The working blubs, so far…
Born Today: The Touch of Essence: Book 1. The first volume of The Realm Bound
“A beautiful girl drops into your life, gives you magical powers of kinkiness, and you didn’t think there would be at least one little problem to deal with?” Annie’s words echo in Jake Emmerson’s mind.
That woman’s name is Evri and it is her first day on earth. She is lovely but clueless. To keep her, Jake must accept the ownership of the Essence–a magical power that enchants and transforms ordinary objects into the extraordinary. According to the physically young but spiritually ancient Evri, somehow, doing this will prevent the power from becoming a cataclysmic devastation on Earth, just as it happened on Mount Vesuvius.
The irreverent Annie invites herself to visit–a friend, former co-worker, and a regular sight at his past trips to the BDSM club–arriving with enough luggage to settle in.
Missionaries, ghost-chasers, and rejects from the local renaissance fair show up at the old farm that serves as his new home, and it is clear someone, or something, is paying close attention to Jake.
The price of accepting Evri’s offer is far, far higher than he could have ever imagined–requiring him to fight for his life against those who would seize Evri and the Essence for themselves and costing him his understanding of the nature of reality itself.
Unfinished Business: The Touch of Blood, Book 1. The second volume of The Realm Bound
Bartholomew Landers, a college dropout with a history of legal trouble, inherited his Great Uncle Thomas’ lake house – along with a magical book and a comely teacher named Rose. His interest in making the relationship more than professional becomes complicated when a chance to look under her dress reveals body parts that are not entirely human.
Summoning Rose for the evening’s magic lessons requires blood. And secrecy is a must, otherwise the legacy of the lake house could slip from Bart’s fingers.
Bart’s nerdy friends and Rose’s supernatural family from Bluefell show up unexpectedly. He finds himself hosting social events from the supernatural realms where a traitor lurks in the midst, ready to take down an empire.
And if Bart makes one misstep, he could be accused of treason and find himself following his great uncle’s path into the afterlife.
Eternally Blessed: The Touch of Eternity: Book One. The third volume of The Realm Bound
To the world, she is Noralee Church, a spinster just past fifty, owner of the bar she tends. She has finally encountered Charles, a man with a kinky secret who values her assertiveness by submitting in private and is becoming far more than a pleasurable distraction. The full truth is that she is one of the Eternally Blessed, reborn for the twelfth time, serving the Angels of the Heavenly Host. And finding true companionship has been maddeningly elusive for centuries.
Her heavenly duties require her to mortals lost in the magical Realms and to keep mankind ignorant of the presence of the supernatural. Yet Charles, a skillful ex-soldier who is more than capable of serving as her assistant, must be kept in the dark as she serves the greater good and guards humanity.
A new mystical practitioner, with a stolen Angelic artifact, has no regard for the rules set down by the Angels, or the lives and souls of the innocent mortals that Noralee protects. And he views Noralee herself as nothing but a stepping stone on his ascent towards absolute power.
Noralee must decode the contradictory and confusing instructions of the Angels to get to the root of the malevolent scheme. Should she summon their aid, the Angels will intervene directly to fix things with brutal directness and could rip out pieces of Charles’ memory and being. Yet, without their help, defeat means that everyone close to her will be consumed by the rising dark force.
Eternally Touched: The Touch of Eternity: Book Two. The fourth volume of The Realm Bound
The clock strikes midnight. And the mirror in front of her leads to a personal fantasy, an escape from the wreckage of the lives she has touched.
Noralee Church, reborn twelve times, is an eccentric bar owner and serves the Angels of Heaven. She runs errands to correct minor details of existence that are too small to warrant their direct intervention. But death and heartbreak have pushed her to the edge, and any solace is welcome, even if it is in the form of a witch’s tool for finding release in the arms of a handsome yet tender devil by the name of Logan.
The supernatural continues to push into the world of mortal men, and Noralee must rescue the lost innocents and send a message to the creatures of magic that their presence is unwelcome on earth. A woman of peace, her duties require her to inflict destructive retribution upon creatures that violate the rules set down by the Angels.
Yet her very escape into the mirror turns into a deepening of her duties, as she learns that Logan is far too real, as are her feelings towards him.
He is entangled with the supernatural creatures that encroach closer and closer on the world of mortals, who are meant to remain ignorant of their present. And her Angelic missions make it clear that they are to remain separated… at any cost.
Annie’s Little Orphans: The Touch of Essence: Book 2. The fifth volume of The Realm Bound
Jake’s magical essence has gone haywire. The power of creation and transformation is flowing into his basement faster than he can possibly use it.
Annie, newly accustomed to a life of napping, snacking, and the fun kind of spanking, must team up with an old enemy, Cardela of Avangale. They journey to beg, borrow, or steal the artifact that can bring this rogue magical power under control. If they fail, Jake and Evri will be swallowed by the Essence as it seeps out into the real world and wreaks mass destruction.
