FOR NO MORTAL CREATURE
2nd place winner in the 2022 Voyage YA First Chapters Contest
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A teen girl with the power of resurrection must venture into the afterlife, but to survive the death realm, she’ll need the help of her two mortal enemies–both of whom she is inexplicably drawn to–in this romantic, gothic fantasy inspired by Wuthering Heights.
When Jia Yi finds herself alive again after being killed by an enemy’s sword, she realizes she possesses a rare power: the ability to move between life and death. With her new gift comes the discovery of a mysterious spirit realm teeming with ghosts like herself—and Lin, the boy she once loved before his betrayal tore them apart.
At first Jia wants nothing to do with any ghosts, metaphorical or otherwise. But when her beloved grandmother dies under suspicious circumstances, Jia is forced to follow in an attempt to save her.
In the death realm, though, even ghosts have ghosts. The afterlife is more complex than Jia ever could have imagined—and no one knows what lies at its end. To survive, Jia must rely on both Lin and her longtime enemy, the cold and enigmatic Prince Essien. The problem? She can’t trust either of them.With tensions high and new and old connections blossoming, Jia must confront the ghosts of her past . . . or risk remaining one herself.
Image by pyromairon (X), commissioned by me
For No Mortal Creature is a dark, gothic YA fantasy inspired by Wuthering Heights. It is coming out in October 2025 with Delacorte Press (Penguin Random House) in the USA, and Penguin Random House Australia in Australia.
It won 2nd place in the Voyage YA Love & War First Chapters Contest, guest judged by NYT bestselling author Ayana Gray. Here's what Ayana had to say about it:
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"The pacing of this chapter was tight, something I always really like in an opening. I was intrigued by the worldbuilding and instantly wanted to know more--you did a great job of sprinkling it in without creating info dumps, which is challenging. We instantly get a sense of three really important things in any story: a goal, a motive, and the immediate conflict. Obviously, you end on a fantastic hook that really made me want to keep reading. This was really, really good..."
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Image by mariyand_r (IG), commissioned by me