Heartless Infographic

When Romance Isn't - May 22, 2026

Dear Reader,

While I've been working a lot in the LARKS North Collection recently, building the video book chapters for The Silver Wraith's Firelight Queen, I've been considering Heartless, a flash fiction tale I wrote a few years ago. This story is a standalone tale set in the sprawling Draoithe Saga, an 18+ urban fantasy and paranormal romance series set in a magical-realist version of Tyler, Texas. But like The Last Train Whistle, it explores heartbreak rather than romance.

Heartless focuses on a devastating breakup between a man named Chris and his long-time lover, Daniella. Daniella is a passionate woman with a vibrant spirit; the appearance of her supernatural claws often gave whose intense emotions. On a frosty autumn night, she delivered a crushing blow to Chris, flashing a hint of her fangs and declaring him to be emotionally distant, callous, and hard-hearted. Feeling she deserves a path less burdened by emotional detachment, she walks away to find a deeper connection with someone else.

The story captures the agonizing dissolution of a romance. In a poignant, literal metaphor, Chris hears a sound like cracking pottery as Daniella's car pulls away. He kneels on the empty sidewalk, getting cut by the shards of his own broken heart, and watches helplessly as it bleeds out and dies on the concrete.

Rather than trying to piece himself back together, Chris makes a dark choice: he embraces the void. Pondering the soulless vampires of Hollywood films, Chris sheds his humanity and accepts a terrifying new identity. He decides that in order to survive the profound loss of his love, he must become the very thing Daniella accused him of being—truly heartless.

Heartless is a fantastic, quick look at the darker side of magical realism, capturing a painful transformation born from discarded love. If you enjoy paranormal romance with fated mates, mythical beings, and adult themes, this tale is a good reason to grab a drink and make a quick escape into the world of the Draoithe Saga. Welcome to the dream...

And now a word from our sponsor, Ophelia Kee.

Shameless Self Promotion

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Welcome to the dream…

Behind the Scenes

Elara from The Silver Wraith's Frelight Queen

I have embarked on a new mission. Alongside writing songs inspired by my stories, I'm also crafting video book episodes for The Silver Wraith's Firelight Queen. It's a short story, so at an episode a week, it will run for 3 months on Substack. The first few opening episodes are available now. The first story chapter episode will post tomorrow, May 23, 2026.

I might be in love with the Google Slides convert-to-video feature. After I uploaded a story to Google Notebook, I had it create chapter-by-chapter slide decks to download as a PowerPoint. Then I tweaked the PowerPoint images, added the speaker notes, and converted it all to video. I then replaced the will-definitely-cause-a-copyright-complaint stock music with my own as a soundtrack, added a few balances, and poof: a video book chapter was ready to go!

That poof only took 5 and 1/2 hours. It sounds bad; I know, but I'm learning. It's faster than the 20+ hours it would have taken using my video studio. The Silver Wraith's Firelight Queen, Chapter 3, has been uploaded to Substack for the Draoithe Saga Serial Experience. It will be better than the episodes so far… I like adult picture books. Y'all check them out and let me know just how crazy the muse is.

Leaving kind Reviews poster

Thank you for stepping into the dream once more. If you are listening on YouTube, don't forget to like and subscribe for more original stories and audio adventures! Special thanks to @OkMusicWriters for Enter The Dream. I need to get back to edits and videos. Leave your comments and questions. I'd love to hear from you. If you found this post worthy, please feel free to share it. I hope you have a lovely weekend and will discover a grand story. Please remember when you read, be kind and leave your reviews. Until my next post, welcome to the dream…

Be Careful!

Happy Reading,

Bye-Bye,

Ophelia Kee

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