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Jessica A. McMinn is a dark fantasy author based in regional NSW, Australia, with a passion for dark fantasy, dark coffee and cats (which, let’s face it, are all dark inside). Since graduating from the University of Wollongong with Distinction in BCA (Creative Writing) and BA (Japanese), Jessica spent five years in Japan teaching English while refining her writing craft. She now works as a freelance writer and offers editing and coaching services to authors. When she is not writing (which is more often than you’d think), Jessica can be found raising her two beautiful children or immersed in an audiobook while drawing, crafting or playing video games. Her debut novel, The Ruptured Sky, is the first installment in the gritty dark fantasy quartet, Gardens of War & Wasteland, and isperfect for fans of Robin Hobb, Anna Stephens and R F Kuang. Two prequel novellas are currently available for free.
The Ruptured Sky
Series: Gardens of War & Wasteland
Series Number: 1
E-book Price: 0.99
Blurb: A headstrong demonhuntress joins a madman's plot to revive the dead goddess—and risks destroying the world in the process.
E-Book Price: 0.99
Paperback Price:
SPFBO9 SEMI-FINALIST "If the insane quality of this debut novel is anything to go by, then I have a feeling McMinn is going to be an author to watch!" — Grimdark Magazine Princess Amikharlia likes a fight. Abandoning her homeland, she travels across the ruins of Whyt’hallen to take up the hunt against the mutated remnants of a magical war that killed the gods and tore the sky asunder. But these vicious beasts are not the darkest shadow hanging over Amika's life—it's the forbidden magic she’s hidden since childhood … and what would happen if it were discovered. On the trail of a dangerous mark, Amika uncovers a madman who is more than what he seems. He claims her unnatural gifts are prophesied to restore the goddess to her throne, protecting Whyt’hallen from those who seek to rule in her stead. In return for her help, he offers her training—training that will allow her to control her powers before they control her. But following the prophecy means Amika must relinquish her hard-won liberty … and destroy the world in the process. With a dark power rising in the east, threatening to enslave her people, Amika’s options grow ever slimmer. She must confront her unwillingness to walk the path of destiny’s design—or risk the rise of a malevolent new god. But can she devastate Whyt’hallen in order to save it? --- The Ruptured Sky is the gritty first installment of the dark fantasy quartet, Gardens of War & Wasteland—an epic adventure that blurs the lines between good and evil with a diverse cast of morally grey characters, perfect for fans of Anna Stephens, RF Kuang and Robin Hobb.
The Blood Curse
Series: Gardens of War & Wasteland
Series Number: 2
E-book Price: 4.99
Blurb: Amika rushes to save her brother and break the next seal as a deadly plague stretches across Whyt'hallen from the east.
E-Book Price: 4.99
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"Darker, grander, richer, and filled with even more delicious emotional turmoil, The Blood Curse is simply everything you could ever wish for in a sequel, and then so much more." — Grimdark Magazine "...a master-class in character" — The Empty Bookshelf Amika has left Holania in ruins. Grief-stricken and betrayed, she is on a fiery path to set things right—even if it means submitting to prophecy’s chain. Emboldened by her growing powers, Amika heads towards the wastelands of Qhoraak to rescue her brother and drag another Chosen into destiny’s sick game. With demonspawn mobilising in unprecedented numbers, she and Rei-Hai Shaw must confront the dangers awaiting them beyond the western border… and those lurking within their shadows. Kriah, adrift at sea, struggles with the aftermath of breaking the first seal. Now, Azet’haal and his Meah-Hyren army know of the plan to revive the Goddess and it’s only a matter of time before they make their move on the mainland. But as a new threat spreads across the east, Kriah must uncover the origins of the deadly blood plague and convince the vulnerable people of Whyt’hallen that it is not the old Sickness they fear. Or did breaking the first seal release more than just a lock on the Goddess’s soul?