Grave Hounds
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What’s the worst that can happen when a demon has good intentions?
From writer Sol F. Evers comes GRAVE HOUNDS, a magical realism novel featuring a cast of paranormal beings.
While wandering the streets of dreary Nevermore, Zero finds the ghost of a lost child. With no idea how to help the boy named Ace (demons are known for lying, not helping), Zero seeks out the aid of his fellow dead and a former summoner, a living woman named Vaiya.
Surrender, an angel known for her merciless ways, agrees to defend them against Death. Lone, a teenager with sarcasm to spare, teaches Ace how to be a ghost. Bliss, a young woman with a love for books and stealing deals from other demons, joins their cause against every objection.
The rules were broken. When Time and the Universe created Life and Death, the laws for existence were written. All children go to their Beyond. They do not become one of the dead as Ace has done. Death commands Ace be returned to his grave, his path to his Beyond, or she will have no choice but to take him to a place of purgatory called Elsewhere.
With his reluctant allies, Zero tries to guide Ace through his memories and back to his Beyond. Despite their own questions and desires, the dead unite to protect Ace, but are haunted by their own pasts and Death’s lurking harbingers.
The Characters of Grave Hounds
Zero
Zero is a unique demon with melded animal skeletons for a face. He is a lazy beast that has little interest in carrying out the duty that Death has assigned him and his fellow kind.
likes: naps, alcohol, peace and quiet
dislikes: cold, snow, rules, Death, surprises, responsibilities, people, places, things
abilities: making deals, control of fire, teleportation, possession, transformation
(male, age unknown)
Ace
Ace is a young boy who returned to the world as a ghost. Children should not be able to return from their Beyond, making his presence in Nevermore a dangerous mystery.
likes: animals, games, his friends & family
dislikes: death
abilities: levitation, teleportation, control of winter weather
(male, 6-7 years old)
Vaiya
Vaiya is a young woman drifting through her days with a demon by her side. She is kind, but strict. She adores the dead and adopts each as her family. She works at the BeelzePub bar and resides in Nevermore.
likes: the dead, days off, sleeping in, garbage television
dislikes: her job, most people, her real name
(female, 32 years old)
Shadow
Shadow's name suits her better than anyone else's. The opaque, shapeshifting creature has found a home in Nevermore and with the dead. She loves to collect treasures and invent new games for her and Ace to play.
likes: games, exploring, finding new things
dislikes: other shadows, good-byes, too much light, too much dark
abilities: shapeshifting, hearing the whispers of other shadows
(female, age unknown, acts like a child)
Surrender
Surrender is an angel at war with the Universe. Unable to prevent further tragedy and suffering despite her power as one of the dead, she takes the battle to Death and her harbingers.
likes: loud metal music, her cat Edgar, sometimes Zero
dislikes: Death, most people, sometimes Zero
abilities: control of electricity and lightning, answering prayers, teleportation, levitation, transformation
(female, 29 years old)
Lone
Who the hell would want to be dead and yet still alive? Lone hates his current existence almost as much as his last. A ghost with a faded form, he lurks through the lives of the living, haunting them for his own amusement.
likes: nothing
dislikes: everything
abilities: phasing, levitation, teleportation
(male, 17-19 years old)
Bliss
She's the best at being a demon, despite what grumblings Zero might make otherwise. A young woman with an affection for the valuable, Bliss has turned making deals into a modern business.
likes: shiny things, books and stories, winning, sunny days, baked sweets
dislikes: disappointing endings, dull deals, losing, Zero
abilities: making deals, controlling the air (pressure, temperature), teleportation, possession, transformation, levitation
(female, 27 years old)
Death
She needs no introduction.
likes: unknown
dislikes: the dead (especially Zero)
abilities: reaping souls, teleportation, unknown
(female, age unknown)
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NEW COVER Barnes & Noble
Grave Hounds will be released on Barnes and Noble soon with a new cover!
This cover will be on the paperback AND ebook version.
shipping fee will apply
only available in the US
(plus taxes and fees)
Content Warnings:
Inspiration for the World of Grave Hounds
About the Author
Sol F. Evers resides in a small town that has never been described as charming, but it has nearly burnt down in its entirety. (Twice, depending on who you ask.)
She primarily writes fantasy novels for the adult market that combine elements of other genres and inspirations, including science fiction and fairytale retellings.
Like her fellow creatives, she is a collector of craft supplies and a never-ending list of WIPs. She is assisted in her work by a grumpy rabbit and a very cuddly mutt.
social media:
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@solfevers
GoodReads: Author Profile
contact: SolFEvers@gmail.com
More Indie Books to Love
The links below will lead you to pages of more indie books to enjoy.
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images of the covers
a plot summary
my review of the book if I have read it
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links to the book on Goodreads
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Listing also contain GENRE, KEYWORDS, and similar titles so that you can use your browser's search function to find reads you might be interested in.
My Indie Book Reviews and TBR:
**RATINGS, CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS, AND "SPICINESS" LEVELS VARY
please note that Sol F. Evers is not:
the publisher, agent, representative, author, or collaborator of any of the works featured on the above pages (Grave Hounds is their only published work.)
an Amazon or Goodreads affiliate that will profit from visitors:
purchasing any of the listed books
following the links provided
borrowing any of the listed books through Kindle Unlimited, Prime Reading, or any other program
a paid promotor or reviewer
The Journey of Grave Hounds: From Concept to Finished(?) Tale
If you're wondering about that question mark above, I'm not convinced these characters are finished telling their stories. While written as a standalone novel, there is still much of the world of Nevermore to explore.
GRAVE HOUNDS was originally about a band of criminals outwitting and defeating the Big Bad. The initial ideas failed, but I knew Grave Hounds was a world within reach. One day, Zero and Ace as they are known now appeared, having a conversation about morals while sitting in an old church.
This story has gone through many, many changes. It has lived a long and unusual life, just like the book's characters. I hope readers will come to love the gray world of Nevermore as much as I do.
Thank you for reading. <3
-Sol F. Evers
Copyright & Credit Notice
All GRAVE HOUNDS content was created by Sol F. Evers.
Other images, including the backgrounds of the above book cover (grave markers, mountain landscape), are copyright their original creators and were collected from sources allowing free/commercial use. The majority of these items can be found on pixabay.com and unsplash.com
The grass brushes used for the book cover were created by illustrator Devin Elle Kurtz. www.devinellekurtz.com
digital work tools: Clip Studio Paint, Huion Kamvas 20 tablet
If you have any questions or I have, in error, used items that were not intended for free/commercial use, please contact me at SolFEvers@gmail.com and I will correct the item. Thank you!
