MinaParkes

ONCE UPON A TIME, at the End of the World, there lived a necromancer.But he hadn't always been a necromancer. Once upon a different, longer-ago time, he had owned a tiny apothecary shop, making potions and minding his own business entirely. Then, one fateful day, he made the terrible mistake of falling in love. The rest is...well, the rest is this book, and you should read it.…

MinaParkes

''SHE HAD A STROKE. SHE'S GONE.''The unexpected death of Tabitha's grandmother, Ruth, deals a blow to her small family--one that comes just as Tabitha is ending things with her long-term boyfriend. Reeling from these two life-altering losses, Tabitha makes the long journey to her grandmother's hometown to take care of the old house that has been in their family for generations. There, she meets one of her grandmother's art students, Anabel, and the women strike up a friendship right when Tabitha needs one most. Or maybe it's something more than friendship. But they say that bad things come in threes. As Tabitha settles in at her gran's house, mired in grief, strange things start to happen.Strange and frightening things. Could it be that the old house is haunted? Did Ruth, a well-loved artist without an enemy in the world, die with with unfinished business? As they search for answers, Tabitha and Ana uncover family secrets that span generations, but they're in a fight against time. Whatever dark force is inhabiting Ruth's home is out for blood.…

MinaParkes

🌟 2022 Wattys Shortlist! 🌟Richard Campbell has numerous problems.First among them is Garth, his roommate and business partner. Together, they're launching RiGarTek, a start-up intended to bring more efficient solar power to the average consumer. But Garth is on the very last of Richard's last nerves, and they're broke. Add to this the fact that Richard is still recovering from a nasty divorce, and...well, life isn't great.Richard's main solace is his '72 Camaro. He takes her out to drag race on weekends, which is a great way to get his blood pumping and to relieve some of the stress he's been under...but one night, he returns from a race to find a stranger in his home. A stranger with tentacles, who scarpers with Richard's life's work: the schematics for his revolutionary solar cells. Richard nearly convinces himself that the tentacle-waving burglar is a figment of his imagination, but when he and Garth are nearly killed in their own front yard, they have to face the facts: a space age adventure has swept them up without their permission. Their lives and the lives of many others are on the line, and Richard's not hero material....Or is he?…

MinaParkes

A LINE UNBROKEN. A TRUTH UNSPOKEN. Born into wealth and privilege as the niece of an emperor, Starborn Lady Mhera never dreamt that tragedy would shatter her world. But darkness roils beneath the peaceful facade of the Holy City: a rebellion is brewing among the Arcborn-the dangerous, magic-blooded undercaste of Penrua-and they will stop at nothing to destroy the peace of the realm. That much is proven to Mhera when she is just a girl and her greatest treasure is taken from her. Years later, still wounded by the evil the Arcborn wrought against her, she is on the brink of professing her final vows as a nun...but before she can accept the life of safety and solitude she doesn't truly desire, she is offered a chilling compromise with fate that threatens everything she has ever known.FIRST PLACE WINNER - 2018 Clash of Swords (hosted by The Fae Folk) - Dark Fantasy CategorySECOND PLACE WINNER - 2018 Sunset Awards - Fantasy CategorySECOND PLACE - 2018 X Factor Awards - Overall!…

MinaParkes

ONCE UPON A TIME, at the End of the World, there lived a necromancer. His name was Theodosius, and years ago he made the terrible mistake of falling in love. This is the story of his (mis)adventure. You should read it. Theodosius is mildly interesting, and there is a cat.WATTPAD FEATURED STORY: August 2018FIRST PLACE WINNER - 2018 Ocean Awards - Short Story CategoryFIRST PLACE WINNER - 2018 Iris Awards - Humor CategoryFIRST PLACE WINNER - 2017 Bibliophile Awards - Humor CategoryFIRST PLACE WINNER - 2017 Shines Awards - Short Story CategoryHONORABLE MENTION - 2017 Romance Awards - Supernatural CategoryCONTENT WARNING: I do not consider the content of this short story "mature," but there are themes some people may find scary and troubling! It's all there in the title: necromancy ... and love at first sight. ;)…

