Behind the Scenes: Creating ‘Superheroes and Bakeries’

These days, my writing time is dedicated to reviewing and editing my next book. The book, Superheros and Bakeries, is set to release on December 19th and is already up for pre-sale.

I love the cover. It has undergone several changes in terms of color and style to find what works best. It almost felt a little like Goldilocks and the Three Bears. One was too dark. One was too busy (too many colors). And this one seems just right. LOL.

Some of my covers are professionally created, and some I create myself. I like both options. Like writing my own book, I enjoy the creative process of putting together a cover. I fully respect cover artists and I really appreciate the one I’ve worked with. She’s amazing!

Superheroes and Bakeries, was a lot of fun to write. For this book, I used ‘Save the Cat’ story structure. While still very much my style, the beats are a bit different in this novel. But I am so impressed with the product! As an author, I always love incorporating styles and techniques I’m learning into story crafting.

The genre is a cozy urban fantasy and is a play on fairy tales and superheroes. Last year, I read an ARC (Advance Reader Copy) for another author, H.L. Burke’s, Rescuing a Supervillain, and was inspired by the idea of superheroes. Since I’d already been brainstorming ideas with fairy tales, the two ideas merged through a bunch of ‘what ifs’. You’ll have to read the book to see how it all comes together. For fans of the TV shows Once Upon a Time and Supergirl, they’ll be delighted by this book (and series).

There is definitely a romance thread in this book. But like all my books, it’s sweet-clean or low spice. Just some mild kissing. The trope used is stuck together (bodyguard). There is also a found family trope used. The main character learns that life is more than her very focused world.

I am looking forward to readers getting this book once it goes live! December 19th will come quickly. However, between now and then, I plan to give you a few nibbles for this story world!

Book Review -Tonic Shop at the Edge of the World -by Max Vale

Lately, when searching for something to read, I’m gravitating towards cozy fantasy. It’s a somewhat new genre that was apparently inspired by cozy mysteries. (At least that’s what my Google search came up with.)

What is cozy fantasy? It’s light and usually has a plot driven by the main character who resides in a small town. (Or ends up in a small town.) The stakes are low, and the pacing tends to be slow. There is an element of mystery or goal achievement mixed with humor and romance. The romance spice level in cozy fantasy can go from sweet-clean like a Hallmark movie, to full spice.

This interest led me to Max Vale’s Tonic Shop at the Edge of the World. It was also listed as LitRPG (Literary Role-Playing Game). In the book, we meet the main character who’s ready to open his own tonic shop. His recently deceased parents were well known, and he wants to make a name for himself. He visits the Brewer’s Guild to find out where his Tonic Shop placement. He’s a bit discouraged to find out that it’s at, you guessed it, the edge of the world.

The initial start of the book is slow, a typical characteristic of this genre. However, as the story unfolds, the main character’s journey keeps you curious. The world-building is well done and quite intriguing. I was very curious to learn more and I hope this book becomes a series.

With the slow pacing, there was one aspect I didn’t enjoy and ended up skipping it when reading. When the main character finds a plant, the reader gets a detailed description of the plant and its brewing purposes. These parts are short and italicized (making them easy to skip). The descriptions are important as this is LitRPG, but I found them boring after a while. That being said, Max Vale made every plant vital to the story, so the information wasn’t filler content. Kudos to the author for giving each word purpose.

The main character is interesting. He didn’t lose heart despite his discouraging beginning. I found myself liking him because of his positive attitude. It wasn’t saccharine, which can sometimes happen with overly upbeat characters. Vale did present a character with a good balance of ups and downs. However, the character’s overall attitude was, “I’m going to make the best of it”. And he does.

I also enjoyed discovering the world of this book and the characters. While the book did have your standard list of supernatural types, the author made them his own. The unique spin was subtle and kept enough of the established familiar to keep the fantasy element grounded. This gave the story a freshness that made it entertaining.

If you’re looking for something light to read with feel-good vibes, then I suggest checking out Max Vales book, Tonic Shop at the Edge of the World.

From Fairy Tales to Urban Fantasy: A Writer’s Journey

When someone asks how long it takes to write a book, I usually say a few years. From concept to finished product, it’s a process!

A few years ago, I started playing around with the idea of fairy tale retellings. I’m not a huge fan of fairy tales, more specifically, the passive princess. I didn’t want to write a story about a girl waiting around to be saved. I decided that the girl has to do the saving or be a part of the saving.

