Word Count: 40000
Summary: An outcast necromancer and a half-demon clerk need to save the world from seashell zombies. No pressure. Everyone's always told Aspic that trouble can't help following him because of his heritage. Determined to put the lie to half-demon stereotypes, he's finally landed a good, quiet job as an herbalist's clerk where the owner trusts him to man the shop alone. What could go wrong selling coriander and thyme? When Geoffrey first enters the shop, Aspic finds the little man's eccentric appearance startling, then intriguing. Geoffrey explains, in stops and starts, that he is a theoretical necromancer researching replacements for blood magic. His current line of inquiry involves seashells—do they have any in stock? Aspic's co-workers warn him that Geoffrey is a walking disaster, but he finds himself more and more drawn to a necromancer concerned with ethical death magic. Aspic is with Geoffrey in his lab when he has his first success, but the results aren't at all what he was aiming for. Instead of raising the dead rabbit on his table, the ritual animates the seashell and rock spell components, which flee the lab and cause havoc. They soon discover that the spell-animated objects are "zombies" in that they can "infect" other inanimate things. An unorthodox necromancer and an exasperated shop clerk are going to need some unconventional help to find a working de-animation spell before the world is overrun by zombie seashells and stones gone mad. Geoffrey the Very Strange is part of the Magic Emporium series. Each book stands alone, but each one features an appearance by Marden’s Magic Emporium, a shop that can appear anywhere, but only once and only when someone’s in dire need. This book contains theoretical necromancy, unexpected spell outcomes, some extraordinarily angry seashells, and a guaranteed HEA.
Word Count: 60000
Summary: A vampire on the run. An elf in need of a purpose. Ro Laceleaf, failed forester, is the sole member of Merseton's town watch. It's not an exciting job by any means, but after Geoffrey's disastrous necromantic experiments, the townsfolk insist it's necessary. Ro is both diligent and bored out of his skull, until one night he's called to an emergency at Mrs. Pickle's. A vampire is attacking her house. On the run for several years, Edmund is near starvation and out of options. His last hope for refuge? Merseton. He's heard the town welcomes people outside the ordinary. Edmund's certainly not an ordinary vampire. While he expected suspicion and initial hostility, he didn't anticipate a beating with a wet kitchen mop. Ro needs to make the determination—is Edmund a monster or a potential resident? The more he speaks to Edmund, the more horrified Ro becomes over what he's been through. Edmund's telling the truth—Ro's certain of that—but he's not telling all of it. Ro needs to gain Edmund's trust to learn the whole story, about Edmund and the terrifying enemies hunting him, while not letting Edmund become a distraction. Yes, fine, he's already a distraction. But Ro's not going to fail, not this time. The town, and Edmund, will be safe, no matter what Ro has to do. This book contains an adorable fruit bat, geese of frightening properties (since when aren't they?), co-habitating demons, and a guaranteed HEA.
Word Count: 68000
Summary: Argyle’s particular about how to be human, but rules must be broken to save his favorite town. Of all the towns on Argyle Mim’s trading routes, he’s always enjoyed visiting Merseton best. The residents understand the unusual, and he can’t deny he’s far from usual. So when he learns of a cavalry troop bent on destroying his favorite town, Argyle races to warn them and becomes more involved in the town’s defense than he’d anticipated. Fen Pepper never wanted to be a cavalry soldier, but when his brother is forcibly conscripted, he volunteers. He’s always protected Cor from people who don’t understand him, and he’s not about to stop now. A monster-killing obsessed captain leads the cavalry troop, and their target is the little town of Merseton, which might or might not exist. When Cor is injured during a skirmish, Fen stays with him while the rest of the troop flees—abandoning them to a town of monsters. But all is not what it seems, and Fen finds his prejudices and fears challenged at every turn. Trader Argyle takes Fen under his wing and helps him navigate this odd new world. The cavalry will return—Fen knows their captain well enough for that—endangering the people who rescued him and his brother. While Fen reconsiders the bad information he’s been fed all his life and tries not to consider his growing feelings for Argyle, he knows he’ll have to choose between questionable loyalty and the truth right in front of him. This book contains: one cat who knows more than she should, some horrible holy relics, and a number of very angry birds.
