About

Adrift in life and insecure in her decisions, Lana Mitchell can't catch a break. Fired from work and lectured by Nathan, her older brother threatening to charge rent, she sets out on a job hunt and accidentally trips into a realm mirror to her own.

In Madiriki the roads remain, though the buildings are gone, replaced with glowing fractal forests. Every building except an untidy bookstore helmed by a surly magic-man. Travis Hughes knows where she is and can help—though takes great pleasure in teasing her instead.

When his past arrives on Lana's heels, Travis must make a decision—dump her and continue to drown his conscience in marijuana, or help the girl return home. And in doing so, make them vulnerable to the deadly feuding fae surrounding historic and forgotten Chicago.

Lana's not the first person to go missing in Madiriki, and Travis may know more than he lets on. Suddenly losing her job is the least of Lana's worries as she must navigate the secret society Travis is banished from and learn magic on the fly, all while confronting the reason she left her parent's house to begin with. Can Lana return to her world before she is no longer able—before she can make amends for her past?

LYRIC FICTION is an irreverent coming-of-age fantasy complete at 120,000 words with series potential. It has About a Boy's personal growth from colliding perspectives mixed with the heart racing action of Legendborn, plus a unique magic system and complicated relationships like in Ink Blood Sister Scribe.

Kat Katsma is a queer writer and civil servant who believes in growing through travel and shared experiences. A member of Chicago Writers Association, she has attended writing and improv classes at the Second City Training Center and is a former writer for Landscape Architecture Magazine which nurtured an ability to describe environments in vivid detail.