Kira Burton wants you to see this Amazon.com

The Thieves of Fate https://www.amazon.com/dp/153778210X/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_EfujybMWRKTQ9

You can order a physical book or kindle version above but if  you would like a signed copy or one of the beautiful prints drawn by  James Burton II please conact me at iconoclastgrey@gmail.com

My first short novel Thieves of Fate is a psychological tale with moments of horror that envelope you like a nightmare, themes of identity and consequence that send the mind into a spiral, and scenes of very human dark humor in the form of wit and sarcasm that help you whistle past the graveyard.

The protagonist Jack is a legend in his own mind even if he has no idea who he is and as his story progresses he is growing more fearful that he is losing what little grip he has on reality.

Jack spends half his time in the Territories Psychiatric Hospital and the other half in places and memories that he cannot be sure are real. And yet the more he visits these places that his mind says are only dreams and these memories that a voice in his head says are false the more he starts to wonder where the truth really lies.

He meets a cast of characters. At Territoties they are other patients, therapists, psychiatrists, and orderlies. In the other places he meets supernatural beings called Thieves that look like children but are absolutely not. And there are more things in the other places. Things that Jack does not understand. Things that Jack is scared to understand.

When I created Thieves of Fate I went imto a dark alley and roughed up Greek and Christian mythology taking what I wanted and leaving the rest. I added what odd bits of allegory and indiscriminate eavesdroppings of lore that I could pick from the pockets of superstition and black market beliefs.

So no matter where Jack is or who he meets he is never quite sure who is trying to help him and who is trying to hurt him. At times he is even forced to wonder that about himself.

Jack’s story is one that will leave you unsettled. It is a story that always has a new secret to reveal but never tells them all. But if you are willing to see it through to the end you will find that it has a pulse, it has a beating heart. What you find within that heart is up to you.

Which truth is the honest one? Which reality is real? Who exactly is Jack? Not even I can answer those questions… but you can.

Thieves of Fate was written by Kira Burton. My other published work is Spilled Ink a book of poetry that you can find on lulu.com and will be coming to Kindle soon. Spilled Ink is a book filled with honesty and vulnerability and you will find certain pieces in it that appear no where else

Thieves of Fate was ilustrated by the incredible artist James Burton II. Creator, writer, artist for the amazing  superhero comic with a twist Damage Inc. Character driven and unbelievably fun Damage Inc is worth reading. He has also worked as a collaborator on several other comics. He is currently  working with SCATTERED INC. Check out some of his work at Angrybrainartworks.com In 2017 James and I will be collaborating  on The Ballad of Nod, a breathtakingly beautiful comic that brings together dark fantasy and children’s dream worlds. With incredibly vibrant, complex story telling and rich, vivid visuals Nod brings to life a child’s dreams and nightmares in such a way that will make you want to return again and again no matter what age you grow to be.

Process of Grieving II

Process of Grieving II

I tell people I am terrible at grieving

When you exited this world

I watched my friends and family

Panic in their grief

I watched them sob

I saw their anger

And I stood on the sidelines

The only thing I was capable of saying

Was “Oh”

Years later

Long after I had accepted

That I would never grieve

I read a passage in a book

I found myself crying

In that horrible sobbing way

That makes your heart ache

And beg

And fall upon its knees

I realize now

That I was a child

Unable to understand

The guilt that comes

From not lamenting with the others

Is tempered by

The fact that I know

You did not want me

To cry for a broken body lost

But years later I realized

I was crying for the person

Who never understood me

And I never understood

But I remember the respect

That we had for each other

I remember the fights

Where neither of us were right

But neither of us would give in

We were so different

I never wanted to listen

To the small things you taught me

You wanted to teach me control

Which I never wanted to learn

I was your troublemaker

In a very specific way

And now I hold on to what I have of you

A few possessions

But mostly your spirit carried on

I struggled to escape it

But now I take pride in it

I wear the ring that is like the one you gave me

I keep my last name

I let the hole in my heartache

Just to be close to you

I dream of you

And more than anything

I miss you

Daddy

Letter to a Father

They say you either die a hero

Or live long enough to see yourself become a villain

But when a man lives as both

Walking a tight rope

Crossing and crossing again

That fine line

Between nobility

And savagery

Between gentle kindness

And righteous fury

You rode through the night

And chased the wind

Only to return

To wipe away tears

And teach questionable wisdom

When a man lived as you did

He is bound to join the fallen

King of decaying castles

Your pain echoes

In the halls of my brain

But even broken

You taught me

You made me who I am

Thank you is not enough

And I don’t know how to say goodbye

Every engine’s roar

Is your ghost

The smell of leather

Makes me remember

The jingle of keys

Makes me search for you

Somewhere you are glory

Giving the after-life a run for its money

Untamable

Just like me

A rebel to the end and beyond

Just like me

I waited too long to shed tears for you

Just like you wanted me to

Wherever you are

Outrunning

The devil himself

Look behind your shoulder

And smile

I am your daughter through and through