Nova the red squirrel loves nothing more than enjoying a cup of Valerian root tea in her tiny, stone home in Riverbank Village.

But when her friend Rudbeck the mouse is kidnapped, she'll enlist the help of a curious, high-collared fox from the East and don her shortsword as she rushes off to the rescue.

A quaint, riverside hamlet where chipmunks study the secrets of nature in grand libraries. A tree-top city of pine martens with golden, glowing lanterns strung from the trees. A summer solstice feast in a meadow with tables full of fresh walnut loaves, spring salads, and flagons of fizzy drinks.

Join red squirrels, foxes, mice, and a host of friendly woodland creatures as they embark on their adventures in the forests of Marchwood.

Marchwood is a cozy fantasy series with grand tales, epic journeys, woodland feasts, mysterious scrolls, and secret castles, all told in a wholesome, positive, and calming voice.

If you love dreaming of faraway lands and adventures through the woods, this is the series for you.

Marchwood is a cozy fantasy series inspired by Redwall and The Hobbit.

"May your paws be warm and your fires be steady" is the motto of every Riverbank villager. But Nova the red squirrel must set down her warm mug of tea and take up her shortsword to help save the village that she loves.

In this first book in the series, follow the stories of Nova, Foxy, and Juniper as they venture north to the marshlands to rescue their friend Rudbeck from the Toad King.

The three friends are swept into the wider world when they discover that King Krub of the swamps isn't the scheming villain they once thought, and the mysteries of a secret note reveal the intentions of a faraway usurper, leading the Riverbank villagers to faraway lands.

Sail down the River Reed, venture through the rocky pine-covered hills, and peer over stone bridges in the highlands where you can see for miles and miles in the new, cozy fantasy series, Marchwood.

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Hi, I'm R.A. Lorensen, a writer and artist from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I grew up in the wide woods of the UP, which inspires so many of my stories.

I am the author of the epic fantasy series, A Century of Iron and Gold, and the cozy fantasy series, Marchwood, several other books, and countless stories and articles.

Marchwood was discovered when my daughter fell in love with Bilbo Baggins and his friends. I wanted to write new stories that were wholesome, family-friendly, and adventuresome, while still being exciting and interesting. From that dream of sharing fantastic, beautiful, and meaningful stories with my children, Marchwood was born.

When I write, I think about universal and developmental themes and archetypes-wise wizards, magical objects, and universal narrative tropes and rhetorical devices-to breathe life and interest into every story, while always remembering to write in a calm, positive, and mindful way to comfort and relax my readers.

I have my BA in English from Northern Michigan University and PhD in Rhetoric & Technical Communication from Michigan Technological University, and I've been teaching writing at the university level for about a decade. So, whenever you read my stories, you can know that someone with years and years of experience as a writer, teacher, scholar, and researcher has carefully put down those words with the utmost meaning and intention.

I hope you enjoy these stories, whether you're reading them tucked happily into bed at night after a long day, sitting in your favorite chair on the front porch in a rainstorm, relaxing by the light of a fire, or sitting in your rocking chair sharing them with your children.

"May your paws be warm and your fires be steady." - R. A. Lorensen