About this ebook
Oh queen of the night
How long will you shudder
When you should fight?
No one can explain the disappearance—and then the sudden, near-fatal reappearance—of Roxanna Lovegood. Not the Chicago Police Department, not social services, and not even Roxi herself.
Every attempt to describe where she’s been is met with disbelief and the ultimate diagnosis of mental insanity paired with a post-traumatic breakdown. The only shreds of sanity she’s able to cling to exist in the steadfast friendship of someone who knows for a fact she’s telling the truth—and the mysterious doctor who seems determined to make sure Roxi can navigate through the endless gaslighting pushed by a “deep state” program hellbent on keeping her subdued.
After a devastating ambush claims the lives of several royal guards and allied clansmen, misplaced blame strips Devon of the abilities and permission needed to continue the search for his beloved fiancée. In a public show of surrender (but private rebellion), he retreats to the Night Realm to focus on governing the goings-on in its capital city and maybe, just by happenstance, glean some information from those who saw Roxi before she vanished into thin air.
His plan might actually work—unless the unexpected arrival of estranged family members succeeds in overtaking the Lord of Night’s estate in more ways than one.
The cat-and-mouse game between ancient bloodlines and modern political engines continues to weave between the Outworld and Otherworld, between friends and families, between what’s real and what’s simply a means to survive.
And if they’re not careful, those who hold the threads risk awakening the very entity prophesied to bring about their destruction.
Discover more
About the author
As a cultural anthropologist with a focused background in archaeology and global folklore, Nikki weaves real-world discoveries and intercultural theories into her fictional works. Every novella, book, and series combine fantasy storytelling with "what if?" concepts, from the fae folk living in (and potentially having built) downtown Chicago to the mythological Fomorians existing within marginalized communities around the world.
Her debut novel, Prax, was a finalist in the 2022 Page Turner Book Awards and long-listed in the 2023 Page Turner Book Awards. Ithandryll was long-listed in the 2023 Page Turner Book Awards, received an Honorable Mention in the 2023 Readers' Favorite Book Awards, a 5-Star Review from Readers' Favorite, and a 5-Star Review from Midwest Book Review.
Nikki is also a graduate of the Institute for Children's Literature (back when "remote learning" was a typewriter and snail mail!), was a guest copy editor for The Irish Journal of Anthropology, and has developmentally edited several fiction novels that went on to become award-winners and bestsellers in independent publishing.
After living in downtown Chicago before, during, and after the pandemic, she entered her "Stars Hollow Phase" and relocated to a small village cluster in Iowa known as The Amana Colonies. She started an indie bookstore, Fae•ble, which is currently a "pop-up situation" inside the village's new herbs & tea shop, Serenity Sage.
On any given day, Nikki can be found sipping handcrafted coffee, singing to her vegetable garden, faceplanting on her laptop keyboard, and/or whispering to the kobolds who live in her home.
