These Lies That Live Between Us
YA fantasy novel and book one of the series What Words Have Torn Apart.
“Good-bye, and good riddance” were the last words Gwen’s twin ever said to her.
But there are bigger problems: an enemy army has revived a forbidden magic. They’ve invaded a neighboring country, and Gwen’s kingdom will be next. Her only hope of salvation is a legend, so she sets out to find it.
The magic has many names, and many believe they know what it is—but Gwen begins to see that most are mistaken. At last it is the wind itself that forces her to make a choice: accept the forbidden magic and learn it, or die.
Gwen set out to save her people. Instead, she sets in motion a series of events that will have consequences bigger and further-reaching than she ever imagined. This is the start of a fantasy epic about family, adventure, love, loss and the ever-changing interpretation of history long gone.
Available as an ebook for $2.99 or paperback for $14.99 (or foreign currency equivalent).
To read for free, download the epub file here.
H-A-G-S
An upcoming YA adventure/suspense novel.
17-year-old Julian Hellewege woke up that morning expecting to go fetch coffee and screen emails at an internship that was good for nothing but his resume. Instead, he got kidnapped.
His kidnappers—a group of teens—realize that they made a mistake: Julian wasn’t the one they wanted. But it’s too late to correct the mistake, and they can’t afford to simply let Julian go. Instead, they rope him into joining them in a game with a huge budget and a global stage, and an even bigger prize.
Julian quickly becomes immersed in the game, and thrilled by the challenge. But there are layers to the game that he couldn’t have imagined. Layer by layer, the reality he took for granted is stripped away, and he must confront the ugly truths that lie beneath.
Remind Us of the Truth
YA fantasy novel and book two of the series What Words Have Torn Apart, but also can be read as a stand alone novel.
Esther is a struggling peasant in Ynga with too many secrets: several identities she discarded in the past, her proficiency in a forbidden magic, and above all, the magical child Dov in her care. When they at last find work in the Yngan palace, she thinks her biggest challenge will be hiding her difficult relationship with fire.
Then the Ceryllan delegation arrives, including one of the sisters Esther abandoned years ago, and an ex who abandoned her.
But there is no time for petty squabbles. The war with Seleukos is escalating, and the Yngan advisor, the taipan, has a way to render their forbidden magic innate. Only Esther and Dov understand what a disaster this would be—but to tell anyone would be to get themselves burned alive in the name of the law.
Paper Spaceships (Working Title)
A middle-grade science fiction mystery novel.
12-year-old Hollis Huynh is the normal one in a family of prodigies, and it is her shame. She thought this was the worst day of her life because she took a test she wasn’t supposed to, failed, and the school counselor transferred her into a class full of people who hate her. Then her brother Leif abandons her. But if Hollis knows anything, it is that Leif would never leave her. Since the adults won’t do anything, it’s up to Hollis to find him and bring him home.