The Heartwood Trilogy
Over the river bluffs in Saint Paul, dangerous Folk live in Lilydale, meddling with the lives of humans and bringing disaster in the form of their intoxicating Fae-spelled foods. For bookish Andrew Vidasche, his mother’s experiences with addiction means he very much did not anticipate getting romantically involved with half-Fae prince Micah Stillwater. But Micah is resistant to his magical nature and wants to protect the humans he cares for including his traumatized father Julian.
Andrew and Micah must navigate the wild whimsy of Fae magic together while cultivating a deep and lasting love, as well as discovering who they are meant to be in this divided world of magic and humanity.
2022-2024
novel
210k over three books
inspiration
Ever since we moved to Saint Paul, I take this magical winding road along the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi and have been obsessed with it since. When the thought crossed my mind that faeries probably live in the difficult to navigate terrain, it clicked into place with my desire to throw Andrew and Micah together in a more mutual fashion ever since finishing Code. This was also when I found out I’m what the internet refers to as a “pantser” meaning I plot by the seat of my pants. I wrote “Lilydale” and had my dad read the second draft, and of course he mentioned the word “series” and…the trilogy was born. The broad strokes of the trilogy follow the growth of Micah’s power as well as the misuse of Fae-spelled foods. Another goal of the trilogy was to depict a healthy, long-term adult relationship, which I don’t see enough of in fantasy especially.
recurring characters
I began writing The Heartwood Trilogy so tentatively that I wanted to give myself as much safeguards as I could to help me get through it. Therefore, basically everyone in the main cast began as recurring characters. Micah and Andrew obviously carried over from their long legacies but also more specifically from Code: Compromised, as I wanted to eliminate the problematic power differentials in Code (professor/student+age gap) after my husband pitched a fit about that story. In the original drafts, Andrew started by being involved with Erik Kaehn who had recently turned up dead after his involvement with a Fae task force. Micah’s Fae family included Lucienne from Sun-Walking and Ingrid from Farewell Fairytale, Redefining Evil, and Nikkei.
I would say that throughout the drafts up until publication, the cast has remained true to their legacies in a way that makes this trilogy very special to me more than anyone else. It’s given me the opportunity to really refine their visual images in a way that’s consistent with their history, and really strengthen the best and most challenging parts of their characters. Ingrid is a fan favorite but I think Andrew might be my favorite.
the publishing experience
It’s not something that I put down in words that often, partly because I have a responsibility to mind what I say about my writing, but here in my quiet corner of the internet, I’m comfortable admitting that there are often times I regret putting The Heartwood Trilogy out into the world. It’s no surprise to anyone that I rush things, and I think I could have gotten into indie publishing with a series that was less intimate to me than this. It’s a good and a bad thing that this series had so many of my core characters in it. I’ve often lost sight of the boys or the feral girls and it’s very easy to forget why I got into this.
On the other hand, any time someone glimpses the real heart of why I wrote The Heartwood Trilogy, it’s all justified. Queer folks go nuts for this romance, and people love the beauty and humor of it, which are both things I’ve always prioritized in my work.
the heartwood trilogy in the wild
linktr.ee with links to buy or read
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