The Afterlife has a flyover state, and it's called Purgatory. Overlooked, often misunderstood, and exactly where Terry ends up. After taking her own life, Terry isn't met with pearly gates or fire and brimstone, but with gray office buildings and a crummy apartment. She wakes up on Purgatory's lowest level with no memory of her life, a lot of questions, and a job to do: work off the years she had left on Earth as a Soul Shepherd in the hope of achieving a better ultimate destination. She meets Dean, her quippy, sarcastic manager who evades her questions at every turn, but whose help Terry will need if she ever has a chance to move forward or find out who she used to be. And with the help of new friends who know what it's like to be stuck in limbo, she's determined to make the best of a weird situation. Besides...she's already dead, what's the worst that could happen? "This book is movie material-serious super heroine & super hero ambiance (yes, like Marvel or DC) The mix of adventure, mystery, steamy romance, fantasy, and a bit sci-fi is brilliant. Besides super heroes, I get a mixture of vibes from a couple of my favorites-The Selection Series & the Hunger Games. I really wish we could get this in the hands of some of our serious fantasy lover friends. It needs to be out in the world. Send this review to one of your favorite fantasy reader friends. Please!" "This story is currently living rent free in my head. I loved the little bits of mystery sprinkled in. So many juicy little nuggets that I can't wait to see play out on book two." "I'm not sure how to even start to try to explain what this book makes me feel. This story is beautifully written, with so many plot twist and secrets that I almost couldn't keep up with." "This fantasy adventure romance novel blew me away! The author really knows how to captivate you with her descriptions of the ever changing world around Roxi. From the first line of this novel I was drawn in, following the fmc as she tries to figure out the weird things that are happening around her and trying to guess what happened in her past to make her flee to Chicago, I couldn't put this book down for a second." "OMG!!!! My life was literally on hold for two days because I could not put this book down. The story telling is amazing. It's familiar but very different and unique at the same time. I love love love Roxi and Devon. And their story." "I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a page-turning fantasy novel that both serves scenes with beautiful poetic imagery as well as sassy one liners. I love that the book keeps the stakes high and keeps the reader engrossed without taking itself too seriously." "When I tell you this book had me HOOKED. I read it in two days... Not only did I love the story line, but I loved the writing. I felt like I was dancing with the fae, enjoying the same delicious meals, and wanting to dip in the healing pools. It's been a long time since a book has made me wish I lived in the land it was written about." As a cultural anthropologist with a focused background in archaeology and global folklore, Nikki weaves real-world discoveries and intercultural theories into her fictional works. Her current series, Song of the Sidhe , combines fantasy storytelling with "what if?" concepts, from the fae folk living in (and potentially having built) downtown Chicago to the mythological Fomorians existing within marginalized communities around the world. Nikki's debut novel, Prax , was a finalist in the 2022 Page Turner Book Awards and long-listed in the 2023 Page Turner Book Awards. Ithandryll was long-listed in the 2023 Page Turner Book Awards, received an Honorable Mention in the 2023 Readers' Favorite Book Awards, a 5-Star Review from Readers' Favorite, and a 5-Star Review from Midwest Book Review. Nikki is also a graduate of the Institute for Children's Literature (back when "remote learning" was a typewriter and snail mail!), was a guest copy editor for The Irish Journal of Anthropology, and has developmentally edited several fiction novels that went on to become award-winners and bestsellers in independent publishing. After living in downtown Chicago before, during, and after the pandemic, Nikki entered her "Stars Hollow Phase" and relocated to a small village cluster in Iowa known as The Amana Colonies. She started an indie bookstore, BumbleBooks, which is currently a "pop-up situation" inside the village's new herbs & tea shop, Serenity Sage. She continues to support indie authors and their books through local and online bookstore programs & events. On any given day, Nikki can be found sipping handcrafted coffee, making book paper crafts, faceplanting on her laptop keyboard, and/or whispering to the kobolds who live in her home.