How do we cope with this
Present darkness?
Is there beauty in the death of winter?
A child of sunlight and color, Oanéka Orien was not prepared for the early winter in the land she finds herself banished to.
Here, harvest is gone. Here, dark comes early. And here, there it no one, not for the endless miles surrounding them.
No one but the brother and sister that came with her, and they have stories and secrets of their own.
With the cold closing in, and the days all blurring into one, there is either finding light, or settling into the darkness. Finding beauty, or giving up to the paths that have closed in around them.
Is there hope in this present darkness?
Is there beauty in the death and gray of winter?
A story of quiet moments, family and learning how to grow and thrive in a place you never wanted to be.
This story, is for those who struggle with seasonal darkness. For those who struggle with the short, gray days of winter. For those who have wondered about light in that season of dark, and about the hope that comes through barrenness.
I wrote this story for my sister, who has struggled with that historically. And it’s now been enjoyed by many readers like her, as well as readers who just love the historical fiction many of us grew up reading, like ‘Little House on the Prairie’, ‘Little Britches’, ‘Little Women’, and others. It’s a story that is entirely wrapped up with the very day lives of three siblings, working to bear their father’s debts in a frozen, pioneer wasteland in the far north.
Who is this
book for, and FAQ:
Lovers of YA & Middle grade historical fiction
If you grew up reading and loving books with stories entirely centered around a small cast of characters, living out every day life, then this book is for you. It came out of my love for books like ‘The Long Winter’, ‘A Lantern in Her Hand’, ‘Eight Cousins’, and many, many others, and readers have said that it is one of the coziest, mildest fantasies you’ll ever meet, pointing back toward those, with a history that isn’t ours.
Lovers of cozy, small scope stories:
There are only a handfull of characters in the entire book, so if you are a fan of small casts with lots of character interactions, sibling interactions and what have you, this story is for you.
Also, if you enjoy books that take place over a small period in someone’s life, this story is for you as well. The whole book takes place within about 4 months, so small scope on the whole. It’s cozy. It’s slow. It’s about real life and normal interactions, rather than saving the world or fighting dragons.
If you want a soft introduction to fantasy, this book is a great shot at that, as due to the nature of the story, there are only a few fantasy elements.
What is the demographic?
Young Adult.
Oanéka, the character whose perspective the story is told from is 18. The story is slower than most YA, as it is paced more like the classics than the modern pieces you’ll find on shelves, but is written with teens in mind.
Is it connected to Sparrow?
Only indirectly. Both stories take place in the same world, but they are set in different continents, with about 400 years and an entire ocean between them.
So, same general world. Wildly different time period, culture, etc.
Is this a standalone?
It is not. Though it can be read as a standalone, as it was written to be one, there is a sequel slated to follow at a later date. The email list and instagram are both great places to get connected so that you hear about it when it comes out.
I plan to leave it as a duology. It suits the story, and as you will Lord willing see, the characters too.
How much magic is there?
None. Not a speck of it.
The reason this story is categorized as fantasy, is that the world it takes place in, and history that it is set in are not our own. That is a less talked about element that categorizes stories into the fantasy genre, but one that I used here. There is only one fantasy element in the entire book aside from the foreign history and location. I’ll let you see if you can find it.
