Writing

The Warrior's Guild

Doorstopper fantasy romance.

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Not Quite Novels

Romance novellas.

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Other Writings

Short stories.

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Digital Art

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Cat Photos

Matcha is the small calico. Gyoza is the big gray tabby. Nori is the big black cat. We love them all dearly, even though Matcha is a brat, Gyoza is an asshole, and Nori has the cognitive power of a concussed duck.

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About the Author

Scarlett Gale is the author of the Warrior’s Guild series and the fairy-tale retelling Red, the Wolf, and the Woods. Long ago, under another name, she was the co-author of Needles and Artifice (Cooperative Press; 2012), featuring a rollicking romantic steampunk adventure novella and associated knitting patterns, of which she also designed several. She writes and produces fringe theatre plays based on B-movies, such as Bodacious Barbarian Babes vs. The Indigo Empress and Showgirls of Beast Island. She is a co-producer of the Alison-Bechdel-approved Bechdel Test Burlesque, which in 2017 was included in the Women and Gender Studies curriculum at the University of Oregon. She lives in Seattle with her wife where she gardens, knits, reads, and drinks warm beverages. Unsurprisingly, she also has cats.

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The Warriors Guild Series

His secret illuminations

A Sheltered MonkBy day, Lucían brews potions and illuminates manuscripts in service to the monastery that took him in as a child, wielding magic based in his faith and his purity. By night, he dreams of the world outside the cloister–a world he knows only in books and scrolls…A Mysterious WarriorA mercenary known as the She-Wolf hunts for a shipment of stolen manuscripts. When she needs a mage to track them down, she chooses Lucían for both his adorable blushes and his magic. She purchases his contract, hurling him headfirst into an adventure that will test both his skills and his self-control…A Sacred VowInexorably drawn to the She-Wolf’s strength, surprising kindness, and heated touches, Lucían fights temptation at every turn. His holy magic is both vital to their mission and dependent upon his purity. How can he serve both her and the Lord if he gives in to his desire? As intrigue and danger forces them closer, how can he possibly resist?His Secret Illuminations was a semifinalist in the 2021 7th Annual Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off.Shop online here! Paperbacks available through bookshop.org, most online retailers, or your local bookstore. Also available direct from Scarlett here.

His sacred incantations

An Illicit DesireLucían left behind his cloister, his vows, and his self-denial when he joined Glory, first for a quest and then in her bed. He tells himself he should be happy, but when he looks at her strong arms, her sharp smile, and her smooth dominance, he wants—something he cannot yet name…A Deadly FoeA fatal threat lurks in the mountains above Granite Falls, attacking travelers with fangs and claws and a horrible curse. Lucían and Glory seek the cause, and he can’t help wondering why it all seems so familiar, and why his dreams are full of cold stone and an evil presence…A Perilous MissionAs their investigation proceeds, Lucían finds himself once more embroiled in an adventure he wasn’t expecting, one full of dark magic and ghosts from his past. Haunted by what he can’t change, Lucían makes a solemn vow: He’ll end this, once and for all, or die trying…Shop online here! Paperbacks available through bookshop.org, most online retailers, or your local bookstore. Also available direct from Scarlett here.

her subtle investigations

A Tired BladeThe Knife has long been the Warrior Guild's invisible answer to complicated problems—silent, sharp, and gone before her enemies even notice. She loves the work, loves helping people no one else will, but the years of endless travel—of lonely assignments, empty beds, and temporary allies—have worn her thin. Every new mission feels heavier, and Southport's nostalgic foods and familiar heat stir a deeper ache: the yearning not just for a solid home, but for a shared life with someone to whom she's just Kia, not the Knife...A Collision CourseChasing down a string of kidnappings, the Knife crosses paths—and blades—with two surprising Southport natives, both hunting for missing family. Masako wields nature magic with steely fury, but knows almost nothing about Southport's criminal underbelly. Nukunya carries an encyclopedic knowledge of the city along with a dry wit that cuts as deep as any blade. After a violent first meeting the trio form an uneasy alliance, then a true team as their search leads them closer to their quarry… and each other…A Branching PathPinned down and hiding out in a brothel's back room, the Knife finds the lines between partnership, friendship, and romance blurring. Southport—and the people in it—has started to feel dangerously like home, but the Knife's Guild assignments never let her stay anywhere for long. With duty pulling her to one path and the temptation of Masako and Nukunya pulling her to another, she'll have to decide: Is it time to walk away again, or finally lay down roots?Shop online here! Paperbacks available through bookshop.org, most online retailers, or your local bookstore. Also available direct from Scarlett here.

Novellas

red, the wolf, and the woods

A hardworking farmer who moonlights as a dog trainer, Red longs for her brothers to step it up on the family farm so she can get a whole five minutes of uninterrupted time to herself. When her grandma calls down with a delivery request, Red jumps at the chance to go visit the house in the woods she loves so much. No farm chores and a good hike? It’s basically the perfect day!…right until a wolf walks out of the woods and asks if he can join her.Sound familiar? Red, the Wolf, and the Woods is a playful, modern take on the classic fairy tale, with a steamy romance at its core. Take some time away from your daily grind to join Red on a flirty, feral adventure!Shop online here! Paperbacks available through bookshop.org, most online retailers, or your local bookstore. Also available direct from Scarlett here.

Short Stories

add magic to taste

Scarlett Gale wrote Unusual Blends for Add Magic to Taste, a 5k story about lesbian witches, tea shops, everyday magic, and the struggle of admitting to yourself that, actually, you might like that chaotic woman who keeps asking you for custom tea blends.For Add Magic to Taste, 20 authors have come together to produce new, original short stories uniting four of our absolute favorite themes: queer relationships, fluff, magic, and coffee shops! Our diverse writers have created an even more diverse collection of stories guaranteed to sweeten your coffee and warm your tart. - Duck Prints Press, 2021Buy the eBook here!

add magic to taste

Scarlett Gale wrote Naeghbours for Aether Beyond the Binary, a 7.5k country mouse/city mouse story about finding your way in a new place with the help of your very attractive genderfluid neighbor, also featuring many details about farming and jacquard looms.How would Earth look if the very atoms around us were suffused with magical aether? How would our lives be different if this aether was discovered last year, or last century, or last millennia? How might the people who lived with this magic explore their gender identities? These are the questions we posed to the 17 authors who contributed to Aether Beyond the Binary. Their inventive answers comprise this must-not-miss collection about magical realms, adventures and mysteries, new chances and well-earned endings, and characters as gender-diverse as the worlds they inhabit. - Duck Prints Press, 2023Buy the eBook here!

daisy and the devil

A playful 9.5k fairy-tale retelling of The Girl without Hands (Scarlett’s most beloathed fairy tale) that gives the girl in question (Daisy) a name, actual agency, female role models, and a happy ending.Buy it direct from Scarlett here!