Book One of The Three Stars Trilogy · Forthcoming
She came to study the past.
She never expected it to recognize her.
Ruby Sterling arrives in Philadelphia with a suitcase full of books, her birth mother’s ring, and Thea—a cat with strong opinions about the journey.
A new job. A new home. A life she has chosen for herself.
Then the woman next door looks at Thea as though they are old acquaintances.
It is a small, peculiar moment. But beyond Ruby’s familiar world lies an ancient mystery—and finding her place in it will ask more of her than scholarship ever could.
Meet Ruby and Thea in a free advance excerpt from The Return of Knowing, a forthcoming fantasy novel by Ellis Chad Allison.
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Begin with Ruby and Thea.
A move from England to Philadelphia brings Ruby, her cat, and a new roommate together. An everyday complication gives way to hints of an ancient mystery. At the center are the bonds between people, care for other living beings, and the freedom to make one’s own choices.
A note from
Ellis Chad Allison.
Thank you for stopping by! Some of you know me as simply as Chad, but I am writing as Ellis Chad Allison. For the past year, somewhere between work, family, our three crazy cats, three rambunctious dogs, and more chickens than Joe expected, I’ve been building the world of The Return of Knowing, Book 1 of The Three Star Trilogy.
Animals are a big part of our life on Rockwood on the Hill Farm, and the relationships we build with them and with each other mean everything to me. Those connections found their way into this story about Ruby, a young woman searching for where she belongs, and Thea, a cat who seems to know more than she should.
There are ancient mysteries waiting for them, but writing their story has brought me back to something much closer to home: how we love someone while accepting that their path belongs to them. I don’t always find that easy. When you care deeply, you want to step in and protect. Sometimes loving someone means giving them room to find their own way, even when it scares you.
These characters have become wonderfully real to me. Sharing them with you is exciting and, if I’m honest, a little unnerving. But I’ve reached the part where I want someone else to know them, too.
I’d love to send you a first look. Come meet Ruby and Thea, and see whether you’d like to spend a little more time in their company. And when you’ve read it, you can reply to my email and tell me what you think. I’d love to hear from you.
Thank you for being here at the beginning.
Chad
The Return of Knowing
Ruby Sterling has built her life around understanding the past. She never expected it to recognize her.
A university position in Philadelphia should be the beginning of everything she has worked for. But an ancient tablet draws her into a mystery her scholarship cannot explain, and her cat, Thea, seems to see dangers no one else can.
As impossible experiences become harder to dismiss, Ruby discovers traces of a forgotten covenant—and people willing to kill to control what it reveals.
With two men whose lives are becoming dangerously entwined with hers, she follows a trail from museum collections to the ancient landscapes of Iraq. An approaching celestial alignment leaves little time to uncover the truth, and every discovery brings danger closer to those she loves.
The Return of Knowing begins The Three Stars Trilogy: a journey into ancient mystery, awakening power, and the terrifying cost of learning what is real.
Your first look begins here.
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© Ellis Chad Allison
