Book Title: Poole of Honour Series: The Poole Legacy Author Name: RJ Verity Publication Date: 15th September 2026 Publisher: Vazon Press (Imprint / Self-published) Pages: 311 Genre: Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+ Any Triggers: Contains homophobia and prejudice consistent with the period, references to blackmail and criminalisation, and some sexual content.
London, 1965. The city is swinging, the world is shifting, and Daniel Poole is a rising criminal barrister with everything to prove – to the courts, to his father, to his wife and to himself.
But Daniel is carrying a secret that could shatter the life he has so carefully built. As society begins to question the rules it once held sacred, he is forced to decide what he stands for — and what he is willing to risk in order to belong.
Set against a backdrop of cultural upheaval and political change, Poole of Honour is a tense, character-driven historical novel exploring ambition, identity, and the cost of silence, as the next generation of the Poole family confronts a world on the brink of transformation.
RJ Verity grew up in Yorkshire and studied at King’s College London before spending more than twenty years working in financial services across Asia. She now lives in Guernsey with her endlessly patient husband and their ageing but ever-spirited Labradinger. When she’s not writing or reading, she can often be found exploring the island’s rugged coastline.
RJ writes character-led historical fiction rooted in place, memory, and the social and personal forces that shape ordinary lives. Her debut novel, Poole of Light, opens The Poole Legacy – a trilogy following three generations of one family across a century of change.
The second novel, Poole of Honour, publishes on 15 September 2026. Set in London in 1965, it follows Daniel Poole, a rising criminal barrister drawn into the most divisive political debate of the decade – one that cuts closer than he dare admit.
Book Title: London Tales 2026 edition Series: Short Stories Author Name: Tim Walker Publication Date: 2023 first edition, 2026 second edition Publisher: Independently published Pages: 220 paperback Genre: Historical Short Stories Any Triggers: battle violence
London Tales is a collection of sixteen tales that offer dramatic pinpricks in the rich tapestry of London’s timeline, a city with two thousand years of history. They are glimpses of imagined lives at key moments, starting with a prologue in verse from the point of view of a native Briton tribeswoman absorbing the shock of Roman invasion. Then there’s a tale set in Roman Londinium in 60 CE, from the perspective of terrified legionaries and townsfolk facing the vengeful Iceni queen, Boudica, whose army burnt the fledgling city to the ground.
From Roman Londinium there’s a jump to Saxon Lundenwic in the late eighth century, then onward to the medieval city in 1381 at the time of the Peasant’s Revolt. Then a jump to the second significant conflagration, the Great Fire of London, in 1666. From there the reader is transported to 1814 and the last ice fair on the frozen River Thames in the year before the battle of Waterloo, then onto an unnerving tale of copycat killings based on the 1888 Jack the Ripper murders. This is followed by a fraught romance set during the Blitz in 1941; then the swinging Sixties and wide-flared seventies are remembered in the life story of fictional policeman, Brian Smith. There’s a series of contemporary stories that reference recent history and current affairs, including the London terrorist bombings of 2005; a literary pub crawl and a daring prison break, building to the imagined death throes of London in a dystopian vision.
These stories are inspired by the author’s love of history, personal experiences and reflections on his time living and working in London in the 1980’s and 90’s. Adaptability, resilience, conformity and resolve are recurring themes in these stories.
For ten years the author was one of thousands of commuters who’d pour in daily from outlying suburbs to feed the insatiable economic appetite of the city. London’s a busy and at times unfriendly place, driven by the productivity of its inhabitants and set against an incredible landscape of history, art, architectural and cultural development. It both inspires and tires in equal measure.
London Tales is a companion volume to Thames Valley Tales.
This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
About the Author:
Tim Walker is an independent author living near Windsor in the UK.
Born in Hong Kong in the Sixties, Tim grew up in Liverpool where he began his working life as a trainee reporter on a local newspaper. He went on to attain an honours degree in Communication Studies at the University of Glamorgan in South Wales before moving to London where he worked in the newspaper publishing industry for ten years.
In the mid-90s he opted to spend a few years doing voluntary work in Zambia through VSO, running an educational book publishing development programme. After this, he set up his own marketing and publishing company in Lusaka, Zambia’s capital. He returned to the UK in 2009.
His creative writing journey began in earnest in 2014, as a therapeutic activity whilst recovering from cancer treatment. Thames Valley Tales and London Tales were collections of short stories written between 2014 and 2026. They are both audiobooks available on Amazon Audible, narrated and produced by actor/author, Richard James.
In addition to short stories, he researched and wrote a five-book history-meets-legend fiction series, A Light in the Dark Ages. This series connects the end of Roman Britain to the story of a possible historical King Arthur based on scant research material. There’s also a dystopian novel, Devil Gate Dawn, a book of poems and flash fiction, Perverse, and a dual timeline historical novel set at Hadrian’s Wall, Guardians at the Wall. In 2025 he published a novella, The Trials of Arthur Whitty, that took inspiration from a group he runs that supports old men in Windsor. Somewhere along the way, he and his daughter, Cathy, wrote a three-book children’s series, The Adventures of Charly Holmes.
Book Title: The Fern Flower Author Name: Kathleen Shoop Publication Date: August 1, 2026 Publisher: Independently Published Pages: 598 Genre: Historical Fiction Triggers: Set 1908-1917 so people weren’t so kind to each other. Mila’s in ballet school at one point and living away from home. She always has adult support of some kind, but faces abandonment to some degree from those she loves.
St. Petersburg 1908-1917
Born into privilege as the daughter of the Tsar’s favored vodka maker, Mila appears to have everything: wealth, status, and a household devoted to her happiness. But behind the gilded doors of her family estate, she is trapped by the cruelty of a stepmother whose greatest wish is to give birth to her own child.
