A.J. Vrana

2023 Ontario Author Project Winner in Adult Fiction Black Hollow is a town with a dark secret. For centuries, residents have foretold the return of the Dreamwalker—an ominous figure from local folklore said to lure young women into the woods and possess them. Yet the boundary between fact and fable is blurred by a troubling statistic: occasionally, women do go missing. And after they return, they almost always end up dead. When Kai wakes up next to the lifeless body of a recently missing girl, his memory blank, he struggles to clear his already threadbare conscience. Miya, a floundering university student, experiences signs that she may be the Dreamwalker’s next victim. Can she trust Kai as their paths collide, or does he herald her demise? And after losing a young patient, crestfallen oncologist, Mason, embarks on a quest to debunk the town’s superstitions, only to find his sanity tested. A maelstrom of ancient grudges, forgotten traumas, and deadly secrets loom in the foggy forests of Black Hollow. Can three unlikely heroes put aside their fears and unite to confront a centuries-old evil? Will they uncover the truth behind the fable, or will the cycle repeat? A perfect story for contemporary fantasy readers who love their narratives razor-sharp and their secrets dark and deadly.

Not all love stories begin in the stars. Some begin in blood. Miya and Kai were fated to cross paths, but that doesn’t make their shared road any easier. After the horrific events of Black Hollow, Miya Delathorne finds herself alone. Her only friend and ally: Kai Donovan, a man with a brutal past and a vicious streak to show for it. They barely know one another, their future as murky as their roots, but the scorching chemistry between them leaves little room for doubt and even less for clothing. Love isn’t always pretty, but sometimes, it might be worth the trouble. Miya and Kai have bested ancient gods and sinister hauntings, but can they conquer their greatest challenge yet: living together. Stray Feathers is a collection of seven spicy slice-of-life stories from The Chaos Cycle Duology. Five stories take place after The Hollow Gods (#1) and two are slotted after The Echoed Realm (#2). Familiarity with at least book 1, The Hollow Gods, is strongly recommended. Available only on author's website.

An epic, macabre folktale for a new generation. Miya’s world ended in Black Hollow. It’s been three years since the Dreamwalker upended her life and left her with a heavy burden. A fledgling to the ethereal realm, Miya stumbles into the nightmares of those haunted by spectres. Little does she know, one of them is coming for her, clutching a dark secret abreast. Kai has found a new purpose with his companion, but the price is his freedom. Bound and beholden to Miya, he struggles to adjust to his new role as her vanguard. Meanwhile, Mason discovers he may be a pawn trapped in a web of schemes. Was his time in Black Hollow an accident, or was it only the beginning of some greater machination? As Black Hollow’s bloody stain spreads beyond its wooded borders, Miya fights to evade a past she barely understands. The Dreamwalker’s legacy is a vise grip, and it isn’t letting go. Primordial horrors draw near, fables come alive, and long-buried histories rise from the grave, ready to hunt. Sharpen your claws and bloody your teeth. There’s fear to be sown.