Forged Slumber
a whisper in the shadows between wakefulness and sleep
In the quaint oceanside town of Cobalt Cove, sleep came easily to most who reside here. That, however, was not the case for Bennett, a twenty-something man whose life is sidelined by his closest friend Addie’s puzzling and rapidly declining illness, which renders her comatose. Darkness descends upon Bennett when a whisper in the silence between wakefulness and sleep reveals he is not the caregiver, but rather the patient in a mystical induced state of sleep.
When Bennett formed a childhood friendship with a young Adalynn Hale, his visions of it blossoming into a beautiful flower were replaced years later with a reality of snarling, thorny black vines. The Hale family is descended from a long line of ancient protectors who possessed magical abilities. Though their magic was forged from the purest of light, it had the potential to manifest evil. Now trapped in slumber, Bennett’s life is manipulated by a friend with malevolent intentions. He must navigate the perilous and ominous realm of Terminus to reclaim his true liveliness. He faces the task of crossing the barrier between realms to save and protect those whose lives he holds dear. On this journey of self-discovery and rising challenges, Bennett learns that you can love a villain, and he shows this in the most tragically beautiful way.
At the Heart of Forged Slumber: Why Character is Everything
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When I set out to write Forged Slumber, the first installment of my Forged trilogy, I knew one thing for certain: this story would live and breathe through its characters. Yes, there's plenty of suspense, adventure, and twist-filled moments—don’t worry, the plot delivers. But for me, the real magic happens in the spaces between the action, in the quiet thoughts, raw conversations, and emotional turning points that shape who these characters are and who they become.
Too often, I’ve finished reading a book and found myself asking, but what about the people living this story? I want to know what’s happening inside—what drives their decisions, what burdens they carry, what moments change them. That’s what I set out to create in Forged Slumber and continued to build throughout Forged Realities and Forged Sunder. This series invites you to not just follow a journey, but to feel it. You’ll cry, laugh, question, and heal with these characters because their experiences aren’t just written—they’re lived. As I often remind my students when I teach writing, DETAILS MATTER. But not just in plot twists and world-building—true storytelling happens when you detail the soul of a character. So, if you’re a reader who craves deep, emotional connection and layered, fully realized characters, then this series is meant for you.
Meet The Characters
Bennett
Bennett is a kind-hearted, fiercely loyal twenty-something who has lived his entire life in the beachside town of Cobalt Cove. A self-proclaimed comic book nerd, he’s immersed in the world of superheroes, not just for the escapism, but because he believes in the ideals they represent—courage, sacrifice, and standing up for what’s right, even when it’s hard. His room is covered in vintage posters, graphic novels are stacked beside his bed, and he can quote origin stories better than most people remember their birthdays.
Though some see Bennett as quiet or even self-doubting, there’s a quiet strength beneath the surface. He may wrestle with insecurity, but he’s deeply self-aware and grounded in his values. His identity isn’t built on bravado, but on compassion, conviction, and the unshakable belief that people—especially those he loves—deserve to be protected.
His closest friends—Addie, Willa, Cora Jo, and Nate—are more than a friend group; they’re his chosen family. He holds them close, sometimes too close, shouldering their pain as if it were his own. Bennett loves with intensity and protects with purpose, even when it puts him at risk. That protective instinct becomes both his greatest strength and his deepest vulnerability when he discovers the truth about Addie’s descent into darkness.
In a world where fantasy and reality blur, Bennett clings to the qualities that make him who he is: loyalty, empathy, and quiet bravery. And when the illusion of peace begins to crumble, it’s those very qualities that make him the only one capable of standing against the nightmare and facing the truth.
Addie
Adalynn Hale—known simply as Addie to her closest friends—is the kind of person who moves through the world with quiet magnetism. She's beautiful, articulate, and fiercely intelligent, often seen as the calm center of any storm. To those around her, especially Bennett, she is the perfect best friend: loyal, intuitive, and seemingly always one step ahead. But Addie’s grace hides a dangerous secret—one rooted in bloodline and legacy.
