Unexpected Inspiration is high fantasy that’s both contemporary and comedic and the stories are filled with humor, magic, mischief, love, and found family. It stars a cast of lgbt+ characters that include artists, inventors, and carnival performers. I'm currently writing a series-within-a-series quartet (previously a trilogy) of novels and have plans for many more books in this series about different characters, time periods, and locations in that world.

I've also written an assortment of short stories about the characters. The books aren't finished yet, but you can read all of the short stories here on this site. Those links are under the book info.

Colorweaver (Book 1)
Adair Cerulean is an amateur cartographer with the ability to make his drawings have the semblance of life. He is in the process of working on the project that, once complete, would advance him in rank when he discovers it missing! As its new owner seeks out more arcane Weavers, Adair feels a tug from his creation to follow. This pull leads him to a carnival where he meets a healer standing guard over a stricken performer. It turns out that his thief is more than a mere robber and there’s more at stake then just a stolen map. Will Adair get it back and stop the thief before anyone else is hurt?

Sentinel (Book 2)
Adair has recovered his stolen map and acquired a loyal bodyguard who will - with luck and a lack of imps - protect him in the future. Adair’s elation is short-lived when the other artists refuse to accept his choice of sentinel. Conflict with his peers and a realization of magic gone awry lead Adair to restore a fractured friendship. Caught between past and present, Adair must decide how far he’s willing to bend the rules. No one ever actually decreed that carnival performers couldn’t be sentinels, did they?

Untitled (Book 3)
Adair has been promoted to novice and is now able to practice his cartography wherever he chooses. He and his friends- and their fledgling carnival troupe- are asked to travel around the continent to check for anyone showing signs of magic. This task ends up far less straightforward when the group stumbles across the possible source of the magical glitches happening back home in Concordia. Will they be able to stop this before the disruptive glitches turn into permanent damage to their home?

Iconoclasm (Book 4)
When Adair and his companions find themselves summoned by the Artisans’ guild, they are given a specific assignment. They are to travel north to Montglace, the former home of the twins, on a diplomatic mission to investigate a possible corruption of magic. There’s only one problem: Etri and Sol are fugitives. Can this group of inexperienced carnies-turned-envoys find the source of the elemental corruption before their presence is detected? (This was previously book 3 before this trilogy became a quartet.)

A Sparkler's Glow (novella)
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 Firedrake 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.


Short Stories:
These are available to read by clicking the titles. The stories are listed oldest to newest, so the most recent are at the bottom. New ones get added to this list frequently, so check back soon!

• "Three Keys"
  Friendship, trust, and keys. Sweetness abounds.
• "Who Picked Whom"
  The trio reflects on fate being weird. This never should have happened.
• "A New Beginning"
  A would-be thief gets offered a job after a strange blue woman catches him.
• "Rising to a Challenge"
  A young arcane chef regrets her decisions and wonders if her restaurant is cursed.
• "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.
• "Soul-Marks"
  It would help if anyone ever went by their real name.
• "Lost and Found"
  Sure, blame the newcomer when your stuff goes missing. That won't come back to bite you.
• "Roommates"
  What do you do when your new roommate is an offbeat inventor who can control fire? First step: make him wear pants.
• "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.
• "Sheltered"
  Adair wakes up and finds that he has been left alone. He's not happy about this.
• "The Shrine"
  A familiar face is discovered at the center of a stranger's altar.
• "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?
• "All Washed Up"
  Revenge is a dish best served soaking wet.
• "Secret Shadow"
  A new friend introduces itself to a lonely girl.
• "Spirits by the Campfire"
  Is the new boy a ghost or is he just goth?
• "A Surprise Gift"
  Blythe is given a new special memory.
• "Adair's Domestic Fluff"
  Aka "Extreme Makeover Home Dork Edition"
• "Is This Closet Mine or Yours?"
  A look inside the daily life of some dorks-  cats, pencils, arguments, and all.
• "A Glimpse of the Past"
  A telepath's magic forces her to relive one of her own memories.
• "Rooftop Reprised"
  The trio gets a second chance at their first date.
• "This For That (Re)Quest"
  One simple request sends Adair on an adventure.
• "Stuck With You" - Chapter 1 (Adair), 2 (Etri), 3 (Firedrake), 4 (Blythe), 5 (Sol), 6 (Adair), 7 (Blythe), 8 (Etri), 9 (Sol), 10 (Firedrake), 11 (Adair)
  A platonic soulmate AU series told in multiple parts with each chapter/scene from a different character’s POV.
• "Poisonous"
  Adair and Blythe learn why Etri keeps referring to them as mushrooms.
• "Family of the Heart"
  Sometimes a fake family can be a real family.
• "Bottled Spirits"
  Three friends have an encounter with a ghost.