In Caves & Catacombs: a Novella Series
The Boat
In Caves & Catacombs: Book 1
When her lover succumbs to the virus plaguing the remains of the civilized world, Lindsay is left alone on a sailboat she can't operate. With nuclear bombs deployed to destroy the infected and the storm season just beginning, she must find a way to survive—without losing her mind in the process.
The first book in the “In Caves & Catacombs” series, “The Boat” begins with one woman’s journey as she does what she must to survive the apocalypse.
The Grave
In Caves & Catacombs: Book 2
The viral outbreak has reached the northern California town of Oceanside, where Damian, an Iraq veteran and his dog, Wolf, have been living on the streets for years. With the majority of the town either evacuated or infected, Damian, Wolf, and his long-time friend Frog must rely on more than their usual skills to survive.
An indirect sequel to “The Boat”, “The Grave” takes readers through the apocalypse with new eyes, bringing them one step closer to where it all began.
The Road
IN CAVES & CATACOMBS: BOOK 3
After a viral outbreak kills a third of the population, California's Central Valley lies in ruin. The intrepid and resilient April Shaw is one of the few that refused to evacuate. Now she takes to the road to find answers about the boy she placed for adoption a decade ago.
A fast-paced story of loss, enduring love, and new social realities after an extinction event, “The Road” will remain with you long after you finish the third installment of the “In Caves & Catacombs” series.
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The Cave
In Caves & Catacombs: Book 4
Maggie is imprisoned at Real Impact, a boot camp for troubled teens in the Mexican high desert, when she learns the outside world has been forever changed by the HORPOV-25 pandemic. Guided by Abigail and her fellow survivors of Real Impact, Maggie embarks on a journey to discover what it means to survive in a terrifying new world—and in the process, finds a young boy named Valentino who changes everything.
In California, Warren and April continue to head south on a quest to find April’s biological son. They are joined by their newfound friend Damian and his dog, Wolf. Along the way, they find signs of a threat that may have deep ties to April’s past. And as they draw ever-closer to Valentino, their lives collide with Maggie’s in a way that will change their worlds forever.
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The Efren Sea: a Novel Series
By Scion and Sea (COMING SOON)
BOOK 1 OF THE EFREN SEA SERIES
The year is 2505. To escape a viral pandemic and nuclear eradication of the HORPOV-25 disease, humans on the Pacific coast have survived in caves and catacombs, in bunkers and in the sea, forming entirely new ways of life over hundreds of years. The ocean-dwellers call themselves the Merfolk, living in harmony with the tides and binding their legs and feet with sealskins to stay warm. They live in partially submerged sea caves, breathing air and resting on the Wetrocks, forbidden to walk on the dry land that they still consider diseased. But staying off the dry land is the only law they share. The Merfolk are all divided into war-ravaged factions: the Yakone, a proud and capable folk who live in the cold waters of the north; the fiercely independent Efrenen, the central and largest tribe with the greatest resources; and the cruel, elite Valen from the warm southern waters, who once ruled the entire coast and will stop at nothing to take control of the factions as their colonies once more.
But now the water in the north is growing colder, and the cold is spreading. The food is becoming scarce. The infants are dying at an unprecedented rate. And Mida Efren, the granddaughter of the great Murtaugh the Rebel and the youngest High Councilmember ever to serve, must find a way to save her people, even if it means becoming the slaves of the power-hungry Valen.
But just as surrender seems inevitable, Mida encounters a living legend: a landman who can walk on the sand. And there are more like him coming: more landfolk in underground cities, who are just now emerging to recolonize the Sunlands. And they are all carriers of HORPOV-25.
Standalone Works
Wizards in Winter
A Christmas Short Story
Enoch the Red Wizard sets off into an enchanted wood on Christmas Eve, just as the worst blizzard in memory descends. He goes on a series of quests for the denizens of the wood, in hopes he can create a truly magical gift for one special boy in the nearby village of Derrydol.
A collaboration by Elle Otero & Joshua Converse
The Man in White
A Halloween Short Story
A wrong turn takes a quiet girl into a bar on the darker side of town.
Originally published in the 2017 Scheherazade literary magazine, "The Man in White" is the quick read that won the annual Halloween short story contest.
