The Dangers of Being Brave & True

The Dangers of Being Brave & True is an epic fantasy novel grounded in family conflict, elemental magic and unlikely friendships.

Exiled royalty.
Elemental magic.
Evil incarnate.

Torn from Earth, Brave Kingsfort lands alone in a wild new world. On the run from a ruthless tyrant, his unpredictable elemental power is the least of his worries until he discovers it might be his only way out.

True Harboursfort is determined to impress her parents but when a heart-breaking decision at the root of her family’s downfall is revealed, everything changes. Including herself. It’s terrifying. So why does it feel so good?

Forced to make an alliance, Brave and True must overcome their families’ lies to trust one another and survive, while deeply guarded mysteries lurk in the shadows, waiting to reshape their world forever.

The Broken Spell series continues with Book 2: An Element of Magic.


 

Aftermath: Stories of Survival in Aotearoa New Zealand

Aftermath: Stories of Survival in Aotearoa New Zealand

Welcome to the End of the World

...and more importantly, what comes after.

Disasters have occurred around the country and the world, but we’re “getting through it”, as Kiwis are apt to do. She’ll be right. Life moves on, in some form.

Things were bad here in Aotearoa, but in our isolation down under, we've escaped most of the chaos around the world. In fact, we might be the last bastion of humanity on the planet - anybody else home out there? Radio silence. Nada. Zip.

This is not, however, just an anthology of disaster stories. These pages are filled with hope in the form of short stories, poems, flash fiction and artwork about what comes afterwards. The contributions are exclusively from SpecFicNZ members and reflect the diversity and breadth of this country we love to call home... even if the edges are a bit torn and tattered. Nothing that a bit of Kiwi ingenuity and some number 8 wire can't fix, eh?

This is Aftermath: Stories of Survival in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Kia kaha. Stay strong.

And remember - we are always stronger together. Kotahitanga.

At the Edge Story Collection

At the Edge Story Collection

Compiled by award-winning editing team Dan Rabarts and Lee Murray, and including a story by Arthur C. Clarke finalist Phillip Mann and foreword by World Fantasy Award winner Angela Slatter, At the Edge is a dark and dystopic collection from some of Australia and New Zealand’s best speculative writers.

Step up, as close as you dare…
…to a place at the edge of sanity, where cicadas scritch across balmy summer nights,
at the edge of town, where the cellphone coverage is decidedly dodgy,
at the edge of space, where a Mimbinus argut bounds among snowy rocks,
at the edge of the page, where demon princes prance in the shadows,
at the edge of despair, where 10 darushas will get you a vodka lime and a ring side seat,
at the edge of the universe, where time stops but space goes on...
From the brink of civilisation, the fringe of reason, and the border of reality, come 23 stories infused with the bloody-minded spirit of the Antipodes, tales told by the children of warriors and whalers, convicts and miners: people unafraid to strike out for new territories and find meaning in the expanses at the edge of the world.
 

An Element of Magic

The Broken Spell series continues with an elemental power up and a royal mission that flies sideways fast in book 2, An Element of Magic...

A magnificent announcement
A mysterious call
A magical promise
 

It’s been three months since Mallevia croaked and Brave is grumpy. True has taken off and his mom refuses to answer important questions. What’s worse, his elements are misbehaving. Being a prince sucks! So when a shock announcement hurls Brave back into the spotlight and strange threats arise, he’s forced to call on new friends for help.

True is learning to live with wings and a tail and loves the freedom to fly, but her family doesn’t approve. Desperate to escape their selfish plans, she accepts the royal court’s offer, only to discover an impossible task clouded in secrets.
 

Elsewhere, the country rebuilds in the wake of the fake queen’s dark deeds, and in a hidden corner something nameless and loathsome awakens.

An Element of Magic is the second book in The Broken Spell series; a young adult epic fantasy adventure exploring the boundaries of an uncharted world and the friendships that make it magical.

A Mer-Tale

A Mer-Tale

Land-trapped mermaid Thala has the power to transform between Mer and human form. But what’s the point of having a power if you can’t use it?

Thala struggles to accept her life on land and resents her family’s bloody past. She feels like a prisoner and longs for change.

So, when visitors from a rival pod reveal a hidden agenda and plan a risky journey, Thala dives straight in. But it’s not until she’s face-to-face with her family’s lifelong enemy that she realises she’s in deep trouble and terrifyingly unfamiliar waters.