The Wayward Cup and the Midnight Trade
A Cozy Fantasy Inn Novel

About this book:

At the crossroads where the King's Highway meets the wild Whispering Pass, the Wayward Cup Inn serves more than hot barley porridge and spiced cider—it offers sanctuary to couriers, merchants, and the occasional knight with a broken hearthstone. Nora runs a tight ship: her half-orc factotum Barnaby dusts the banisters with a pink feather duster, the kitchen stove houses a grumpy fire-elemental, and the massive copper kettle warbles tavern songs when the water boils. But when Marella's experimental starlight-lichen spells start glowing violet in the pantry and a merchant reports curtains of yellow light blocking the mountain road, Nora's peaceful routine becomes the front line of a mystery that smells distinctly of high magic and old trouble.

With a kneazle-ferret who collects rent in cream, a kitchen assistant whose curiosity outpaces her control, and a parade of guests carrying secrets in their saddlebags, *The Wayward Cup and the Midnight Trade* stirs together the comfort of a well-tended hearth and the thrill of the unknown. Every chapter unfurls like a fresh-baked roll—warm, substantial, and hiding a delicious surprise at its center. From goblin afternoon tea to midnight bargains struck by lantern light, this is cozy fantasy at its most inviting: a world where the stakes are real, the magic feels lived-in, and there's always room for one more at the table.

Pull up a stool by the fire. The stew is fresh, the cider is spiked with rowan-berry syrup, and whatever walks the Whispering Pass tonight will have to get past Nora, Barnaby, and a very opinionated copper kettle first.