Book Listing - Series
Heir of Nostalgia- The Valerian Saga
It begins with a boy searching for his father, a father missing these last two and a half years. It continues with a man living his life one day at a time about to marry his best friend and the love of his life. Somewhere along the line the two meet, this boy and this man; what they discover about each other, and who they really are, will change everything.
Frightful signs in the heavens and on earth...
'A Gathering Darkness' is the exciting first book in the Valerian Series, a contemporary urban fantasy where 16th and 21st centuries collide. What comes after will change everything!
Most know me as Kaelynn Carroll, Theo's fiance, curator of the New York Museum of Art. What you don't know, is the darkness that stirs within me, a Pandora's Box of hunger and anger and disease.
What began as a simple trip to Britain to catalog a 16th Century Art collection would soon turn into a nightmare beyond anything I could imagine. For you see, between the darkness beneath the museum, and the return trip home, I lived another's life, another reality. Inadvertently I set something free.
Book Three- Coming Soon!
Spanish Edition-
La vida de Theo, un ingeniero de diseño de éxito, se pone patas arriba cuando conoce a Phillip, un chico de trece años que vive en las calles de Nueva York cuyo único deseo es encontrar a su padre. Juntos se embarcarán en un viaje épico, descubrirán una historia increíble, emprenderán la misión de encontrar una tierra mágica perdida en la historia y se enfrentarán a un enemigo despiadado dispuesto a hacer lo que haga falta para detenerlos.
Portuguese Edition-
Um novo prodígio, enfatiza E. Finlayson de Staffordshire, UK.Este livro pode igualmente ser apreciado tanto como um livro adulto, quanto juvenil. O elenco é fora do comum e o autor constrói o suspense e a atmosfera da história habilidosamente. Assim como outros críticos, eu dificilmente diria que esta história acaba aqui, e eu espero muito pelo Livro 2. Like other reviewers I could hardly put it down until it was finished, and I hope very much for a Book 2.
Italian Edition-
“Per rinascere, una fenice deve morire!”
Se avessi l’opportunità di cambiare la storia, lo faresti?
Immagina di essere un tredicenne solo al mondo, che vive per le strade della contorta e frenetica New York, di non avere alcun luogo per riposare, alcun luogo da chiamare tuo. Immagina che tutto ciò che sapevi essere vero, la storia della tua famiglia, del tuo paese, la ragione stessa della tua esistenza fosse una bugia, qualcosa che nessun altro al mondo conosce.
The Summer People
Leave it to the Serpent people to steal everything, including Jake’s parents. Determined to find them, Jake seeks out his next-door neighbors, the Twin’s Ashley and Elijah. Together with Merwin, a mysterious stranger of the Order of Rasputin, they begin a journey of discovery and fear, of a people called the Summer People, and their age-old enemies the sibilant.
Leave it to the Serpent people to steal everything, including Jake’s parents. Determined to find them, Jake seeks out his next-door neighbors, the Twin’s Ashley and Elijah. Together with Merwin, a mysterious stranger of the Order of Rasputin, they begin a journey of discovery and fear, of a people called the Summer People, and their age-old enemies the sibilant.
Our story continues, as Jake, Ash and Eli find themselves thrown in the midst of conflict between the Summer People, and the Serpent People. An ancient enemy appears, even as Jake finds out what it takes to be a Hero!
In Book Three, Jake and crew find themselves cast into chaos, as their 'just getting away's' get closer and closer to 'being caught's'. Can Jake find the strength to stand against the Serpent People, and free his parents?
Leave it to the Serpent people to steal everything, including Jake’s parents. Determined to find them, Jake seeks out his next-door neighbors, the Twin’s Ashley and Elijah. Together with Merwin, a mysterious stranger of the Order of Rasputin, they begin a journey of discovery and fear, of a people called the Summer People, and their age-old enemies the sibilant. Narrated by the amazing Rachael Sparrow!
Stand-Alone Novels
Horror- Thrillers
If you had one chance to change anything in your life, would you? If you could turn back time, live one more moment with a beloved parent,visit an old friend- or taken a road left untraveled, would you? If you had a second chance to right a terrible wrong, and perhaps remake the world and your soul in the process, would you grab it?
Book Four Bonus!
Chapter One
Sand between his toes, hair tangling in the wind. The sun, warm as a mother’s caress, golden across his skin.
Jake closed his eyes and breathed in. ‘I wonder how many Once Upon a Times began here?’ In the distance, a lonesome seagulls cry.
The air tasted salty, like taffy from a carnival, or from a Renaissance Fair- like White Sulphur Springs, a long car ride, and the promise of an amazing day with his mom.
I wish Dad had been there!
But he hadn’t been-
They were close, however. His parent’s. Closer than they’d ever been before.
So close he could almost touch them!
To either side stretched shorelines, pencil-thin, and coral-colored. Sand bordered by wrack lines of dark green kelp, and clumps of tall spindly grass-
The only thing missing from his perfect day, would be his family.
A shadow crosses his- darkness, where there had been light.
“It’s time, isn’t it,” Jake sighs. He doesn’t even look up; he knows who it is.