Each summer on Ivan Kupala Eve, Russia turns its gaze to river bends and forest floors in search of the legendary Fern Flower—a mythical bloom said to grant fortune, power, and the deepest desires of the heart. Only one person had ever found it.
Until Mila.
Years later, in the fading grandeur of Petrograd, Mila and her friends slip into the fabled Stray Dog Café, once the sanctuary of Russia’s most daring artists and dreamers. Inspired by its ghosts, murals, and memories, Mila’s group resurrects the work she’d first imagined as a child. The Fern Flower is a breathtaking ballet drawn from folklore, magic, and the secrets of Mila’s past.
But in the fiercely competitive ranks of the Imperial Ballet School, talent is never enough. Though Mila wrote the ballet and her gifted musician friend composed its score, rivals question whether Mila is worthy of claiming the coveted lead role.
As World War I intensifies and revolution ignites, the Russia Mila knows begins to collapse. Family secrets surface, loyalties are tested, and the people she loves begin to disappear. When her parents flee and her young brother’s life hangs in the balance, Mila is faced with an impossible choice: remain with the found family who helped her chase her dreams or risk everything to save the person who needs her most.
With Russian folklore, imperial grandeur, and the fierce beauty of ballet, The Fern Flower is a sweeping tale of ambition, friendship, sacrifice, and the magic that survives even when the world is falling apart.
Bestselling author, Kathleen Shoop, PhD’s novels have won awards in the Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY), Eric Hoffer Book Awards, the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Readers’ Favorite, and more.
Kathleen has more than 20 years of experience in the classroom and has been featured in USA Today and the Writer’s Guide. She co-coordinates Mindful Writers Retreats and co-coordinated the 2023 Pennwriters Conference.
She frequently teaches and is a regular presenter at conferences for writers.
Book Title: One More Hour of Daylight Author Name: C.M. Gray Publication Date: June 2026 Publisher: Constance Books Pages: 417 Genre: WW II Thriller
From the Bestselling Author of Shadowland
On the first day of World War II, a young man makes a promise—one that will shape every choice he makes for the next four years.
Essex. September 1939.
A wounded German pilot drops from a clear autumn sky into a quiet English field. Seventeen-year-old Derrick finds him—broken and feverish. Not an enemy. Just a young man asking for one small mercy before everything ends.
One more hour of daylight. That is all I ask. A chance to breathe free air before whatever comes next.
Derrick gives him until morning.
When the stretcher comes, the pilot’s last words strike Derrick like a blow he will never stop feeling.
Scotland. France. Germany. 1941–1943.
In the mountains of Scotland, they teach him how to kill, how to lie, and how to endure things that break most men. Then they give him a new name, put him on a plane, and drop him into the dark.
As an SOE operative deep inside occupied Europe, Derrick Sedgley lives on false papers, borrowed names, and nerves worn to nothing by years in the shadows. He moves agents to safety, builds escape routes, and stays one breath ahead of the Gestapo.
Then a mission collapses—and everything changes.
Forced to run, Derrick finds himself moving through the most dangerous corners of occupied Europe alongside someone whose connection to his past he cannot yet see. As safe houses fall, loyalties fracture, and the frozen passes of the Pyrenees rise ahead like the edge of the world, Derrick begins to understand something.
The choice he made in an Essex field on the first day of the war has been leading him here all along.
Some debts cannot be paid. Some can only be carried. And some—if you are brave enough, and fortunate enough—can finally be laid to rest.
From the quiet fields of Essex to the mountains of Scotland, from the dangerous streets of Lyon to the shadows of wartime Hamburg and the high passes of the Pyrenees, One More Hour of Daylight is an unforgettable story of courage, guilt and redemption—of ordinary people forced to make impossible choices in extraordinary times.
Some promises can survive a war. Some people can too.
For readers who believe that even in war, what matters most is who we choose to be.
Praise for One More Hour of Daylight:
“A beautifully written book with a perfect pace that kept me reading from start to finish.” ~ Bookcollector, Amazon 5* Review
“A confident, carefully crafted novel that handles its subject matter with restraint, earning the weight it carries.“ ~ Indie Library, Goodreads 5* Review
This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
C.M. Gray’s first book, The Flight of the Griffin, was longlisted in the 2015 Times Chicken House Writing Competition. Shadowland, the first book in the Pendragon Saga, has so far received over 900 five-star reviews on Amazon. These things still genuinely astonish him, and he is deeply grateful for every one of them.
Most of his previous work has been fantasy: either pure fantasy or historical fantasy, the kind of writing where druids turn up uninvited and one of your main characters develops an unsettling affinity with wolves before you have quite decided what sort of book you are writing. Shadowland began with every intention of staying grounded in historical reality, the story of Uther Pendragon. It did not. It has turned out to be a popular book, so he does not complain.
His years travelling through Asia, India, Africa and the Middle East have a habit of finding their way onto the page. He has seen and done some fairly strange things along the way and met some extraordinary people, and writing fantasy has always felt, to him, only a short step from writing fact.
New for 2026
One More Hour of Daylight, marks C.M. Gray’s return to writing. It will be fully published in June 2026, marking a departure: pure historical fiction, no druids, no wolves. It follows Derrick Sedgley, a seventeen-year-old from Essex who makes a single moral choice in a field one September morning in 1939 and spends the next four years living with the consequences. From the Essex countryside to occupied France, from the mountains of Burgundy to the Pyrenees, it is a story about promises, betrayal, courage and the cost of doing the right thing too late.
And for those who have been waiting patiently for the Pendragon Saga to continue: the third book, Shadow’s Heir, the story of Arthur Pendragon, follows in September 2026. More on that very soon.
