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Forged Wings

Accepted! - What Every Author Wants to Hear

How did we get here?

Well, I had a story idea. No, not a story idea, more like musings about how two old friends on opposite sides of a divide would interact if they only saw each other once a year. How far would they drift in 364 days? Can they spring together, fly away, and spring back again to intertwine their lives like a strand of DNA? Or would they just drift away like two balloons caught in their own updrafts? After that simple idea got tangled up with apocalypse, Purged Souls was born.

But that’s not how we got here. Because little did I know that the hard work starts after the publisher says “Accepted …”

(Though to be honest, I’m not going to minimize the impact of receiving an email with the subject line “Accepted Book Submission: …” Sure, there were a lot of steps after that, including questionnaires and discussions and goals and this and that, but yeah, the only word that stuck was “accepted.”)

Anyhow, multiple edits later, Purged Souls is waiting its turn.

Me? I’m running down an author checklist that seems more appropriate for a space shuttle launch than a book launch. And one of the items on that list is to make sure this website is up and running, along with a first post that says “hello world!”

Well, turns out I had a little more to say, but what did you expect? I just finished a 120,000-word novel. What’s another few hundred words among friends?

Severed Roots
Book 3
Severed Roots
The conclusion to the saga that began with Purged Souls, Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Finalist

Former head of Special Forces Lori Rose’s sudden reappearance after a year-long exile threatens the fragile peace Governor Amy Chipps has negotiated with her powerful neighbors. As hostilities intensify, the discovery of an ominous device buried in the unregulated territories shatters the balance of power, sending Amy on the run.

With increasingly powerful quakes foreboding disaster and three armies jostling for control, Amy must reclaim power while Lori must wrest the doomsday device from their enemies. But can they put aside their differences and work together before cataclysmic forces destroy the West Coast?

Forged Wings
Prequel Novella
Forged Wings
A Lori Rose Novella set in the Uregs

A decade after a global virus and the subsequent chaos brought civilization to the brink, Lori Rose joined the military of a nascent matriarchal society to strengthen the rebuilding efforts. But her career stalled because her headstrong personality drew the ire of her superiors. Now, as she contemplates her dwindling options, their enemy launches a sneak attack that kills her command staff and captures hundreds.

But if their enemy wanted a quick victory, they crossed the wrong soldier. With nothing but her wits and a few unlikely allies, Lori hatches a daring rescue attempt against a technologically and numerically superior force.

Can she save her people before her actions plunge them into an unwinnable war?

Forged Wings is a prequel novella that introduces Lt. Lori Rose, before she became the feared General.

Purged Souls
Book 1
Purged Souls
A Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Finalist.

Lori wants to restore order to a world ravaged by virus, violence, and declining birthrates. But the rage that fueled her rise from hungry teenager to Special Forces colonel has left her with few allies. When a mortally-wounded soldier disappears from the hospital amid a cover up, Lori reaches beyond official channels to her only remaining friend, Mika.

Orphaned at eight, Mika lives across a fortified border, away from the spotlight. But he could never say no to Lori, so he gets dragged into a world of secrets and deceit. Together, they uncover a conspiracy that assassinated two heads of state to start a war, all to hide the true nature of the virus that nearly destroyed the human race.

With time running out, Lori has to disobey direct orders and embrace new allegiances to stop the impending coup. The problem is, the rage that powers her also distorts her moral compass—which hasn’t been reliable in the best of times.

Carved Genes
Book 2
Carved Genes
The sequel to the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Finalist Purged Souls

Mika has a new, near-indestructible body—a side effect of the Purge virus. Yet he broods in obscurity, pushing away everyone, including Amy, the one person who can lift his spirits. But when the Purge starts killing again, twenty years after it vanished, he accepts an open-ended mission and disappears.

Thrust into power amid chaos, Amy struggles to rebuild a world ripped apart by the tension between those who carry the Purge and those who don’t. When a general exploits that rift to grab power, Amy makes a bold decision that antagonizes the leaders of two states.

As victims with Purge symptoms multiply, Mika returns with frightening news about the virus’ variants and origins.  With time running out, Amy must unite the bickering factions to stop the new outbreak from destroying their fragile society. But can she trust Mika again?

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When you’re halfway through a book, have you ever wondered what would be the best ending?  The resolution of the plot? The characters reaching their goals? The characters finding some peace? The antagonist receiving their comeuppance? A positive change in the world? 

It took me a while to be able to write about this, but as we're approaching the initial launch date of Purged Souls, I figured it was time.

Imagine you’re at a dinner party and you hear someone approach an author and ask: “So what’s your book about?”  It’s an innocuous enough question. And no, that person is not trying to get the author.