Sharlene Healy

Stars are born to burn. Content to live overshadowed by my mother's personality, I spend my days happily sewing her extr… Stars are born to burn. Content to live overshadowed by my mother's personality, I spend my days happily sewing her extravagant gowns. When one of her guests won't leave me alone at a party, I escape deep into the desert. I knew better. The desert is full of hungry monsters, and one misstep trying to escape a pack of sand wraiths has me falling down a crevice into Mictlan. There, I come face to face with the ruler of the spirit world, Tizoc. He'll let me go back to the land of the living if I can beat him in a sewing contest. As time goes on, we grow closer and I realize that I don't want to leave this handsome ruler after all. If we don't figure out what's--or who--is stopping souls from finding rest, though, it won't be up to me. Can we solve it together before Mictlan collapses, taking us all with it? Of Fire and Fear is a low-stakes and low-steam fantasy romance. It's a retelling of an old Mexican tale: The tailor and the devil mixed with Aztec mythology. read more