Writings by
Justin Beghtol
Underhouse Series

Underhouse is now available!

Tree Sprites Under a House?

Flixi and her tribe are the most technologically advanced tree sprites the world has never seen. Their town has electricity, running water, in-house plumbing; all of it built in secret beneath a human dwelling they call the Great House.

With humans long gone from the house, the worst the sprites have to worry about is the occasional hawk attack when venturing outside, or perhaps field mice stealing their food. It's a pleasant enough a life that none of them can quite remember why they ever left their tree or how they lost their magic.

But when a new family buys the Great House, their little underhouse world is thrown into chaos. How will they hide from these new humans? What will they do if they find them? Should they abandon their town and return to their tree? And who are these humans? And why can't their little daughter stop crying at night?

Flixi has so many questions! The elder Loriss seems to have all the answers, only he doesn't share them. He just assigns cryptic missions as part of something he forbids she call a plan. That just begs more questions. What exactly is Loriss up to? And how does he know so much?

Tired of being treated like a child, Flixi's going to get some answers. Little does she know how many there are to find, or the danger everyone is in...

Dúranaki Chronicles

Dúranaki Chronicles Volume One is now available!

Enter the World of T'vance Arain

For thousands of years the Dúranaki have lived in relative obscurity, sheltered within their Twilight Forest on the far side of nearly impassible mountains. Ejected from his homeland, T'vance assumes a western name and explores a world few Dúranaki ever see. He soon finds himself in the middle of a conflict that threatens not only the strange land he visits, but casts a specter of doom even on his own homeland.

The Stories

The Chronicles started as a single short story to explore fast-paced, first-person story telling. Four more stories followed, creating a substantial work that is now offered as "Volume One". They feature T'vance Arain, a hot-headed assassin, drug addict, and aspiring mage. The stories aim to be fast paced, with a good bit of action,wit and dialog.

Dúranaki Chronicles Volume Two is now available!

Dark planet rising...

There are planets known to the Empire, planets quarantined for their unique energy fields, planets on which strange, unnatural things occur. The locals have been known to call it viiri, or magic. In no instance has it been exhibited to function in space, or on other planets. Until now.

After visiting the quarantined planet Glemux against his will, Doogan wants nothing more than to put the strange world behind him, fix his computer girlfriend, and find the bastard who sent him there.

But when that bastard turns out to be the espionage wing of the Ilsian Empire, with the power to destroy his life, he's lucky they only want his help. The Empire is having problems with a planet that has broken out of its quarantine, sent dark ships into space and brought magic with them.

Drafted as a de facto expert, Doogan returns to Glemux to consult the only real experts he knows, the Dúranaki T'vance and his magically adept friends, unwittingly entangling them in a conflict that threatens the very fabric of civilization.

But as any Dúranaki will tell you, there isn't a conflict that can't be resolved with a few strategic murders.