Rot Beneath a Polished Front
Meet Lorne, the main character you'll love to hate.
Source: Alison Wright Artistry
“I would consider being afraid if I were you,” Lorne showed all his teeth. “You see, a real Curse Crafter might not be flattered by this charade. In fact, it might inspire them to get a little mean.”
Lorne Atwater, the main character of the upcoming dark fantasy, Blightshade, is a mouthy, vain, Gucci dumpster fire of emotional issues.
As a POV character, he’s arrogant and waspish, closely guarding a fear that, by his very nature, he’s unworthy of belonging.
Among all the magic types, Lorne never expected to manifest Curse Crafting. He expected to manifest something beautiful (or at least palatable). But his magic bloomed in the form of deadly nightshade, the emblem of Curse Crafting. As a mysterious blight infects him, Lorne’s powers become more volatile.
Source: Canva
To keep anyone from seeing the rot eating his magic alive, Lorne severs all of his connections and builds an outer shell of glossy perfection to hide from the world.
But the blight is getting worse, and Lorne can no longer hide from the things inside him. To have any hope of a cure, Lorne must entangle his fate in a knot of unstable relationships, and face his own corruption and the very monster that blighted him.
Source: maycchino’s utterly perfect piccrew.
The Official Blightshade Playlist is in the works! With each character profile, I’ll drop a song from the cutting room floor that captures their essence. To get to know Lorne better, listen to Chaotic Gender Neutral by Murder Person For Hire
I am beyond excited to begin introducing Lorne (and Blightshade) to the world. I’ve often feared that, as a main character, Lorne is too much. Too bitey. Too difficult. Frankly, too far up his own ass. But I couldn’t change him if I tried.
I grew up on Artemis Fowl. I fell in love with Loki (Marvel) and Catra (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power) and although these abrasive, emotionally complicated villain-to-antihero archetypes aren’t for everyone, they are for me. And I’ve been surprised and warmed by the people who’ve welcomed Lorne into that same camp.
Despite his many (many) failings, I’ve been thrilled to find that people are drawn to Lorne’s wit. His mouth. His catty sarcasm. People resonate with his pain and the neglected, frantic thing within him that wants so desperately to be loved and seen.
I love Lorne and I’m excited to finally let him be seen.
If you want more Blightshade, you’re in the right place. Subscribers are the first to get character profiles, bonus content, early releases, information on publication & more.
You don’t have to wait for Blightshade to get a feel for my work. Subscribers can read my dark fantasy short, Multiplicitii for free.
“Emmi Chae has always existed concurrently with her past selves.”
Emmi keeps her paradox in perfect balance—soothe her angry inner teenager—distract the anxious self of her tween years—give her inner child time to play.
But a vision of Emmi on her deathbed changes everything she thought she knew about protecting her system, and Emmi will have to decide what parts of herself to destroy to escape the death she fears most.
It’s like meeting him for the first time all over again. 🥹