THE GREAT TREE OF IRIS
Out now in eBook and paperback!
Finalist for Best Debut Novel at the 2026 Goldie Awards
What if it’s Lord of the Rings or The Priory of the Orange Tree with more romance, and women and nonbinary people save the world?
What if a 30-year-old grumpy scholar goes on a quest to save her community, but she has to learn to trust others and accept love?
The Great Tree of Iris, an epic romantic fantasy with cozy-ish vibes, combines a 30-year-old FMC's map-crossing, world-saving quest with fade-to-black sapphic romance in a queer-normative world. Perfect for fans of Samantha Shannon, L.R. Lam, S.A. Chakraborty, Saara El-Arifi, and J.R.R. Tolkien.
488 pages (paperback). Extras in the back of the book include: location pronunciation guide, character pronunciation guide and summaries, historical timeline, and glossary.
7 Unlikely Companions.
5 Libraries.
1 Hidden Prophecy.
The Great Tree of Iris: a place of unmatched healing power for humans. Top scholar Lia Tovar protects the Tree in honor of her dead father, but she has visions of its tragic demise.
When Rory Elatha, an elf from the hidden city of Kyrali, arrives seeking experts to save the decaying, sacred sunflower fields, Lia suspects their situations are connected. For once, her books cannot help, and she answers the call.
To save the Tree, Lia must learn to trust six allies:
- A youthful jeweler
- A haunted scholar
- A vibrant secret-keeper
- An inkdelver on a mission
- A wizard seeking a friend
- A dragon looking for home
When they discover one part of a deadly prophecy, Lia, Rory, and their party search desperately for a way to challenge fate. But as more natural disasters arise in their race across the continent, Lia must decide if she can let Rory into her heart, and if that will free or destroy her.
Content Note
The Great Tree of Iris explores subjects that may be sensitive, including but not limited to: anxiety, panic attacks, depression, parental abandonment, violence, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms, racism (between elves, half-elves, and humans), emotional manipulation/abuse, disease, suicidal ideation (brief mention), creature physical abuse (two brief scenes), and death.
THE CURSE OF THE STARTIDE, a sapphic pirate princess romantasy
APRIL 6, 2027
Preorders & ARCs coming soon
For fans of Our Flag Meets Death, Tangled, The Princess Bride, and Firefly, but it’s queer.
“The perfect adult fairytale.” —E.A.M. Trofimenkoff, author of A Kiss of the Siren’s Song
4 things about me:
-Spicy sapphic (FF) romance with a side Achillean love story (MM)
-Pirates who are terrible pirates and don't want to get better
-A princess who crafts, has PCOS, and runs her own business
-Dragon bonds and epic showdowns and bi-awakenings and ruined kingdoms
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Poetry Collection
(title TBA)
A collection of Jess Skultety's poetry focused on coming out in her thirties, queer joy, celebrating big bodies, and healing.