A gentleman detective and a headstrong heiress clash in a battle of wits. Murder, mayhem, and a dash of romance in Victorian San Francisco. An "action-packed mystery" (Kirkus Reviews) that's first in a series! Atticus Riot is a gambler turned detective who put away his magnifying glass after the death of his partner. But when the forty-year-old bachelor returns to San Francisco to finalize his early retirement, he's soon drawn into a dizzying search for a missing heiress. Mrs. Isobel Kingston is a singular woman who disappears under circumstances as murky as the ever-present fog. To find out what became of her, Riot's powers of deduction will be tested and he'll be forced to confront his own troubled past. A suspenseful Victorian mystery with a strong female lead and a romantic detective duo in San Francisco's lawless Barbary Coast. Fans of Laurie R. King, Deanna Raybourn, and C.S. Harris will love this thrilling historical mystery series. *This story contains sample chapters. The entire series is available at all online stores.

[Wattys 2022 Shortlist] The Elven battlemage Gynefra Caul-Marrel has fought many foes over her two centuries. Humans have proven the most obstinate, yet they have forgotten the lessons that led to the War of the Great Coalition. That short-lived race has now spread into the shattered former battlefields of that conflict, building villages atop barrows of ancient dead, toiling away in mines better left abandoned. When a plague spreads through their lands, she is dispatched by the Watchful Tower to investigate. The horrors are much worse than she'd imagined. An unholy alliance has formed in the depths below, which threatens to tear apart the fragile order that's existed since the War of the Great Coalition. It's not enough to simply fight-the Great Evil they face requires a unified defense from every realm. Yet even saving human refugees isn't enough to dampen the paranoia of the Inquisition. The grievances between Elves and humanity have been built over millennia and seem impossible to mend. Yet if they cannot succeed, kingdom by kingdom will fall, until the mortal world is swept clean. Under Gynefra's leadership, a new War of the Great Coalition must be waged-yet this time united in struggle against the Twisted One, who threatens to devour their realms.

Wattys 2022 Shortlist Nominee Inspired by the delightful Curse of Strahd campaign! Darius Starbán, disgraced King of Starkovia, joins up with Demon-Spawn Inquisitor Urien, his ex-boyfriend and wealthy aristocrat Yra, and new friend Astrid as they tromp across the countryside fixing Darius' 400-year-old messes and finding a cure for Darius' vampirism. Based roughly off a Dungeons and Dragons campaign.

| 𝟳𝘅 𝗙𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘𝗗 ·|| HUNGER GAMES x CINDER || ONC 2023 Honorable Mention Amidst the escalating unrest between the windborne utopian city of Lighthaven and its seedy, oppressed underbelly Fumedge, the Grand Duke of Lighthaven, Lucius Sextus, comes up with an ingenious solution. To provide much-wanted respite from the brewing conflict, and achieve the apparent-if-temporary unity, he organizes Gaslight Trials - a highly entertaining panem-et-circenses combat event in the Pits. The combatants may use all steam and thaumaturgy powered augmentations at their disposal, and there is only one rule: defeat, or be defeated. The reward for the last one standing? A chance to start their life anew. A brass key to the city of Lighthaven with a luxurious mansion to call their own within, as well as an aeroship to command. When eighteen-year-old Veda Igglesden steps forward to take her timeworn adoptive father's place in the fight, she might as well be signing her death-sentence. With her eyes fully set on the prize, act-first-think-later Veda must harness the power of technology to try and win for her Papa Otto. Decades of breathing in the toxic air of Fumedge did a number on the old inventor's lungs, and being able to live in the air-filtered Lighthaven would sure come in handy right about now. A high-flying adventure full of gadgetry and intrigue; a pleasing blend of steampunk and postapocalyptic. See Veda unravel the mysterious ploy behind the game's organization, and uncover the truth about her secret origins. Can she cope both with the trials of physical and intellectual prowess, as well as with the trials of life itself: those of love, loss and regret? © 2023 EvelynHail Exclusively on Wattpad Based on prompt 49! Which is (I shan't leave ye hanging :P): "Master the rules of the game until you can play it better than they can." Michael Scott, "The Sorceress" Get ready for steampunkish tinkering,

Animosity between Humans and Faeriekind has long plagued the lands of Orphic, but began to fade in recent years. However, the newfound peace between species balances on a very thin thread which may soon break. With the emergence of a group known as Ironblades, Faeriekind is once again in danger. These Humans will stop at nothing to see all Faeries, and anyone born of Faerie blood, burnt to ash. Kalian Deirdre may be his people's last hope. It is up to him to infiltrate an Ironblade unit and uncover the true nature of their plot against Faeries before it's too late, but that will prove difficult. Moira Lev is an Ironblade Commander and well known for her hatred towards Faeries. Getting close to her won't be an easy task, and remaining undiscovered will be even harder. Regardless of the risks, Kalian is determined to succeed. He has to, or it will mean the extinction of his species as a whole. Warning: This book, while being a work of fiction, still deals with real elements. There are chapters dealing with sexual content, gore, PTSD, child loss (prior to current story), genocide, torture, and other topics which some might find triggering. Completed April 2, 2022 *UNSOLICITED CRITICS MAY BE MUTED* see bio

After her fiancé left without warning, leaving behind only a note on the kitchen counter, Isabella thought it was time to start over. She was broken and lost and realized that her relationship had left her with deep scars, scars that she didn't want to acknowledge. She sold all her belongings and moved to an apartment right above The Magnolia Café, in a small town called Greenshire, where she meets the clumsy and yet charming Connor. Will Isabella be able to recover from her wounds and fallen in love again? ***Trigger Warning: This story contains swears and mentions abusive relationships.*** P.S: English is not my first language, so if you read something of mine, please be kind in the comments and constructive criticism is really appreciated.

SHORTLISTED FOR WATTYS 2022 What should have been an easy payday for a band of British privateers turns into a desperate fight for survival when they find a young woman in the wreck of a schooner. Life is unforgiving for any privateering ship fighting in the Queen Anne's War, but of all the leaky tubs on the Caribbean sea, the brigantine ship, Scourge, and her crew have been dealt a pretty rotten hand. None more-so than her newest member, Martin Hamish, a deckhand looked down upon by his captain and fellow shipmates, but eager to please nonetheless. Down on their luck and desperate for their next prize, the crew's prayers are answered when a burning ship, bursting with unclaimed loot, crashes into the shore nearby. However, their dreams of a free payday are quickly soured when they discover an enigmatic noblewoman in the wreck with a proposition that may well change their fortunes, or end them all together. [Story complete at 88,000 words - next novel in the works] WARNING: Contains violence, gore, threat, alcohol references & scurvy dogs