About the Unexpected Inspiration Series

If you'd like to learn more about the world, check out the Cultures & Locations tag or the History & Mythology tag. For more about the characters, visit the main character page or the character moodboards. You can also find an index of lots of info and pretty pictures on the moodboard page.
The books aren't finished yet, but you can read all of the short stories in the series here on this site! Links to those stories are below the book info and on their own page.

Colorweaver
(Book 1)
(Book 1)
Type: | Novel |
Status: | Combining what was two books into one |
POV: | Adair, Blythe, Dray, Camille, Rosalie |
An arcane artist finds himself in the middle of a carnival with no memory of how he got there. Fortunately for him, the performers are more than willing to help a strange boy wearing pajamas and paint stains. Unfortunately, he soon realizes that his graduation project has been stolen with the due date looming. He and his new friends track down the thief only to discover that the magic inside it has broken-- along with much of the magic in the city. After the master artists dismiss their evidence and scoff at help from carnies, the dorks decide to fix the problem themselves even if it means cooperating with teammates they're rather push down the stairs. Bickering, pranks, and a reluctant kidnapping aside, things would have gone fine if someone hadn't decided to make things personal. (This was previously two books [Colorweaver and Sentinel], both in the 3rd draft before I decided to combine them.)

Flashover
(Book 2)
(Book 2)
Type: | Novel |
Status: | Brainstorming & outlining |
POV: | Adair, Blythe, Dray, Camille, Rosalie, Ametrine |
Caught in the act of reckless problem solving, the dorks are given an assignment by the Artisans' guild: investigate the people behind the magical glitches, which sources say are in the neighboring country of Galanvoth. Whether this task is punishment or reward is anyone's guess, although the ones chosen are pretty sure it's the first. A plan is made to infiltrate suspect locations using fake identities and the less-than-lawful background of the least reliable dork. Mistaken memories of the past and a grudge from the present put the plan into jeopardy, and it just might be up to a ghost, a time traveler, and a more competent version of the probably-criminal to put the world back on track.

Iconoclasm
(Book 3)
(Book 3)
Type: | Novel |
Status: | Brainstorming |
POV: | Adair, Blythe, Dray, Camille, Rosalie, Ametrine |
Trouble next door leads to trouble far away and the dorks are seriously questioning how they got wrapped up in all this. One day they're chasing down a thief, the next they're roped into a government conspiracy, and today they're stepping through a doorway into snow - - and into a mistake made a decade and a lifetime ago. Maybe this time things will go differently. Maybe this time they're who they always needed to be. Maybe this time things won't explode, split in two, disappear, or try to blackmail them. All they have to do is help bring down a cruel mythos and unite what is with the mistake that created what isn't. That's a walk in the park compared to dealing with ex boyfriends and familial expectations.

A Sparkler's Glow
Type: | Novella (stand-alone story) |
Status: | Written (needs editing) |
POV: | Talan |
Just your typical “imp comically struggling to adjust to the confusing world of humans meets agender carnival performer with a penchant for fire and snark” love story. All Talan wants out of life is to find his next meal, to stop being so clumsy in his new body, and to learn why humans are so obsessed with shiny flat discs. When he meets Dray and discovers that he wants the fire-dancer as a friend and not a source of magic, life suddenly becomes a little more dangerous and far more confusing.

Type: | Novella (stand-alone story) |
Status: | Complete. Available to read here |
POV: | Adair, Blythe, Etri, Sol, Dray |
Chapter 1 (Adair), 2 (Etri), 3 (Dray), 4 (Blythe), 5 (Sol), 6 (Adair), 7 (Blythe), 8 (Etri), 9 (Sol), 10 (Dray), 11 (Adair)
The Dorks discover that despite all their differences, pranks, and misunderstandings, their soulmate markings belong to each other. Watch as a bewildered artist, a dopey inventor, a snarky dancer, a protective goth, and a frazzled healer try to figure out how to be a family.
(This longer story is a platonic soulmate AU, meaning that it's mostly canon to the series but includes a soulmate trope that isn't part of the real events. This is told in multiple parts with each chapter/scene from a different character’s POV. It starts with the characters' pasts before moving into their present as of book 1 [Colorweaver].)
The Dorks discover that despite all their differences, pranks, and misunderstandings, their soulmate markings belong to each other. Watch as a bewildered artist, a dopey inventor, a snarky dancer, a protective goth, and a frazzled healer try to figure out how to be a family.
(This longer story is a platonic soulmate AU, meaning that it's mostly canon to the series but includes a soulmate trope that isn't part of the real events. This is told in multiple parts with each chapter/scene from a different character’s POV. It starts with the characters' pasts before moving into their present as of book 1 [Colorweaver].)

Type: | Short stories (stand-alone) |
Status: | Available to read right here! |
POV: | Misc. |
Click the title to read any of these stories. They're listed newest to oldest, so the most recent are at the top. New ones get added to this list frequently, so check back soon! You can also sign up with your email to receive either a monthly newsletter update or email notifications when I share new content.
- "Roasted"
An insult contest gets wildly out of hand. - "Bottled Spirits"
Three friends have an encounter with a ghost. - "Family of the Heart"
Sometimes a fake family can be a real family. - "Wysta's Tranquility"
A healer comes to terms with tranquility-- or lack thereof. - "Poisonous"
Adair and Blythe learn why Etri keeps referring to them as mushrooms. - "This For That (Re)Quest"
One simple request sends Adair on an adventure. - "Rooftop Reprised"
The trio gets a second chance at their first date. - "A Glimpse of the Past"
A telepath's magic forces her to relive one of her own memories. - "Is This Closet Mine or Yours?"
In the daily chaos, the cat picks a fight. - "Adair's Domestic Fluff"
Aka "Extreme MakeoverHomeDork Edition" - "A Surprise Gift"
Blythe is given a new special memory. - "Spirits by the Campfire"
Is the new boy a ghost or is he just goth? - "Secret Shadow"
A new friend introduces itself to a lonely girl. - "All Washed Up"
Revenge is a dish best served soaking wet. - "Change of Choice"
If Adair's choice had been different, would the chosen be changed? And why does an artist need a room full of spoons, anyway? - "The Shrine"
A familiar face is discovered at the center of a stranger's altar. - "Sheltered"
Adair wakes up and finds that he has been left alone. He's not happy about this. - "Of Parties and Potions"
A mischievous scheme causes chaos at a costume party. The healer enlists the help of a cat and a mouse to right a lizard's wrong. - "Lost and Found"
Sure, blame the newcomer when your stuff goes missing. That won't come back to bite you. - "Soul-Marks"
It would help if anyone ever went by their real name. - "Mile Long Cow"
Some myths and legends go back centuries. This one goes back five minutes and you'll probably want that five minutes back. - "Rising to a Challenge"
A young arcane chef regrets her decisions and wonders if her restaurant is cursed. - "A New Beginning"
A would-be thief gets offered a job after a strange blue woman catches him. - "Who Picked Whom"
The trio reflects on fate being weird. This never should have happened. - "Three Keys"
Friendship, trust, and keys. Sweetness abounds.
CONVERSATION