Welcome to the Otherworlds, a place where the fantastical collides with the historical.
Explore 1923 London, find Easter eggs from the classic tales hidden in the text, see aesthetic boards, playlists, and more!
Praise for The Never Heir:
​
"Atmospheric with gothic undertones.
The Never Heir is a Peter Pan retelling that meshes the post war era of the 1920s, (where Victorian values meet glitzy modern exploits), with fantastic elements like dark fae, pixie dust, and magical items of import.
This book is an exquisite and unique marriage of tones and it captivates the senses from Chapter One.
While you’re getting to know the characters, and you’re pining for the romance between Evie and Charles to ignite, The Never Heir keeps you on your toes—it keeps you wondering what’s around the next corner, or even what might be standing over you when you wake…
Is this the Neverland from your childhood dreams? Well, it has lost boys, the occasional mermaid, and crystalline waters, but as for the rest, absolutely not.
Highly recommend this read to those who love fairytale retellings with dark twists, fantastical mysteries, and slow burn everything."
​
-Micheline Rykman, author of The Maiden Ship trilogy
​
Playlist for The Never Heir
Music is a huge part of my creative process. I love finding songs and making playlists that help me connect to the story and characters.
Here are just a few of the songs that helped inspire the world, characters, and mood of The Never Heir.
​
Lost Boy by Ruth B.
Hear Your Heart by James Bay
Flaws by Calum Scott
Got It In You by Banners
Kiss Me by Ed Sheeran
Stone by Jaymes Young
Broken Ones by Jacquie
Dynasty by MIIA
These Are The Lies by The Cab
Bad Liar (Imagine Dragons cover) by Anna Hamilton
Silence by Marshmello, Khalid
.png)
Step into the world of 1923 London
A surprising amount of research went into making sure readers felt immersed in 1923 London. Everything from the type of bicycle Charlie rides and the type of items he stocks at Mr. Willoughby's store to the types of hats and shoes Evie wore were authentic to that time. Here are few things that I thought were particularly interesting:
​
1. In chapter 2, Evie's mother drinks orange juice at the breakfast table. OJ wasn't common during the 1920s and households like Evie's were very skeptical of the new drink. A common comment was to say that it was too sour.
​
2. Using malaria to treat psychosis, like Evie experienced, was a real treatment during the 1920s. It was horrific and inhumane, but doctors really thought that the high fevers would cure their patients.
​
3. The "Bright Young Things" of the 1920s was a term coined by the tabloids and referred to the carefree, aristocratic young people. They were known for their fancy parties, motorcar racing, drinking, and elaborate treasure hunts as a way to entertain themselves.
​
4. The silent movie Charlie and his friends watch "Love, life, and laughter" was a real silent movie that premiered in 1923. It was considered lost until a copy was found in 2014.
​
5. Towards the end of the book, Evie and Edmund go to a spot in Kensington Gardens "west of the long water". The spot I described is actually where there is currently a statue of Peter Pan.
​
6. In England, prohibition didn't exist like it did in the USA during the 1920s. Instead, police tried to enforce a drinking curfew that prohibited the sale of alcohol after a certain time. There were lots of ways around this curfew, like bribing police, or hosting "lock ins" like my characters experience the night of Charlie's ill-fated boxing match.
Character art by @Damian.In.The.Den. Author owns the rights to these images. Do not copy or use.
The Game of Hearts
In The Never Heir, Evie's best friend was originally named Hazel. When I got the idea to write an Alice in Wonderland retelling, I changed Hazel's name to Alice so the books could be part of the same shared world. Here are some fun, behind the scenes facts about what into book 2:
​
1. Alice Liddell is the original name of Lewis Carroll’s main character.
​
2. In Chapter Six, Alice and her friends visit an observatory located in Greenwich. This is the real location of the Prime Meridian and has been converted into a museum with a planetarium. I learned about the observatory and the red ball that drops from the tower while drafting this book and knew it would make the perfect location for a magical portal into the Otherworld.
​
3. In Chapter Nine, Alice stumbles into a London pub named The Golden Afternoon. This refers to the poem Carroll wrote about the day he came up with the Alice in Wonderland Story.
4.I picked Maddox’s name because he was originally going to be my “mad hatter” character, but then I decided he was better suited for the love interest. I loved his name because it means “good fortune” and seemed fitting for someone competing in a game to win a wish of their heart.
