Out of Print as of August 31, 2016.

Short Description

Rise of the Sidenah is a magical fantasy about a young sculptress forbidden from practicing her art, until a powerful man offers her an opportunity she can’t refuse. He draws her into a world of deceit, murder, and betrayal, leaving her no choice but to engage him in battle to save the ones she loves.

Long Description

Adrienna Vedica longs to build the creatures living in her imagination. One day, she hopes to sculpt them out of stone, creating great statues like those that guard the Celany village.

She doesn’t understand why everyone seems to disapprove.

It’s only when Tishaan, a powerful man in the high council, agrees to help her sculpt that Adrienna is finally able to pursue her passion. She dives into her work, but creates with such energy that she collapses from exhaustion before seeing the final results, giving Tishaan time to hide her masterpieces away.

Her mentor, Sreng—the man she secretly loves—tries to convince her that Tishaan is using her, but she can’t abandon her art. Only when people start showing up dead does she think again. There’s something off about Tishaan…and then Sreng shows her the first sculpture she ever made.

But something is wrong.

It’s alive. And it’s digging a grave.

Released September 24, 2015 from Jupiter Gardens Press.

Out of print August 31, 2016—publisher closed.

Click here for a short excerpt.

Post-Publication Awards

Once published, Rise of the Sidenah was chosen:

• Official Selection, 2015 New Apple Book Awards, Young Adult Fantasy
• 3rd place Fantasy, 2015 North American Book Awards

Pre-Publication Awards

Rise of the Sidenah, while still in progress, was recognized in the following literary contests:

• 2nd place fantasy, Pacific Northwest Literary Contest
• 3rd place novel, Arizona Authors Literary Contest
• Finalist, Southwest Writers Literary Contest

Inspiration for the Story

A fan of gothic architecture, I often wondered about the stonecutters who carved the gargoyles so often featured on the buildings of that time. What did the artists think about while carving these creatures? Out of these musings appeared Adrienna, a gifted sculptress. When she uses the magical white stone, she can make her creations come to life. What if she makes a mistake while carving? What if her thoughts about it aren’t pure? What is the result of her work then? And from those questions came the central conflict in the novel, and the overall theme: Is it worth it to follow the heart, even if we make mistakes that hurt ourselves and others?