The Bone Scholar
For fans of NINTH HOUSE and BOYS WITH SHARP TEETH, THE BONE SCHOLAR is a sinister, intricate dark academia murder mystery, the first in a duology and complete at 89,000 words, about a girl going undercover at a magical boarding school to find her ex-girlfriend’s killer.
After Bianca Sacramore, the girl who broke her heart, is found dead in the woods outside the prestigious Blairwood Academy, sixteen-year-old Beatrice Tamayo disguises herself as a member of the Sacramore family to infiltrate Blairwood and find who’s responsible. But Blairwood is not all it seems, and a quest to find the killer unravels the bloodthirsty rivalry between two secret societies who will do worse than murder to anyone who threatens their power.
This book has section illustrations drawn by the author. You can see some of the drawing progress on my TikTok.
Upcoming WIP: Nightwood!
For fans of THE HUNGER GAMES and A COURT OF MIST AND FURY, NIGHTWOOD! is a hilarious, action-packed contemporary fantasy WIP currently undergoing revision.
Everyone knows that any human in the Nightwood is fair game to the fae, and any fae outside the Nightwood is fair game to the humans. The exception: the harvest moon tournament, a deadly game whose winner is granted one wish by the fae king and queen.
On the harvest moon a year ago, seventeen-year-old Aline Sawyer’s older sister disappeared into the Nightwood. Now, a year later, Aline is competing in the tournament to either find her and escape or win and wish for her back. There’s just one catch: Aline’s insufferably handsome, theater kid ex-boyfriend has decided to compete as well, and he has a plan for them both to come out on top—win over the fae with a love story of their own. But as Aline and Lysander (yes, that’s his name, he is a theater kid after all) navigate the deadly magic and wicked creatures lurking in the Nightwood, an ancient evil stalks their every move and Aline discovers that Lysander, the Nightwood, and her own missing sister are hiding secrets of their own.
Hal and Zee Need Dates
HAL AND ZEE NEED DATES is a 75,000-word young adult contemporary fantasy about prom, high school angst, and saving the universe. This goofy, heartfelt coming-of-age story will appeal to readers looking for the unhinged friendship dynamics of SCOUT’S HONOR by Lily Anderson and the unhinged supernatural shenanigans of DAMNED IF YOU DO by Alex Brown.
Hallie “Hal” Feldstein and Maria Zelda “Zee” O’Hara have been friends for a decade despite being total opposites. Hal is a social butterfly with a new hobby every month, while Zee is a social moth who’d live under a rock as long as she had internet. With prom coming up, Hal wants the full experience—the Date, the Dress, and the Dance—that she and her Hollywood actress mother have been gushing about for eons. Zee, who’d rather marathon anime than go to a school function, has plans to stay home and study for AP exams so her strict Filipina mom doesn’t disown her.
What Hal doesn’t know is that there’s one way Zee would go to prom: if her lab partner secret crush asked her to the dance.
When Hal and Zee (accidentally) summon a demon from a cursed book (long story), the smooth-talking, suit-wearing Mr. Eldritch grants their wishes in wilder ways than they could’ve imagined. Hal is set up with the perfect date, a dress straight off the runway, and a night impressive enough for her flighty, glamorous mother. Zee’s lab partner asks Zee to prom in a viral promposal and suddenly wants to date her.
However, strange things start happening around town—classmates become possessed while shopping for prom dresses, creatures stalk Hal and Zee on late-night Waffle House runs. Mr. Eldritch has other plans for their prom night—and their very, very vulnerable universe. If Hal and Zee don’t find their way out of the bargain of their dreams, their junior prom will become the least of their nightmares.
The Hunter of Shades
Anya Herald would poison half the city to find the man who murdered her father.
Years ago, Anya told a lie that killed her best friend Kasper and left her father at the mercy of a dangerous, shape-shifting kingpin. Now, guilt-ridden and fierce, seventeen-year-old Anya works as a shade runner, hunting and selling secrets in a world of criminal shadow guilds. Every secret she steals will get her closer to her father’s killer, if she can stay one step ahead of the shadow guild magicians who summon darkness, alter memories, and manipulate the fabric of time.
After faking his death years ago, Kasper Vale has returned to the Shrouded City seeking revenge on those who destroyed his family, including his former best friend, Anya. Armed with the ability to weave futures and grant wishes for a lethal price, Kasper adopts a disguise and infiltrates the city’s elite to bring down the shadow guilds and those who wronged him.
When the kingpin who left Anya fatherless suddenly offers her a place in his guild, Anya seizes her chance, only to discover how her own buried secrets are clawing their way out of the past. To save herself and her surviving family, Anya must choose between avenging what she lost and defending what she has left—and join forces with either her father’s murderer or a boy who is checking off a hit list and saving her for last.
[Young adult fantasy. An Author Mentor Match book! Shoutout to my mentor Jessica Bibi Cooper.]
The Clockwork Star
Things are not always what they seem at ten thousand feet in the air.
Young servant Christa dreams of going on adventures like the heroes in her books but is as close to a nobody as they come. When the famed airship the Clockwork Star arrives in her town, she seizes her chance, disguises herself as a boy, and runs away. There’s just one catch: After getting caught fibbing to get out of trouble, Christa is cursed to lie when she wants to tell the truth and tell the truth when she wants to lie.
Against a backdrop of storm dragons, shapeshifters, and wayward magic, she finds more adventure than she bargained for. An attempt on the king’s life sparks a ship-wide manhunt for a spy, and the prince finds Christa just odd enough to be suspicious. Her curse has her rambling elaborate stories when asked simple truths or blurting her real name when she’s trying to maintain her disguise. To save the ship and stay ahead of her enemies and inquisitive friends, Christa must keep her story straight—and learn the difference between dreaming of adventure and what it really takes to be a hero.
[Middle grade fantasy. A 2019 Pitch Wars book! Shoutout to my mentor K.C. Held.]
Brighton Rose 