Nocticadia
What's it about
Ever wondered what dark secrets lurk behind the gilded walls of a secret society? Dive into a world where forbidden desire meets ancient mystery, and every shadow hides a dangerous truth. Prepare for a gothic romance that will captivate your senses and leave you breathless. You'll follow Liska, an art restorer drawn into the enigmatic world of the Umbra, a society shrouded in secrecy at the infamous Nocticadia. Uncover the dark pacts and forbidden rituals that bind its members as she is pulled deeper into a passionate and perilous affair with its powerful leader. This is your chance to explore the thrilling intersection of obsession, power, and a love that defies death itself.
Meet the author
Keri Lake, Aaron Shedlock is a former intelligence analyst for the U.S. Army, where he specialized in psychological operations and spent fifteen months in Iraq. His unique background provides a rare glimpse into the complex psychological landscapes of soldiers and the profound impact of their experiences. This firsthand knowledge of human behavior under extreme pressure became the foundation for the authentic and compelling narrative of Nocticadia, offering readers an unparalleled look into the hidden corners of the human psyche.
The Script
A professional appraiser can spend a lifetime learning to distinguish a replica from the real thing. They study the patina on bronze, the faint craquelure in old oil paintings, the specific weight and wear of a truly ancient coin. They learn that a masterful forgery is about perfectly mimicking the story of time and use. But what happens when the object of appraisal isn't an antique, but a person? What happens when a young woman, polished and presented to the world like a priceless artifact, is in fact a flawless replica of another, one who was lost long ago? Her gestures, her expressions, her very essence—all are a perfect echo. This is a different kind of forgery, one where the deception lies in the soul, raising an unsettling question: can a copy ever truly become an original, or is she destined to be just a beautiful, hollow echo?
This haunting exploration of identity, obsession, and the nature of authenticity is the dark heart of Nocticadia. The story was born from a collaboration between Keri Lake, a bestselling author known for her intricate, gothic-infused romances, and her husband, Aaron Shedlock. Together, they were fascinated by the idea of a love so consuming it seeks to resurrect the past by reshaping the present. Drawing on their shared passion for dark fairy tales and psychological suspense, they crafted a world where a man's obsessive grief becomes a young woman's gilded cage, forcing her to confront whether the love she feels is her own, or simply a memory she was made to inherit.
Module 1: The Haunting Grip of Trauma
Trauma is a ghost that lives in your present. The story's protagonist, Lilia Vespertine, is a perfect example. She is haunted by the horrifying death of her mother. This single event shapes her entire reality. The first key insight is that unresolved trauma distorts your perception of the world. Lilia experiences vivid flashbacks and hallucinations. Four years after her mother’s death, a smell in a hospital bathroom triggers a full-blown episode. She relives the entire traumatic event. She sees the screams. She sees the black worms. She sees her mother’s vacant eyes. The memory is so powerful it knocks her off her feet. For her, the past is never truly past. It bleeds into her daily life, making it impossible to trust her own senses.
Building on that idea, the book shows how socioeconomic pressure traps you in cycles of struggle. Lilia dreams of a career in medical research. But she’s stuck working as a hospital cleaner. She takes community college classes when she can. At this rate, her degree will take a decade. Financial hardship is a cage. It limits her access to education. It restricts her healthcare options. It keeps her in a dangerous living situation with a volatile stepfather, Conner, and his predatory friend, Angelo. This is a system of constraints that makes escape feel impossible.
So what happens next? When a person is trapped and haunted, they find ways to cope. Personal rituals and superstitions become anchors in a chaotic world. Lilia isn't religious. But she wears a vial of her mother’s ashes on a rosary. Her mother believed the dead couldn't harm you if you carried something of theirs. Lilia doesn't necessarily believe it. But it's a tangible connection. It's a small piece of control in a life that feels utterly out of her hands. These rituals are about survival. They are small acts of defiance against the overwhelming forces of trauma and poverty.