Absolutely nothing goes as planned for Annie. She finds herself imprisoned, battling against the future Prince of Avangale for her freedom.
The temporal rules of Avangale are incomprehensible to outsiders and even the flow of time itself opposes her desperate efforts to return home. Should she be trapped in Avangale, it will cost Jake and Evri their lives.
Outstanding Debt: The Touch of Blood, Book 2. The sixth volume of The Realm Bound
Bart is overjoyed that Princess Rose of Bluefell, his magical mentor, is now free of the burden that was trapped in her womb. What should have been a celebration of affection is interrupted by the intrusion of the Templars – asking when Rose can repay her debts to them in full.
Bart and Rose become the parents of a pixie named Electra with heritage that includes Greek divinity, just in time for Electra to be kidnapped and imprisoned in the realm of Wonderland.
The Empire of Bluefell gathers troops to invade and rescue Electra. Meanwhile, Bart and Rose must face off against the servants of the Angels themselves and risk the wrath of Heaven to bring their family back together.
Yet, the biggest threat is the true reason for Rose’s presence in Bart’s life. Concealing it will lead to dishonor and death, while the revelation risks also tearing them apart.
Eternally Cursed: The Touch of Eternity, Book 2. The seventh volume of The Realm Bound
Noralee Church, bar owner and errand girl for the Angels who ensure that humanity is safe from supernatural threats, is slowly going crazy.
The Angelic errands are piling up faster than ever before as she has a house full of unexpected supernatural guests. Creatures connected to Noralee’s past lives are dropping by for not-so-peaceful visits that she must conceal from the mundane authorities. She is left with no time for the confident, insightful and tender incubus named Logan.
She must find time to manage the affairs of the Landers Renaissance Faire–a place where the mundane and magical realms intersect. The drama of the supernatural world threatens to spill over into the world of mortals. If that happens, the Angels will intervene and correct the matter in a brutally direct fashion.
As these pending disasters pile up, Logan’s very existence is endangered by an ancient foe from a pantheon long forgotten. To save him, Noralee disregards her duties and journeys across the multiverse to track him down and put an end to his plans – regardless of whether this will cost Noralee her life.
Asylum Nation: The Touch of Essence, Book 3. The Eighth Volume of The Realm Bound
The Essence will not stop flowing into Jake’s basement. With the aid of the ancient yet youthful Evri, he struggles to transform it and increase the scope of his Realm, New Jake City, he requires the presence of many, many more citizens.
Yet, rather than immigrants, he attracts raiders and invaders, bent upon seizing control of his realm and the power contained within. Even his contact with the mortal world is under threat, as his foes do their best to isolate and cut him off from all possible resources and allies.
The ancient forces that have know the touch of Essence invade New Jake City, wishing to squash Jake like a bug and claim everything and everyone that he has worked for.
Dread Lord: The Touche of Essence, Book 4. The Ninth Volume of the Realm Bound
New Jake City has fallen. As invading forces roam with impunity and take what they want, Jake finds himself alone, willing to take any allies regardless of their questionable background or unsavory nature.
His only glimmer of hope is that his foes think too little of him, and discount what is he is capable of forging. He toils to forge the forces that will let him reunite those who have been lost or taken from their new home.
The throne of New Jake City is yet to be constructed, and only one will sit atop of it, as Lord of New Jake City.
The planned publication order:
Volume 1 — The Touch of Essence, Book 1: Born Today
Volume 2 — The Touch of Blood, Book 1: Unfinished Business
Volume 3 — The Touch of Eternity, Book 1: Eternally Blessed
Volume 4 — The Touch of Eternity, Book 2: Eternally Touched
Volume 5 — The Touch of Essence, Book 2: Annie’s Little Orphans
Volume 6 — The Touch of Blood, Book 2: Outstanding Debt
Volume 7 — The Touch of Eternity, Book 3: Eternally Cursed
Volume 8 — The Touch of Essence, Book 3: Asylum Nation
Volume 9 — The touch of Essence, Book 4: Dread Lord
Volume 10 — The Touch of Blood, Book 3: Slippery Slope
Volume 11 — The Touch of Eternity, Book 4: Eternally Lost
Volume 0 — Kill Moose and Squirrel
Volume 12 — Cindy Rela
Volume 13 — Be More Specific
Volume 14 — She’ll Save Every One of Us!
Volume 15 — The Touch of Essence, Book 4: Happily Evren After
Volume 16 — The Touch of Blood, Book 4: Capital Building
Volume 17 — The Touch of Eternity, Book 5: Eternally Home
Volume 18 — Of Essence, Blood, and Eternity
Two other books are possible, but have not been scheduled:
Touch of Eternity: Eternally Reborn — The story of the life of Mabila Tristram, Noralee’s second incarnation.
Afterwards — A novel with Thomas Landers as the main character