The Hungry Dark
A fantasy thriller
Every fire witch is cursed, but Melita considers herself more cursed than most.
Exiled to the edge of the world, because of her chronic illness, her only joy comes from exploring the long-dead city of Tenebro. Monsters lurk in Tenebro, devious traps seek to sever your connection to reality and then, of course, there’s the Hungry Dark itself, which can strip the flesh from your bones in mere seconds. Melita isn’t bothered by the monsters, she’s good friends with one of the traps and she loves the Hungry Dark because it’s where her light shines brightest. Tenebro is the place Melita goes to leave her symptoms behind.
When a mob attacks Melita’s village for harbouring exiles, she flees to the dark with her friend and fellow cave raider Teya. Together, they’ll delve deeper than ever before, chasing a myth which might hold the key to keeping their village safe from rampaging humans once and for all. The creatures of the dark want Melita’s head, but her illness is the real threat, and that’s something she can no-longer run from.
Reviews!
“It's first and foremost a great adventure! So much happens, that the story just hurtles you from beginning to end - with enough world-building to make me want to see other stories set in this world. I cried a little, I smiled quite a bit, I tensely turned page after page, anxious to see what would happen next.”
***** - Andrea Gleason-Maresca
“I'm not sure what I expected before I read this, but it certainly wasnt a suicidal witch who eats bones delving into the depths of a forgotten city, and making friends with a giant snake monster. Nonetheless, it was incredibly enjoyable.”
**** - ZR_Reads
“This novel wears its heart on its sleeve, and in so doing it makes a story that has some dark scenes and addresses difficult topics still feel like a cozy adventure. The world that is built is both interesting and vast, and we only get a glimpse of it. This, I think, is great. There is no hand-holding or info dumps explaining different magics or any of the aspects of the world that are outside of our normal, and since it has a very soft magic system we can get thrown right in and figure things out as we go. Yet there is still infinitely more world to discover, if we want to, and that made it a really fun place to spend some time. The characters we spend time with are interesting and unique, they definitely don’t feel generic or like they are simply a few colors added to a stereotype.”
**** - Gyalten Lekden
“…the sincerity and earnestness of the narration give the book this really charming quality that is really refreshing in this day and age where the genre is dominated with grimdark and cynical science fiction/fantasy.
The way the plot is structured makes it easy for the book to have many of these earnest or sincere moments. Because the plot always moves quickly, never really lingering too long in one stage of the story, and in each of those stages, there's always an opportunity for the characters to develop and reveal more and more sides of themselves.” - Primo Saktyawan Sugiharto
Many Hands
A Role-Playing Game I co-wrote as part of DriveThruRPG’s PocketQuest 2022 game jam.
Free Weeks is Cantaci’s biggest and best summer camp for adults with disabilities. You play as one of the Many Hands, aiding the campers and fending off bandits.
Not in My Name
In an alternate 2003, the UK holds a referendum to go to war with Iraq and splits the nation with a 52% to 48% yes vote. A young activist is beaten to death after a demonstration. The police say her murder was random.
It wasn’t. More activists will be murdered. The activists only trust each other. Maybe that trust has already been betrayed.
Three Arachnids in a Warship
Jay is an aristocrat, a philanthropist, and a giant spider. She also has only two years to live, which is disappointing. Her doctor has ordered rest and relaxation, so a spin around the galaxy in the old warship seems ideal.
On her journey, she will encounter bigoted venomous snakes, vicious pirates and a very rude serial killer.
Drown the Witch
Susan Fletcher has been hired to infiltrate a secret society of witches. Her contact promises fame, fortune, and protection from the fallout. Now, Susan’s contact is dead, murdered by one of the people she threatened to expose.
Can Susan uncover the murderer, escape the mansion of monsters, and above all, keep the witches from discovering she's not one of them?
Michael Coolwood
Michael Coolwood writes feminist fantasy, science fiction, and cosy mysteries. His characters are witty, caring and often chronically ill. This is partly because Michael respects passionate, loving people, and partly because cuts to the health service in the UK have ensured he can barely leave the house due to his swamp of health problems.
Why not read about his ongoing crises on his blog?
Insights - Fifteen Stories Exploring Disability
Inspired by author Sarah Gray’s ability to creatively harness her experience of Motor Neurone Disease, Claret Press sponsored a short story competition. It called for entries that dealt with mental or physical disability in innovative ways.
Michael’s story focuses on the thrilling denouement of a murder mystery where a detective must unveil the truth, whilst trying to deal with her unhelpful sidekick, Constable Depression.
Confessions of a Gentleman Arachnid
Meet Milligan Clodthorpe, a gentleman arachnid of exceptional lineage who finds himself involuntarily inhabiting the body of a human female. Bainbridge, the cad who now inhabits Milligan's arachnid form, is known throughout the galaxy as thoroughly selfish and uncivilized. What he might get up to with a body such as Milligan's simply does not bear thinking about.
The Suicide Machines
Lieutenant Andrea Carlson has just discovered she is five minutes old. Born anew in a spaceship's teleporter, complete with memories of her past lives. So many past lives. The teleporters have been killing her and everyone else who used them again and again and again.
As news spreads through her ship along with technophobia and death cults, Andrea doesn’t have time to worry about the suicide machines, she’s got to focus on preventing a civil war.