❝My story is of such marvel that if it were written with a needle on the corner of an eye, it would yet serve as a lesson to those who seek wisdom.❞

--The Arabian Nights

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❝The night has a thousand eyes, and the moon knows all your secrets.❞

In which a young woman bravely defies the odds by regaling the sultan of her kingdom with stories spun of gold and gossamer and perfumed with roses, yet finds herself falling into the beast's claws because of it.

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❝The wrath is not in yourself, Scheherazade,❞ he crooned, a sanguine tinge to the blade of his dagger, ❝but in the ashes of the dawn. Remember that when i burn your cadaver for the world to see.❞

SCHEHERAZADE is a traveling merchant's daughter, nothing more, nothing less. When they are detained at Al-Zahureem's port for buying and selling stolen goods after leaving on a trading mission to Al-Nakhla, her father is told that the only way to keep his dignity–and his life–is to give her up to the palace guards for the sultan's new wedding.

He sees no way out, and so he concedes, selling her to the vizier for his freedom.

What he does not know, however, or rather chooses to ignore, is that the sultan, Rahim ibn al-Asada, has killed each and every one of his brides since the first, Najila of Al-Gharib, betrayed him with another. It is his revenge–a life for a love that was shattered.

Scheherazade is next. He meets her between the dawn and the dusk, determined to slit her throat and then burn the remains.

She delays her doom with a tale–not much, at first, and definitely not enough to keep Rahim's interest. But as the nights go by with each morn greeting a breathing storyteller, could it be that her silver tongue is the key to breaking the spell that has rested on the city of Al'abraj and Al-Zahureem for so long?

The wrath is in the ashes, and the curse is in the thorns of the past. But the rose... ah, the rose might have wilted between them.

those who have been m a d e  can be unmade.

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A 1001 Arabian Nights + Sleeping Beauty + Snow White + Beauty and the Beast + Hades and Persephone + Romeo and Juliet retelling

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WITA has a long, long history, something some of you may know well. it was first posted under the name "The Talisman" (shout out to all my TT fans 😘) where it received a Wattpad feature, ranked at #77 in Fantasy, won several awards and was book of the month for the HTBC book club.

however, it was my first "real" attempt at writing something meant for the world, and though it was popular, i never really felt that it quite lived up to my expectations for what i wanted from my writing. i wrote because i loved to, but at the same time i wrote because i didn't know what else i could do.

and then i ran into writer's block.

i was in a slump for weeks, feeling that i wasn't living up to Wattpad's expectations. but one day i came across a little letter by the amazing @TahliePurvis here on Wattpad, and i realized that what she felt was what i  felt. she expressed how she had become so driven to write on Wattpad that what she wrote didn't make her happy anymore.

so she decided to write for her.

and that's what i decided too. i took a break. did some research. fleshed out the world of what was once called "The Talisman." honed my skills. reworked characters from the ground up until i knew that i was satisfied with my work. that's what motivated me to share my journey with you, to see how far i've come from where i was. 

thank you, tahlie, for your honesty and willingness to share your struggle with us. it helped me through my own. i will be forever grateful. 💖

TT is back. but this time, it's better than ever and ready to return.

welcome to Wrath in the Ashes.

always stay ruinated, darlings,

--ella <3

Signature by @ontheupsidedown

IMPORTANT

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(also, i know i've said this many, many times, but it would mean the world to me if you would refrain from swearing or using the Lord's name in vain. i'm a Christian, and as such i feel responsible for my comments section on all my books. IF you have sworn on my books before and didn't know that's forgiven. but please try not to in the future, or i'm afraid i will have to flag your comment for personal reasons.)

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a PSA: 

i am of Afro-Caribbean (more specifically, the West Indies) descent–what that means is that my ancestors were sold into slavery, but, instead of being shipped off to the American colonies/states (after the American Revolution), they were instead redirected to the Caribbean to work on sugarcane plantations. back in the day, this was how you got your refined sugar to ship up to the States. they also planted and harvested coffee, indigo, and rice to export. most likely, my ancestors hailed from the West African region–defined today as being made up of 16 countries on the western African coast. geographically, it is defined as not only the 16 countries on the coast, but the northwest portion of the Maghreb.  this is where there was the highest slave trade, hence being the most likely place that my ancestors would hail from.

as far as i know, the only thing i can say for certain is that my ancestors were from the politically defined West African region. the geographically region of West Africa that overlaps with the Maghreb (also part of the MENA), i'm not sure about. until i discover more, i can tell you that i do not come from the Middle East, nor am i a Muslim (as mentioned above in the first notice). therefore, i am not an authoritative source on the Middle East or its people. the authentic setting of my work is bolstered by research and by the helpful advice of Middle Eastern/Arabic speaking friends who may or may not be Muslim–i encourage you to find people like these to help you with your own research.

P.S

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(don't steal my stuff.)

©2019 by E.S Johnson

Cover by Ellis (@rubyruins)

2nd draft

Start date: 1/20/19

End date: TBA

(--dedication: for those who have 

looked 

to the stars and 

wondered)