OVERVIEW
Ifeoma's world falls apart after the devastating loss of her mother, plunging her into a deep mental crisis that drowns her joy and distances her from everything and everyone she loves, including Obinna, the man who once held her heart. As grief transforms her into a shadow of herself, she unknowingly pushes Obinna away, leaving behind the dreams they once shared. In the quietness of her loneliness, Ifeoma embarks on a journey of healing, unraveling the layers of pain, self-doubt, and isolation that have consumed her life.
Guided by her therapist, Dr. Yusuf, Ifeoma begins to piece together the fragments of her shattered self. But healing isn't easy. Along the way, she confronts the choices that led to the breakdown of her relationship with Obinna and the lingering question-can love truly find its way back after being so deeply scarred by loss and pain?
In a chance encounter at the Nsukka market, Ifeoma faces Obinna once more, and the raw emotions of their past flood back. What follows is a delicate, heartfelt story of redemption, forgiveness, and the rediscovery of love. Together, they learn that love isn't just about the easy moments but about weathering life's darkest storms and finding a way to stand side by side again.
In "Ashes to Ember," Ifeoma's journey of recovery is not just about mental healing, but about mending the pieces of a broken heart, finding hope in the ruins, and learning to embrace love in all its imperfect, yet powerful, forms.
Geoff and Naomi are dead, and they're depressed, but when Geoff's cat Bernie dies as well, they embark on a wild journey to find it in the underworld.
*****
When Geoff dies, alongside his girlfriend Naomi, they end up sharing an apartment in the Underworld as skeletons. But after a few years, Geoff starts suffering a mid-death crisis. What's the purpose of going through the motions as a skeleton if you can't really live? Then he gets word that his cat, Bernie, just died and he can collect him and bring him home! Geoff and Naomi hurry to get Bernie only to discover that, due to a clerical error, their cat has been lost. With the hunt for Bernie giving new purpose to Geoff's un-life, he and Naomi begin a quest to get back their cat. Battling skeleton pirates, climbing the sky ladder and facing off against the villain who took Bernie, Geoff is determined to find his purpose - or die a second time trying!
[[2018 Wattys Winner - The Originals]]
[[word count: 30,000-40,000 words]]