[ORIGINAL DRAFT SAMPLE] Given a new chance at life, Sara Gaspard returns to Verweald and must decide how the Sin of Pride fits in with her daily routine. Before they have a chance to settle, a strange box arrives at Sara's doorstep and tears them from the Terrestrian realm. The box throws both mortal and Sin into a world - and conflict - neither has ever seen before. Dragon blood is spilled. A king rises from exile and ignites a war. Magic enthralls, fire lights the night, and kingdoms balance upon the edge of destruction. Sara and Darius' search for a way home becomes far more perilous than expected. The Sundered Vale awaits. __________________________ Sequel to Bereft: Foretold

****Taken down for publication with Parliament House Press in 2019*** ****Bonus Story Available: The House of Seven Smiles***** ***Wattys 2015 Winner!!!*** Magic runs bone deep... In a world overrun by monsters, humans struggle for survival underground. Magic is feared and reviled, but rooted deep in the bloodlines of families, cropping up once a generation. These individuals are cast out, banished to the Above where humans are far, far down the food chain. When her younger brother is tainted by magic and forced to the surface, Azzy follows, determined to save the only family she has left, no matter what he becomes. ***Lovely Cover by @mulanjiang*** ***#2!! in Adventure 2/28/16*** ***#6!! in Fantasy 8/15/16***