And I wrote my recent release, Magic Denied. I liked it! It was a lot of fun to play with the key components of the classic Rapunzel story. (You can read more about this in other blogs.)

But what I really wanted was to totally remake the idea using urban fantasy. I mapped out various fairy tales with villains, main characters, and supporting characters. Then, because it’s fantasy, I knew there had to be a magical element. Most villains in fairy tales have magic, so how could everyone else have magic (or power)?

Well, after a lot of imagining and brainstorming, I finally settled on the characters and their power sets. (Believe it or not, it took a couple of years to get to this place.) Then there’s the brainstorming of an individual story and the actual writing.

At present, I’m excited to announce that Superheroes and Bakeries is available for pre-sale. The release date is December 19th. That might feel like a long way away, but the next few months will be spent editing.

Take a moment to hop on over to Amazon and read the blurb to learn more. Or, you can read these excerpts from the the first two chapters:

Book Review -Of Owls and Oolong by Shari L. Tapscott

A cozy magical town. A tiny owl. And tea! Shari L. Tapscott’s newest release (August 22, 2025), Of Owls and Oolong, is a perfect cozy urban fantasy romance.

The main character, Kit, is a summer pixie who inherits her Aunt’s home and tea shop in a magical town. There are three stipulations to the inheritance. First, she must move into her aunt’s home. Second, she must take care of the tea shop for three years to receive the full inheritance. And third, she must take care of the little owl. The owl is a mage whose spell went horribly wrong.

The bulk of the story is Kit’s first few weeks in the town. She’s trying to understand tea. It’s more than dunking a tea bag in a cup of microwaved water. She meets a few of her fellow shopkeepers and the stuck-up councilman. And she tries to free the owl/mage, named Rowan, from his spell.

The councilman is Kit’s love interest in this book, though I confess I don’t fully get the romance. Kit is a summer pixie, which means a few things. She spreads joy wherever she goes, and when she likes someone, she sparkles. Personally, I would have liked it if the author had taken more time to develop the sparkling and pixie magic. I found it hard to understand as Kit sparkles from her first encounter with the councilman. Outside of him being handsome, there is nothing attractive about him. Because of this, the whole relationship seems to be based on attraction. There wasn’t any substance to the blooming couple. The story ends with a romantic cliffhanger, so I won’t spoil it. However, there is a hint that there might be some competition for Kit’s affections. And this one makes more sense, so it’ll be fun to see how Tapscott works it out.

The town, Moss Hollow, is quaint and cozy. I enjoyed reading about it, and it felt like it could be real. The characters were well-developed, and there was a great deal of diversity in their personalities and temperaments. The book was a light read, featuring humor and engaging dialogue. So if you are looking for something fun and quick, I suggest checking it out! It’s available on Amazon in KU and as an ebook.

Why Every Writer Should Read Save the Cat

As with any profession, professional development is ongoing. For writing, this means continually learning about how to write and exploring existing works in my chosen genre. Since I write fantasy, I read a lot of fantasy. As for improving my writing craft… the supply is endless, but there are a few gems I’ve gleaned from over the years.

If you haven’t heard of the Save the Cat series, then let me introduce it to you. Save the Cat is a book about story structure. It has sold well because it’s helped countless authors find a structure that works! I just read it this year and used it to work on my latest manuscript. The following is why I recommend this resource.

Most books about story structure tend to present a very structured approach. Yes, that is an intentional pun. But what do I mean? Most writers fall into one of three categories: 1) Plotter; 2) Pantser (Discovery); 3) Inbetweener.

If you don’t know these categories, here’s a quick definition of each:

  • Plotter: They need to plan out their entire story in detail. Then they write it, sticking closely to their plan. They seldom deviate from the plan. Apparently, J.K. Rowling and John Grisham fall into this category.
  • Pantser or more modern term Discovery Writer: This writer essentially sits down and writes. They can’t plan the story or plot it out; to do so would hinder their writing. Well-known authors who fall into this category are Stephen King, George R.R. Martin, and Margaret Atwood.
  • Inbetweener: This writer falls between a plotter and a discovery writer. They need a loose plan with plenty of wiggle room for the plot to change as they write. There are certainly a lot of authors who fall into this category, and I’m one of them.

