ALL THE FEELS WITHOUT THE SPICE
Lightning Hunter free download with subscription to email list. Join the Slow Readers Society
 

PLEDGES STILL AVAILABLE FOR THE  KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN
Characters from Son of Osivirius
 

Cathryn and Emalyn deVries

Were you looking for no-spice romantic fantasy and sci-fi authors? Awesome! You've just made our day by visiting!

Do you love fantasy and sci-fi books that take you on an emotional journey, with characters you resonate with, and that don't surprise you with steamy bedroom scenes? Is reading a journey of self-discovery for you, as well as an adventure? If so, you've come to the right place. Hi! We are an award-winning mother-daughter writing team from the beautiful Gold Coast hinterland in Australia writing under the pen name of Cathryn and Emalyn deVries. Our mission is to integrate timeless, universal themes with the perennial wisdom we've learnt through our own (sometimes heartbreaking) lives to bring you beautiful, thought-provoking stories. In short, we write fantasy that meets you in your messy reality and gives you all the feels without the spice, so you can feel awesome for a while. 

We want to support readers who love immersing themselves in big topics and challenging ideas without the ugly stuff that could easily have been left out; readers who love savouring books and finding deeper meaning in them; readers who want books to be more than a tick on their TBR list. That's why I created the Slow Readers Society. Our fast consumer culture doesn't value savouring and inner transformation, so the market is flooded with books designed to deliver a quick dopamine hit. We're different. As part of the Slow Readers Society, you'll get to explore old favourites and find new ones, confident that they'll be free of foul-mouthed and explicit content. This is the kind of fantasy we write, it's the kind we want to read, and we want to connect with other readers who feel the same.

Join the Slow Readers Society now and get Lightning Hunter, a short story set in our WIP world, and my award-winning story When A Slave Falls, for free.
 
 

If you're an author too, please check out our professional alpha/beta reading service! It will give you concrete direction for your next draft. All the details and some fabulous testimonials are on this site.

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Why Eclecta Perennial?

Why Eclecta Perennial?
Apr 27, 2023 by Cathryn deVries

What's in a name? Here I let you in on the origin of ours.
 

Zeitgeist: The Vibe of the Times

Zeitgeist: The Vibe of the Times
Aug 21, 2025 by Cathryn deVries

I recently read a fascinating blog post by Thomas Umstadt of Author Media about the zeitgeist cycle, so I thought I’d give you the ‘Cliff Notes’ version.

Rage Against the Machine

Rage Against the Machine
Jul 11, 2025 by Cathryn deVries
I'm having a hard time living in this messy world. Son of Osivirius is part of my response to tyrannical goverments and insidious ogliarchy.

Unrecognised Worthiness

Unrecognised Worthiness
Jul 07, 2025 by Cathryn deVries
Another behind-the-scenes look at Son of Osivirius, where I get a bit personal.

Shouldn't it be 'a' Masu?

Shouldn't it be 'a' Masu?
Jun 24, 2025 by Cathryn deVries
One of the things I love most about Son of Osivirius are my unique creatures and their unusual relationship to the humans, which led to a deliberate grammar error...