“The Spark & the Star” is now available for Pre-Order
Releases May 11, 2026
Every 25 years, the empire of Sivka is born again as magic dies. Who will survive the chaos?
The Imperator. During the Luncycle, alkhemy reigns supreme. But every quarter-century, the miracles brewed from the blood of alkhemists vanish. None benefit more from the upheaval than the cruel Imperator.
The Alkhemist. An ambitious girl who will do anything to save herself from an illness only the Philosopher’s Stone can cure. Unfortunately, the one Stone known to exist belongs to the Imperator.
The Boy King. A young man raised on the memory of his family’s slaughter. Desperate for revenge, he intends to overthrow the Imperator and reclaim his throne.
The Prophetic Sister. An idealist who only wants to keep her family safe, she and her sister join the boy’s revolution in pursuit of the Stone, risking their lives — and hearts — in the process.
For when the Suncycle dawns one year from now, they will all bleed red.
A story that subverts tropes and bridges the gap between Epic Fantasy and Romantasy. The Spark & the Star is ideal for readers who were obsessed with Little Women, Anastasia, and Swan Princess as children, but enjoy the twists and turns and occasional brutality of Game of Thrones as adults.
Preorder open now at my shop.
– WRITING PORTFOLIO –
Samples of some of my finished work can be found at Tess Hunter Writing Portfolio.
– FINISHED MANUSCRIPTS –
Safe Passage:
Adult SF // The illegitimate daughter of the President is forced to captain a spaceship ambulance and uncovers the lies behind her father’s dynasty.
Castle Valley:
YA Fantasy // Half of the country has been drained of all life, turned into a desert wasteland. The other half is lush and prosperous. A wall divides them. It’s up to three sisters to break it down or tear each other apart.
The Nameless:
Adult SF // A convict goes to work on a struggling space farm and must decide between saving it or seeking revenge on those who framed her.
– FINISHED SCREENPLAYS –
Safe Passage:
SF Pilot & Feature // The illegitimate daughter of the President is forced to captain a spaceship ambulance and uncovers the lies behind her father’s dynasty.
In a world where Earth has been ravaged by global warming, many citizens live on an opulent space station called SAT. But capacity is limited on SAT and only the highest priority citizens (the brains and the rich) get a room with a view. The poor folks have to stick it out on a dying planet.
Enter Anna Kensey, President Kensey’s illegitimate problem child. When Anna defies orders one too many times, her father shunts her out of the limelight of military command and on to captain the scum of the fleet – a Medical Freighter. Medical Freighters journey from SAT to Earth to help the citizens forced to survive on a planet that’s determined to kill them. With her crew of misfit doctors, Anna begins to discover the corruption and lies lurking behind the Kensey Dynasty.
Safe Passage placed in the semifinals of the PAGE Awards, was a finalist in the Storypros Awards, and is being shopped by Producer Chris Coggins.
Railroad Earth:
SF Pilot // A rookie soldier from the future travels through alternate realities on a broken time-machine to save the fiancé she left behind.
Hunter Century:
Historical Drama Pilot // The true story of the lives, loves and losses of generations of Hunters as they work the family farm from its founding in 1863 to modern times.
The series is a true story about the vast Hunter family and their decades of struggles to keep their farm. The pilot starts in 1863 as orphan Jonathan Hunter is about to enter into a marriage of convenience with socialite Sarah Scofield. All so that he may fulfill his father’s dying wish and build a Hunter homestead. But the Scofield’s aren’t happy about their eligible daughter marrying a nameless farmer. Sarah’s overbearing sister is determined to destroy the match.
Meanwhile, Jonathan has to manage his fragile younger sister and the interfering mother who abandoned them. When the Scofield’s learn their eldest son was killed in the battle of Gettysburg and that Jonathan has lost the prime real estate he intended to make their farm, timid Sarah is faced with a choice — family honor or personal freedom. Jonathan must put aside his pride and convince Sarah to become a partner in a new life.
Blackcliff Island:
Dramedy Pilot // On Blackcliff Island water is currency, so when lawyer Michelle returns after inheriting her estranged father’s marina, she must learn to swim or risk sinking the family business.
The series centers on Michelle McDaniel and Matt Young. Michelle is a disillusioned lawyer who abandons her life in the city to take over her father’s marina on an island in the Pacific Northwest. Young is a troubled ex-Coast Guard Lieutenant who has been running the place since Michelle’s father’s death.
In the pilot, Michelle arrives on Blackcliff Island after rejecting a marriage proposal and partnership at her law-firm. She and Young immediately butt heads over the management of McDaniel’s Marina. When Young quits, Michelle discovers replacing him is no easy task. And Young realizes his debts to various casinos can’t be paid with good will. The two must learn to work together or risk the Marina being bought out by an enterprising Mayor.
Irregular People:
Drama Feature // A rigid doctor and a town delinquent form a makeshift family when they hide a runaway boy from social services.
North Forty:
Drama Pilot // After an accident rocks the small town of Bayford, the inhabitants discover that life, love and forgiveness aren’t as easy to come by as they thought.
This pilot was filmed in its entirety by the talented students of Central Washington University. It is available to watch HERE.
Tess Hunter 