Human-Made Cozy Fantasy.
Escape into the gentle magic of Calandis and other worlds.
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Hi, I’m R.J.
I craft cozy fantasy worlds centered on found family, soft magic, and human connection. Between wrangling a sensitive six-year-old and stopping my younger daughter from doing acrobatic stair-leaps, I write stories that feel like a warm hug on a cold day.
If you love gentle adventures, queer belonging, and simple baked goods, you’re in the right place.
YOUR INVITATION TO CALANDIS
Three Cozy Fantasy Stories. Yours for Free.
Meet Wick, Gully and the Captain in The Cardinal Rivers Tales, a collection of character origin stories, hidden connections, and little glimpses into the magical world of Smudges and Calandis.
The story of The Wandering Hearth Chronicles begins!
Soft Magic. Low Stakes. Found Family. Excellent Muffins.
At twenty-four, Wick Barrow is thoroughly done giving his best years to his father’s laundry business.
Hiring on aboard The Moderate Success—a river barge of questionable speed and precarious plumbing—is a chance to build a life of his own: scrub the linens, mind the boiler, and travel the realm. Room and board included.
Then he notices Ember.
Ember is a flame-like Smudge who has matter-of-factly appointed herself to be Wick's personal space heater. As it turns out, Wick is a Hearth: an inconveniently magnetic sanctuary for magical creatures. And Ember isn’t the only resident needing help. The captain is navigating the waterways with no name and a scattered soul. If Wick can't help him fix it, the captain may flicker out of existence entirely. Luckily, fixing things is Wick's specialty.
Traveling the Cardinal Rivers with a crew of misfits, Wick sets out on a journey, wherever the current decides to take him.
Latest Blog Posts
I have some unexpected but delightful news: ACX moved much faster than planned, and the audiobook edition of Wick and the Wandering Barge is officially live on Amazon and Audible today