The World of Erest
Erest is a world still bleeding from a war between gods that ended and left behind five kingdoms holding a peace nobody entirely believes in. The Day of Desolation killed millions and reshaped everything left standing. Survival was not the same thing as being spared.
A grieving father paints his daughter back to life. A woman wakes in a valley of bones with no memory of how she got there. That is where The Fire Inside begins.
The Story
The Fire Inside is a dark fantasy novel — the story of Missy Haines, a woman who woke up with no past and a fire she cannot explain, in a world that was already broken before she arrived in it. It’s an odyssey across the landscape of the broken heart: a place where sorrow can calcify into paralyzing fear, ignite into a crusade built on lies, or chill into cold, all-consuming vengeance.
It asks hard questions about survival, about what we carry for the people we love, and about whether a soul can be reborn from the fire — or whether the flames simply forge us into something new and more dangerous.
The novel is currently in final revision, with four parts complete and a fifth underway. Publication updates go up here and on Patreon first.
Who’s Behind It
The Fire Inside LLC is a creative operation built from the ground up around a single novel and the world it grew out of. Every part of it — the writing, the world-building, the art, the merchandise, the business side — is a labor of love, and the world of Erest has so much to give.
The Novel
The Fire Inside, in final revision. Sample chapter available free; full advance chapters available to Patreon members ahead of publication.
Poetry
Three companion poetry series grown out of the same world and its grief: Vellum & Embers, Without Clocks, and What Remains.
The Short Story Collection
Every major character in The Fire Inside has a life that precedes the novel — complete standalone stories, not backstory summaries, exploring who they were before the story began and what they carry into it.
The Private Journals of Missy Haines
Missy’s own journals, written during her first days at Castle Dumas. New volumes release monthly on Patreon.
The TFI Journey Ezine
A monthly digital magazine going deeper into Erest — original writing, poetry, character art, lore fragments, and author’s notes on building the world. Issue One is coming soon
Art & Merchandise
Character art, 3D-printed collectibles, and custom apparel, plus cross-stitch patterns and more through the Etsy shop.
Patreon
Where most of the extended world lives. Three tiers, priced for any level of involvement:
- The Ember — $3/month: one poem per month from Vellum & Embers, behind-the-scenes updates, monthly digital wallpaper.
- The Flame — $8/month: everything in The Ember, plus one short story per month, high-resolution character art, new STL files as they release, and a discount on the Etsy shop.
- The Fire Inside — $15/month: everything in The Flame, plus advance chapters before publication, exclusive art, the Missy Haines journal volumes, your name in the acknowledgments, and one free painted 3D figure per quarter.
Where to Find Us
Instagram, TikTok, and DeviantArt for art and updates; Spotify for the Eternal Fire playlist that runs alongside the writing; Patreon and Etsy for everything above. Just click on the links at the bottom of the page.
Join the Journey
The book is waiting. The world is already there. Come in.
Join on Patreon →