I started writing these books way back in 2019 (close to when Camp started), and decided that instead of just doing a lot of one-offs with nothing else after it (which is fine btw, I love a good and true standalone), I wanted to do something a little different.
The Mirror Garden is not a traditional series.
It is a collection of standalone novels that all exist within the same universe—they are not sequels, and they don’t need to be read in order—but they do exist with each other. Each book tells its own complete story, with its own setting, tone, and cast of characters. The fun part is: you can enter anywhere! What connects them is something quieter, and a little stranger. Something you may not notice until you’ve read a few.
Across the Mirror Garden, characters are not entirely separate from one another. They are reflections—variations of the a blueprint—appearing in different lives, different circumstances, and different timelines. The names change, they may even meet each other, but there is something very similar at their core. These are not duplicates. They are echoes. No one character will be exactly the same as the one before—that would be a series and these books are meant to be a bit different.
A name mentioned briefly in one book may belong to the main character of another. A passing reference—a gardener, a sister, a family friend—may quietly anchor an entirely different story elsewhere in the world. These connections are intentional, but never required. You can follow them if you want to, or simply let them exist in the background. If you read this forthcoming book, but don’t read the one after, you won’t miss anything if you then pick up the third. Over time, I hope that the Mirror Garden reveals itself less like a series and more like a tapestry: separate stories, woven together by shared themes of identity, choice, loss, and redemption. But a series that subtly shadows itself, connects itself, and gives you many “Aha” and “Yes! There she is!” moments. I’m sure some of you will see the connections quickly!
If you’ve read Camp Chronicles, you may notice a few subtle overlaps. That world exists here too—but only at the edges, like something glimpsed through a different window. At its core, the Mirror Garden asks a simple question:
If the same soul were given a different life… would it choose differently?
And if not—why, how, and with who?
Of course, I hope these stories are fun, refreshing, witty, and moving all at the same time. I’m sure there will be some you relate to and others you don’t, but I do hope you enjoy each story for what it is. Many of these have come from places in my life and pieces of my life, times when I was dealing with something specific, times when I was lost, times when I had a crush… *sighs*.
Either way, I am so looking forward to this universe and hope you all will join me!
Sincerely,
Your Mirror Garden guardian (Ronan J.)