C.M. Gray was born in England and grew up in the Essex countryside near the Suffolk border, which is where Derrick Sedgley grows up, too. The flat fields, the big skies and the particular quality of Essex light found their way into the book, whether he intended them to or not.
C.M. Gray is now very happily settled just outside Barcelona with his wonderful wife and partner in life, Adriana.
She should have stayed in the shadows—but Leonor de Guzmán yearned for the sun
Castile in the 1330s is a place of constant turmoil. King Alfonso must contend with the incursions from the Muslim Marinids eager to reclaim Al-Andalus while struggling with repeated rebellions against his firm rule.
When Alfonso needs respite, he finds it in the arms of his Leonor—the most beautiful woman in the realm. But while he may love Leonor over all others, his lawful wife, Maria of Portugal, is tired of being constantly displaced by the fair Leonor.
Leonor loves her man. She gives him healthy sons, a place to be himself. But she is only a mistress, even if Alfonso treats her like a queen. Leonor’s enemies watch and hate.
Flying too close to the sun comes at a high price. How much will Leonor’s love cost her?
Based on the true story of Alfonso XI and his complicated relationships to wife and life-long mistress
This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
About the Author
Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a time-traveller. As this was impossible, she became a financial professional with three absorbing interests: history, romance and writing. Anna has authored the acclaimed time travelling series The Graham Saga, set in 17th century Scotland and Maryland, as well as two equally acclaimed medieval series; The King’s Greatest Enemy which is set in 14th century England, and The Castilian Saga ,which is set against the medieval conquest of Wales. She has also published a time travel romance, The Whirlpools of Time, and its sequel Times of Turmoil, and is now considering just how to wiggle out of setting the next book in that series in Peter the Great’s Russia, as her characters are demanding. . .
All of Anna’s books have been awarded the IndieBRAG Medallion, she has several Historical Novel Society Editor’s Choices, and one of her books won the HNS Indie Award in 2015. She is also the proud recipient of various Reader’s Favorite medals as well as having won various Gold, Silver and Bronze Coffee Pot Book Club awards.
“A master storyteller” “This is what all historical fiction should be like. Superb.”
Find out more about Anna, her books and enjoy her eclectic historical blog on her website, www.annabelfrage.com where you will also find her post about Alfonso and Leonor:
Book Title: The Queen’s Sister uthor Name: Carol McGrath Publication Date: 4th June 2026 Publisher: Headline Accent Pages: 300 Genre: Historical Fiction
A mother, a wife, a woman of substance…
At nineteen, Elizabeth Seymour is already a mother, has been recently widowed, and seen her Queen, Anne Boleyn, lose her life. Against the wishes of her father, she heads North, away from Wulf Hall and the court in London to Yorkshire, determined to establish a new beginning as a landowner and business woman. As her family in Wiltshire curry favour with King Henry, aided by Thomas Cromwell, Elizabeth makes Kexby Manor her home, finding loyalty among her people there.
Soon, news comes to Elizabeth of the King’s desires for her sister, Jane and while her brother, Edward, encourages her own betrothal to Gregory Cromwell, son of Thomas. It is a happy second marriage for Elizabeth, but it brings unwanted involvement in the dark plots and secrecy of the court, while in the wider country, changes in religious practice threaten to alter the traditions and values of all she has known…
THE QUEEN’S SISTER vividly imagines the story of the woman possibly portrayed in Hans Holbein’s beautiful painting ‘Portrait of a Lady,’ and is a colourful, meticulously researched novel of Tudor life behind the scenes.
What readers say about Carol McGrath’s novels:
‘Another beautifully crafted, well-researched work of historical fiction from Carol McGrath’
‘Brimming with intrigue, tension and adventure, The Lost Queen is a powerful Medieval tale full of atmosphere, danger and emotion and transports the reader to another world’
I am Elizabeth Seymour, sister to the Queen. My second marriage to Gregory Cromwell is barely a month old, yet to my surprise, my portrait has already been commissioned by my father-in-law. As Lord Privy Seal, Thomas Cromwell has both affluence and influence; it is the celebrated Master Hans Holbein who is to paint me. He enjoys King Henry’s patronage and has recently completed a likeness of my sister.
‘Master Holbein,’ I say, after he arrives at Mort Lake, and I am looking at a selection of drawings he has displayed on a table in the great parlour.
‘I do believe you truly capture the humanity of your subject.’ I look up at his eager round face and thoughtful brown eyes. ‘This is all I ask for, since I wish to appear human and not merely portrayed as a stiff poppet in her best gown.’
One by one, I lift sketches he had drawn of my sister Queen Jane before painting her. These are fine drawings and capture her serenity. I consider them for some minutes. ‘They look like Jane but there is something intangible and sad too. She looks as if she will never reveal her true feelings.’
‘Her mystery,’ the painter says. ‘Everyone has secrets, and their public face can guard that which is unknown. I hope my work permits a glimpse of the sitter’s soul.’
I hold the sketches at arm’s length to study them closely again and tilt my head enquiringly. ‘My sister, does she have secrets, for I think her guileless?’
I smile, but my gaze is steady. Holbein returns my smile. ‘My lady, your sister is the perfect Queen. Besides she is with child and very happy,’ he says. ‘Her secret is her awareness of her responsibility as Queen, and she was hopeful for the future when I painted her. Women are by nature lovely and mysterious creatures. The Queen was confident that she would conceive the King’s child. And now, the good Lord has granted her wish.’
I nod, my face composed and serious. ‘Yes, Master Holbein, and I am to be aunt to a future prince or princess of England. That is a responsibility too. So, Master painter, I give you carte blanche. You have my trust.’ I replace the drawings of Jane on top of the polished walnut table.
‘These drawings have truth. I see a sister who is dignified, human, guarded and calm.’
Yet also, I cannot forget the shy, timid young woman Jane was before she won the King’s heart.
