Dear Reader,

I’m thrilled to present all my short stories and novellas set in the world of Ixia & Sitia in one collection. Five of the stories included will be familiar to some readers as they were previously available on my website, and three are brand new. It was fun to dive back into this vast and complex world, filled with dynamic and interesting characters, including a number of horses. It still amazes me that I created this extensive world from one idea. I sparked on having a food taster as a protagonist who gets involved with stopping a plot to overthrow a king. It was going to be one book. Instead, it led to twelve books and eight additional stories. Boggles!

This collection also contains a number of extra perks: Introductions to all the stories, artwork by the amazingly talented Dema Harb, an outline for Assassin Study, maps by the fantastic Martyna Kuklis, fun facts, and reader art!

If you haven’t read any of my Study or Glass series books (aka The Chronicles of Ixia), stop reading. The following stories contain lots and lots of spoilers. If you’re still interested in this world, then I suggest you refer to the reading order on the next page. Poison Study and The Study of Poisons are companion novels and either one can be read first, or they can be read in tandem.

If you have read any of my books set in this world, thank you so very much. You are the reason I keep writing about these characters. It was your emails, comments, bribes, cheers, tears, and constant support that pushed me to write more. And I realize that, if you have your way, I’d continue to write novels set in this world. Many of you have asked for novels about Ari and Janco, the Commander, Onora, Fisk, and the second generation of characters. Well, I can’t predict the future, and I’m looking at retirement…someday! I can’t make any promises for more stories, but I’m not ready to shut the door just yet.

Happy reading!

Love, Maria