A world that's slowly filling with water where all books have disappeared and confused survivors read the patterns in scattered birdseed, any answers that exist lie with Brian Quinn, vertically challenged and strangely inspired, he hides between the pages of every book he enters.

"When I was born I was so small I was mistaken for a french fry. I was never an ordinary child. My best friend was a seagull. I was also illegal. Artificially intelligent people like me had been banned ever since that thing with the Twelve Elevens. Mother raised me for profit. Buyers and sellers had other plans for me, but then I grew a mind of my own. This is the story of how my brain ended up inside this box." Candles is a black-market, "artificially intelligent person" (or A.I.P., or "ape" in the colloquial sense, as in 'the planet of the'), an organic being, farm-raised on genetically engineered smoothies and destined for auction to the highest bidding criminal enterprise. Gifted with the ability to communicate with foul-mouthed seagulls and ill-tempered felines, this gender-less, age-less, race-less creature has to find its way to escape from the clutches of its mother and other assorted enemies, in this fairly exciting and ultimately utterly unexpected story.

Plant a tree. Fight a bull. Write a book. Have a son. Ernest Hemingway said that these four steps would help any boy become a man. What could possibly go wrong? *I also wanted to say a huge thank you to @SassyRedWritingHood for her amazing cover.*

The first story in my collection, Vacui Magia: Stories. You can buy Vacui Magia at all major ebook retailers, or direct via Gumroad - links are on my website: http://traversingz.com/book/vacui-magia/

When aliens invade, four baristas are forced to become the saviours of the world. Grab your double-shot of java and strap in - it's going to be a bumpy ride! ***** In the Earth's darkest hour, unexpected heroes are stirring... their coffee, that is. Four baristas on a camping trip are under-qualified to save the world from an alien invasion. But thanks to a hologram with no fashion sense, newly developed superpowers and an alien with a guilty conscience, they've landed the job anyway! So grab your double-shot of java, your blueberry muffin and strap in - Hasta barista, baby. [[2018 Wattys winner and twice featured]] [[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]] Please note this is a sample of the book, which has been published and is available for purchase: Ebook: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09WKFVKQJ Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1644342154