In a dark and deep land lives young Marjorie, a woman desperate for something more than her conventional life in her tiny village, Core. She aches for something dangerous, something like the dark forest, Mirkwood, which borders her home. Yet, there is a curse which haunts her people: a Wolf. For the last eighteen years, he takes one innocent life. Fate seems to change at the hands of Vivian, a Wardeness who promises Core a safe passage through Mirkwood. For a moment, Marjorie has everything she has ever wanted: An escape from a fate set in stone... until the Wolf set its dark intentions on her. Now, she is forced to decide: Will she defeat the Wolf or will she willingly be devoured? __________________ The stranger turned to face her. This close, it was easy to see his handsome features. From his high cheekbones to his piercing gray eyes, he was unlike any sully-faced villager. Instead, he wore his beauty with a casual grace, as if he were clueless to the plumpness of his lips or the flat, smooth surface of his chest. "Am I a what?" The man cocked a thick, dark brow up. He pushed his right hand into the pocket of his trousers, but not before Marjorie caught a glimpse of the heavy jewels on his fingers. He drowned in an opulence few villagers could afford. "I take that as a no," she said. "What is your name, stranger?" He looked to her, and then his gaze traveled to where men and women continued to fling themselves around the heat of the bonfire. You don't belong here, she thought.

I promise you, there is light in this dark world, if only you know where to look. My tale is one of magic and wonder, of evil and justice-of power and servitude. But it is also a story of sacrifice and suffering. There are great feats of courage and and malicious acts of deception. But there is also the quiet heroism of one good deed and the unpraised comfort of one loving heart. #1 in Adventure 04/09/2019 #1 in Adventure 01/29/2021 #2 in Action 05/15/2022 #2 in Action 6/21/2024