Okay, back to Save the Cat. The one thing that is probably very appealing about this approach is it can be used by all three writers. Most structures (and I’ve made a study of each one I’ve come across) usually favor Plotters. Story structure is essential. And these methods are amazing because they create a very clear guide for the story. However, for a Discovery Writer or an Inbetweener, too much of the story is planned out. And this creates a block.

Save the Cat provided me with a general idea of what happens in certain parts of a story’s structure. It gives the writer an idea of what should happen during certain points of the story. Save the Cat calls these ‘story beats’ and they all overlap. So when I sat down to envision my story, I was able to write down a lot of ideas. These were then used as I created scenes and chapters. The result, from my perspective, is a story that flows so smoothly. What I liked about this is that the structure remained fluid, which provided the room to constantly make adjustments as needed.

There are two reasons embedded in the above to recommend Save the Cat. First, it works for all styles of writers. Second, the overlapping story beats. Perhaps the one thing I liked the most about Save the Cat is how the structure brought in everything.

Each story beat focused on the action (what happens in each scene). Most structures present this idea. Save the Cat, however, also incorporated the character arc’s development. This makes it easier to write in scenes and moments where the main character is growing and being shaped by their changing world. Save the Cat also includes a clearer perspective on how the A and B stories intersect and merge. Every story has the main character’s (MC) established world (A story) that gets disrupted. The B story is the what and the who involved in helping the MC change or achieve their goal. With Save the Cat, I found it very easy to weave the two back and forth.

Save the Cat essentially made writing a novel a bit easier. But do I think it outshines all other books and resources on story structure? Nope. They’re useful, and I’ll still use what works for me. But if you’re looking for an excellent resource on writing, I definitely recommend reading Save the Cat.

Coming Soon: Urban Fantasy Series Set in Victoria, B.C.

Magic Denied is up and available on Amazon. Have you had a chance to read it yet?

So now that my Rapunzel-inspired story is live, what is my next project? A few months ago, I shared a few excerpts from another manuscript I’ve been working on. I didn’t give away many clues, except to say it’s Urban Fantasy. But I do plan on releasing this book later in the year.

I am super excited for this series (yes! series) to come out. It is set on Vancouver Island and a fictitious Victoria, B.C. As a child, my dad would drive us to the West Coast of Canada. We’d visit family in both Vancouver and Victoria. I have fond memories of Victoria, which inspired the city where this story is set. Though I will be changing the name of the city.

The story features a soft magic system where some humans have supernatural abilities or power. The main character, Keira, has a particularly fun power, which I spent a lot of time researching. There is a branch of science connected to her abilities, so I wanted to make sure I got it right. True confession, I’m not a science-minded person, so I claim no expertise on the subject. (And I admit, I might not have gotten everything right about the science. I did give it my best effort, and think I’m not too far off from the basics.) Thankfully, Keira isn’t an expert either, so her understanding is limited as well.

There is definitely a sweet, slow-burn romance thread in the book for readers to enjoy. Think forced proximity and forbidden romance. A villain, prowling the streets of her city, has taken a special interest in Keira. After surviving a few attacks, she’s assigned a bodyguard. Her best friend warns her not to fall for him, with good reason. And now Keira’s stuck with Mr. tall, handsome, and charming. What’s a girl to do when the butterflies in her stomach are stirred up by his mere constant presence?

As mentioned, the story is urban fantasy, so there are some definite fantasy tropes that went into the novel. There is a clear good vs evil trope and an evil overlord. The evil overlord will be revealed as the series progresses. The hero, Keira, is reluctant. She’s also a novice-to-expert when using her power to fight the villain. She uses her powers for good and is strongly against using them on another person. She also has very limited use and understanding of her power, as she uses it for only one purpose. However, with coaxing and coaching from a mentor, she might be persuaded.

Here are the links to the excerpts if you’d like to get caught up:

I look forward to sharing more with you soon, including the cover and release date.

Book Review -Hunting Sirens by Mary Mecham

So I’ve seen Mary Mecham’s books for a while, as they pop up in various Amazon searches or on Facebook. And I confess that I didn’t think much of them. The covers were appealing, and the stories sounded interesting, but I felt, ‘not for me’. When a post came through on Facebook, I decided I had to give her books a try. What was different? She shared about her unique story lines, and that hooked me.

In Hunting Sirens, the main character, Treva, is deaf. She is the niece of the King and Queen and is a blacksmith. What drew me in (what Mary Mecham mentioned in her Facebook post) is that there isn’t a mention of sound in the book. The author wanted authenticity in her work and had the book screened by numerous individuals from the Deaf Community. This made me curious, and once I picked up the book, I couldn’t put it down.

