

Explore below to learn more about the available adventures in the Iverbourne series, which are dark steampunk fantasy.

Phantom and Rook is the first book in a new urban fantasy series, Adventures in Levena. You can find out more about this magickal and feel good novel below as well, and the upcoming novella.

These books are ADULT, please read the prefaces before starting to check for specific mature themes.

Sign up for the Crew of Misfits here.

Dark Steampunk Fantasy with High Stakes Adventure, Spicy Romance and an Inclusive Cast

Keeper of Death is quite a fitting name for a villain, and yet Lythienne finds herself as the only Fae who can save the realm of Iverbourne.

Born as an Empty Fae, she is sent into the Eternal Mountain, a prison designed for the most malicious, blood thirsty and cursed creatures alive. Her crime, along with so many other creatures, is being Lesser than the grand High Fae who rule the divided lands above.

Aether magic rules Iverbourne, a whimsical land ravaged by long held prejudices, unkind to all those without magic. The Others are a mysterious court to the south, kidnapping and murdering all those on their path through the continent.

Only a Fae without Aether can wield the mysterious Harbinger, a weapon of mass destruction needed to defeat the epic evil taking over the realm. The elegant call of immense power corrupts most, especially those who have been mistreated.

Dangerous lust, high stakes adventure and loyal companionship are thrust into Lyth’s life, but can she be the Hero after playing the Villain for so long? After all, why would you want to save a world that wants to see you buried six feet under?
 

Find out more about the Iverbourne Series

MM Modern Fantasy, Found Family, Immortal x Man, Grumpy x Sunshine, Guy Witches, Soulmates and Second Chances

Arlo Rook has decided it’s time to move out of Garren Castle, home for orphans of all races, magical or not, at 100 years old.

It’s not the first time he’s left home, but after a setback that landed the Hedge Witch in the hospital a year ago, he ended up right back at square one. But now he’s ready to strike out on his own, despite his friend’s worries that he’s not ready for the ‘real world.’

Then, he crashes into a mess of copper curls and bright eyes, sending apothecary goods and his life into a chaotic mess. Thatch is a mysterious and incredibly wealthy benefactor of Levena, only spoken of but never seen. He requests a night of Arlo’s company and a tour of the city, which Arlo immediately declines.

But that’s not the last time they see each other, and it certainly wasn’t the first. Arlo doesn’t remember him, no one remembers Thatch after he visits, but Thatch never forgot the Witch with a familiar mark on his face.

Thatch Phantom is an immortal, the last of his kind and perpetually bored. When he’s not closing inter-dimensional rifts and corralling demons, he’s visiting his favorite city of all, Levena.  Centuries ago, when life was particularly dull, he set up a scavenger hunt for a starving village, providing them with a year’s worth of supplies.

He anonymously returned year after year, upping the ante and providing less practical things, as the village had become a city and was wealthy beyond belief. Festivals were thrown in his honor, and have continued every year since. Hundreds of years later, The Game is still put on by the fabled ‘Scarlet Illusionist’, but no one has figured out who blesses them with the puzzles.

Once again, Thatch is listless and has decided to throw a wild card into this year’s Game. Whoever discovers him will win one wish of their choice, no restrictions. Aside from the obvious, such as no falling in love, murder or resurrection.

What he didn’t anticipate was crashing into the one person whose soul mark flares like a beacon when Thatch is around, teasing the immortal with the one thing he wants most.

Someone to call home.

What follows is a wild chain of events filled with magical coffee shops, villains with vendettas against cheese makers, moving tattoos, grand puzzles, and second chances at love, and life.

Find out more about the Adventures in Levena Series

Real people.

/ Aelina / Leave a comment

One of my favorite things about Phantom and Rook is how messed up the characters are. And I mean that in the most realistic, and best of ways.

Most people I know in my personal life have mental illness, and I have supported people with a wide range of disabilities my entire adult life. In short, there is no such thing as normal. To think living as a cis, healthy person with not a care in the world is normal, is a rather absurd thought.

This is something I did not come to terms with until later on in life. Later on life, I learned that it’s okay to take medicine, or not. That it’s okay to talk about it, or not.

That it’s okay to need help.

That it’s okay to not BE okay.

And I feel, now, that it’s pretty common to not be okay with being yourself until later in life. I most certainly did not know how to be an adult and realize the other shoe wasn’t going to drop until my mid twenties. Don’t forget to throw in the gender crisis that was repressed for far longer that it should’ve been.

What I’m trying to say is that these are the type of people in this book. Adults, with adult problems. Of course there’s magick and unrealistic things, but the characters are the most realistic shreds of imagination I’ve ever put to paper. That’s why these lines in the reviews so far make me so happy.

‘I also loved the examination of mental health and healing. I loved the acknowledgement that while Arlo was on his own journey of healing, his actions had a HUGE impact on his loved ones as well, and this story was as much about them healing from it as it was him.’

‘I’ll start by saying I loved this book. If a book manages to make me laugh, cry, feel angry, etc it will always be a good book in my eyes.’

‘Arlo’s friends play a big part in helping the reader understand him and his past, and I definitely appreciate the focus on his mental health needs while destigmatizing mental illness. It’s so rare to find that as a main focus in a book.’

And just because it made me happy,

‘This is the first book from this author I have read and to be honest I was absolutely blown away and have fallen in love !’