Six familiar tales. One interconnected world. New paths through the stories you thought you knew.

Enter Tessagonia, where blessings become curses, mirrors keep secrets, and mortals face secret tests, impossible tasks, and dangerous quests into enchanted realms.

Seven muses watch over four kingdoms surrounding an inland sea, while beyond the mainland, banished gods still hold power over the Outer Isles. Across this enchanted world, familiar fairy tales unfold in unexpected ways—and the consequences of one story may echo through another generations later.

Tales of Tessagonia: Books 1–6 brings together the first six standalone novellas in the series. Read them in order to discover the connections woven between them, or choose whichever tale calls to you first.

This collection also includes exclusive author’s notes exploring the fairy tales, creative choices, and behind-the-scenes inspiration for each story.

These tales began as a family project long before Briarbook Lane Press existed. I have eight siblings, and remarkably, seven of us shared some interest in writing. My older sister Beki’s storytelling first inspired my desire to create stories of my own, although I was always more comfortable with the written word.

In October 2006, my sister Elizabeth and I formed the Wilcox Writers to give ourselves—and our siblings—encouragement and accountability. At our very first meeting, we chose fairy tales as a group project. I finished The Blazing Princess in March 2007 and wrote Mirror two months later, followed by early notes for a story called Zuleika, which eventually became The Princess Test.

The stories were too long for most short-story markets and too short to be traditional novels, so I set them aside. More than a decade later, Elizabeth and I returned to our shared love of fairy tales through Briarbook Lane. A fairy-tale writing workbook prompted me to revisit Zuleika, and I realized the world I had abandoned still had many more stories to tell.

By then, independent publishing had created a home for stories that didn’t fit conventional lengths. I returned to Tessagonia, revised the original tales, and began expanding the world around them. From those long-forgotten manuscripts, Briarbook Lane Press—and the Tales of Tessagonia series—was born.

A collection of short interconnected stories that can stand on their own feet.… I loved having some of the author’s own notes about what inspired each tale.

— Abigail, Goodreads

These were sweet novella retellings of popular fairy tales.… If you ever thought to create a fantasy world and write the fairy tales you love into that world, then this is for you!

— Caitlyn MD, Amazon

The stories are unique, and so rich in story. The world is carefully thought out while still being understandable even though each story was very short.

— Esther, Goodreads