‘Queen Jane remains reserved rather than diffident and I see that you are too, my lady. You seem serious minded and educated, noble and patient, practical, yet creative and you are already a mother. You are a clever handsome woman and, in your portrait, I hope to capture the keen intelligence behind your bright eyes.’
I’m flattered by Master Holbein’s recognition of me as an intelligent woman and I warm to him. ‘Come next week, Master Painter, and you can begin your sketches,’ I say. ‘But mind, my sister will go into seclusion by the calends of September so I cannot sit for you after that.’
‘We can at least make a beginning, my lady,’ he says, bows and gathers up his drawings.
About the Author:
Following a first degree in English and History at QUB, Carol McGrath completed an MA in Creative Writing from The Seamus Heaney Centre, Queens University Belfast, followed by an MPhil in English from University of London. She is published by Headline.
The Handfasted Wife, first in a trilogy about the royal women of 1066 was shortlisted for the RoNAs in 2014. The Swan-Daughter and The Betrothed Sister complete this highly acclaimed trilogy. Mistress Cromwell, a best-selling historical novel about Elizabeth Cromwell, wife of Henry VIII’s statesman, Thomas Cromwell, was republished by Headline in 2020. The Silken Rose, first in a Medieval She-Wolf Queens Trilogy, featuring Ailenor of Provence, saw publication in April 2020. This was followed by The Damask Rose. The Stone Rose was published April 2022. The Stolen Crown 2023 and July 2024 The Lost Queen about Berengaria of Navarre and The Third Crusade. The Queen’s Sister, sequel to Mistress Cromwell sees publication in June 2026.
Carol writes historical non-fiction as well as fiction. Sex and Sexuality in Tudor England was published in February 2022 by Pen & Sword. She speaks at Conferences and gives interviews.
A brand-new Anglo-Saxon time-slip full of mystery and romance.
Echoes of the past resonate across the centuries as Dr Anna Petersen, a medievalist and runologist, is struggling with past trauma and allowing herself to trust again. When archaeologist (and Anna’s old adversary) Professor Matt Beacham unearths a 6th century seax with a mysterious runic inscription, and reluctantly approaches Anna for help, a chain of events brings the past firmly back into her present. And why does the burial site also contain two sets of bones, one 6th century and the other modern?
As the past and present intermingle alarmingly, Anna and Matt need to work together to solve the mystery of the seax runes and the seemingly impossible burial, and to discover the truth about the past. Tensions rise and sparks fly between Anna and Matt. But how is 6th century Lady Mildryth of Mercia connected to Anna? Can they both be the Daughter of Mercia?
For fans of Barbara Erskine, Elena Collins, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley and Christina Courtenay.
Praise for Daughter of Mercia:
“Ibbotson’s prose immerses you in the vivid world of the Anglo-Saxon era, richly layered with sensory detail that brings both the past and present timelines to life. I could feel the atmosphere—the cold stone and the wind on the hills. Her writing weaves the two eras seamlessly, connecting people across time and creating a mysterious, slow-building tension that keeps you turning the pages.” ~ Alis Page, Reviewer, 5*
“… an atmospheric, and wonderfully immersive, novel that has it all: characters with their own conflicts, both in the past and the present; a mystery that links the eras; the intrigue of Mildryth’s fate and Anna’s secrets; and all within the fascinating setting of archaeology.” ~ Ruins & Reading, 5* Review
This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
Julia Ibbotson
Julia Ibbotson is fascinated by the medieval world and the concept of time. She is the author of historical mysteries with a frisson of romance. Her books are evocative of time and place, well-researched and uplifting page-turners. Her current series focuses on early medieval time-slip / dual-time mysteries.
Julia read English at Keele University, England, specialising in medieval language / literature / history, and has a PhD in socio-linguistics. After a turbulent time in Ghana, West Africa, she became a school teacher, then a university academic and researcher. Her break as an author came soon after she joined the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme in 2015, with a three-book deal from Lume Books for a trilogy (Drumbeats) set in Ghana in the 1960s.
She has published five other books, including A Shape on the Air, an Anglo-Saxon timeslip mystery, and its two sequels The Dragon Tree and The Rune Stone. Her latest novel is the first of a new series of Anglo-Saxon dual-time mysteries, Daughter of Mercia, where echoes of the past resonate across the centuries.
Her books will appeal to fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, and Christina Courtenay. Her readers say: ‘Julia’s books captured my imagination’, ‘beautiful story-telling’, ‘evocative and well-paced storylines’, ‘brilliant and fascinating’ and ‘I just couldn’t put it down’.
Some Starry Night Written by Irene Latham Publication Date: April 14, 2026 Publisher: Historium Press
Under the pale glow of a Parisian spring in 1886, two restless souls move toward the same horizon-unaware that their meeting will ignite a love as luminous and fleeting as the stars themselves.
Vincent van Gogh arrives in Paris with little more than paint-stained hands and an aching determination to create something worthy of the world. Living in the cramped apartment of his brother Theo, he struggles against poverty, doubt, and the relentless pull of his own restless mind.
Across the ocean in Amherst, Emily Dickinson receives news that changes everything. Faced with the nearness of death, the reclusive poet does the unthinkable: she leaves the quiet safety of the Homestead and sails for Paris, determined to taste life before it slips beyond her reach.
When Emily agrees to sit for Vincent’s portrait, their worlds collide in a blaze of color, poetry, and dangerous intimacy. Through letters, poems, and whispered confessions, the two artists discover in one another a fierce, unguarded understanding-one that will shape their art, their faith, and the fragile hours they have left.
But love between stars is never simple. As time grows short and darkness gathers, Vincent and Emily must decide whether beauty is meant to last…or simply to burn bright enough to change the night forever.
