JOURNAL

PROLOGUE "Where the fuck is that pig?” Simun growled. The farmer stood over the empty pigsty, his eyes scanning over the churned mud as sheets of white lines lashed down all around him. The night had settled quickly with rolling clouds and the promise of a storm, and although the rain offered a kindness to his crops, Simun looked defeated as he stomped back to the farmhouse. The pig would have to wait until the morning. Inside the farmhouse, the hearth burned low and emitte

I’ve always been drawn to stories that embrace a little more grit, darkness and danger. Even as a child, I found myself captivated by worlds that felt unforgiving, where heroes weren’t guaranteed victory and where the journey itself seemed more than capable of breaking the people that undertook it. There was something about those darker stories that felt more real to me. The stakes seemed higher. The consequences felt meaningful. Characters weren’t simply tested; they were pu