BOOKS
THEN CAME THE FLAMES
Set in a disease-ridden city where only the rich can afford a cure, THEN CAME THE FLAMES is an eat-the-rich YA fantasy that follows a guilt-ridden young woman’s struggle to look after her family while fighting the Counselor responsible for overpriced medicine and rampant illness.
Riley’s father is dying, and it’s her fault. The seventeen-year old apprentice risks expulsion from her school to smuggle life-sustaining potions to her father. A childhood magical accident depleted the family savings, so when Pa fell ill there was no money left for a cure. The only way to get medicine is to steal it.
But Riley’s use of rare illusion magic gets her caught thieving. She’s forced to work for the treacherous High Counselor Staveley, who keeps Riley in check by threatening her family. To free herself from Staveley’s influence, Riley joins a group of rebels who want to use her illusions in a plot against the Council. But when Staveley discovers Riley’s actions, she puts more pressure on her family. Riley must decide what’s more important: cooperating with Staveley to keep her family safe, or using her powers to support the rebel cause.
THE FIRST WITCH
THE FIRST WITCH is an adult gothic fantasy in which a young woman tasked with guarding a coven of wish-granting ghosts strikes a bargain with her charges in hopes of securing her freedom.
Mare, a medium, dreams of escaping the small Adirondack town where she’s spent her entire life. But when her father foils her plans, she brokers a deal with the coven. The ghosts agree to grant wishes in exchange for a magical tithe and Mare will pocket the monetary fee. Once she has enough cash, she’ll flee.
But the legend of the First Witch grows and visitors flood her sleepy town. Mare struggles to keep her plans secret from her father while the coven strengthens. As she discovers more about the coven and their sinister past, she comes to question whether the ghosts can be trusted— and whether her own freedom is worth unleashing the witches on the world.
(currently drafting)
