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. If you're looking for a goofy, simple introduction to the series, I have a powerpoint presentation written by one of the main characters. If you really want a deep-dive into the series, visit the moodboard page where you'll find an index of lots of info about the characters and series all in one place.
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 |
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. When his new friends assume that his project was taken by thieves who regularly steal magical art and technology from around the capital city, Adair learns that there's much more to the performers than carnival acts. The Restorers-- the secret name of this particular carnival troupe-- work together to investigate and track down stolen art in order to return it to the original creators. Around the same time Adair's not-exactly-thief goes missing, the Restorers begin to suspect that they're being followed rather than the other way around. Adair isn't sure what's worse: being used as bait to catch the thieves or having his uncharacteristically helpful ex-boyfriend pulled back into his life. It's probably the ex. (This was previously two books [Colorweaver and Sentinel], both several drafts in before I decided to combine them.)
Flashover
(Book 2)
(Book 2)
Type: | Novel |
Status: | Outlining & writing 1st draft |
POV: | Adair, Blythe, Dray, Camille, Ametrine |
The dorks are successful! Mostly. Sort of. They're doing their best. They've uncovered who is indirectly responsible for the thefts in their home city, but the problem goes much deeper. A plan is made to infiltrate suspect locations using fake identities and the less-than-lawful background of the least reliable dork. Dray, who agrees with this assessment of their character, starts to dig for information with Adair's help while the others investigate a surge in illnesses all too near the pair for this to be coincidence. The careful plan veers off course when mistaken memories of the past collide with visions of an alternate present. Now the clock is ticking on finding what and when things went wrong. Dray needs to find a way to stop the flashovers and regain their correct memories or else the identities of the dorks will be exposed. Dray has avoided jail this long, they'd rather keep that trend going. And keeping the people affected by illness and the reality split safe, that's probably important, too.
Iconoclasm
(Book 3)
(Book 3)
Type: | Novel |
Status: | Brainstorming |
POV: | Adair, Blythe, Dray, Camille, 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 dragged into a government conspiracy and a timeline gone wrong, 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.
- "The Summoning Spell"
A medium accidentally banishes a ghost. Whoops. - "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