Some Starry Night is a sweeping, lyrical imagining of the hidden story behind Vincent van Gogh’s most iconic painting-an unforgettable tale of love, creativity, and the courage to live fiercely, even in the shadow of the end.
Forget Agostina. And forgive my careless words. In my
rush to share all I can with you, I sometimes do not
think about what effect my words will have when they
come so cold and dry on paper, and not from my
mouth.
If we were together, you would know it is not just a
portion of my heart that you occupy. My whole paint-
splattered soul is yours.
I’ve been in such a frenzy, trying to make the time
pass to the moment when we shall meet again, that I
fear I have run out of flowers. All the Paris greenhouse
keepers know me by name. Asters, dahlias, daisies,
geraniums, hollyhocks, lilacs, phlox, salvia . . . It’s a
shame I’m not a better gardener, and I only keep the
cuttings long enough to set them dancing on the canvas
in fields of blue.
I’d like to share a trick I use when painting trees or
flowers. I try to find the soul in them. Do you know
what I mean? Sometimes, a stand of willows might re-
semble a procession of weary, old men. Or I might find
a child’s face in a zinnia. It’s a special way of looking.
A poet’s way of looking.
Just a bit longer, mon petit oiseau. Every time I
read your words in your distinctive pen, it’s almost as
if the hand of God is upon my chest. The demons I
carry stop their chortling. You have that power, Emily.
Love,
Your Vincent
About the Author:
Irene Latham writes poems and stories from the Purple Horse Poetry Studio & Music Room in Blount County, Alabama. She is the author or co-author of many books for young people, including African Town, winner of the Scott O’Dell Award for Outstanding Historical Fiction.
This is her first novel for adults. Learn more at irenelatham.com.
Know the light of protection through valiant courage.
The Chimera Snare:
Reflections
The Chimera Snare Book 2
by S & E Black
Genre: Dark Epic Fantasy
-Winner: 2026
Literary Titan Gold Book Awards: Fiction
-2nd Place: 2026 BookFest Awards – Fiction- Dark Fantasy
-Book Nerdection “Must Read”
-Readers’ Favorite: 5 Stars
Von is cast into the pages of Ananael, the Order’s tome of
secret knowledge. However, his venture into the past takes an unexpected turn
as he awakens within a cosmic void in the presence of the eternal being, who
grants him perspective through others woven through his existence. Yet before
he may commence his time-altering quest, a trial of discovery, revelation, and
horror surrounding his origin awaits him.
Benson’s monstrous heart sews the seeds of a vile past
brimming with betrayal and hate. Through unimaginable deceptions and buried
secrets, familial bonds once forged from love, honor, and acceptance are
upended and broken forever. The souls of integral births, sprouting from
pillaged and neglected foundations, unfurl a path towards disarray.
Distorted memory fragments challenge Von’s grip on reality,
and the reveal of a horrid truth ignites a vicious fury of vengeance. Though
his quest for answers falters along the way, he finds help from an unexpected
ally. Meanwhile, a mysterious power awakens within Navaryn, putting her at odds
with both her friends and herself. And as the motivations of Celestine’s leader
become questionable, her suspicions involving her role within the Halryn
continue to grow.
As the disparate worlds of Celestine and Daeva teeter on the
brink of war, Von and Navaryn are drawn together by unseen forces. Two
destinies, once parallel, now collide. But where bloodshed beckons, a valiant
act of courage challenges the course of their fates.
At last, an uneasy silence fell upon the sopping wet
grounds, though the shambled arena creaked eerily. Von quickly Paralleled to
the ground and proceeded to walk toward Navaryn’s limp body lying in a muddy
crater several meters away. As he gradually brought his power down, his claws
began to retract, and his horns receded into his skull. Clutching his side as
he trotted along, he heard clamoring voices in the distance and a distinctive
pair of boots running through the mud towards him.
“Von!” shouted a sober Claymar. “Wow, you’re alright.” He
ran to his side and acted as a crutch to hold him upright. “That was, uh,
really something back there. Care to explain what all that was?”
“Later,” said Von exhaustedly. “Where’s your uncle?”
“On his way, most likely. He nabbed Illiya and had her scout
for other Celestines while you were off playing with the shimmery blue one. Why
do you ask?”
“I need to know how much time I have,” Von replied.
“Time? For what?” he asked, peering ahead at Navaryn. His
eyes widened as she slowly began to stir.
“Hold it, Clay,” ordered Von, pressing his hand against his
chest to break his stride.
“What are you worried about? You got her!”
“It’s not that.”
Claymar scrunched his face and asked suspiciously, “Then
what is it?”
“She’s strong,” said Von. “Immensely strong. She very well
could have killed me.”
“Uh, but you’re the one still standing, are you not? Can’t
be that strong,” he teased.
“Something happened, though. She lost control. Her power
spiked with mine, but didn’t stay with her.”
“Ha! You almost sound like you feel sorry for her.”
Von ignored Claymar’s remarks and walked towards Navaryn,
who was slowly rising to her knees with her back to him. Claymar followed
behind, but Von turned to him with a furious eye.
Claymar folded his arms and asked, “W-what are you doing?”
The rain calmed, and the moon peeked through the parting
clouds, casting a peaceful light onto the glistening, moist ground. Von drew
closer, catching silver scintillations atop the bloodied and scorched wounds on
her back.
Navaryn winced in pain as she struggled to rise to her feet,
chattering her teeth as the cold, wet mud chilled her bruised skin. As
squelching footsteps neared, she spun around. “W-who’s there?” she uttered,
shielding the moonlight from her eyes with her forearm.
Navaryn’s inquisition made Von stop in his tracks. As her
eyes adjusted to the razor-sharp rays of light over his silhouette, she quickly
recognized the warm glow of his crimson eyes.