Treva, in her role as blacksmith, makes weapons for the kingdom, which is at war with Sirens. Unfortunately, humans can’t fight Sirens because of the whole Siren’s voice thing. Treva, being deaf, doesn’t have that problem, and so she steps up and becomes the Siren Hunter. When trapped by a threat greater than Sirens, Treva ends up trapped on an island with a Siren named Bayne.

Here, the story takes a turn as the two develop a friendship and fall in love. Mary Mecham’s books are clean on the romance level, so readers will get nothing more than kisses in her books. The romance is sweet and filled with promises.

I confess that I found the middle part of the book a bit boring. Treva’s internal processing significantly slowed down the pacing. I understand the author’s methodology, as she effectively portrays Treva’s struggle in accepting Bayne as a friend and then more. However, I did find it repetitive.

Bayne and Treva fall in love and make it off the island with unexpected help. They make it back to Treva’s home where the love between the two only grows. But then Treva learns of Bayne’s lies and betrayal. I won’t tell you how the story ends, but it’s good, if not a bit rushed. Treva was given a lot of time to accept Bayne as a friend. I find her forgiveness of his deception a bit too quick or deus ex machina. In my opinion, Bayne’s behaviour was a bit toxic. While the author gives clear reasons for Bayne’s deception, I’m not sure I’d be so quick to trust him again. The logic doesn’t fully work, but this is my opinion. You might read the book and 100% disagree.

So do these points make the book unsatisfying? Absolutely not! It is a work of fiction. Everything fell together nicely in the end, and I plan on reading more by Mary Mecham. I also loved reading a story from the perspective of a deaf character. Mary Mecham did her research and effectively represented the community.

I loved the world-building in this book and Treva’s character arc. She begins as solitary individual who shuns relationships even with her friends and family. I got the impression that she was a loner. And then she takes on the Sirens, which she does well, alone. But then Bayne enters her life and for the first time, she connects with someone and starts to soften. She begins to see her friends and family differently. She also re-evaluates her treatment of them. When she returns home, she takes a different approach, and wants to work with others.

The central themes brought out in the book are the importance of supportive relationships/teamwork and forgiveness. Treva never would have defeated the greater beast, if others hadn’t joined her. Just as the Sirens needed to work with the humans to rid the ocean of the beast. This spoke to the power of working with others, and doing more together.

I absolutely loved the spin on ‘The Little Mermaid’. There was a lot of creativity poured into this work of fiction. Throughout the book, I found myself wondering how things would work out or what would happen next. It was expertly crafted in sharing just enough information with the reader to keep me hooked. Well done, Mary Mecham!

You can find Hunting Sirens on Amazon.

Coming Soon -Magic Denied

So by this time next week, Magic Denied, will be live on Amazon! I am super excited about this book and even more excited to share it with you!

I wrote the first draft in 2023 as a bit of an experiment. I was immediately in love with my main character and the story, but I also struggled with the manuscript.

I knew something was missing from the story, but as the writer, I couldn’t identify it. Most writers will admit that our heads are too immersed in our made-up worlds and the creative process. As a result, we are blind to our work. This means there are things we miss or literally can’t see. We need fresh eyes and a different perspective. It was at this point that I turned to Alpha readers. Alpha readers give honest but exceptionally helpful advice. And I very much appreciate mine.

My favorite alpha reader ripped the story apart. Not really, she’s very supportive and can point out exactly what needs fixing. And so I deep-dived into rewrites and edits. And then it was off to the editor for polishing.

As a result, my princess is the strong female lead I envisioned. I love the princess’s character arc. She always believed she was helping her people even while trapped in the tower. But through a series of circumstances, she realizes she has to be more, do more to really save the kingdom. And this ignites her pursuit of change.

For my first fairy tale re-telling, I’m impressed, and I know you’ll love Cress’s journey as much as I do. The unique take on the beloved classic kept the original elements, and inspired the rest.

As for tropes, you can expect to find the following fantasy tropes. (But with a few fun spins.) Magical artifacts; Chosen one; Magical world; and Magical creatures. As for my magic system, it’s soft.

For romance tropes. My books are always low spice. Who the princess loves is forbidden. Her father has arranged a marriage. The dragon claims her as his mate. So there’s a lot happening there.