MinaParkes

Agnes Allore's passions are simple: music, first and foremost, rules her heart. Second comes her best friend Daniel, a servant boy. As a girl, Agnes can do as she wishes; her beloved father indulges her willful spirit, and her troubled mother hardly pays her any mind at all.But as Agnes leaves her girlhood behind and becomes a young woman, she learns that dark secrets lurk beneath the surface of her influential family, and none of what she loves can go with her into the dark.---Daniel Serran is a waif and a wanderer. When he and his disabled father come upon the Allore mansion, they expect to be turned away, but magnanimous Master Allore takes a chance on them. It's there that Daniel meets Agnes, the young lady of the house. Compared to her dazzling mother, Agnes is plain; compared to other women, she's rude and she's wild. But there is something about her that draws Daniel in, and he will never be the same.---Plunge into a dark retelling of "The Little Mermaid," embellished with mermaid lore. In a world where men's greed knows no bounds, there are few happy endings.FIRST PLACE WINNER - 2018 Iris Awards - Romance CategorySECOND PLACE WINNER - 2018 Iris Awards - OverallFIRST PLACE WINNER - 2018 Mystic Awards - Romance CategoryFIRST PLACE WINNER - 2017 Romance Awards - Heartbreaking CategoryHONORABLE MENTION - June 2017 Rose Gold Awards - "Best Kiss"TW: Abuse and graphic violence…

MinaParkes

Take on the role of intrepid journalist Kendall Moore in this interactive story! It will be the fight of your life...- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - You're Kendall Moore, a talented journalist with a slate of successful runs in the Danville Daily. Most recently, you've been covering the sensational story currently gripping the countryside: a murderer is on the prowl stalking young men and women all around Danville, and it feels like anyone could be his next victim.You've been working around the clock on a splashy, full-page feature on the most recent case, the brutal slaying of 21-year-old Mathilda Haynes. But your editor throws a wrench in your plans when he requests your help: your flaky coworker hasn't followed through on a piece for a much-loved weekly column on local businesses. He wants you to write a boring little article on a bar in the neighboring town of Pepper Hill.If you take one for the team and write the article, you may get more than you bargained for...THE BUTCHER OF PEPPER HILL is an interactive, branching path story. In it, your decisions will shape the way the story unfolds. Keep your wits about you! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - This story is rated MATURE for the following types of disturbing content: gory violence; murder; kidnapping; alcohol; drugs; swearing. Please start with the ***REQUIRED*** section for more information on the rating before you proceed.…

MinaParkes

THE STARS HAVE FALLEN. Return to the Holy City in the sequel to Blood-Bound.**Warning** Spoilers follow for those who have not read Blood-Bound! Check out the first book in the Lore of Penrua trilogy before reading further.All is not well in the Holy City. Lady Mhera and Matei u Rhodana, the Rebel King, returned to Karelin to end a war with their sacrifice. In so doing, they tore down an era of secrets and lies. Now, they must restore order to the realm, challenged at every turn by others--and even by one another. Their struggle has just begun, and Mhera and Matei are ill-equipped for the burden that has been thrust upon them. Once again set on a path very different from the one they would have chosen for themselves, they must choose between their desires...and their duty.…

MinaParkes

BLOOD IS POWER.The Blood-Bound Sovereigns, Matei and Mhera, have been leading the Penruan Empire as best as they can since the Arcborn Rebellion shattered it half a decade ago. Together, they've weathered many trials and borne many burdens, but the time of their deepest suffering was yet to come...Matei and Mhera's daughter, Princess Uarria, disappeared from her bedchamber late one night. The mutilated corpse of her guard, stuffed unceremoniously into a wardrobe, makes it clear that the princess is in mortal danger. With tensions broiling in the southern provinces of Narr and threatening to escalate into all-out war, the terrified parents must balance their fear for their daughter with their duties to the realm. Meanwhile, Uachi u Rora struggles with the revelation that Ealin, the unmarked Arcborn woman he has loved for years, is the one who has taken the princess. He cares for Ealin more than he's ever cared for anything in his life and now, faced with the horror of her betrayal, he is honor-bound to bring her to justice. His journey will take him farther from home than he has ever gone, where he will meet people stranger than any he's ever known and face down monsters he first met as a boy.…

MinaParkes

Theodosius is in Hell. Literally. To his surprise, mine, and possibly yours, too, being eaten by a demoness was not the end of his story! He has a thrilling adventure ahead: conferences with the Devil, mystical lawnmowers, cookies...Oh, dear. Follow Theo's journey out of Hell in the second installment of the (mis)adventures of Theodosius, the (accidental) necromancer. If you haven't read "True Love and Necromancy," please check it out at the following link before reading this book: https://www.wattpad.com/story/103237124-true-love-and-necromancy…

