About the trilogy
The Youngling Trilogy is a dark fantasy trilogy that delves into the emotional turmoil of Synesthesia, a girl possessing a rare and dangerous gift, and Seth, a lost wanderer caught between worlds. Their intertwined stories traverse the Midgarden and the Manheim—two realms divided by magic, faith, and the scars of their history—until the threads of their lives pull tight, leading to chaos.
This trilogy masterfully blends mystery, myth, and character-driven storytelling, exploring themes of courage, belief, survival, and the strange grace that emerges from the cracks of a broken world. Throughout their journey, readers will encounter storm-born creatures, silent gods, shadowed forests, haunting dreams, and an encroaching darkness that threatens both realms.
It’s a tale about discovering strength in unexpected places, friendships forged under pressure, and young individuals standing against forces far older than they are.
A Story Fourteen Years in the Making
The Youngling wasn’t written quickly. It grew slowly, stubbornly, and over the course of fourteen years.
It began as a single-viewpoint story centered entirely on Synesthesia, but partway through drafting, I realized the world felt bigger than one perspective. There were other voices I wanted to hear, one of which was Seth — originally planned to enter the story much later. His inclusion added depth to the character-driven storytelling that defines this dark fantasy trilogy.
I loved his backstory far too much to keep him waiting, so his thread became woven through all three books, reshaping the structure and the emotional heart of the trilogy.
Across that time came seven full rewrites, each one pulling up new ideas, new characters, and new ways to tell the story. Every pass changed something: sometimes a scene, sometimes a character’s entire arc - and each rewrite left the world a little deeper, a little stranger, and a little more alive.
All of this happened around a busy day job and the usual chaos of life, written in the quiet hours when imagination tends to open its gates.
There were people I was writing for, too: a couple of friends, and my dad. Some of them are no longer here to read the finished story, which is why the trilogy is dedicated to them. Their encouragement, presence, and belief helped this world exist at all, much like the support I imagine Stephen Harrington received in his creative endeavors.