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Skydust Kingdoms
a brand new Romantasy saga by author T. L. Shreffler!
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Skydust Kingdoms
a brand new Romantasy saga by author T. L. Shreffler!
Release Date: March 31st, 2026
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Lady Celise Dhastel has spent her life in the shadows—overlooked, underestimated, and quietly enduring the cruelty of her stepmother and half-sisters. Born without the gift of mana-channeling, her noble family sees her as a useless girl fit to work in the stables and nothing more.
Lord High Commander Elias Blackwood, dubbed “the Mad Dog” by the infamous Lady’s Letter, has scared off seven brides since returning home from the war. Haunted and hardened by the horrors of the Abyss, he has no patience for simpering courtiers or marriage schemes. But his father has arranged a birthday gala for him, and Elias has to choose a bride by the end of the ball.
After a twist of fate brings Celise and Elias together in the moonlit gardens of Gravenmere Castle, an unexpected spark ignites. Elias might be the most powerful supersoldier in the kingdom—but will he remove his armor for a chance at love?
An excerpt from “A Brief History of Nilos”
by Forsynthian historian Argile Cartwright.
When the meteor hit the continent of Agea three thousand years ago, the Kingdom of Forsynthia did not yet exist.
Prior to the meteor’s arrival, Nilos was an insignificant blue speck of a planet in the Twin Rings galaxy. Its flora and fauna followed the natural evolution of bacteria into plants and aquatic life, then into warm blooded mammals, then primates, then mankind. Ten thousand years ago, the meteor entered the atmosphere at terrifying speeds, creating an arc of fire across the sky, visible from pole to pole. Most of the meteor dissolved into rubble and sand. But a large molten chunk landed at the southern tip of the continent, opening an abyss over a hundred miles long. Although never confirmed by living eyes, its depths were rumored to reach the center of the planet.
Fed by Nilos’ rich atmosphere and native resources, specks of life lying dormant upon the meteor began their own, mutilated form of evolution. These parasites grew and evolved within the Abyss, undisturbed for thousands of years until without warning, the Daemon King appeared. A black, abhorrent beast of tremendous size, whether the creature was plant or mammal or insect or “other” remained unknown. Its body a writhing mass of tentacles, with poison-tipped claws and acidic maw, the Daemon King began spawning monsters into the Abyss.
At this time, as though orchestrated by a hand much greater than mere evolution, the Luminous emerged, humans of immense power and talent rising up from among the normal population. Whether gained from meteoric dust or by destiny or fate, the ability to channel a mysterious power called mana manifested among certain people of Nilos. Due to their glowing hands while channeling, the term “Luminary” or “Luminous” was adopted, and later, the name “Skytouched” was coined by the common people. The most powerful channelers formed families, then allegiances, establishing the Kingdom of Forsynthia as its ruling class. The same pattern repeated in the neighboring kingdoms of Brazia, Dresengard, Illysea, and Sera’naya. Day-to-day life changed forever, as generations of Luminous soldiers went into the Abyss to fight off the monsters and preserve Nilos’s blooming civilization.
Technology evolved, moving through the bronze age into the iron age. Then, with the advent of combustion engines, the world entered into a brand new era of industrial revolution.
Guns were provided to the armies of Forsynthia to fight back the demonic horde, but bullets proved ineffective against the monsters’ alien powers. The Skytouched remained the most efficient means of combating the creatures. Gunpowder proved only somewhat effective against the Daemon King’s regenerative body. Despite technology’s progress, it seemed only Luminary soldiers were capable of restraining the horrors of the Abyss. And so the Luminous remained the sole protectors of the kingdom. Year after year, special units of Daemonguard were trained by the military to protect the kingdom against the nightmares of the Abyss.
Many exceptional heroes rose up through the ranks of Skytouched to defeat the Daemon King. Over and over, the war was won, and the enemy was declared “dead.” But it seemed that, no matter how many times the Daemon King was killed, the heart of it remained buried somewhere deep within the core of the planet. Like a tenacious weed, the creature would lie dormant for a period of time before spawning again.
Sometimes, the monster’s dormancy lasted several generations, allowing the kingdoms of Nilos a chance to rebuild and their people to thrive. Sometimes, its dormancy lasted only a decade or so before the creatures of the Abyss surged again.
And so the tides of war and peace, of chaos and security, came and went for the people of Nilos.
