Static Reflections: Book 1 of The Mortal Guard Series

[2021 WATTYS SHORTLIST]

TWO FRIENDS, DIVIDED. ONE STORY.

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It all begins with a murder.

Astrid Delaney, the manager of indie rock band, Water on Fire, has been brutally stabbed to death backstage just before one of their concerts. The culprit is Water on Fire's keyboardist, Boris Downing. This is no mystery.

Nicholas Flynn, lead singer of Water on Fire, wakes up in a strange place surrounded by animals wearing unfamiliar outfits with peculiar bands on their left arms. The animals tell the hyena what has become of Astrid and that Boris is possessed by a demon named Absalom. Unable to have his memory of Absalom erased and seeing an opportunity to figure out how to exorcize Boris, Nick joins the hidden organization known as the Mortal Guard which keeps the knowledge of the supernatural, known as the Other Side, from public knowledge. He is placed under the guidance of Richard Seife, a raccoon deemed mentally "damaged" by the organization.

Boris doesn't want to be a killer. Even though the otter grew up rich and well-off, minus the neglectful father, he's never quite connected to the world at large. Even so, he had been making strides to improve himself thanks to the help of he and Nick's German shepherd friend, Tyler Finlay. Now, Absalom has entered his life and made it a living hell, forcing him to murder innocent animals or face the consequences of losing everybody he loves. Boris kidnaps Tyler, as he's one of these targets, but how could he kill the animal that had just recently been helping him improve as a person?

Featuring a mental health twist, Static Reflections is an LGBT+ downward spiral of trauma and identity in an insane supernatural world where the real horrors might just be the most recognizable things in life.

True evil awaits all involved.

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Content and/or trigger warning: This story contains extremely dark themes, graphic violence, themes of suicide, and mention of sexual assault.

Cover art by upperthorso