“Stop! Don’t hurt him!” Navaryn cried out.
Her strange and sudden outburst jolted Von. He looked around
to find who she was pleading to, but saw no one.
“Wh-what happened to me?” Navaryn asked herself as she gazed
down at her hands.
The confusion in her voice affirmed Von’s earlier
assessment. “You’re fine now,” he assured. “You’re back.”
Navaryn’s eyes widened as she looked back up at Von. With
the simplest of words, uttered with a palpable coldness, he gave her comfort
and validation. In him, she found the first person able to convey an
understanding of what she was going through when all others couldn’t begin to.
An essence dwelt within her. One that seized control of her body once triggered
into play, and left her only with the ability to spectate. A similar plight
rang true for Von regarding his notorious beastly transformation. Yet, as his
second encounter with Navaryn unfolded, his energy had learned to work in
tandem with the essence that would otherwise overcome him. Von and Navaryn
became locked in a stare just as before, only this time without the presence of
aggression. They saw themselves in each other, in a reflection no longer
distorted.
“Hey, Von!” Claymar called out. “Um, not sure what you’re
doing over there, but you should know the cavalry is incoming.”
Sidwell approached with his entourage of soldiers and a
vexed group of eastern Daeva in tow. As the last of his squadron funneled out
of the arena, many of the ceremony attendees emerged from hiding within the
surrounding brush and trees. Mixed in among the crowd were the rest of Daeva’s
leaders, Killian, Morgan, Adair, and Godric, with Merisek alongside them.
Weaving through the approaching crowd was Joro, whose surreptitious footsteps
evaded the spotlight. Although the chattering among the crowd was indistinct,
even for Von’s hearing, he could feel the tension steadily rising.
Sidwell stroked his gray, scraggly goatee, suspicious of the
pair’s peculiar exchange. Marching with mighty strides, flaunting his prowess,
Illiya approached him from the side.
“Have you done what I asked?”
“Yes, sir,” Illiya replied. “I’ve scouted thoroughly, and
there’s no sign of any Celestine formations in the surrounding area. She seems
to be the only one.”
“A spy. Just as I suspected. And a dumb one at that. She
tipped a bartender with Celestine coin,” he replied with a chuckle as he
dismissed his lieutenant.
Sidwell and his entourage moved in to surround Navaryn.
“Well, it took you long enough. But you managed to take down
the Celestine without incident to life. That’s as much of a ‘thank you’ that
you’ll get out of me,” Sidwell uttered to Von before addressing the chattering
crowd. “People of Daeva! You’ve now witnessed our realm’s very threat with your
own eyes…”
The Chimera Snare:
Fragments
The Chimera Snare Book 1
-Winner: 2025
International Impact Book Awards – Fantasy
-2nd Place: 2025 BookFest Awards – Fiction- Dark Fantasy
-Winner: 2024 Indies Today Awards – Best Urban Fantasy
-Winner: 2024 Literary Titan Gold Book Awards: Fiction
-Finalist: 2024 Literary Global Fiction/Debut & Dark Fantasy Sci-fi
-Book Nerdection “Excellent Read”
For Rayshell and her best friend Trish, senior year of high
school is going to hell in a handbasket. The feud between Celestine and Daeva
is bleeding into their world. When a mysterious visitor infiltrates her dreams,
Rayshell is thrust into a realm of profound, otherworldly secrets. Together,
Rayshell and Trish uncover the unbelievable—they are the living vessels for two
banished Celestine guardians.
Amidst mystical recollections and a wondrous magic system that shatters the
veneer of their everyday lives, the two friends embark on a journey against
time to connect with the Celestine guardians’ allies in hopes of freeing them
from their imprisonment. Simultaneously, the shadows cast by Daeva darken. The
notorious outlaw, Merisek, has positioned himself to claim dominion over the
Order of Existence—a trio of powerful artifacts capable of reshaping reality.
Armed with two of these relics, Merisek races against the emergence of the
Celestine guardians to claim the third. The stage is set for a showdown that will
determine the fate of existence itself.
Rayshell and Trish are all that stand between Merisek and his unhinged desire
to twist the fabric of reality into his making. As the threads of destiny
unravel, the question looms: who will be the author of existence, and what
profound truths will be unveiled in the final, decisive act?
Breathing anxiously, Navaryn clomped atop a patterned runner
carpet in her dirty boots. The gilded elements within the maroon corridor
flashed as she passed under the waving candlelight of each chandelier. Though
she tried her hardest to refrain, her eyes wandered back to the series of
haunting paintings hanging on the walls. From treasured times with Von,
Lowenna, and Claymar to bouts of training and battles in Opiri and Celestine,
each painting depicted a memory from Navaryn’s past, seen through her eyes.
Brimming with tears, she continued down the damned corridor with no end in
sight and no way to turn back. Behind her, a cloud of darkness kept a close
pace and consumed all that she passed.
Navaryn’s heart fell to her toes as the next painting came
into view. Captured inside the ornate golden frame was Von lying shirtless on
his back, in a moment of ecstasy. His lips, delicately parted, wore the glossy
sheen of her passionate kiss, and his tense red eyes were rolled toward the
headboard behind him. The very memory was etched within her mind so profoundly
that looking upon it in such an outright fashion set her heart ablaze.
Confused, distraught, and with no other choice but to press forward, Navaryn
sprinted ahead unheedingly.
The corridor eventually ended at a remarkably ornate, dark
wooden door. With the cloud of looming darkness twisting behind her, Navaryn
wiped away her tears and steadied her breathing as she pushed it open. Amidst
the scant candlelight, the gilded elements within the capacious room twinkled
like gems inside a cave. She carefully scanned the room until she happened upon
a curvy figure cloaked in elegant red and golden brocade standing by the far
wall.
