The duskhaze.
That was what they called it. The fog that rolled in from the hills some nights and sent everyone to sleep. When the sun rose, so too did the citizens of Glothe. Under the shroud of retreating mists, they picked themselves up off the street or wherever they landed and carried on with life as though it had never been so rudely interrupted. But there were some who never woke.
Continue reading “the dusk guard”
‘There was another one last night.’
Rei-Hai Shaw stirred extra honey into his lumpy porridge as Lylen and Elles leant in to hear the morning’s gossip. Norvar set down his breakfast tray and slipped into a chair before continuing his story.
‘Thirty-seventh floor,’ the dark Qhoraakese man continued, cracking open his bread roll. ‘Right into a snow drift. Heard they had to dig him out of a fifteen foot hole.’
‘Third jumper this month,’ Elles mused. She tucked her straw-yellow hair behind her ears before poking at her breakfast with a spoon. ‘Must have got a weak batch.’
Continue reading “the collector’s lost things: chapter one”
With last month’s release of the Gardens of War & Wasteland novella, The Collector’s Lost Things, this edition of WELCOME TO WHYT’HALLEN features a Q&A with the prequel’s central character, Rei-Hai Shaw.
Unfortunately, Rei isn’t the most forthcoming when answering questions about himself so this could be interesting … Well, let’s see how we go! But first, a mood board:
Rei-Hai Shaw was a collector, and he was very good.
Since joining the mysterious brethren of the Tower at the age of thirteen, Rei has risen the ranks to become the youngest recruit ever to receive a band.
Favoured by the masters and distrusted by his peers, Rei plans to make the most of his lonely existence. But when he is chosen to take a second trial and claim another band, he soon doubts the price of success when the latest mission strikes a little too close to home.
Sent back to the world of his childhood, Rei is painfully reminded of everything he left behind—and what he can’t bear to lose again.
The Collector’s Lost Things takes place before the events of Gardens of War & Wasteland: The Ruptured Sky, and will be available for free from March 2020.
A sneak peek will be available to subscribers on January 31st. Sign up now to have the first chapter delivered ahead of time, straight to your inbox!
Before the mortal Second Born crossed the Azure Expanse and came to settle in Whyt’Hallen, they had an established civilisation of their own back on the continent of Mey.
For a thousand years the native Meytarans thrived, raising kingdoms and cities and culture. Their growth seemed limitless … until the Sickness came.
The Crown Prince of Holania slipped through the gardens, an ashen figure in a sea of scarlet, azure and lilac. His surcoat, breeches and tunic were all mourning shades of grey, his cloak a wave of obsidian velvet. The sun bled warmth across the spread of his shoulders and a chill breeze kissed colour into his cheeks. It was a perfect spring day, and Kiokharen hated every minute of it.
Kio crossed the courtyard, swatting aside the bees and dragonflies that flapped about with the ubiquitous buzz of spring. For weeks the castle had been alive in preparation for the change of season, excitement pulsing in anticipation of new life. Now all the floral garlands and silken streamers had been leached of their colour, replaced with the monochrome veil of grief.
Continue reading “the king & his shadow”
September is upon us and that means a new instalment of WELCOME TO WHYT’HALLEN. In this month’s edition, we sit down for a Q&A with the Gardens of War & Wasteland protagonist herself—Princess Amikharlia Elys Holani.
First, let’s kick things off with a mood board!
In this month’s edition of WELCOME TO WHYT’HALLEN, we take a look at Ciraselo, the Old Capital. All the action of Gardens of War & Wasteland Book I: The Ruptured Sky begins here, making it the perfect choice for your first glimpse into the world of Whyt’hallen.
So I’ve finished my novel. Now what?
While I sit and wait for feedback from my beta readers, I’ve put together a comprehensive guide to the world of Whyt’hallen and everything you need to know about the upcoming Gardens of War & Wasteland Book I: The Ruptured Sky.
Holly Black takes something so ordinary, so relatable to the modern adolescent, and juxtaposes it against the profoundly extraordinary.
After a dismal run of DNF and one-star reads, Holly Black‘s The Darkest Part of the Forest was a pure delight. I have to confess, ten years ago, I never would have picked up this book: I was strictly a high-fantasy or slice-of-life contemporary literature kind of girl. I had no interest in magical realism or the blurring of lines between our world and others. What a wonderful thing personal growth is!
Continue reading “the darkest part of the forest”
