ALYSSA LAUSENG
Poison and Opium
Slave. Soldier. Spy.
Daisuke’s heart has always wandered far from home, hoping for a life beyond what he’d
have as a Northern Nomad raised in slavery. One evening, when he learns the Giahatio’s
imperial military has arrived in search of recruits, he seizes his chance to flee Okara’s plantations
and start anew. However, becoming a footsoldier isn’t the easy escape he expected, and he soon
finds himself struggling for a place within the infantry and Giahatian society.
Obito knows he should be grateful for the opportunity to serve as one of the Empire’s
elite intelligence operatives, the onmitsu—it’s one of few he’ll ever have in life, and the highest
possible honor for a nobleman’s youngest son. But with demons of anger and shame haunting
him as he tries to pick up the pieces in the aftermath of a scandal, any pride to take in rank or
family name is entirely hollow.
When an act of mercy is born from a senseless murder, the already unlikely friendship
between Daisuke and Obito takes an unexpected turn. Not only are they now partnered together
as onmitsu, but dark politics are on the rise, leading them toward an ancient, furious magic.
The Keeper Trilogy
Keeper of the Fallen
"The spirits have placed a very important task in your hands."
A massacre. An escape. Sonika could have been a warrior and a leader if she hadn't been ripped from her homeland as a child. As the last of the Okami, she will never stop fighting for her right to live.
Stalking the shadows is the only world Kulako knows. Heart filled with hatred, death by his blade is inevitable, but who he is beneath that darkness longs for something else.
When a twist of fate forces their lives to collide, their choices may be enough to hold back the merciless coils of the Giahatio.
But not even the will of the Gods can stop the will of the Emperor.
Keeper of the Broken
As a deserter and a traitor to the crown, Hikaru is no stranger to pain. Although a lifetime of tragedy drives him to the brink of insanity, he makes peace with his demons in the security of living with Sonika and Kulako.
Not only must they hide Hikaru's survival, but held under Emperor Akuko's intense scrutiny, Kulako and Sonika are sworn to keep an impossible promise.
With an innocent child's freedom hanging in the balance against a divided world, Hikaru's words of revenge and revolution are Kulako's chance to take a stand and protect his family. Watching it all through the eyes of one who is half-Okami and half-Northern Nomadic, Kohaku's only hope is the eradication of the Giahatio.
However, as the saying goes: "To deny the Empire is to deny the gods."
Keeper of the Vengence
Vengeance will come.
At the end of a disastrous revolution, Kulako and Sonika are torn apart by miles of sea. Their only son, Kohaku, has been captured by the Giahatio to be trained as an assassin—a hitokiri.
"We're still here."
In a final bid for his protection, Kohaku's memories were shattered like the rest of the rebellion's aspirations, left to dance in the future's uncertain winds. As he struggles to retain his identity and sanity against Emperor Akuko's infamous cruelty, the fires of vengeance ignite across the world, reaching as far as the spirits as they call,
"Death to the Empire."
Alyssa Lauseng is a fantasy writer who lives in Michigan's beautiful Upper Peninsula with her husband, two warrior princesses, & moose-dog. When not writing or momm-ing, she practices Kuk Sool Won, listens to metal, & tries to draw.
Her Keeper Trilogy is a light adult fantasy that includes romantic themes, fighting for what is right, & having the courage to do so.
She can be found on Twitter @5FeetofRedFury & will nerd out about just about anything with you.