“Hello?” she called, but no answer came.
Navaryn turned back to the door and found a wall in its
place. Apprehensively, she placed her fingertips where she remembered the
doorjamb to be only moments before. As she motioned to approach her obscured,
gilded companion, her gaze fell upon an immense painting hanging in the middle
of the joining wall. One after another, the candles around the room caught
fire.
With a racing heart, Navaryn muttered, “What is this?”
Standing arm in arm in garish, clinquant garb, Navaryn saw
herself beside Kumiko as they gestured proudly to a Celestine crowd below. The
false instance and her disturbing, unfamiliar expression, painted as if
captured through a spectator’s eyes, sent chills down her spine.
Navaryn turned away but found the very same toothy, prideful
smile mocking her from within the other paintings hanging on the walls. Her
face soured in disbelief as she skimmed over them. She was depicted
prominently, boasting her pristine Celestine wings beside Benson and Kumiko,
sitting tall above the Halryn council. Just as well, she found herself pictured
beside Kumiko in a catalog of moments when they had started a family. Yet, not
a single painting in the cursed room housed her beloved friends Lowenna and
Claymar, her dearest Von, Aalrija, Fallon, or the number of others who held a
special place in her heart.
Dizzy from a fit of rapid respiration, Navaryn struggled to
maintain her composure. When her eyes fell back upon the painting of her
pregnant belly, draped in fine silvery velvet and lace, she frantically ran
toward the embellished figure. Through teary eyes, her vision quaked with a
white blur, and she lost her balance under her clumsy feet.
“What is this place?!” shouted Navaryn as she gripped the
shimmery train of the woman’s dress.
The sound of Navaryn’s incessant crying filled the silent
room. Lost in her despair, she felt the fabric slip from her hands as the woman
turned around, gently hushing her. Her eyes jolted open once the delicate coos
caught her ear. Fearful for what she knew she would see, she slowly raised her
face to the woman.
“Everything that surrounds you here in this room will now be
set into motion,” said the woman, placing her decorated hands upon Navaryn’s
cheeks. “For our imperator commands it.”
The gentle voice and placid countenance, framed in a
headdress of gemstones and twinkling gold, was undeniably her own.
Navaryn recoiled in disbelief. “Our imperator?
Benson?”
She watched the sparkling ruby-painted lips of her
doppelganger curl into a smile. “Look around you. Your imperator is no longer
Benson.”
The ominous statement immediately coaxed heavy tears to her
eyes. “I want nothing to do with anything here!” she roared with flashing white
eyes. “This is not my life!”
Navaryn’s decorated doppelganger gestured toward a multitude
of paintings that suddenly materialized from the shadows. Following a light
chuckle, she replied, “You’ve never had a choice in the matter. It’s a shame
you didn’t realize it sooner.”
One by one, the paintings morphed perspective, appearing as
though they were moments Navaryn had experienced firsthand, like the ones that
hung in the corridor.
“What’s happening?!” Navaryn shouted, then jumped to her
feet.
One haunting image in the distance immediately grabbed her
attention. While she approached the painting in disbelief, her doppelganger
strolled to the far wall, placed her hand against a door concealed by darkness,
then saw herself out of the room without another word.
Guest Post:
Can you, for those who don’t know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?
Shannon: My name is Shannon Vierra, and I go by the pen name S. Black. I’m an urban gardener and an avid seed collector. In the makeup community, I go by the moniker zoomzoommacaron and host an international, zombie-vibes makeup collab called the #zombabescollab. I enjoy anime, horror movies, craft beer & kombucha, cooking (and eating), sunbathing, photography, and singing badly. I got into writing when I was a kid, mostly creating small, fantastical stories and with accompanying art.
Edward: My name’s Edward, everyone calls me Eddy, and I write under the pen name E. Black. I’m an avid music lover who’ll listen to anything, but I consider myself a metalhead at heart, and I also play bass guitar. I dabble in photography as well with no real subject focus – I’ll just shoot if I see something special hiding in plain sight. Enjoying craft beer, anime, concerts, and making a nice bowl of ramen are some of my favorite things. I’ve always loved creative writing since I was a teenager, but I got serious about it when my wife and co-author invited me into her world and asked me to write the series with her.
What is something unique/quirky about you?
Shannon: Well, I have a couple of food-related quirks. I don’t like my butter to melt into my toast and make it soggy, so I wait for the toast to get cold first, then put the cold butter squares on top. Also, I hate cereal that makes the milk too sweet, so sometimes if there’s a sweet cereal I like, I have a glass of milk and eat the cereal dry on the side like chips.
Edward: I am very precise and orderly when it comes to certain things, and I’m the total opposite with others. For instance, when I’m cooking, I tend to be very neat and organized with every step from prep to presentation. At the same time, my desk is a mess a lot of the time, and I’m terrible with leaving dirty clothes around the bedroom. It’s like I’m two people in one at times.
Shannon: Mmmhmmm… le sigh.
Tell us something really interesting that’s happened to you!
Shannon: I’m an urban gardener who gets obsessed with growing what they want. Back in my Food Network binge days, I discovered blood oranges were a thing, and all I wanted was a blood orange tree. Sadly, at the time in California, they were illegal to grow, and you couldn’t have a tree shipped to you. I couldn’t find them in grocery stores to eat either, which was my next idea, because you know I’m going right for those seeds (and yes, even though they might not turn out the same as the parent plant, I was determined to try). I found a seller in Canada who was selling blood orange seedlings and must not have done their homework about the regulations, and I managed to get one. Alas, I killed it within about a month. About 3ish years later (when I still answered unknown calls, lol), I got a call from the USDA asking about the purchase and whether or not I still had the blood orange tree. I told them the truth that the seedling died, but also asked what would happen if it didn’t and I still had it. They told me they would confiscate it, meaning cut it down and rip it out if I happened to plant it in the ground. Later that afternoon after I got home from work, I found a door tag informing me that a USDA inspector had searched the property for said blood orange tree. I couldn’t believe the trouble over a little seedling. I still have the door tag! Then, not but 2-3 years later, I found blood orange trees for sale at local home improvement stores. Yes, I immediately bought one.
