Sanctuary of Dust
In the silence of the desert, the only thing louder than the hunt is the heat between them.
Elias Blackwood is the 'Ghost' of Sierra Roja. A former military EOD specialist left with severe hyperacusis, he retreated to an abandoned mining town where the silence is his only sanctuary. He guards the Blackwood perimeter with traps and shadows, convinced that his broken senses make him more animal than man.
Clara Moss is a brilliant botanist carrying a secret that could wipe out the regional water table. After stealing a genetically modified plant from the corrupt Obsidian Directorate, she crashes her escape vehicle into Elias’s isolated world. Hunted by 'The Hounds'—relentless robotic tracking drones—she has no choice but to trust the primal hermit who finds her in the red dust.
To survive, they must navigate the treacherous 'Ghost Zone,' traveling only by moonlight and hiding in cramped, sweltering caves during the day. As they battle dehydration, flash floods, and mechanical killers, the air between them thickens with a tension that threatens to shatter Elias’s quiet world. In the darkness of the desert, they discover that sometimes the most dangerous path is the one that leads you home.
The Blurb
Elias Blackwood is the 'Ghost' of Sierra Roja. A former military EOD specialist left with severe hyperacusis, he retreated to an abandoned mining town where the silence is his only sanctuary. He guards the Blackwood perimeter with traps and shadows, convinced that his broken senses make him more animal than man.
Clara Moss is a brilliant botanist carrying a secret that could wipe out the regional water table. After stealing a genetically modified plant from the corrupt Obsidian Directorate, she crashes her escape vehicle into Elias’s isolated world. Hunted by 'The Hounds'—relentless robotic tracking drones—she has no choice but to trust the primal hermit who finds her in the red dust.
To survive, they must navigate the treacherous 'Ghost Zone,' traveling only by moonlight and hiding in cramped, sweltering caves during the day. As they battle dehydration, flash floods, and mechanical killers, the air between them thickens with a tension that threatens to shatter Elias’s quiet world. In the darkness of the desert, they discover that sometimes the most dangerous path is the one that leads you home.
"The high-desert setting is breathtakingly vivid, and the chemistry between Elias and Clara is pure fire. I loved the unique spin on a neurodivergent hero—Elias is the ultimate protective 'Ghost'!"— Sarah J.