Darling Undesirables

The Darling Undesirables takes place in a post steampunk world where dark matter and dark energy have been harnessed by a reclusive genius known as "Father Inventor" — revered by many, reviled by more. Energy problems solved, humanity is obsessed with unlocking the secrets to eternal life. Unrestricted experimentation has produced a population of parentless and deformed children, the Darling Undesirables. Named for their missing body part, each Darling Undesirable is pampered and indulged. The most adored Darling Undesirable, 15-year-old Heart, dreams of escaping with her friend, Eye, and the beloved, centuries-old, clockwork horse. First, she must save Father Inventor and the world he brought into being from the evil forces of The Purists.

Suspense and panic mount when the Purists kidnap the entire population of children and keepers from The Darling Undesirables Facility at The Gulf. This dire news comes on the heels of equally terrible news that Father Inventor's clone made clones-and these clones have been reproducing. With a report of over one-thousand programmed-for-evil clones of the brilliant and kind Father Inventor, Jackson leaves the little moon, Pink, flying to Earth to undertake the clone calamity. Heart soon follows, with a single-minded determination to find and rescue the abducted Darlings. Meanwhile, Peter has saved the children from several Darling Undesirable Facilities, bringing them aboard the flying, city-sized, Gargantua. Heart refuses to relinquish her belief in The Cause of All Beings. Surly they will prevail! And though, she and Jackson continue to spar over everything, they prove to be an unbeatable force when the Purists initiate battle. But, will Heart's greatest desire ever come to pass? Will The Darling Undesirables ever have a real home of their own, with freedom for all? And, last... but not least, will Heart and Jackson-for all their brilliance!-ever discover that the shortest distance between two points is... LOVE?

Suspense and panic mount when the Purists kidnap the entire population of children and keepers from The Darling Undesirables Facility at The Gulf. This dire news comes on the heels of equally terrible news that Father Inventor's clone made clones-and these clones have been reproducing. With a report of over one-thousand programmed-for-evil clones of the brilliant and kind Father Inventor, Jackson leaves the little moon, Pink, flying to Earth to undertake the clone calamity. Heart soon follows, with a single-minded determination to find and rescue the abducted Darlings. Meanwhile, Peter has saved the children from several Darling Undesirable Facilities, bringing them aboard the the flying, city-sized, Gargantua. Heart refuses to relinquish her belief in The Cause of All Beings. Surly they will prevail! And though, she and Jackson continue to spar over everything, they prove to be an unbeatable force when the Purists initiate battle. But, will Heart's greatest desire ever come to pass? Will The Darling Undesirables ever have a real home of their own, with freedom for all? And, last... but not least, will Heart and Jackson, for all their brilliance, ever discover that the shortest distance between two points is... LOVE?

Heart, a girl of fifteen, lives in a world of madness and grace, where test-tube babies are propagated to discover the secrets of Eternal Life. Left as a foundling on the doorstep of a Darling Undesirables facility, alive and healthy – without a heart! – she has always loved stars. Her first love is Caffau's star, 13 billion years old, in the Heart of Leo, one of the oldest and most mysterious stars in the Universe. Her destiny is set into motion when a Being of Light comes to her from Caffau's star. With a voice of wind chimes, he takes her on a journey through the Universe and teaches her that the Power of the Universe is shaped by the Power of Love. The Heart of Leo is the novella prequel to The Darling Undesirables. It includes chapter one of The Darling Undesirables.