Illicit Artifacts

Jil knew her foster mother, Elise, was sick. So why does her death seem so sudden?

Unable to shake the feeling that there’s more to this story, Jil begins unearthing secrets. Her quest leads her down unexpected paths teeming with uncomfortable questions about the woman she thought she knew. Why does Elise have stolen art in her home? And where did she get the substantial amount of money she’s left Jil in her will?

Jil and her lover, Jess, are used to confiding everything, but Jil just can’t let Jess into this part of her life. As she gets closer to learning the truth about Elise’s past, Jil collides with memories of her own past she thought she’d let go. Did she ever know Elise at all? Can she get a grip on what she’s discovered before her silence drives Jess away forever?

Stevie Mikayne writes fiction with a literary edge, combining her obsession with traditional literature with a love of dynamic characters and strong language. She graduated with an MA in creative writing from Lancaster University in the UK, and published her first two books, Jellicle Girl and Weight of Earth, shortly after.

When she met a woman who could make the perfect cup of tea, create a window seat under the stairs, and build a library with a ladder, she knew she’d better marry her before someone else did. They live in Ottawa, Canada, with their young daughter.