Welcome, Bookwyrm
This is a little archive of work I’m building up. There is nowhere for it to go, so it’s come here.
To Be Written
Nothing to do but wait. Dust collects on my corners. Silence drapes over my spine. The sigh of passersby, until the stroke of her fingers across my cover.
A murmured exclamation. An exchange of crumpled bills, and then I am tucked beneath her ribs, beating with anticipation.
I have a special place on her shelf now, nestled between the believers. My pages swell with secrets and ink. Her pen sinks into my heart, and I drink from the well of her dreams.
The story nearly complete, I come alive with the weight of her.
— Placed on the 100-word Tadpole Press Longlist
Trade You a Pearl
A short horror story about a mother and son stuck in an abusive cycle.
TW: Violence & Gore, Mental Health and Psychological Distress, Family Abuse, Addiction, Death
Swallowed by the Tide
A dark romance short featuring two men from A Tide of Treason
TW: Bondage, Captivity, Death Threats, Explicit Language, Emotional Manipulation, Hostage Situation, Explicit Sexual Content
Irradiated
A silly post apocalyptic short featuring about finding hope in the form of a Taco Bell
TW: Everyone is dead and there’s only Taco Bell
Book Club Questions
Book Club Questions
1: How did you feel while reading A Tide of Treason? What about after you finished?
2: Who was your favourite character and why?
3: How did A Tide of Treason relate to your own life?
4: Would you choose to live in Visva? If so, do you think you'd be a Kataval, Jagarving, or Mantrik?
5: How do you think this story reflects against our current political climate?
6: Would you recommend A Tide of Treason to other readers?
7: Do you think there should be a sequel?
Tentacle Ballet
Every once in awhile, I have dreams in the form of absurdist tragedy. This is one of those.
John lifted an appendage and rubbed his single, bleary eye, before setting his pen down. He glowered at the stack of essays left to grade and stretched the two arms he’d been using to hold a paper in front of him, shaking his leg anxiously before releasing the suction cups that held him to his seat. The clock above his desk chimed and he flopped sideways from his chair—he had to get to his ballet audition!
The professor quickly slid into his four pairs of shoes (how he hoped the judges wouldn’t disqualify him for using the extra tentacles) and slithered from the house, down the road, to the dance studio.
Auditions were packed. By the time he joined the other dancers on stage, music filled the air, and John was swept up into a frenzy. He tried to let himself fall into the steps and the instructions of the audition director, but the stack of essays tugged at the back of his mind. This audition could be his big break, could get him out of teaching irritable university students. But he also held a duty to them.
The more he thought about it, the more steps he missed, until he was stumbling through every other note. John looked up as the director shook his head and pointed to the door, where other hopeful ballet dancers were exiting.
He hung his head and didn’t try to hide the sad sound of his tentacles slapping on the pavement as he walked back to his house and the essays awaiting his judgement.
Primordial’s Beginning
When I first planned the YA mythology series, I knew how the gods began and ended. It started with the primordial’s and the big bang.
In the beginning, there was only Achlys. She filled every corner of every plane, and everything was still.
Then, of her deep darkness, Chaos sparked. First, as a small pulse. Then, he grew. Stretching and reaching through space, Chaos wandered alone for years.
And alone, thoughts of light were birthed. Aether sprung forward from Chaos’ mind in the form of glowing orbs. Chaos and Aether existed simultaneously, beside each other, for nearly an eon, until love blossomed.
They joined together as one and Eros was born, in the form of an oblong scaled shape.
Before Eros could fall through Chaos, the eon passed and Aion chimed to life.
Upon his creation, his form split into two - one large snake, nearly transparent, it had no complete form, aside from its tail.
His other half was solid, but missing the tip of its tail. She was named Ananke.
Chaos looked upon the creations that had begun to fill Achlys and declared that they should have a home.
Within the thought, Gaea was birthed with enough space for the growing beings.
While Aether stayed intertwined with Chaos, they descended to the sky over their new world, and Aion and Ananke fell with Eros. As they stepped foot on Gaea, the surface bowed, and Chaos reached out to pull the crater back. A shape was left, which rose into the embodiment of Gaia. By separating her essence from her solid form, the ball became whole, and began to sprout life in the form of plants.
Gaia looked upon the world and spoke with Chaos of how she could not manage it on her own. Angered, he told her he would not create anymore, as the world was made for his children.
So Gaia moved over the plane alone. She summoned mountains from her old form, and forward stepped Ourea.
Gaia carved a crater, and Pontus sprung up, filling it with a sea.
Aion watched his sister wander the world, creating, and shook his tail in excitement. When he swatted through Chaos, causing a distraction, Chronos grabbed the tip, pulling himself from Chaos’ folds.
Gaia called to Aether, begging for light to see as she further grew the world, and Aether obliged, tearing a part of themself off and stitching it into Achlys. Thus sprung Hemera.
Gaia continued through the world, growing trees, flowers, and everything she touched flourished.
Then Pontus braved a step onto the land, crushing flora. The water he dripped birthed Thalassa, who further killed Gaia's creations by falling.
As Gaia turned in rage, the dark veins of dead petals swept together to form Thanatos.
Chaos wrapped around Thanatos in an effort to stop him from reaching for Gaia, and Hypnos tore away from the touch. Thanatos fell into a deep sleep, and Hypnos flew through the world to put all to rest, in an effort to prevent further conflict.
While the new beings turned from Hemera in their sleep, shielding themselves from the light to seek peaceful rest, her rays fell away, and the dark wings of Erebus swept out from behind their bodies, with Nyx on his tail.
Chaos stretched himself from Ourea’s domain to Pontus, and watched with fondness as the world that had been created slept. He swore to contain Thanatos and keep him from destroying the creation, as it was the most perfect thing to be imagined.
From Chaos words jumped Nemesis, who whispered the idea of a prison to Chaos.
Chaos stewed, pulling away from Aether, and spat his curses deep into Achlys. From the dark ball of anger was born Tartarus, which sank down to sit below Gaea.
In order to wake all and begin to fix the creation, Chaos reached down to Gaea, pulling a piece of her up. Aether sacrificed part of themself to touch the new form, and Uranus was born.
Chaos ordered Uranus to look over the other beings, and wake them before ruling the land. Uranus obliged, sweeping over the entirety of Gaea and assisting the others in finishing the world.
In an effort to avoid crossing Gaia again. Pontus and Thalassa pulled the solid parts of themselves apart to create Nesoi.
Aion and Ananke worked to pull at Eros shell, and in a burst, freed Eros and the immense power of love. The explosion caused the universe to expand, and countless other realms were born.
Lost Art Archive
