The sands of today’s story hold a magical and timeless mystery.

Desert Rose
[Romance] • 17,452 words

As the prince of Saddle Arabia, Altair wants for nothing, but a chance encounter shows him the one thing that he lacks: love. Desert Rose intrigues and excites him with the mystery of her past and the beauty of her form. Only she can teach him the secrets of the desert: open his eyes to a world with riches beyond gold, and power beyond a scepter.

The sands cannot be caged, but the desert winds will set Altair free.

FROM THE CURATORS: Although this is tagged Romance, the first thing that impressed us about it was how much narrative depth there was beyond the love story.  “(The protagonist) Altair is going on a classic hero’s journey,” Chris said, “but the particular angle is interesting, and the setting is well realized.”  Present Perfect agreed: “It’s got a lovely fairy-tale feel and a very memorable character arc.  I can remember it right now despite having read this months ago.”

Like the previously featured A Faded Touch Of Blue, this “is a great look at Saddle Arabia,” as PresentPerfect put it, with loving attention to worldbuilding that brings the desert nation to life. “The prose is delightful, and the setting is brilliantly realized,” JohnPerry added, “exotic yet conveyed with a certain familiarity at the same time.”

But Desert Rose is exemplary in an entirely different way. “It’s much less nuanced than Faded Touch,” Chris said, “but it’s got evocative writing, fun characters, and a timeless moral.”  That’s because Desert Rose, at heart, is about the mystery of its titular character, and her mystery is a compelling one.  “She’s as intriguing to the reader as she is supposed to be to the protagonist,” JohnPerry said.  “A hearty recommendation from me.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Golden Vision discusses lyrical inspiration, Whooves polarization, and punching evolution in the junk.
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