Will there be more? I don’t have a direct answer. I can say that I do have a few projects in the works that are inspired by fairy tales. So my deep dive into this realm isn’t over. Are you ready to take the plunge with me? Start with Cress’s story, Magic Denied, inspired by the beloved Rapunzel classic. You can find it on Amazon, and it goes live on August 1st.

The Discipline of Writing

I’ve always been a writer. From my earliest memories, the written word has fascinated me. Like most people, I easily default to the excuse of, ‘life is busy’ when struggling with finding time to write. Over the years, I’ve tried numerous suggestions that have worked for other authors.

  • Write on the weekend
  • Write in the evening
  • Write during breaks at work
  • Write early in the morning
  • Write on vacation
  • Write during the commute
  • Create a word count goal

I have to be honest, none of these have really worked. They have provided me with some assistance and helped me achieve some success with my writing goals, but nothing lasting. Creating a lasting discipline that works for me is my goal.

When it comes to the discipline of writing, there are a few things I’ve learned on this journey. While I consider these points common sense, I believe they provide balance and perspective when establishing a writing discipline.

First, discipline is something you have to do whether you feel like it or not. Discipline is something we commit to because ‘it’ has to be done. There isn’t a lot of immediate gratification with discipline, but we are usually happy with the outcomes.

Second, discipline is something we do with a high degree of regularity. Depending on the reason for the discipline, this means something we do daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, etc. We make a commitment to the task and we do it with a regularity that works for us.

Third, very few people cheer us on with discipline. Therefore, discipline is a mindset we develop because it’s about the goal, not the ‘right now’. It is driven by internal passions, desires, and dreams. Because of this, others can’t truly appreciate the journey when the outcome is unseen.

There are more things I can say about discipline, but these are perhaps my top three. As a writer, how do I take this and turn it into actionable steps?

Do you remember the list above? My try-and-fail list? There’s nothing wrong with all those suggestions; they obviously worked for other authors. And I did have some success with them. In order to create a lasting discipline, I mixed the try-fail list with my perusing on discipline and came up with some of the following:

First, find the time that works for you. My best writing time is in the morning, so I wake up early. However, it’s easier for me to manage the social media and other aspects of writing in the evening.

Second, make your life and schedule work for you. A number of years ago, I was too busy to write. I had a job that creatively drained me. Even waking up early to write wouldn’t work, as I was always exhausted. My life went through some unexpected changes, and I started to have time and energy to write. As I saw the positive change, I intentionally started making more changes based on my commitment to writing.

Third, I’ve made realistic goals. A friend of mine is quite busy with work, kids and a husband, and a close extended family. She makes a daily commitment to write 500 words. That might not seem like a lot, but look at the outcome: 500 words a day X 365 days in the year = over 180, 000 words. I personally have a similar goal. I aim to write a certain number of words each day. It is a realistic, achievable number of words. I look at it as, ‘I can do this’. And guess what? Because the number of words feels realistic and achievable, there are days I easily surpass this number. Essentially, my productivity has increased.

So, I can’t give you a ‘steps to success’ method, but I can offer some methodologies. All those steps above work. I just had to find a way to use them that worked for me. You have to do the hard work of trial-learn-grow. Find out what works for you and you are well on your way to achieving your goals.

A Classic High Fantasy Tale -sneak peek

Magic Denied is up for pre-sale! It’ll be released on August 1st. So if you’re looking for:

  • a sweet-clean romance
  • high fantasy
  • coming of age
  • Rapunzel inspired

go and check it out on Amazon. It’s available in Kindle Unlimited, ebook, and paperback.

Amazon.com

A few weeks ago, I shared part of the first chapter with you. If you missed it, here’s a direct link to the content. Sneak Peek

Below is the second part of the first chapter, which is really a prologue. I hope you enjoy it.

“Dragons?” The king’s cheeks went a few shades whiter.

Good, thought Calliope. Perhaps he will finally understand the threat.

Emboldened, Calliope continued, “Dragons were once dedicated service animals, much like horses are today. A young prince born of magic loved his dragon and shared his magic with the animal. This magic gave the dragon human-like intelligence that turned to arrogance.”

The king scoffed. “Fairy tales.”

Calliope raised an eyebrow at the monarch’s attitude but continued her story. “In their arrogance, the dragons no longer desired to serve humans. Instead, they sought out more magic so they could take on the form of humans. Because their magic was originally from a human child born of magic, they sought out these children and took their magic, killing many of them in the process. It has been more than a hundred years since the last human child of magic was born. During that time, the dragons lost interest in non-magical humans and stopped terrorizing our kingdoms.

