~ Winner of Wattys 2015 Hidden Gem Award , The JOURNEY THAT BEGINS THE FIREBIRD CHRONICLES. "You are my daughter, and you have grown up so kind and innocent and just," she said, "You are everything I could have wished for. But it is not enough. The King will take your kindness, and use it to crush you. He will trick you with your innocence and perverse justice as we know it. You will die as you are now. Do you hear me, Lumina? You must become stronger. One day you must become Queen." Lumina, a young thief, is desperate to find her best friend and sister, Reia, when she vanishes one night in the woods. Following her trail, Lumina finds herself travelling across the mysterious floating island, a kingdom within the clouds that is inhabited by angels. The kingdom has fallen to an oppressive ruler with a dark magic. Fabian, a powerful elemental lord, enrols Lumina, an eligible candidate for Queen, in the fight for the throne. Instead of finding Reia, Lumina discovers that friendship, love and adventure lurk at every corner, and a journey intended to find another is really about finding herself. Highest ranking #7 in Fantasy. Completed. Check out Book 2, Solstice!

~ retelling of Hades and Persephone ~ EVERY TEN YEARS, THE GOD OF DEATH TAKES A BRIDE. In the Kingdom of Minoa, a sacrifice of a virgin girl is given to the God of Death to try and appease the never-ending winter. She's accompanied by a male sacrifice, intended to be her guardian so that she can reach the Underworld safely. THIS TIME, SHE'S NOT A SACRIFICE. SHE'S A RECKONING. When Nerissa, a bold and willful young woman, volunteers to be the bride, she forfeits her human life. Along with her less-than-capable guard, Mercer, they make their way to the palace of the Underworld to meet her husband: the King of the Underworld, and Death himself. BUT AN ANCIENT CURSE IS BINDING THE KINGDOM... Death's bitter foe has cursed him, so that he spends his days awaiting the return of his love, Persephone, who will bring back Spring. One night with Death, and Nerissa will be granted half his power...and the ability to find her brother's killer. ...SHE HAS ONE MONTH TO OUTSMART DEATH. Despite their increasing attraction to one another, her husband insists on keeping her in the dark. Nerissa must use all of her guts and guile to do the one thing he's not used to: people outsmarting him. DEATH IS ABOUT TO HAVE THE (most problematic) TIME OF HIS LIFE.

"She was the girl who longed for the freedom of the dragon, and he was the dragon who longed to be a man." A heroine reclaiming her fate. A dragon with a secret. A prince on a quest. Olivia flees to the forest seeking freedom from her family's demands. She finds refuge in a cave, only to discover it is a dragon's lair. The dragon, Kaden, is not the monster she first thinks him to be. After overcoming her initial fright - of not being eaten - Olivia discovers that the dragon has a gentle heart. Kaden is resigned to loneliness after centuries of wandering the lands. Meeting Olivia brings joy to his solitary life, and never has he dreamed that a young woman would be the one to start the change in him. A storm brews on the horizon. A prince with a handsome face and a cruel heart is on a quest to slay the dragon, and take the throne. He will do whatever it takes to have what he believes is his to own. And now, he has his eyes set on the pretty little maiden from the forest. He will make her his Queen, whether she wants it or not. © by Maya_2011/Maya Starling