Myths older than most of the Kayavan System's settled worlds warn that when the Kayavan comet appears, storms would upset the Lighten landscape--both the literal kind and the whatever-can-go-wrong-will variety.
Though some ignored the myths, firsthand experience convinced Piers Phalen they were true. As crack pilot and security specialist for one of the most important men on Lighten, Mining Guild Master Brels, Phalen was prepared for storms, though. At least he thought he was. Warning the Guild Master about in-house security concerns should have been a simple conversation. One and done. But it got him noticed and assigned to the Guild Master's pet project.
What should have been a simple flight unravels into a tangle of danger, unexpected betrayal, and budding political intrigue destined to change the future of the entire Kayavan System.
Six time BRAG Medallion Honoree, #1 Best-selling Historical Fantasy author Maria Grace has her PhD in Educational Psychology and is a 16-year veteran of the university classroom where she taught courses in human growth and development, learning, test development and counseling. None of which have anything to do with her undergraduate studies in economics/sociology/managerial studies/behavior sciences. She pretends to be a mild-mannered writer/cat-lady, but most of her vacations require helmets and waivers or historical costumes, usually not at the same time.
She stumbled into Jane Austen fan-dom in the mid '90s with Emma Thompson's Sense and Sensibility film, having somehow graduated HS without ever having read Austen. It was only a short leap then to consume all of Austen's works, in all their various media forms. In the hopes of discovering more works by Austen, she stumbled into the fan fiction forums, which naturally led to asking 'What if...' herself. Twenty nine books later, she still asks that question.
She writes gaslamp fantasy, historical romance and non-fiction to help justify her research addiction.
An explosive intro Novella for the new (Dec 2024) series The Kayavan Chronicles. It has done what it set out to do, whet my appetite for the first book in the series Kayavan Rising. Don't know if the character named Phalen has a major in it but I hope so. Phalen just shines in the Novella (MC's usually do) but it was a wild ride he brings us along for. Short easy read - looking forward to book 1 in the series.
Maria Grace writes her sci-fi just as well as her dragons. Great world building also, looking forward to learning more about this world.
The Kayavan Chronicles starts with non-stop action. You'll like Pogo. He's just the character who leads exactly where he thinks he should go, and he's usually right. He is a no nonsense kind of person - the one you want watching your back. You also want him watching your back because he has a top notch skill set, both physical and mental. He is always on!
I thoroughly enjoyed Storm Watch. I love me a super duper hero who is brilliant as well as tough! Instead of a long-term, complex plot, this book is a fun success story while getting to know Phalen (our intrepid hero) and other primary characters. I already ordered the next book in series.