Many stories have been written about warfare and battle—fewer have been written about the aftermath. Our tale begins shortly after the Daemon King’s defeat, at the end of a grueling ten year siege in the Abyss, with the Kingdom of Forsynthia returning to a period of uncertain peace on the cusp of industrial revolution.
Celise Dhastel has lived her life in the shadows, overlooked and underestimated by her cruel stepmother and half sisters. She works as a stablehand on her father's estate. Born without the gift of mana channeling, Celise has made peace with her ungifted life -- until she receives an invitation to Gravenmere Castle.
It must be a mistake! How can she be invited to the duke's birthday gala? She doesn't belong in high society!
Having narrowly survived the final battle with the Daemon King, the last thing on Elias Blackwood's mind is finding a bride. As the new "Hero of the Realm," his days are full of political intrigue and assassination threats. But his father wants to see him married, so now he must choose a bride at the ball . . . if only to satisfy the newspapers who keep publishing about his horrific reputation.
Celise's main rival and younger half sister, Katrina, is domineering, confident, and good with a sword (or . . . foil.) Born with strong mana channeling abilities and a penchant for violence, Katrina immediately sets her sights on Lord Elias Blackwood when his birthday gala is announced. She intends to become a duchess by any means necessary. No one--especailly not Celise--will stand in her way!
Lord Sebastian Dhastel's second wife, mother of Heather and Katrina, and Celise's punishing stepmother. Lady Marcella Dhastel rules over the manor and its staff with an iron fist. She's keen to see one of her daughters wed the duke--and keep Celise in her place as a lowly stablehand.
A ward of Old Lord Blackwood, Kiran was raised as Elias's brother, although his original heritage is from the island kingdom of Illysea. Kiran is lighthearted, mischievous and fearless in battle. His sunny, upbeat demeanor makes a charming contrast next to Elias's stormier temper.
Lady Heather Dhastel is the youngest of the Dhastel daughters. Only sixteen years old, she doesn't know what she wants yet in life. She uses her mana for creative pursuits like playing the harp, painting and sewing. Although she isn't cruel like Katrina, she has the bad habit of "going along to get along."
Old Lord Blackwood's pride and joy, Berrybean is a griffix, a tiny griffon bred by the nobility as pets. They're not good for much except destroying furniture, eating flies and generally being adorable. Berrybean has a fiery temper and according to his master, "He's a Blackwood through and through!"
Mordwen has served the Dhastel family for almost fifty years, since Lord Sebastian Dhastel (Celise's father) was just a boy. She runs the manor staff as the Head Housekeeper. Fiercely protective of Celise and immune to Lady Marcella's tantrums, she acts as Celise's fairy godmother, guiding her toward her destiny.
Dubbed "the Brazian twins," Ismara and Ilyana meet Celise at Gravenmere Castle, where they form an unlikely friendship. Their father, Meister Barbaros, is a guildmaster from the mountain kingdom of Brazia. Both of his daughters are skilled artificers who can create all sorts of fine jewelry shined with skydust.
In the world of Skydust Kingdoms, "skydust" is magical dust from an ancient meteor that struck the planet Nilos thousands of years ago.
Skydust is mined and gathered by Brazian artificers to create powerful "shined" weapons and artifacts.
Mana wielders, called "Luminous," can use shined weapons to enhance their magical powers. A shined weapons can be anything that's been specially treated with skydust. A sword, a suit of armor, or even a teacup can be "shined!"
T. L. Shreffler, celebrated author of The Cat's Eye Chronicles, completed her first novel as a tween at 13 years old and self-published her earliest work at 16. She gained readership early on from websites such as Fictionpress, Wordpress and Goodreads, where she won the SKOW Best Fantasy Award. After graduating with an English degree from Cal-State University Northridge (with an emphasis in Creative Writing,) Shreffler went on to publish her first series in 2012. Her first book, Sora's Quest (The Cat's Eye Chronicles, Book 1) was nominated for the IRC Best Indie Novel award in 2014.
After working for a handful of years in the Entertainment industry, Shreffler returned to her writing career in 2023 with the release of Cerastes' Curse (The Cat's Eye Chronicles, Book 6.)
Skydust Kingdoms (2026) is a brand new series from this seasoned Fantasy/Romance/Adventure author. Shreffler wants to reassure her readers that she is still writing The Wanderer's Fate (CEC Book 7), but as an author and a creative person, she's excited to be "painting on a new canvas."
You can find out more about T. L. Shreffler's writing life, inspiration, updates and news at www.tlshreffler.com.