Stella is now on Eleven Labs as an audio book Pending review - as soon as she's up live, I'll have a link here ~

Read Chapter 4 on Substack - 

This is Nordic Noir - Cold Water ~ I'm using pen name JA Raven for this genre!

This book will be released on Amazon in the next few weeks. I'm also working on book 2 of The Trinket Box for middle schoolers - lots going on!!

Just released! Book 1 of a new Fantasy series for middle school ages. Trinket boxes are a favorite of mine - This one actually takes you to a whole different world !

First page of Ch 1

Chapter 1 – Mist and Magic
Maria sat on the window seat in her room, turning the dark green trinket box over in her hands. It felt heavier than it looked, solid and cool.
Her friend Sam leaned closer. “It looks really old.”
It did. Gold traced the edges, worn smooth with age, and small gemstones were set into each side. They didn’t sparkle so much as glow softly when the light hit them.
“Where did you get it?” Sam asked.
“My mom found it at an estate sale, I think,” Maria said.
She turned the box around in her hands, looking for a way to open it. She pressed and twisted different parts of the box this way and that without success. Maria ran her fingers along the box, searching for a seam or latch. She pressed gently at the edges, twisted one corner, then another. Nothing happened. She ran her fingers over the etchings on the box, trying to understand what they meant.

Suddenly a chime issued from the box. The sound was clear and light, carrying on the air. The lid sprang open.
She and Sam jumped and then leaned forward together and looked into the box, expecting to see an old piece of jewelry or an aged document. Instead, a pale green mist rolled out of the box like a translucent fog. Tiny specks of glitter drifted inside it, catching the light as the mist spread into the room.
“What is that?” Sam whispered.
“I don’t know,” Maria whispered back. “But it’s not stopping.”
The mist moved the way air moved—circling, rising, settling. Maria leaned closer, squinting.
“Do you see that?” she asked.
“See what? All I see is green glitter mist stuff.” Sam waved his hand around in the mist, stirring the air and making it swirl around like a dust devil. Suddenly, a tiny green dragon came out of the mist with a pop of glitter. It flew around, circling above the trinket box before perching on the edge. They stared at it, startled.

Ancient History - Lore for Sigils of the Veil

Sealing the Veiled Ones

A thousand years ago, the Veiled Ones came from their world seeking the life force of those on Aetheria after killing their own planet. The Veiled Ones were great in number and slaughtered many Aetherians. The legends whisper that the peoples of the Aetheria came together in this time of great need—the kings with their armies of knights and the mages, druids, and dark elves. Together, with great power and sacrifice, they created the Aetherveil and hid it beneath the lake called The Mirror, a sacred place of belief which contributed to the power needed to hold the Veiled Ones. The Aetherveil stood fast for more than a thousand years. The legendary battle passed into obscurity, taking with it the secret of the Aetherveil and the dangerous enemy it held at bay. An enemy that waited for another chance, a thinning of the veil, or the ability to strike against it.