​
5. Ches’s name was chosen as a reference to the original Cheshire Cat.
​
6. According to some name sites, Verena’s name means to fear, or to respect.
​
7. I love hot air balloons. They feel so magical and provide a touch of whimsy whenever I see them, so I knew I had to include a scene with Alice in a hot air balloon. The origins of gas ballons and the races like the Gordon Bennitt Cup are fascinating.
​
8. In Chapter 31, Ches tells Alice part of a fae nursery rhyme about Jabberwocky. The line is from Lewis Carroll’s poem that was included in his sequel to Alice in Wonderland.
​
9. The looking glass, the Bandersnatch, the White Rabbits, and a queen that says “off with their heads!” are all references to Carroll’s original story, but I’ve tried to present them to readers in ways they might not expect.
​
10. The mermaid who makes an appearance at the end of the story is the same mermaid who spoke to Charlie when he was a boy in The Never Heir.
Character art by @Damian.In.The.Den. Author owns the rights to these images. Do not copy or use.
Playlist for The Game of Hearts
Music is a huge part of my creative process. I love finding songs and making playlists that help me connect to the story and characters.
Here are just a few of the songs that helped inspire the world, characters, and mood of The Game of Hearts.
​
Bruises by Lewis Capaldi
Cold Sets in by World’s First Cinema
Playground by Bea Miller, Arcane, League of Legends
Wonderland by Taylor Swift
Dancing With Your Shadows by Phillip Phillips
Buried by Unsecret
Lost in Love by St. Lundi
Red Run Cold by World’s First Cinema
The Emerald Alliance
I couldn't write a 1920s historical fantasy and not include details from the United States. So much was happening during this time with prohibition and American gangsters, and I knew it would provide the perfect backdrop for Thea's story.
​
1. Thea's full name is Dorothea, a nod to Dorothy Gale from the original Wizard of Oz story.
​
2. Alice's story continues in this last book. She's my "timid girl" and represents the cowardly lion character.
​
3. Edmund also plays a big role in the book. He considers himself "heartless" and is my tin-man character.
4. In chapter five, Evie rescues some lost souls from a factory fire. Dangerous working conditions were all too common in the early 20th century and I wanted to highlight that.
​
5. Grant Park is a famous park in Chicago, much like Central Park is to NYC.
​
6. Torryn's club, The Sunset Lounge, regularly gets "bathtub gin" or "bootleg alcohol", a reference to 1920s prohibition where people made their own concoctions at home and sold them to clubs via the black market. Having trap doors in clubs to illegally pass drinks back and forth to customers was a real method of serving alcohol during that time.
​
7. In chapter seven, there's a reference to Saint Mary's Parish, a real church with two bell towers in Chicago. It was closed and almost demolished in 1988, but was saved and is still a functioning church today.
​
8.HH Holmes is mentioned in the book. He was a real con artists and serial killer during the 1800s in Chicago.
9. There are a couple of references to missing children in the book, and I really wanted to explore the idea of Pan being responsible as he grew in power and was trying to rebuild his army, but the word count just got too long so I had to cut that subplot.
​
10. In the original Wizard of Oz story, Dorothy learns that the power to return home was always inside her. I took that same theme of trusting your power and added my own spin as Thea grows into her own strength.
​
11. The phrase Time is Never Planned, is mentioned in The Never Heir and is mentioned frequently in The Emerald Alliance. This is a phrase from the original Peter Pan story, but it means something unique to my characters and plays an important role in this final book.
​
12. The enchanted items each fae kingdom gets are all mentioned in The Never Heir. As soon as I came up with the idea for the hourglass and what it could do, I wanted this last story to be focused on it.
Character art by @Damian.In.The.Den. Author owns the rights to these images. Do not copy or use.
Playlist for The Emerald Alliance
Music is a huge part of my creative process. I love finding songs and making playlists that help me connect to the story and characters.
Here are just a few of the songs that helped inspire the world, characters, and mood of The Emerald Alliance.
​
Colors by Jacob Kulick
Hero by Weezer
Ribcage by Andy Black
Diamonds by Sam Smith
Die First by Nessa Barrett
Perfectly Broken by Banners
Heart of the Darkness by Tommee Profitt, Sam Tinnesz
Locksmith Sadie Jean