Dax Murray; Fantasy Author

An LGBTQ Swan Lake retelling! Named "Top 100 Must-Read" by 'The Lesbrary'! How many half-truths could loyalty shoulder before it broke from the weight of deception on its back? Strange things can be said of the forest that spans the border of two kingdoms long at war. An evil sorcerer has made it his dominion, or an elegant enchantress has claimed it as her domain and grants wishes to those who chance upon her, or maybe the forest is guarded by an ancient and wrathful spirit. But Katya calls the forest home, living a life of magic and charms with her partner Ivan. But a threat looms over their forest, some darkness and danger that Ivan swears to protect her from. Katya finds herself caught up in a web of grudges and deception spanning generations, but most dangerous of all is the beautiful princess who stumbled into their woods. A princess who sets Katya’s heart fluttering with both desire and fear. As forces rally to rescue the princess or go to war, Katya must take measure of her own powers and decide what she is willing to sacrifice. Will she retreat to the safety of what's familiar or give up everything she knows to spread her wings and fly?

The story of two celestial goddesses told in verse. Epub. Too fondly have I loved these stars; all these galaxies we once called ours. The relationship between the two goddesses is tempestuous at best. Seya is the embodiment of a galactic creation and Tia of cosmic destruction. They create and they destroy and then they do it all over again. Seya and Tia use their divine magic to make pulsars and nebula, to set planets spinning around stars and bind a galaxy together with a central black hole. But when one of Seya's favorite stars goes missing, she blames Tia. What was once a symbiotic cycle of life and death becomes a game of broken hearts and promises betrayed. These tensions and insecurities are explored in sonnets and villanelles; the arc of their love tracked in meter and verse. These poems touch on queer love, betrayal, trust, acceptance, and forgiveness cast against a backdrop of stardust and celestial detritus. A beautiful love story in verse.

First three books in Scions and Shadows plus bonus content!

A "Scions and Shadows" book. Fantasy stories about magic and disability. Epub and Mobi. Stories of identity, doubt, and belonging The birthright of every Ástfríður is to know each metal in the earth, command it, bend it to their desires. To hear metal singing, some of it waiting just beneath the surface, so much of it deeper in the earth. If they wanted, they knew they could pluck that metal from the earth, melt it with a thought, and shape it as they pleased with a breath of air and their will. Each Ástfríður must choose which metal they would wear upon their heads, denoting the path they would walk. They craft beautiful horns to wear on their brow, forged with the metal they wish to identify with. But Britt does not know if they can choose the path they want; if they can overcome a past that has stolen their identity. The day has come for them to choose and they have no idea if they have any right to even try to. And Astrid has never felt the pull of the metal at all Wearing a forged circlet and horn, they try to navigate a world that they feel has rejected them, all the while fearing someone will learn their secret.The Veil of the Ástfríður has kept them hidden from the world and safe from intruders. Yet Britt and Astrid feel they are imposters in their own homes.

Scions and Shadows #2 Being the youngest of the Sua royals never stopped Saritrah from scheming to take the throne. But violent insurrectionists shattered those plans when they stormed the palace and decimated her family. In the years since, she has amassed an army and will return to claim her crown. However, Ashur, her one remaining sibling, has done the same, and she must act soon if she's to secure her prize before he snatches it from her claws. After Ashur razes the Temple of Yshuld, the surviving Seers promise her the power to ensure victory. But it will mean abandoning her legion to venture into the endless desert and locate a lost city. Soon, however, she suspects that none of the women are who they claim to be, even to each other. One woman cryptically alludes to a paradisical past; another awakens in the night plagued by dreams of a frightening future; the last woman never speaks. But the more she questions her new companions' motives, the more she must question her own. Is the vision of calamity an omen of what will happen if she fails? Or a promise of what will come if she succeeds?

Scions and Shadows #1 “Don’t trust anyone, Lady Caitlin. Not even me. Especially not me. You can have allies here, but this court does not allow you the luxury of friends.” The land is dying, commoners are protesting, and workers are revolting. The king is ailing, but the crown prince is not stepping in to quell the unrest. But Caitlin does not care—she hasn't cared about anything since that day—the day her world shattered and she lost everything. Then she befriends a rebellion leader and catches the eye of the spoiled prince. These chance encounters could make her the most powerful woman in the realm—the power to rule it, or the power to tear it all down from the inside. It would be easier to do the former, but all she has to do for the latter is keep the prince's interest and sow as much chaos as possible... and ignore the tug in her heart whenever she sees a certain noble lady. But there is much more going on at court than even the revolutionaries and their spies know about. She soon discovers that darker forces lurk just behind the throne, and if Caitlin is to survive with her head still on her shoulders, she will need to learn the ever-changing rules of power--or make new ones herself. Caught in a web of deception and conspiracies—militant revolutionaries, cryptic priestesses, dangerous dukes, and a secretive and seductive lady-in-waiting with a ruthless family—Caitlin must unravel the truth of a long-hidden secret or she will become yet another unknowing pawn of an enemy far more dangerous than a tyrannical king. An enemy that has been plotting in the shadows for centuries to make its next move. And it has its sights set on making Caitlin into its weapon. Stars and Soil is the first novel in the Scions and Shadows series and is perfect for lovers of fantasy full of court gossip, political intrigue, shifting alliances, and sapphic and disability representation. Fans of David Hair's Moontide Quartet, Katherine Addison's The Goblin Emperor, and Tessa Gratton's Queens of Innis Lear will feel right at home in the queer-normative world of Ahnlisen and all of its betrayal and backstabbing.

A fantasy short story about the ethics of magic and imperialism. Mobi and epub. I haven’t been trying to build a weapon! I have been trying to prevent a war. Ellie, please don't make me do this. After generations of relentless expansion, Empress Eleanor is ready to put her family's habit for conquest behind her, content to cease her army's forward march and solidify her position as the ruler of the territories already in her possession. But these countries her fathers conquered are eager to leave the Empire and willing to resort to revolution. Amalthea grew up poor, her homeland destitute after being invaded and occupied. But her new status as a citizen of the sparkling empire gives her access to the Academy of Mages and all of their teachings. However, once there, she defies their rules and pursues her own experiments with dangerous and forbidden magics. Despite this, she catches the Empress's eye and is soon the first official Imperial Scientist and the unofficial consort. A short story about a brilliant mage and an insecure empress; of love and ethics, partnership and conflict.

12-month printable wall calendar to match the crystal revision journal. Includes Canva template link, too.

Interior formatting for print and digital books, customized to genre.

Two Styles: Crystals and Starbursts! PDF. For authors & writers who need guidance and organization during revisions and self-edits. Scene-by-scene level pages, track character arcs, feedback from betas and editors, plan your week, and more! Read more about it on my blog post!

Easily track the entire process of editing your book! At a glance, see what chapters still need work, where you are in the process of reviewing beta reader feedback, track how many hours you write per day and find your most productive days, get forecasts on projected deadline if you continue to proceed at your current rate. Easily add in your own pages, detailed instructions on how to customize it and still have all the formulas work the way they should without you needing to touch anything! The workbook has a great README that explains how it is set up and how you can modify it for your own use. You can also check out the blog post I wrote about it.

Track your health and your word count!