Melissa Crawford thinks she's just a regular teenage girl. She goes to school. She has friends, boy problems, homework...you know, the typical teenage angst. But she couldn't be more wrong, for Melissa Crawford is not a mortal. Her adoptive mortal mother refused to give her up and hired a witch to erase the enchanting Faery child's memory, not realizing that things aren't that simple. You see, when she was a little girl, Melissa promised herself forever to her Leannan Sidhe (mate), a Fae Prince, and a promise to Fae is sacred. When the Fae Prince comes back to claim what's his, nothing will get in his way. "Mortals are so arrogant. So utterly narcissistic to think that they are the only intelligence in this world, to believe their realm is the only realm, their way is the only way. "Many of you believe us fairies only exist in little kids' fairy tales. We are so much more than that. We exist, living in the Realm just a blink away from yours. A few wrong turns in the park or the forest and you're there. We sometimes walk among you, and you're not even aware of it. Believe me, we exist. Across the globe, your kind calls us and our realm by different names...but as William Shakespeare once said- a rose by any other name..."

The world has been overrun by monsters. Governments have toppled, nations have fallen. Desperation has ushered in a new world order. Welcome to The Bright Waste where violence is cheap and salvation is in short supply. Where survivors are brutal and compassion is a rare commodity. Akiva is a scavenger for The Mothers. Her job is to scour the bones of the old world for any vestige of value, and to stay alive. That's the hardest part when the monsters have other plans. Her only hope is to stay in the light, glorious and burning bright. Editor's Pick List: June 2020

I stared down at the little beast as it fluttered and tried to escape, I looked at it with one last evil grin and then I.... Damn! The butterfly flew away! I really need to work on my catching skills, a normal human wouldn't let a soft winged butterfly get away! Stop. Wait a second. Urgh. This is getting worse, Soon someone's gonna find out... But until then I've just got to hold in the urge to pounce at anything that moves... * Read this if you want. I honestly don't like it, but others seem to. So sure, go read it if you're like other people*