The Austellus Saga follows Leo, king of the smallest country on a continent that looks a lot like Australia, along with his family as they navigate new responsibilities, old traumas, and wondrous worlds. “Austellus” is what this continent was called by the world the Trinitas Empire left behind.
The series is split into three parts that correspond with three significant eras and span speculative genres, named after the three kinds of currency in the Empire.
Click on the names below to expand and see what books are in each part. If you haven’t read The Fool, there are spoilers in Medi. Proceed with caution!
The only book that is currently available is The Fool. All other stories outlined here are projected to come in the future.
Init (The Fool)
906 years after the Empress brought her people to the continent, Leopold Dietrich reluctantly becomes king of Canticalica, the smallest country in the Trinitas Empire.
The Fool is the primary book in Init, and the first one published in the Austellus Saga. It follows Leo in the immediate aftermath of the murders of his parents and brother. He faces a kingdom on the brink of bankruptcy and a mistimed sneeze away from being drawn into a war; a murderous cult with a fixation on his family; and . . . the castle fool is like, really mean.
The Correspondent is the second book, currently in editing and to be released later in 2026. It chronicles the first year of King Leopold’s rule from the perspective of the fool who made it such a difficult one, told through the letters it wrote to its dead dad. It’s a novella, about 1/3 the size of The Fool, but early readers insist that it should be considered mandatory reading in the series. It provides some important context and the events are referenced in other books.
The Runaway is the outlined story of Leo’s first love. When he was fourteen, he nearly eloped with a princess from Nemorisia. Among the other problems was the fact that she thought he was his identical twin, Dicky, who had just become heir to the throne. The writing of this is currently on pause while I focus on The Sentinel (the primary book of Medi).
Medi (The Sentinel)
After the destruction of magic at Leo’s hand, life goes on.
The Sentinel is the primary book in Medi, currently in drafting with a hopeful release date of late 2027/early 2028. When a strange visitor arrives from the world the Empire left behind, it brings with it both incredible opportunities and a portent of doom. Faced with the resources to once again change the shape of the world, the Dietrich family has to make a choice. Will they try to salvage what remains of the culture Leo shattered? Or will they drag the Empire into the ominously empty twenty-fourth century?
Seline (working title) tells the story of princess escaping the uprising in her kingdom with the assistance of a knight who wishes she was a lot less loyal than she is. Matilda (not, Tilly, please) didn’t have to save Seline from the fire that consumed the rest of her family; it was just habit, really. She certainly has no reason to trek across the Empire trying to find someone willing to take in the brat who can’t seem to grasp that she isn’t universally beloved. One might think that the executions would tip her off, but that’s princesses for you. Currently in outline.
Book of House is a comprehensive guide to number fourteen, Gumnut Lane, Praecentor, Canticalica. The writer of the guide and owner of the house was handed the keys three days before magic ended. This might have an impact on interest rates. Maggie is determined to enjoy the house she’s worked so long to be able to afford, and records all the little quirks in her book. Thanks to her, the next owner will know the trick it takes to open the attic door. Currently in outline.
Term (The Renegade)
The Renegade (working title) is the primary book in Term, currently in outline.