Born into the powerful and reclusive Hale family, Addie is the descendant of ancient protectors, guardians entrusted with magical abilities meant to shield others from harm. Trained from a young age in the arts of protective magic, Addie was groomed to uphold her family’s noble purpose. But something within her soul longed for more—more control, more understanding, more power.
Drawn to the seductive pull of dark magic, Addie begins to break the sacred oaths of her lineage. Unlike protective spells, dark magic requires personal sacrifice—it corrupts slowly, subtly, changing the very core of who you are. Faced with the choice between maintaining her humanity and embracing the abyss, Addie chooses power. And in doing so, she betrays the people who loved her most. Yet somewhere beneath the layers of deception and darkness, a glimmer of the girl she once was still lingers… begging to be redeemed or damned.
Addie’s story is one of temptation, consequence, and the thin line between power and ruin. She is not a monster—she is a mirror of every choice we fear might define us.
Cora Jo
Cora Jo is as radiant as her name implies—a blend of Southern charm, sharp wit, and quiet strength. With striking beauty and a magnetic personality, she turns heads effortlessly, but it’s her intelligence, emotional intuition, and fierce loyalty that truly define her. The kind of friend everyone wants and few deserve, Cora Jo, is often seen as the glue that holds her close-knit circle together.
She’s a natural leader—not by force, but by presence. Whether organizing spontaneous beach bonfires in Cobalt Cove or helping her friends navigate heartbreak and hardship, Cora Jo leads with her heart. She’s the one who senses unspoken tension before anyone else, the one who knows exactly when to speak and when to simply be there. Her emotional radar is finely tuned, and she takes her role as the group’s anchor seriously—even when the weight of that responsibility threatens to pull her under.
But Cora Jo isn’t flawless. While her intentions are pure, her decisions aren’t always perfect. Impulsiveness and pride sometimes cloud her judgment, leading to moments where she must face the cost of her actions. Still, she owns her mistakes and fights fiercely to protect the people she loves, often placing their needs before her own.
To Bennett, Willa, Nate, and Addie, Cora Jo is more than just a friend—she's family. And in a world slowly unraveling between reality and nightmare, Cora Jo remains the emotional heartbeat of the group, refusing to let the darkness take what little light they have left.
Willa
Willa may be the youngest member of the group, but her soul speaks in ancient tones. A gentle spirit and a fierce environmental advocate, Willa is most at home beneath the canopy of trees, barefoot in the sand, or collecting sea glass along the shoreline of Cobalt Cove. She’s been affectionately dubbed a “young Mother Nature” by her friends, not just for her love of the earth, but for her nurturing energy and deep empathy.
Soft-spoken and observant, Willa often listens more than she speaks, but when she does share her thoughts, they carry the weight of wisdom beyond her years. She’s not one to seek the spotlight, but her quiet presence has a calming effect on those around her. While some mistake her gentleness for fragility, those who truly know her recognize the quiet strength simmering beneath the surface.
Willa believes deeply in the balance of all things—light and dark, growth and decay, truth and mystery. She senses when something is off, even if she can't always name it, and often serves as the emotional barometer of the group. Though she’s still coming into her own, there’s a quiet greatness in her—an untapped potential waiting for the right moment to bloom.
Willa may not lead with force, but when the moment calls for courage, hers often comes in the purest form: not loud or dramatic, but steady, rooted, and true.
Nate
Nate is the undeniable spark of the group—the kind of guy who can break tension with a single joke and turn even the darkest moments into something bearable. Strikingly handsome with a roguish charm, he leans into humor as both a gift and a shield. Quick with a quip and always ready with a sarcastic comeback, Nate wears his smile like armor. But behind that effortless grin is a man who’s more complex than he lets on.
He and Bennett share a deep, brother-like bond, forged through years of friendship, loyalty, and laughter. While Bennett is the heart, Nate is the pulse, keeping things moving, lightening the load, and standing fiercely by his best friend’s side, even when things start to unravel.
