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The Conduit Chronicles
The Gatekeeper: A Conduit Chronicles Story
He’s loyal to a fault. But when his heart is pulled every which way, will evil find a path?
Ancient Mesopotamia. Young Susuda longs to own his destiny. And he believes he’s found his fortune when, in a twist of fate, he saves King Gilgamesh’s son and is immediately appointed captain of the guard. But his first command is an order to avenge the prince and hunt down his would-be assassins.
Returning triumphantly, Susuda despairs when he discovers his mother dying, a witch haunting the city, and a mangled child appearing at the gates. And with his affections torn between two beautiful women, almost any step the vexed captain takes could spell his doom.
Will Susuda’s attempts to keep his citizens safe seal his fate forever?
The Gatekeeper is a standalone novella in the spectacular Conduit Chronicles urban fantasy series. If you like stunning origin stories, experiencing characters from a fresh set of eyes, and times of legends and monsters, then you’ll love Ashley Hohenstein’s electrifying tale.
Buy The Gatekeeper to open the doors of magical history today!164 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 1, 2021
About the author
Ashley Hohenstein
15 books26 followersA LITTLE BIT ABOUT ME…
I was born in Paradise and spent my childhood in Northern California. If you have never spent time up here, I highly recommend a visit. Beautiful rolling hills, excellent hiking trails and a variety of water ways to explore. My childhood was complicated, a blend of joy filled memories and deep tragedy. My father died when I was seven and then my stepfather when I was eleven. As you can imagine these two life altering events left a distinct mark on my spirit, but perhaps not always in the ways one would expect. A very immediate result was a sudden appetite for reading and writing. I got lost in the imaginative worlds I could discover in the pages of a book. Where life felt uncertain, my favorite authors were constant. In addition, I could get lost in my own fantastical imagination and create my own safe place. This is where my writing journey began, little did I know where it would take me.
Fast forward to my twenties, I was running a successful massage business and going to college for nutrition and kinesiology, clearly creative writing was not on my radar. At twenty five I decided I needed a shift in gears. I desired adventure. I escaped to Europe for three months, saw twelve countries and discovered my voice in more ways than one. As I traversed the countryside by train, bus and my own two feet, a story began to tickle the back of my mind. A tale of great love, magical beasts and fantastical characters, the Conduit Chronicles was burgeoning into something tangible. Being immersed in history, ancient architecture and rich cultures lit a spark, all I had to do was fan the flame.
So, I did, I came home and bought a new laptop. Fingers to the keys I began to flush out the Conduit world. The first book would take me seven years to finish. Found was published in January 2018. There was no stopping the words from flowing after that. Between marriages, divorces, illness and natural disasters I pumped out six more books by the end of 2022. The final installment was published in January 2026.
My author journey has taken me on wild adventures in my mind, but also in the world at large. I spent three years living abroad in Costa Rica, Colombia and Mexico. What started out as a writers sabbatical turned into a transformative journey of self-discovery. The plot is always thickening and the miracles that abound never cease to amaze me. I am still writing. I am also an ancestral medicine retreat facilitator. My own healing journey led me to the indigenous people of the jungles of Costa Rica, the mountains of Colombia and the beaches of Mexico. I fell in love with my own Duality and founded The Divine Duality Project, a collaboration of healers and medicine. My team and I pride ourselves on taking the road less travelled and helping others do the same, ultimately walking them home to themselves—the greatest journey anyone will ever take.
At the moment I am stateside again with my trusted companion and puppy Devina Eepa Kangeroo, fondly called Vina. My tribe here in Northern California helped me with a van conversion (The Mags). The next chapter includes retreats, healing circles and van life.
Life has been messy, beautiful, lovely, and challenging all at once. I feel blessed to get to chase my dreams in all their diversity with wild abandon. I hope that anyone reading this gets the opportunity to do the same.
I was born in Paradise and spent my childhood in Northern California. If you have never spent time up here, I highly recommend a visit. Beautiful rolling hills, excellent hiking trails and a variety of water ways to explore. My childhood was complicated, a blend of joy filled memories and deep tragedy. My father died when I was seven and then my stepfather when I was eleven. As you can imagine these two life altering events left a distinct mark on my spirit, but perhaps not always in the ways one would expect. A very immediate result was a sudden appetite for reading and writing. I got lost in the imaginative worlds I could discover in the pages of a book. Where life felt uncertain, my favorite authors were constant. In addition, I could get lost in my own fantastical imagination and create my own safe place. This is where my writing journey began, little did I know where it would take me.
Fast forward to my twenties, I was running a successful massage business and going to college for nutrition and kinesiology, clearly creative writing was not on my radar. At twenty five I decided I needed a shift in gears. I desired adventure. I escaped to Europe for three months, saw twelve countries and discovered my voice in more ways than one. As I traversed the countryside by train, bus and my own two feet, a story began to tickle the back of my mind. A tale of great love, magical beasts and fantastical characters, the Conduit Chronicles was burgeoning into something tangible. Being immersed in history, ancient architecture and rich cultures lit a spark, all I had to do was fan the flame.
So, I did, I came home and bought a new laptop. Fingers to the keys I began to flush out the Conduit world. The first book would take me seven years to finish. Found was published in January 2018. There was no stopping the words from flowing after that. Between marriages, divorces, illness and natural disasters I pumped out six more books by the end of 2022. The final installment was published in January 2026.
My author journey has taken me on wild adventures in my mind, but also in the world at large. I spent three years living abroad in Costa Rica, Colombia and Mexico. What started out as a writers sabbatical turned into a transformative journey of self-discovery. The plot is always thickening and the miracles that abound never cease to amaze me. I am still writing. I am also an ancestral medicine retreat facilitator. My own healing journey led me to the indigenous people of the jungles of Costa Rica, the mountains of Colombia and the beaches of Mexico. I fell in love with my own Duality and founded The Divine Duality Project, a collaboration of healers and medicine. My team and I pride ourselves on taking the road less travelled and helping others do the same, ultimately walking them home to themselves—the greatest journey anyone will ever take.
At the moment I am stateside again with my trusted companion and puppy Devina Eepa Kangeroo, fondly called Vina. My tribe here in Northern California helped me with a van conversion (The Mags). The next chapter includes retreats, healing circles and van life.
Life has been messy, beautiful, lovely, and challenging all at once. I feel blessed to get to chase my dreams in all their diversity with wild abandon. I hope that anyone reading this gets the opportunity to do the same.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 31, 2019
The Gatekeeper is an exciting peek into the ancient Conduit world. I fell in love Susuda and his story. If you love action, adventure, battles between gods, history, and romance then you need to read this novella!!! Even if you haven't read Found (and if not, go buy it immediately!) you won't be lost in the story details. This is an amazing prequel to The Conduit Chronicles. It will leave you hungry for more.
September 29, 2021
The first novella in the series and I couldn't put it down! Ashley pulls you into a world of fantasy and suspense and love!! This is book you definitely want to read, its quick and easy and so good!!
Want to Read
May 4, 2021🎁 Part of The Conduit Chronicles box set (Books 1-2.5) which is FREE on Amazon today (5/4/2021)! 🎁
January 16, 2020
Captivating, enticing, and thoroughly entertaining. ❣💗❣💓
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews