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The Chosen One Con

Created by Trudie Skies

The Chosen One Con is the first book in the Lost in the Aether duology—a queer gaslamp fantasy of industrial magic in a world of designer enchantments and celebrity-branded potions from the author of The Cruel Gods.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

We've hit the first stretch goal!
7 months ago – Wed, Nov 12, 2025 at 11:20:21 PM

Not only did we blast through the funding in hours, but we hit the first stretch goal too, which is to design a map of the city. I'm dragging the artist out of retirement for this one because her cartography and art skills are incredible! Soraya designed the domains crossing map from my Cruel Gods series that I adore, so I can't wait to see how she'll bring the magical city of Aefenhold to life.

The map will now be added as an available add-on and also as a digital reward for those who back the Silver and Amethyst Mage tiers, and a physical print for the Blue Mage tier. There's still plenty of time to update your pledges if you want.



Next, we'll be working toward a stretch goal that adds additional art to the book!

We've fully funded!
7 months ago – Wed, Nov 12, 2025 at 01:18:27 PM

I can't believe that we've reached the funding target within a matter of hours! I'm incredibly grateful for all of your support and can't wait to finish this book and thrust it into your hands. I appreciate your trust in this project and hope to share more with you in the coming weeks and months.

As a celebration, I'm including the opening few paragraphs of Chapter One to give you a taste of what to look forward to! Come back later as RJ Bayley, the narrator of The Thirteenth Hour, will be doing a reading from this scene.



But as they say... This is where the fun begins! As the campaign goes on, I'm hoping we'll keep raising money for some stretch goals. First, a city map of Aefenhold as designed by Soraya Cocoran, the cartographer behind the amazing domain crossings map in The Cruel Gods. Then an additional piece of art for the book as designed by Aowna. After that, I'll ask YOU whether you'd want either a hardcover or an audiobook, and see if we can get there!

Thank you again for all your support. I hope you'll stay with me on this magical journey!

Five Days to Go!
7 months ago – Thu, Nov 06, 2025 at 10:38:32 AM

We're just five days away until The Book Bazaar launches and you'll get your first look at Aefenhold in The Chosen One Con!

I can't wait to show you more about this book and the weird and wonderful celebrity-branded spells, enchantments, and potions you'll find inside. But also, I'm eager for you to meet our three main characters of Max, Lyle, and Hope, especially Max as he appears on the book cover.



Max and Lyle are both working class young men who find themselves churned through the city in their own ways. After a violent worker's strike tears their lives apart, Max chooses to become a sex worker rather than face life in a workhouse, whereas Lyle is forced into the aether minds and later becomes an apprentice to a older mage. These different circumstances shape how they feel about magic - Max becomes addicted to magical drugs, whereas Lyle experiences the harm magic causes first hand.

While Max and Lyle are the main two POV's in the story, we'll also meet Hope, Max's younger sister, who is a young trans woman training to be a medical mage. She's definitely the smarter character of the three!

Who are you most excited to meet? Vote in the poll below!