I’ve kept this a secret since May 2018, but I’ve decided to ‘fess up:
I published a fantasy trilogy under the pen name Denver Evans.
These are unusual fantasy stories with a bit of a paranormal element. (And for that reason, I realize they won’t be everyone’s cup of tea.) The characters are flawed, they mess up and have to humble themselves and grow. Change their minds about people. Change their attitudes. Do hard things.
These stories are packed full of my heart, and I’m rather proud of them.
Shallows
A luminescent mermaid.
A bookish inventor.
A terrible truth.
The sea isn’t safe. Only the bravest and strongest become sailors. Luminescent mermaids roam the depths and the shallows, mouthing words no one can hear, never surfacing.
When bookish Emerson Kadwell befriends one of the mermaids and discovers their tragic history, he‘s determined to seek justice for them. But his village mocks him, and Shaman Orith’s assassins lurk at every turn. They will stop at nothing to keep the Shaman’s secret safe.
Can a quiet inventor really change the world?
A luminescent mermaid. A bookish inventor. A terrible truth.
Shallows is a clean YA fantasy novel with elements of paranormal and romance. It is the first in a series.
Phantoms
Being captured by pirates wasn’t part of the plan. And they’ve never met pirates like these…
After his adventure with the mermaids, Emerson is happy to get back to normal life, and he is thrilled that his days often include visits from pretty Saria Beggley. Not all is right with the world, however. Pirates have begun terrorizing ships around the eastern islands in the chain; and ships, sailors, and even passengers are going missing every day.
Blown off course by a freak storm, Emerson and Saria are captured. They discover the pirates are not what they thought—even moreso the feared Pirate King responsible for it all. When a legendary phantom ship shows up in Cayan waters, the mysterious crew enlists Emerson’s help in stopping the ever-expanding menace of the pirates.
As Emerson’s feelings for Saria begin to blossom, he wants nothing more than to see her safely home to Chadwick. But the only way to safety for any of them is by thwarting the plans of the Pirate King.
Phantoms is a clean YA fantasy novel with elements of paranormal and romance. It is the second in a series. Please note that while it is a complete story, there are some unanswered questions that lead into book three.
Legends
An unwanted adventure.
A mysterious enemy.
A breathtaking sacrifice.
Emerson has plans. Plans to stay in his cozy workshop and work in peace as autumn and winter pass. Plans to work hard enough to distract himself from Saria Beggley’s absence. Plans of becoming a successful inventor in order to… well, he’s not thought that all the way through.
But all of his plans are ripped away in one evening when Elton Thorne returns from a quest and unwittingly brings dangerous pursuers straight to the Kadwells’ door.
Kidnapped from his home and catapulted into an adventure he didn’t ask for, Emerson enlists Saria and Coral to heal Ianthe Brighthelm’s mind. Perhaps she will know who’s pursuing them and why. An unfinished invention is waiting for him at home, and he can’t wait to return to the quiet sanctuary of his workshop.
But the danger is larger than Emerson could have guessed, not only to him and those he loves, but to the island chain he calls home. An ancient enemy is plotting across the sea, and he means to take everything–even Emerson’s very identity–from the one young man who has unwittingly thwarted him at every turn.
Legends is a clean YA fantasy novel with elements of paranormal and romance. It is the last book in the series.