Ash sits down beside him, interlaces her fingers with his. “It is,” she says. She sounds sad.
Jake leans over, touches his head to hers. Ever since their arrival, she’s been wearing her hair in ponytails.
Reminded him of his mom puttering around the house.
“I knew it wouldn’t last,” Jake says. “Nothing good ever does.”
“Don’t say that,” she says. “It’s going to be different this time.” In her hand, she began fiddling with the shards of the Lady’s Looking Glass, their mirror-like surface catching the glare of the setting sun.
Time ran differently here- or so it seemed- ever since he found himself in the Lady’s arms next to the Finger and Wall on ‘this’ side-
‘This’ side, with its golden skies, deepest shadows, and endless possibilities. Even now, it still sounded so weird.
‘This side…’
They were in Landscape, a place Ash and the others liked to call Pasage.
To him though, it would always be called ‘Not Home.’ As in, ‘it’s not home, because I haven’t been home in more than two whole weeks.’ Ever since his run-in with the Twin’s and their family.
Home is where his parents lived.
Home was in a place not called Landscape.
Home was anywhere but here!
“You’re missing them again,” Ash said, “I can fell it.”
“Is it that obvious,” he began.
“It is to me,” she said, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. He smiled. “I know you better than you think,” she added.
He playfully bumped her with his shoulder. She bumped in back.
“Hey, guys.” It was Eli. Jake turned, spotted Ash’s brother between two dunes. “Mom says ‘we gotta go!”
“Now…,” asked Ash.
“Now,” Eli responded.
Jake pushed himself up, brushed sand from his hands. Ash yanked on his hand and followed.
“What about the ‘Others’, Ash asked, pulling her shawl tighter. With the sun going down it was getting cold.
“You’re the last two out here,” Eli said. “Everyone else is ready.”
“Of course, they would be.” Beyond the grass-topped dunes, Jake could just make out the remaining vardo’s, their multi-colored roofs muted in the fading light.
“It feels like we just got here,” Jake said, looking at Ash. He loved the beach. Loved the sand. “I wish we could just stay here forever,” he said.
“Me too,” said Ash. Eyes widening, “Maybe after all this is done, we can come back.”
“Sure,” Jake said, sounding hopeful. But deep down inside he knew it was a lie. Ash did too. Where they were going, there was no coming back!
Breaking News
Update July 2019
Recent Review:
5 out of 5 stars- Visually gripping!
March 15, 2019 Format: Paperback
From page one this book grabs you and refuse to let you loose! The scenic descriptions rival any other. I honestly felt like I was dropped into the world of Jake, Ash and Eli taking part in their adventure. I can’t wait for the next part of this amazing tale!
But wait, there’s more! During the beta trials, etc. I was contacted by no less than (4) audio book narrators to turn this little beauty, into an Audible Book! (And it doesn’t even have any ratings yet- it’s so new to the world.) All this in less than a day of it’s ‘non-official’ eBook release! As such, I am pleased to announce I have signed a contract with the amazingly talented Rachael Sparrow to produce The Summer People- Book One. (Currently, it looks like late March or early April 2019 for the Audible Release!)
Rachael Sparrow is a voice actor whose voice has been heard on a variety of national commercials, video games, educational training videos and podcasts, from Amazon, Amazon Alexa, Xfinity and Google, to the Video Game Fairy, Cross of Redemption. Voicing “The Summer People” will mark her debut, full-length audio book.
As a Platinum member of voices.com, Rachael’s work was recently spotlighted, and she was interviewed as a mentor for new voice artists. Rachael is also the proud director of Sing! Voice Studio, where she trains and coaches young singers and actors. Rachael lives with her husband and two children in Bucks County, PA.
I am honored to have her tackle this project, and cannot wait to hear the final product.
Book Description:
Leave it to the Serpent people to steal everything, including Jake’s parents. Determined to find them, he seeks out his next-door neighbors, the Twin’s Ashley and Elijah. Together with Merwin, a mysterious stranger of the Order of Rasputin, they begin a journey of discovery and fear, of a people called the Summer People and their age-old enemies, the sibilant.
“To create peace the Summer People basically gave up their king,” Ashley said. “put in him shackles and chains, carried him off to the Sibilant homeland, a dark and terrible place with lots of screaming and pain. That’s the only way the Sibilant would stop fighting.” She leaned in then, began whispering. “According to stories, he’s still there today, waiting to be freed. Waiting for a hero to be born.” Eyes narrowing, “Waiting times such as these.”
“Time such as these?” he asked. “What’s so special about these times?”
“You,” Ash replied, eyes narrowing. Grabbing his hand. “It’s you, Jake! He’s been waiting all this time for you!”
About Us
Bestselling author S.M Muse writes, fun, action-packed adventures full of everyday magic, and darker than Mid-night foes. His characters are clever, fearless, and resilient, but in real life, S.M. is afraid of spiders, things that go bump in the night, and roughing it in the great outdoors. Let’s face it. S.M. wouldn’t last ten minutes in one of his books.
S.M Muse is best known for his Heir of Nostalgia fantasy series, and soon to be Urban Contemporary thriller, The Summer People.
Visit him at http://www.heirofnostalgia@gmail.com