“If you go through with your plan to birth a child of magic, the dragons will return. They will search for your kingdom. When they find you, they will destroy you.”

The fire crackled and snapped in the pause that followed. The ache in her bones drained from her at having passed on the whole truth to the monarchs. She’d delivered the warning.

“But why aren’t the dragons drawn by you or the other witches in the kingdom?” The queen’s question hung in the air.

Calliope’s eyes held the queen’s in an unspoken response. She couldn’t tell the queen she wasn’t fully human. It was a closely guarded secret for the elves and Fae. Calliope cleared her throat. “Witches have ancestral magic passed down from one generation to the next. This does not attract dragons. Your child will be fully human and will have new magic.” It wasn’t a complete answer and merely skirted around the truth.

“And dragons are drawn to new magic?” the queen asked.

Calliope nodded.

The king leaned forward. His attitude seemed to have sobered some. “You saw that dragons would be drawn to the kingdom because of our child?”

Calliope took a quick sip of her tea. It had cooled to a comfortable warmth. “I did.”

“The child?” The queen gripped her husband’s arm.

Calliope closed her eyes, hesitating to tell the last piece of her vision. “There is a possibility the child will save you.”

“A possibility? Tell us.” The queen’s knuckles whitened. The king peeled his wife’s hand off his arm.

“After the child is born, you will leave the child with me to raise.”

The king’s face turned red. “Impossible. Our child will be the next monarch who must learn the ways of the court.”

“And the child shall.”

“How?” The king’s voice was sharp. His eyes narrowed.

“Will we be able to visit our child?” the queen asked.

Calliope nodded to the queen. “Whenever you wish. The child will be protected. I will see to it myself. As to training, you can provide tutors or educate the child yourself. But the child must also learn to control their magic. Only this will spare your kingdom.”

The king grunted. “And what do you ask in exchange for this service? Surely, this is how you will make your riches while bleeding our coffers.”

The monarch’s words bit into Calliope, but she shrugged them off. She was surprised she’d gotten this far with them. She thought for sure they’d give up when she asked to raise the child.

“I ask for nothing other than food and clothing. I will devote myself to your child and no other service,” Calliope said.

“Why?” the queen asked.

Calliope rested a hand on her chest. “Because I, too, care about this kingdom and do not wish to see it destroyed. However, before I give you the potion, there is one thing further you must know. It may sway your decision.”

“Tell us.” The queen placed her empty cup on the table between them.

“There is a young son born to a farmer in the pasture lands. He’d make a perfect king if given the chance.” Calliope paused and shifted her eyes between the monarchs to study their reactions. “This option will spare your kingdom trouble.”

The king clamped his lips shut and looked at his wife. They shared another long stare as if silently communicating. Calliope lowered her head. She knew the king and queen were not interested in the farm boy. They wanted an heir of their blood.

“We will take the potion and accept the cost. What is a kingdom without a ruler?” the king asked, his voice resigned.

Calliope set her untouched tea down on the table. “And you accept my terms?”

The queen nodded. “You will raise our child.”

Calliope went to the kitchen. Her movements were smooth, and pain didn’t accompany each step. She pulled out the small concoction she’d prepared yesterday with a small cloth package. She handed both items to the queen.

“You will drink this before going to bed.”

The queen held up the small vial of murky liquid and then the package. “And this?”

“It is cress, picked from my garden. It is filled with nutrients that will help you in your pregnancy.”

“Cress,” the queen whispered.

The king shifted his stance. His boots scraped against the wooden floors. He was probably eager to leave. “Witch, we thank you for your service to the crown.”

Calliope held the door open and leaned against it. “Just remember our deal. I expect you to return in nine months with your daughter.”

The king snapped his jaw shut. His cheek twitched as he ground his teeth. His lips formed a stern line.

“We will.” The queen nudged her husband. “This is for the future of our kingdom and our family. We will.”

Calliope closed the door after them, not bothering to watch their carriage leave. She leaned her back against the door. The king and queen had made their choice, and the kingdom would pay a costly price. She’d seen the future, and offering to raise the child was the most she could do.

Thanks for reading! If you’re interested to learn more about this mysterious child born of magic, you can get your copy on Amazon.