The Anchor

The Knights of Maenara Collective (9 of 10) Note from Harlo: The attempted coup was over, but for Victoria, the Queen of the Collective, the real battle had just begun. Her millennia-long reign was built on the illusion of absolute, divine power. Now, that illusion was shattered, replaced by a cold, often weary pragmatism she secretly despised, and a corrosive… Continue reading The Anchor

New Order

The Knights of Maenara Collective (8 of 10) The Louisiana warehouse felt less like a safe house and more like a tomb being reluctantly reopened. The air was heavy, smelling of river silt, dry rot, and, most acutely, the sharp, coppery tang of recent magic that Nicola had come to recognize as her own Knight blood signature. Grace stood near… Continue reading New Order

The Tree of Truth

The Knights of Maenara Collective (7 of 10) Hello, readers! Welcome to the latest installment of The Knights of Maenara Collective. If you’ve ever had a creative endeavor…whether it’s writing, coding, painting, or composing a song, you know that feeling of being completely in the zone. It’s when the clock dissolves, the coffee gets cold, and your hands are just… Continue reading The Tree of Truth

Haint Party, Chapter 8

Our Psychic Chapter Warning: Things Are Heating Up! This chapter contains content that’s a little “spicier” and more intimate than my usual writing. Get ready for some intense, close-quarters magic and emotional connection, plus a kiss that’s been a long time coming. The tension is high, the air is thick, and the stakes just got personal! Proceed with curiosity. Erin… Continue reading Haint Party, Chapter 8

Seduction and Politics

The Knights of Maenara Collective (6 of 10) The Crimson Blade, a Vampire Heart, and a Quiet Kiss. The war for the Collective just got personal, political, and sickeningly messy. In this explosive sixth installment of The Knights of Maenara Collective, Nicola Knight confronts the treasonous Stephen and the price of victory is steeper and far more gruesome than she… Continue reading Seduction and Politics

The Writer's Lab: Dissecting the Double Reveal in Chapter 7 (Our Vampire)

Welcome to The Writer’s Lab, where we take apart a piece of published fiction to see how the engine works. This post is for paid subscribers because it contains exclusive craft analysis. For this month’s deep dive, we’re dissecting Chapter 7 of Haint Party. The writing challenge here was immense: we had to confirm the presence of a ghost and… Continue reading The Writer's Lab: Dissecting the Double Reveal in Chapter 7 (Our Vampire)

The Collective's Truth, Part One

The Knights of Maenara Collective #5 of 10 The Knights of Maenara Collective The Collective’s Truth, Part 1 The warehouse settled into an uneasy quiet after Victoria and Stephen’s departure, the kind of silence that pressed against your eardrums and made you hyper aware of every creak, every breath, every heartbeat. Nicola stood by the window, one hand pressed to… Continue reading The Collective's Truth, Part One

Haint Party, Chapter 7

Our Vampire Dinner was delicious, as usual, and we fell into the comfortable rhythm of trying to convince Lizzie to expand her bakery menu. It was a familiar dance. We’d suggest, she’d deflect. We’d push harder, she’d change the subject. Rinse and repeat. But watching her now, I wondered if maybe Zora could break through where the rest of us… Continue reading Haint Party, Chapter 7

Urgent Update: I'm Still a Human (And Not an AI Short Story Machine)

Story finalés, a Haint Party update, and a dark, funny, and utterly unsatisfying holiday commitment. Hello! Just a quick, non-fiction post to let you know that I am, in fact, still a real person. I know, I know…with the sheer volume of stories going up on the schedule, you might suspect I’ve been replaced by a highly efficient, short-story-generating bot.… Continue reading Urgent Update: I'm Still a Human (And Not an AI Short Story Machine)

Blood Magic Awakens

The Knights of Maenara Collective (4 of 10) The warehouse breathed around them, old wood settling, metal groaning. Grace’s fangs were still buried in Nicola’s throat, and the world had narrowed to pulse and pressure and the wet sound of swallowing. Nicola’s knees buckled. Her vision swam. Pain threaded through her like wire pulled taut, but underneath it, something else.… Continue reading Blood Magic Awakens

Salt Row Sanctuary

The Knights of Maenara Collective (3 of 10) Grace’s hands found the stick shift like it was a foreign language she’d never studied. The car lurched, stalled, died with a cough that sounded accusatory. “Damn it,” she muttered. Nicola cracked one eye open from the passenger seat, her face half-shadow in the porch light’s sickly glow. “You’ve got to seduce… Continue reading Salt Row Sanctuary

The Collective's Truth, Part Two

The Knights of Maenara Collective #5 of 10 The Knights of Maenara Collective #5 The Collective’s Truth, Part Two Victoria and Grace had moved to the living room area… or what passed for a living space downstairs in the half workshop, half crab sorting area and office. Grace was curled in the armchair that had been Ellie’s, wrapped in a… Continue reading The Collective's Truth, Part Two

Witness and Attack, Part Two

The Knights of Maenara Collective (2 of 10) The bedroom door at the top of the stairs was locked, the antique brass knob refusing to turn under Nicola’s hand. She knocked once, twice, then harder when there was no response. “Miss Broadchurch? Grace? I need my jacket. My phone’s in the pocket and I need to call this in.” Silence.… Continue reading Witness and Attack, Part Two