Yay! We survived the apocalypse. Er, we lost electricity and half the world's population.

But hey, we got magic.

Historians are still reeling from learning some ancient mysteries had a perfectly magical explanation.

Waiting a YEAR for the next book in a series is rough. We get it.
Maybe we can help fill the gap. Our vibe...

Life-affirming Contemporary Fantasy • Elemental Magic • Mature Heroine • Comfort, Not Cozy • Ride-or-die Friendships • Mystery of Some Sort • Slow-Burn Romance Across the Series • Requisite Battle Scene at the End • No Vampires or Werewolves

Where Magic Settles collage of modern Washington, DC, history books, magical artifacts, coffee, takeout, and aether.

Ten years after the Shift, Earth is still Earth.

For the most part.

Helpful Background That’s a Tad Boring. Aether is an element naturally occurring on other planets out in the vast multiverse. It’s what gives magicborn the ability to “do” magic—the common vernacular for us fantasy-loving folks. When the portals connecting us to those worlds broke open, aether crashed into the elements and gave them agency. They weren’t happy about it, and they let their displeasure be known.

Besides the insane amount of damage to infrastructure like buildings and roads, the Shift also changed our physics. Just enough that all that lovely human technology that made us happy ceased to function. Yeah, no more fast food or malls.

Then What Happened? Well, the visitors from the multiverse, known collectively as the Anû, brought their tech, ingenuity, and community-minded attitude to help us adapt. Set up shop right in downtown Washington, DC. Now? People have adapted. We fill out paperwork, make friends, fall in love, and complain about our neighbors.

Oh, that’s the other thing. We’ve had to redefine what we mean by “people” now that our friends, coworkers, and neighbors happen to be dwarves, orcs, dragons, hobgoblins, and other people humanity used to think were myths.

Magic has worked its way into everyday life, and everyone is figuring out what normal looks like now. There’s work to be done, and we’ve all had to roll our sleeves up and get on with life.

That Sounds Like a Lot! It is, really. Unfortunately, none of the changes have made bad people suddenly good or made strange things stop happening. Most days, though, people go to work then hang out with friends afterward. Turns out, apocalypse or no, life goes on.

Welcome to Where Magic Settles.

AI Disclaimer

AI can be a wonderful tool when used properly. I would never pretend I don’t leverage it.

Here’s how I NEVER EVER use AI.

To write my stories.

The words on the page, the characters, the plots, the scenes, the world, and the ideas are mine.

I have a very clear vision for this series and each book. I hear the characters in my head. They argue with me frequently about their arcs. Some of them are absolute drama queens, kings, and other assorted royalty.

Here’s how I DO use it.

  1. Continuity. I use Kallum.ai to check my stories against ten years of documented worldbuilding that once required me to search through ten different Word documents and two Excel workbooks each with ten tabs, while muttering increasingly creative profanity. Continuity is key. Kallum is specifically coded to never ever write words for me. A non-negotiable requirement for me.
  2. Research. I use Google and ChatGPT regularly for research. My questions range from “What old churches in this part of Washington, DC might work for this scene?” to “Could two mules pull an old Toyota pickup if I removed the engine?” to “What do we actually know about Linear A?” Besides, writing in a house with zero other people is lonely. Those two feel like friends now.
  3. Website development. I used ChatGPT to help me plan, develop, and build the HTML. It was 100% free, which is my preferred price point.
  4. Artwork. I used ChatGPT to create the artwork for this website and the Weirdos’ Gazette. Also 100% free. When the budget allows, I absolutely plan to hire a real illustrator for future book and marketing artwork. I probably won’t redo the website until I’m famous.
  5. The boring stuff. I use Kallum.ai for grammar, out of place commas, messed up tenses, and similar things instead of Word or Grammarly. It’s a choice.

Bottomline: AI is one of the tools I use while writing.

It isn't the writer.