Ashes of Regret

 On the Summer Solstice, Mesopotamian gods broke free from their celestial prison in a series of destructive firestorms. Called “The Misbegotten” because of their petty and cruel natures, the gods brought back their idea of normal: subjugating humans and building personal territories through the use of etemmu, or life force. Now humans are rebuilding society within those territories, dependent on the personality of the deity. A clever-but-impulsive human survivor, Tamaki Hayashi, thought her grandmother’s stories about plant magic were unbelievable, until she connects with trees, bending their limbs and manipulating their roots. With her beloved grandmother murdered by religious gang members, Tamaki has no one to guide her through learning her power. While rescuing a fox caught by a carnivorous plant, Tamaki accidentally uses blood magic rooted in her anger and fear rather than her plant magic. Feeling confident after escaping the plant, Tamaki again uses blood to pull the spirit of her dead lover into the body of the fox. An, the god of the territory, confronts Tamaki and states that she should have known that blood magic was forbidden. As punishment, An exiles both Tamaki and the modified fox, who calls himself “Scout,” to the god Enlil’s territory.

Thanks to their etemmu connection, Scout can speak telepathically to Tamaki. Something she’d be grateful for except his words are full of hurt and anger over Tamaki not asking for consent before changing him. Before she can make amends, Tamaki and Scout are arrested and confined in prison for being in Enlil's territory illegally. To escape, Tamaki has to decide whether addiction to blood magic is worth the chance for freedom. If they don’t escape, Scout will be sold and she will be sacrificed to Enlil. Sometimes, being a villain is the only way out.

Content Warning: Self-harm

I'm a SFWA member as Sherri Cook Woosley, but I'm publishing this series under the pseudonym Searby Gray.



As Sherri Cook Woosley --



Part of ASHES OF REGRET was workshopped at Taos Toolbox with Nancy Kress and Walter Jon Williams. The book is standalone and takes place in the same world as my debut novel, WALKING THROUGH FIRE (Talos Press, 2018), which was long-listed for both the Booknest Debut Novel award and Baltimore’s Best 2019 and 2020 in the novel category and called “a promising debut” by Publishers Weekly. Rights to WALKING THROUGH FIRE reverted to me in May 2021 and I'm publishing the series as author Searby Gray through MudHouse Publishing.



I hold a master’s degree in English Literature from the University of Maryland with a focus on comparative mythology. I’m a SFWA member, and my short fiction has recently been published in several pro and semi-pro anthologies, DreamForge Magazine, and Abyss & Apex.



This book/series is intended for ages 16 and older. Content warning: self-harm, sexual situation