The Time Before Series

Can love bloom in war's darkest hour? Mara and her owl work surveillance to keep Kuppham safe, but the news on the Stream is grim. The humans are coming, and she and her owl will soon be in the line of fire. Her once-vibrant city is a ghost town, with little to distract her as she waits for the skin-covered hordes to overrun the Maer capital. Until one day, this timid little artificer wanders into the aerie, asking to watch her owl land over and over. Uffrin makes owls powered by clockwork and magic to guard the great automatons on the northern front. He visits the aerie to study the owls' flight mechanics, but it's the owl handler who captures his attention. So gentle, so in control, with quick eyes that seem to stay with his all the time. Amid the looming clouds of war, hearts intertwine and feathers fly, but duty soon flings these two lovebirds apart. If the war goes as badly as everyone seems to fear, how will they ever find each other again? Love might be the only thing that saves them. Fly away from your troubles with this standalone fantasy romance, part of the Time Before trio. It's steamy, with over 150 kisses, and includes a picnic in the park, a date in a basement speakeasy, and a secret mountain lake far from the ravages of war. Content warning: This book is intended for adult readers only. It includes depictions of wartime violence, drinking, drug use, and explicit, consensual sex scenes.

To the Depths and beyond. Laanda's led her weary people across endless mountains in search of a new home. Jagged Shard has everything they need: deep mountain tunnels, ready-made infrastructure, and a wealth of hotiron that will secure her clan's future. It must be theirs. Skiti's seen her Queen like this before. Obsessed. Desperate. Willing to risk everything for her people. But Jagged Shard was abandoned for a reason. If Skiti can't protect Laanda from herself, she risks losing her forever. Their bonds tighten as they delve side by side into the many dangers and wonders of this forgotten place. Only together can they solve the puzzle of Jagged Shard and of their own reticent hearts. Jagged Shard is a high-octane, high-steam lesbian dungeon crawler romance with a butch 4 butch pairing and a BFFs to lovers arc. This book is intended for adult audiences. It contains numerous scenes of violence and consensual sex scenes.

There are some things that cannot be taken from you. The humans have conquered the Maer capital, and they show no signs of leaving. Cloti and her spouses cling to each other in the hollow shell of their occupied city. Each day is a bitter gift; they may not be free, but they have each other. When the city's human Administrator offers to let Cloti restart her meditation practice in the temple, she jumps at the chance to spread a little hope in such dark days. Half the city followed her teachings before the occupation; maybe she can use her practice to unite them once again. She's intrigued by the Administrator's apparent sympathy toward her cause, and by his soft, submissive eyes. But could she ever really trust a human? Rebellion brews among the Maer, and in Cloti's heart. She knows what she wants, and what she must do. She has foreseen how this will end: in flames. But visions never tell the whole story. Cloti's Song is a steamy F/F/M +M fantasy romance featuring a married throuple in their fifties who consider taking on a fourth. It's set in the Time Before, a sequel of sorts to Wings so Soft, but can be read as a standalone. It is intended for an adult audience and contains explicit, consensual sex scenes and wartime violence.

The sword wants what it wants. The Maer have been on the brink of war with the humans for years. When five brightstone mines go dark on the same day, it can't be a coincidence. Without a steady supply of the stone, the Maer's gauntlets and automatons are useless. The Maer are about to be blasted back to the Time Before. Yglind just got his shiny new Forever Blade and is itching to stick it into something. Getting sent on a Delve to find out what happened to the Deepfold is the chance of a lifetime. With the help of his trusted partner Ardo and a prickly mage named Aene, he's going to get his five kills and bring glory to his family name. Ardo has never seen Yglind like this. He's always been hot for a fight, but the darkness in his eyes when he looks upon his Forever Blade can't easily be kissed away. Inside the Deepfold, they are plunged into a world of bloodshed and chaos. Unknown foes have slaughtered many of the miners, and a gruesome dragon stalks the dark tunnels. While taking refuge in the mine's impregnable keep, Yglind and Ardo take comfort in each other's arms and find the courage to face the cruel forces arrayed against them. With their civilization hanging in the balance, they strike out against the invaders as their quest hurtles toward its bloody end. The Delve is a fast-paced spicy romantic fantasy featuring a variety of LGBTQ characters and relationships. It's the first in the Time Before trio of linked standalones, set 2,000 years before the Maer Cycle trilogy and the Weirdwater Confluence duology. The series are independent and can be read in any order. Author's note: this book contains explicit, consensual sex scenes, violence, gore, and death, and is not intended for readers under the age of eighteen.

The Last Solstice Gift is a short story about a child receiving his traditional last Solstice present at the age of 13. It's set in the Time Before among the Maer, hairy humanoids featured in many of my books. Uffrin, a child in this story, is one of the main characters in Wings so Soft, coming October 2023, and his parents, Cloti, Aefin, and Ludo (called by their family nicknames Maoti, Maofin, and Paodo here) are the main characters of Cloti's Song, coming early 2024. The story also makes a passing reference to The Isle of a Thousand Worlds, in which Cloti plays a small but important role, despite the book being set almost 2,000 years later.   You don't need to know anything about those books to enjoy this very short story.