Edward: This is a bit embarrassing, but when I was in high school, I discovered I had a pair of stalkers – scary ones. I was hanging out with a friend after school one day when this random girl walks up to me, asks me if my name is “Edward,” to which I’m like “Yeah.” She then hands me a notebook, then scurries away pretty quickly. I’m thoroughly confused, but I go ahead and open the notebook. And what I found inside was a slew of written exchanges between two girls talking about me. Things like detailed observations of me walking through the halls, to some truly unspeakable things that they were, at one point, plotting, among other things. Needless to say, it freaked me out and made me feel pretty gross. I threw that thing in the fire.
Husband & Wife author duo Shannon Vierra & Edward
Ayllon write under the pen name S &
E Black. Together, they craft the award-winning series, The Chimera Snare.
They share a deep appreciation for music and credit a great number of bands and
artists for inspiring their writing journey. Currently, they live in the
greater Chicago area amidst a rich and diverse culture with their clowder of
rescue cats.
Shannon is an
urban gardener and an avid seed collector. In the makeup community, she goes by
the moniker zoomzoommacaron and hosts an international, zombie-themed makeup
collab called the #zombabescollab. She also enjoys anime, horror movies, craft
beer & kombucha, cooking (and eating), sunbathing, photography, and singing
badly. Music fuels Shannon’s many passions, especially writing and creating
art. She credits music with saving her life on multiple occasions in her
teenage and young adult years.
Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Edward first discovered the joys of
creative writing through his early high school studies, and has spent many
years exploring and developing a deep appreciation for the arts. Since first
collaborating with his wife, Shannon, he has sprouted a passion and true affinity
for storytelling and crafting literature. In addition to refining his skill in
creating written works, his other interests include playing bass guitar,
listening to music, and dabbling in photography.
Infidel : The Daughters of Aragon (Six Tudor Queens) Author: Nicola Harris Publication Date: March 5, 2026 Genre: Biographical HIstorical Fiction, Tudor Fiction, Historical Fiction
Born in the glittering courts of Castile and Aragon and forged in the shadow of war, Catalina de Aragón grows up surrounded by queens, rebels, and explorers. She is her mother’s last daughter, the final jewel of a dynasty built on conquest and faith, and the one child Isabella of Castile cannot bear to lose.
But destiny has already claimed Catalina.
Promised to Prince Arthur of England since childhood, she is raised to bind kingdoms, soothe old wounds, and carry the hopes of an empire across the sea. Yet, Spain fractures under rebellion, grief, and the ruthless zeal of its own rulers.
From the burning streets of Granada to the storm‑lashed Bay of Biscay, Catalina and her sisters must navigate a treacherous path shaped by ambition, betrayal, and the dangerous love of men who fear the power of queens. She learns to read cyphers, to read hearts, and to stand unbroken even as her childhood is stripped from her piece by piece.
And when she finally sails for England armed with her mother’s lessons, her father’s steel, and the ghosts of the Alhambra at her back, Catalina steps into her fate not as a girl, but as a force.
A princess.
A survivor.
A daughter of Aragon.
Infidel is the story of a young woman raised for greatness and destined to reshape the fate of nations. This is Catalina, as she has never been seen before. She is fierce, vulnerable, and unforgettable.
A sweeping, intimate portrait of sisterhood, survival, and the making of a dynasty, Infidel reveals the hidden lives of a woman whose courage shaped the Tudor world.
Any Triggers: Grief, mild peril, the Spanish Inquisition, enslaved people, death in childbirth and miscarriage.
My research for Infidel began long before I ever thought of writing a novel about Catherine of Aragón. It began on a beach in Tenerife, years before tourism transformed the island. To a child, it felt like another world. The light, the heat, the colours, the food, the rhythm of life.
I was fortunate enough to spend a great deal of time with a Spanish family who welcomed me into their home and their culture year after year. They taught me fragments of their language and, more importantly, the stories that shaped their history. Through them, I first encountered the world of Muslim Spain and the Catholic warrior monarchs who fought to reclaim it. It was impossible not to be fascinated.
Catalina’s mother, Isabella of Castile, stood out immediately. She was disciplined, relentless, and utterly convinced of her divine purpose. She was also a mother raising her children in a kingdom defined by conflict.
That tension between power and vulnerability became the foundation of my interest in Catalina’s early life. Before she was a queen, she was a child shaped by siege warfare, political ambition, and the expectations of a dynasty that demanded strength from its daughters.
As I began to research more deeply, I found myself drawn to the wider world that touched Catalina’s childhood. I have always been captivated by the fall of Constantinople and the Turkish Sultan Mehmed II’s audacious plan to take the city.
On a trip to Turkey a few years ago, I spoke with a Turkish waiter about his view of the sultan. His pride and respect for Mehmed stayed with me. It reminded me that history is never simple. Every figure we study has another side, another story, another set of loyalties and beliefs.
About the Author:
I’ve always been a writer, but it was only when illness forced me to stop everything that I finally had the time to write a novel. After decades of misdiagnosis, I learned I was born with a serious genetic condition, not rare, but profoundly misunderstood. The clues were there from birth, and suddenly, a lifetime of struggle made sense.
Writing became my lifeline: a way to step beyond my pain, to shape my experience into a story, and to find meaning where there had once been only endurance.
I have a lifelong love of children, Counselling, and Psychotherapy Theory and history.