MinaParkes

In the final installment of the Lore of Penrua series, Uachi and Diarmán take their leave of the Holy City and return to Narr...*** House Eldran is in shambles. Over the course of a decade, the castle and its surrounding lands have fallen to ruin. There are those who believe that wayward Lady Moigré brought more than seven sons with her when she returned from the realm of the Fae: they say she was shadowed by a curse. Now, her father Lord Emón is dying, and his legacy is in question. Who will rule when the old man is dead?Lady Moigré's eldest son, Diarmán, was the unlikeliest of heroes in the War for Narrian Independence. A chance encounter with a grim-faced stranger, Uachi, swept him up into adventure, politics, and a chance at love. Now, for the part he played in the war, Diarmán has the vocal support of the Empire for his claim to his grandfather's throne. He and Uachi are returning to House Eldran to lay his claim, and if Diarmán secretly hopes to kindle something more than friendship between them, well, who can blame him?But Diarmán is not the only one who wants to rule House Eldran. There is someone older, far more powerful, and cleverer, too-someone who should have died when Eldran's Wood was burned to the ground. When his father Han Taín rises from the dead, where will Diarmán's loyalties fall? *** CHAPTERS POSTED WEEKLY!…

MinaParkes

People have asked me how I write as much as I do. I'm by no means the most productive scribbler in the world, but I do have a few tips to share! I figure I'll start by telling you how I organize my work and set writing goals, and I may blather on about other things if the fancy strikes. Just bear in mind that I have no flippin' idea what I'm doing. Still, I hope some of the folks out there can relate: this writing thing is haaard.…

MinaParkes

Tess Morrison is struggling. Suffering from an anxiety disorder after a tragic accident that claimed the life of her younger sister, Julia, she's simply trying to survive high school--which is tough, since she's the newest student at Eagle Point. Enter cute, charming, confident Isaac, and things get complicated.As Tess struggles to balance her budding romance with a crushing load of schoolwork, it becomes clear she can't do it alone. She turns to Miguel, a sweet, supportive English tutor who's determined to help Tess succeed, and she discovers he has a knack for much more than crafting the perfect essay.Will Tess and Isaac's connection bloom into true romance? Will Miguel show Tess a way through her grief, all while helping her pass English? Can Tess make it through the obstacle course of high school? Find out in "Almost There."…

MinaParkes

A jealous, vengeful goddess. A ruined land. A woman alone, desperate to survive.When the goddess Kogoren was betrayed by one of her worshipers, she took out her rage on her realm. In her righteous anger, she shattered the continent, raised razor-sharp mountains from the earth, and turned clear streams into burning rivers of molten stone. Fire rained from the sky and ashes blanketed cities and fields. The eruption of the Queen's Crest, Kogoren's holy mountain, killed every one of her priests. The world ended that day. Kogoren's people prayed. They wept. And when no help nor mercy came, they were lost.The Cataclysm was many years ago, before Sarka was born. The broken land and the hopeless people who survived it are all Sarka has ever known. No one speaks of the goddess now; her dark legacy is a shadow over the starved realm that still bears her name, a place where the best one can hope for is to survive the day. One day, a brush with death grants Sarka tragic clarity: if she stays in Kogoren, she will live a half-life punctuated with danger, hunger, and pain. What if there is a world out there beyond the reach of the goddess who left her children to die?Cover by @Abyss-of-Crazy…

MinaParkes

Theo has been to Hell and back. He held up his end of a deal with the Devil, but did the Devil do his part?No. No, he did not, and Theodosius has detailed complaints. Follow him as he (carefully) gives the actual Devil a piece of his mind and sets out on yet another unnecessarily convoluted quest in search of peace and happiness in this, the third book of The Misadventures of Theodosius! If you haven't read the first two books in Theo's Misadventures, please check 'em out on my profile: True Love and Necromancy [Book I]Toil and Trouble and Bad Decisions [Book II]…

MinaParkes

Death is a common theme in traditional folk music.Some songs recount a tragic death and the grief of loved ones left behind. These songs force us to contemplate our own mortality and that of those we hold dear. Other songs tell the grisly story of a murder. Murder ballads confront the listener with the dark side of human nature.Whatever the story they tell, folk songs about death are a uniquely emotional and strangely beautiful experience.THE UNQUIET GRAVE is a collection of short stories inspired by murder ballads and folk songs dealing with death.FIRST PLACE WINNER - 2018 Rose Awards - Short Story Category…

MinaParkes

Rhiannon has always been a nurturer; she loves to watch things grow, from the grade-school children she teaches to the thriving plants in her beautiful garden. More than anything else in the world, she loves her husband, Brad, and she's thrilled when she discovers that she and Brad are about to be parents for the first time.This short story is my contribution to "The Feast of Fate," a collaborative series of short stories written with authors AnnaQuin07 and MeganDenner.Photo in the cover image by Chloe Si on Unsplash.…