Moth Plateau

Rugged prairie wanderer and cattle agent, Drusk wants to be left alone to do his job. Head down, his pet hawks circling to clear the air of moths, he can take care of himself and not be bothered by others. When another agent dies on the upper plateau, reportedly of natural causes, he is sent to retrieve the body. But the upper plateau is a land of recluses and secrets, and Drusk questions more with each interaction whether he--or anyone--is safe in that land.This new series, from the creator of the Arcist Chronicles and the Spire City series, takes readers into a strange and wild West of moths and mysteries.Come along for a wild ride! Daniel Ausema grew up in West Michigan, surrounded by orchards, hay fields, glacial lakes, and stands of oak and maple trees. He earned his BA in English Literature and Spanish in 2000. After working in experiential and alternative education for a while, he moved to Colorado with his family and settled at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. He is now a stay-at-home father. His fiction and poetry have appeared in dozens of publications including Strange Horizons and Daily Science Fiction.

The messenger Rahel is a mystery on the Moth Plateau, wearing her plague mask everywhere. Her voice always hints at a song no one else hears, and her gait is awkward, but what childhood injury or strange event may have left her so, she doesn't say. Everyone on the Plateau has their own histories, in this land of cattle drives and cowpokes, bike-riding messengers and moths. The others don't pry, so no one pries into their pasts.Off the Plateau, though, Rahel's past is still trying to catch her. A city that did not willingly let her go, the corrupt forces of a world that refuses to sees her anything but a tool to own. As her past and present unspool, drawing the notice of bounty hunters, it becomes clear that only death will convince them to leave her alone.But whose death?Find out in this Weird Western fantasy. Daniel Ausema grew up in West Michigan, surrounded by orchards, hay fields, glacial lakes, and stands of oak and maple trees. He earned his BA in English Literature and Spanish in 2000. After working in experiential and alternative education for a while, he moved to Colorado with his family and settled at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. He is now a stay-at-home father. His fiction and poetry have appeared in dozens of publications including Strange Horizons and Daily Science Fiction.

Sake is a daredevil, master of stunts and hero of a thousand deeds.At least in his own mind.But when his daydreaming leads to him losing his job as a messenger on the Moth Plateau, he has to find new work. If his wild imaginings don't leave him stuck in place, sponging off the tavernkeep of Switchback and her rapidly depleting patience.When he finally agrees to guide a group of scholars into the nearby ruins of a ghost town, he discovers mysteries he can't begin to understand--and a far more human danger than no one expects.Dive into these uncanny mysteries in this Weird Western novella! Daniel Ausema grew up in West Michigan, surrounded by orchards, hay fields, glacial lakes, and stands of oak and maple trees. He earned his BA in English Literature and Spanish in 2000. After working in experiential and alternative education for a while, he moved to Colorado with his family and settled at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. He is now a stay-at-home father. His fiction and poetry have appeared in dozens of publications including Strange Horizons and Daily Science Fiction.