Meet Moira Aurelia, the heroine of my upcoming paranormal romance series, The Hunt. Moira is a twenty-three year old art history grad student in the city of Farrow’s Hollow. An only child, she considers her best friend Ella family, and their bond only strengthened when her mom passed away shortly before her twenty-second birthday, struck with an illness doctors couldn’t explain.

Before her mom’s death, she was an exuberant, social, active university student with a goal to become an art therapist. Working through her Master’s degree in art history now, she had plans to pursue her degree in social work after. However, an array of physical changes that kick-started after she turned twenty-two has thrown a wrench into her plans. When she looks in the mirrors these days, she no longer sees herself. Inexplicably, her body has slowly morphed into another person over the course of a year and a half—what was green is now blue, what was brown is now white, and what was once curvy and soft is now lean and bony. The world seems to be fading around her, yet her strength is somehow growing. And, same as her mom’s illness, no one can tell her why.

The physical changes have had an emotional impact on Moira. Fearing she’s dying, and unable to accept any of the crazy alternatives to come to mind, she has retreated from her social life. No more ultimate Frisbee, bar trivia nights, and hangover brunches on Sunday mornings with her roommates. She’s become quiet, introspective, and, honestly, lonely.

What hasn’t disappeared is her can-do attitude and independence. A Farrow’s Hollow native, Moira is still assertive when she needs to be, and while her dating life may have gone out the window, she isn’t afraid to make connections and stand up for the people she cares about. A loyal friend, a hardworking student, and a curious soul, she faces the challenges ahead with focus, determination, and maybe a few tears along the way.

On every online Sorting Hat quiz, Moira’s Hogwarts house is Gryffindor.