Trained to fight, lead, and sail the ocean that is space, Nel Vaughn has the makings of a hero. She should have been the best, but Nel forsake a career with the Alliance and now sails the Free Lanes on the Tantamount with its misfit crew, Kitsune cabin girl, and absent-minded captain.

During a stopover for repairs, Nel and the Tantamount are coerced into ferrying medical cargo to a planet at war. Complicating the job are the Tantamount’s unwanted passengers—a Guildswoman; her golem; and a charming, mysterious stranger—each with their own agenda.

When Nel discovers the sinister truth behind their mercy mission, her simple goal of keeping her ship intact and her crew safe seems impossible . . . unless Nel chooses to be the hero she was meant to be.

Nominated for the 2015 Sir Julius Vogel Award

- Best Youth Novel

The badly damaged Tantamount docked at Port Border, seeking repairs, new crew members, and work. First Officer Nel Vaughn tries to drown her memories of the disastrous battle with the Guild in dingy taverns.

But there’s little time for remorse and healing. Port Border is overrun with Alliance soldiers and their mysterious cargo, the Draugr. Soon, Violet, the kitsune cabin girl, discovers an old enemy hidden in the dusty port town.

Dodging their old foes, the Tantamount leaves Port Border with a replenished crew and a full cargo hold. But their lucky escape is plagued with troubling injuries of the crew and sightings of a strange ship, and Nel is forced to wonder: is she harbouring a traitor on board the Tantamount?

Nominated for the 2019 Sir Julius Vogel Award
- Best Youth Novel

Cover Art nominated for 2019 Aurora Award

The Tantamount is gone. So too her captain, the crew lost, and Nel Vaughn is broken. Alone, on a world of distractions with a bitter Kelpie who won’t let her forget.

On the Fata Morgana, indifferent to life outside, a seven-tailed Kitsune whom some call mad moves towards his own goals. Of Draugr and golems and mist. And someone Nel believes gone.

The Black is a dark place, nearly as dark as the bottom of her drink. When Castor Sharpe comes crashing back into Nel's life, he brings something with him. A mission, a chance. Maybe even hope. But they’ll need a crew. And a ship.