Though surrounded by magical secrets and strange occurrences, Nate remains a skeptic. He doesn’t believe in spells, curses, or otherworldly forces—or at least, that’s what he insists. His stubborn refusal to acknowledge the mystical isn’t just skepticism; it hints at something deeper, something buried. An experience? A truth too painful to confront? Whatever it is, Nate’s disbelief is as much a defense mechanism as his sense of humor.
But when reality begins to blur and the line between what’s real and what’s imagined disappears, Nate will be forced to face more than just the darkness around him—he’ll have to confront the one within himself.
Underneath the wisecracks and charm is someone who would do anything for the people he loves. And when the time comes, Nate might just surprise everyone, including himself.
Other Characters Met Along The Way
Eleanor
Eleanor is the eldest living member of the Hale family, a stoic guardian of ancient secrets and a master of protection magic passed down through generations. Wise, sharp, and unyielding, she carries the weight of the family legacy—and the burden of watching it begin to unravel.
Morgaine is the enigmatic proprietor of Morgaine’s Mystical Emporium, a shop brimming with arcane relics, whispered secrets, and the scent of old magic. Revered and feared in equal measure, she possesses a deep mastery of magical history and wields power that few truly understand, making her a vital, if unpredictable, ally in matters of the unseen.
Alice
Alice is a mysterious and enigmatic old woman who appears to Bennett. She recognizes the truth behind Bennett and becomes determined to help the lost dreamer find his way back to the world he no longer remembers.
Morgaine
The REALMS of FORGED SLUMBER
Cobalt Cove
Cobalt Cove is a picturesque oceanside town where time seems to move a little slower and the world feels just a little safer. Nestled along a rugged stretch of coast, its sapphire-blue waters give the town its name, and its golden beaches, framed by windswept dunes and wildflowers, draw in both locals and the occasional traveler looking to escape the chaos of the outside world.
Charming cottages with whitewashed porches line the narrow streets, and the scent of salt and sea breeze mixes with fresh-baked bread from the family-run bakery on Main Street. The community is close-knit, the kind of place where neighbors still wave from their front steps and kids ride their bikes freely through town without fear.
Crime is almost unheard of here, and the townspeople pride themselves on their sense of unity and shared history. Festivals on the boardwalk, bonfires on the beach, and impromptu music nights at the town square create a rhythm of life that feels both timeless and deeply personal. Beneath its postcard-perfect exterior, Cobalt Cove holds secrets of its own—whispers carried on the tide—but to those who live there, it’s not just a town. It’s home. Safe. Sacred. And perhaps, not quite as untouched as it seems.
Terminus
Terminus is a shadowed echo of the waking world—a dream realm built not from memories, but from fears. It mirrors Cobalt Cove in structure and layout, but any warmth or peace has long since decayed. The beaches are barren, littered with black sand and ash. The ocean bleeds ink, its tides pulling not with gravity, but with malice. Once-bright cottages sag under the weight of rot and ruin, their windows hollow-eyed and watching.
Twisted versions of familiar streets stretch into endless loops, where fog hangs thick and voices echo from nowhere. Trees whisper secrets in languages the mind can almost grasp, and the sky is an eternal bruised twilight, heavy and unmoving. Here, time fractures. Nightmares repeat in cycles. And behind every familiar corner, something waits—something that knows what you fear most.
Terminus isn’t an afterlife. It’s a sentence. A prison crafted by ancient magic, designed to torment the souls deemed unworthy of peace. It feeds on your memories, infects your thoughts, and slowly chips away at your identity until you’re little more than a shadow of yourself. Few ever escape. Most forget they were ever anything else.
In Terminus, reality bends, hope withers, and the truth is the cruelest illusion of all.
More Surroundings In The Story
Cobalt Cove General Hospital
The Old Mill Pub
Morgaine's Mystical Emporium
