Now four unlikely heroes have to save it.
The world ended two years ago. They called it the Awakening: the supernatural event that gave some people powers and left others normal. Nations went to war and millions died.
Sean was one of the first to Awaken, but it wasn’t until he walked in on his brother’s brutal murder that he learned of the darker nature of his power: blood calls to him, and he to it. And in that moment, he showed his brother’s murderers no mercy.
Now Sean must fight to keep his inner demons in check, and his path to redemption begins with the establishment of a sanctuary for people like him, people with powers: the Awakened.
But not even in the apocalypse are the Awakened safe...
Can Sean and three strangers unite the remnants of mankind when everything else has fallen apart? Can they face the darkest horror this new world has yet to offer?
~Check out The Awakened Quadrilogy on Amazon~
Acknowledgments
Every book takes a team of people to make it what it is, and my stories are no different.
When I started working on Shadow Crusade, the only thing I knew was that the world was set somewhere where demons ran rampant. I had no intention, let alone the thought, of expanding the world to include mages, nor the Primordials. I wasn’t even sure how I was going to incorporate the raven on the front cover (since I purchased these as a premade set).
As always, my brother Michael was the one I turned to for my heavy brainstorming. I don’t think even he realizes how crucial he’s been to the development of my worlds. I also don’t think he realizes just creative his mind is. When we started talking about Qaeus’ reign and toying with the idea of a rivalry between the humans and mages, it was his suggestion to have the mages flee with a huge portion of the continent—an idea that I absolutely LOVED, and one that really helped cement the humans’ hatred toward magic. Michael helped make this story far richer than it would’ve been without him, and for that, I am eternally grateful.
Two other people who play significant roles in my work are my editors: Sandra Ogle and Kate Anderson. I am forever impressed by the level of detail and care they show my manuscripts. Kate herself is also an author, so it’s been nice helping one another with our stories.
And of course, instrumental to the very inception of this idea was Evelyne of Digital Art by Secret d’Artiste! I don’t think I would’ve ever come up with this story if it wasn’t for her breathtaking covers!
Last but certainly not least, it’s no secret that readers and fans are instrumental in an author’s journey, but this was true even more so than usual for me regarding this series. I am open about my struggles with depression and anxiety, and how those impact my creative process, sometimes positively and other times negatively, but I have never been more negatively impacted by my mental health that I was while writing Shadow Crusade. With the pandemic, forest fires, a scare concerning my son’s health, a scare concerning my job security—this year has been tougher than others for many among us, but one of the things that helped me through some of my darkest days was the support and cheer I received from my readers. Your kind words, your encouragement, your phenomenal reviews on some of my other words is what got me through my days and helped motivate me to keep pushing through some of the challenges of independent publishing. I am forever grateful for your excitement and investment in my stories. I relish every email or message or post that allows us to connect. Thank you for being here with me on this journey.
Sincerely,
- Jessaca
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jessaca is a fantasy writer with an inclination toward the dark, epic, and adventure sub-genres. She draws inspiration from books like the Nevernight Chronicles & ACOTAR, videogames like Dark Souls III, and television shows like Game of Thrones and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. She is a self-proclaimed nerd who loves cosplay, video games, and comics, and if you live in the PNW, you just might see her at one of the local comic conventions in one of her favorite RWBY cosplays!