Whoever tells the story makes the rules.
Maiden of the New Dawn
Welcome to Munyika where the land is magical, and the tribes trade the fruits of their god-given gifts peacefully with each other until…
….mysterious newcomers from across the sea colonize the land, changing everything. As the Aelari evangelize their god, Aurion to the native people…
Moona lives in her family home as an extraordinary weaver in an Artisan village.
Kaelen, orphaned because of attack, was raised to be a Warrior in the Citadel. His magic abilities have always raised questions among the Warriors.
When the two fated soulmates meet for the sensual spring rite of Spaeyro, their lives are forever changed.
They awake to a massacre & stolen magic. Traumatized, Moona loses her voice and her freedom.
Moona came to the Nyikasi’s Abbey of the Gods for sanctuary, but found it under the control of the Aelari.
A ward of the Aelari Empire, Moona becomes a powerful symbol used to lead her people to convert to following Aurion.
Kaelen becomes a spy seeking answers for the crimes against his people.
The battle they face is not one of physical force but a slow erasure of their culture.
Their enemy conquers through religious dogma, imperial decree, and rumors—the media of the ancient world.
As Spaeyro-born, Moona and Kaelen possess unique magic abilities that they must hide from their
magic-discouraging enemy.
As they learn to use their magic they create a family of friends who have all experienced tragedy at the hands of the conquerors.
With the her revered powers, Moona is paraded as a prize for marriage. Using political strategy, Nyikasi and Aelari nobles compete for Moona’s hand.
Knowing that their romance is doomed, Moona and Kaelen must decide how to survive in this dawning empire.
Drawing inspiration from the African folktale Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters, this series subverts the original patriarchal narrative by casting the king as a villainous predator who believes himself to be an arbiter of virtue. The folktale also inspires the lush setting of Maiden of the Dawn.
Maiden of the New Dawn begins a four-book series in which every story, every legend, and every secret challenges the myths that uphold power, weaving foreshadowed clues readers can uncover from the very first page. Follow the characters as they meet challenges across multiple lifetimes.
This series explores themes of injustice in an engaging tale with a memorable cast of characters that can make a reader laugh and cry in moments.
Maiden of the New Dawn is just the beginning of a tale that spans across an epic series
Themes
Revisionist Histories
Institutional Power
Reincarnation
Gods, Myth & Religion
Found Family
Trauma & Healing
Reclaiming Agency
Cults
Colonialism & Cultural Identity
Genre
Fantasy Romance, Political Fantasy
Story Features
Dual POV
BIPOC Protagonists
Hidden-in-Plain-Sight Foreshadowing
Shapeshifters
Epigraphs
African folklore-inspired worldbuilding
Culture-Based Magic
Every tribe wields a unique form of magic tied to its role in society.
Romance Tropes
Fated Lovers
Forbidden Love
One-Night Stand
One Bed
Mutual Pining
Golden Retriever MMC
Slow Burn
Love Triangle (Sort of)
Forced Proximity
Who I Am
(aka Why I Can Tell This Tale)
I'm a Los Angeles–based author, designer, and Teaching Artist with a BFA in Communication Arts. My work explores the intersection of storytelling, art, and culture, inspiring others to find meaning through weaving, pattern creation, and design. As a lifelong student of history and someone who experienced religious indoctrination, I'm fascinated by the ways art, mythology, and religion preserve cultural memory while also serving as tools of persuasion and control.
An avid reader of speculative fiction, I'm especially drawn to stories that explore power, identity, and the systems that shape our world. Novels like Parable of the Sower, The Handmaid's Tale, and 1984 have profoundly influenced my writing. I often found myself wondering what the beginning of a dystopia looks like. Maiden of the New Dawn is my answer.
