When I joined the military, I believed in ideals; Duty. Honor. Service. Brotherhood.

And in many ways, those ideals are real.

But what people don’t often talk about is the emotional cost of service. Then of course there are the things that are hidden from the civilian population.

What it feels like to give everything you have to an institution. To sacrifice for something larger than yourself. To trust the people around you completely—and then discover that some people are capable of incredible courage, while others are capable of profound betrayal.

Sometimes they’re the battles we fight inside ourselves are the hardest battles.

The guilt we carry.

The grief we can’t let go of.

The feeling that we no longer belong where we once thought we did.

Those experiences stayed with me long after I took off the uniform, and eventually they became the foundation for Yugen.

On the surface, Yugen is a fantasy novel filled with forbidden magic, corrupt institutions, divine bloodlines, parallel worlds, and a reluctant hero struggling against destiny.

But underneath all of that, it’s a story about trauma.

About loss.

About searching for a place where you belong.

And about finding the strength to keep going when everything you’ve built your identity around falls apart.

I also want to offer a sincere content warning: Yugen contains an explicit on-page sexual assault.

As a survivor myself, I felt it was important to portray this experience honestly—not for shock value, but because survivors deserve stories that acknowledge the reality of trauma, the complicated emotions that follow, and the long road toward healing. If that isn’t something you’re comfortable reading, I completely understand.

Today, Yugen is available FREE on Amazon.

If these themes resonate with you, I’d be honored if you’d pick up a copy. Consider it my gift to you. (And this would really really help me out—something something author needs ‘sales’ or whatever.)

And if you do read it and enjoy it, a review would mean more to me than I can adequately express.

Grab your free copy on Amazon today.