Life happened, and the mic didn't.

But instead of ghosting your feed, here's a quick update on what's coming up on Beyond The Page, including more of A Trial of Thorns, and a brand-new indie feature just around the corner.

Plus, if you're craving a lighthearted, no-spice, criminally fun read while you wait, don't forget to check out last week's book review.

This one's short, sweet, and worth bookmarking.

🔗 Mentioned in this episode: 📚 The Sweetest Getaway by Sasha Preston — [Amazon Link] 📩 Get a free chapter preview — [sashapreston.com/newsletter]

Want your book featured on Beyond The Page? Submit here: [your submission form link]

What do you get when a good girl teams up with a group of semi-pro criminals and accidentally finds herself tailing a cop?

You get The Sweetest Getaway. A clever, wild, and laugh-out-loud heist rom-com by indie author Sasha Preston, and the spotlight of this week's Beyond The Page.

In today's episode, I read a featured excerpt from the novel (straight out of Chapter 19) and share my live commentary on everything from the voice and pacing… to a budding flirtation between Jennifer (our heroine) and Fred (the cop she's sort-of stalking… for the heist).

If you're craving a relaxing escape, clever dialogue, and a story that proves crime can be charming, this one's for you.

💌 Grab your free preview: https://www.sashapreston.com/newsletter 📖 Buy the book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FND7RBHV

Support indie. Share this episode. And if you're an indie author looking to feature your book on Beyond The Page, check the submission form linked in the show notes.

The court calls it a rest day. Seventeen calls it an ambush disguised as leisure.

With the arena silent and the remaining champions scattered, she begins to dig into the truth behind the disappearances. But curiosity in Elarion is a weapon with no handle.

The harder she grips it, the more it cuts.

Her questions draw the attention of Lady Dravenn, a powerful patron, and before the confrontation turns deadly, the Thornkeeper steps in, saving her, and raising new questions she's not ready to answer.

Freedom, it seems, was never free.

And the most dangerous blade in Elarion might not be the one drawn, but the one left idle.

The Trial of Sand becomes a game of reflection. Paired against Champion Five of House Cyrinth, Seventeen steps into a chamber built from mirrors and lies.

The Mirrormind's gift is mimicry; face, voice, and thought, and soon, Seventeen finds herself staring into a version of her own deceit.

But reflections break both ways, and when her true power answers back, the chamber, and the illusion of order, shatter.

Six champions remain. The seventh has vanished.

What happens when content is no longer created by people, but by patterns?

In Part 2 of The AI vs. Authenticity Divide, we move beyond copyright and courtrooms to explore the ethical cost of algorithmic creativity. What do we lose when machines mimic artistic works without soul?

This episode is a call to action. For creators to evolve, for consumers to choose human work on purpose, and for all of us to draw a line in the digital sand.

The soul of creativity is passion, spirit, and vulnerability. Don't let perfect automation replace meaningful expression.

Listen now and let us know: what do you choose to value in the algorithmic age?

The Thornkeeper's summons is no mercy.

Within the cathedral vaults, Seventeen faces the man who buried her mentor, and knows her secret.

What begins as an interrogation turns into a dangerous negotiation. The throne watches, the trial waits, and the real game begins.

This week on Beyond The Page, we're taking a detour from fiction to dig into the rising controversy between human creativity and artificial intelligence. Where the future of writing, art, and creative labour is being rewritten in real time.

In Part 1 of "The AI vs. Authenticity Divide," we discuss the burning questions around market acceptance and legal ownership in 2025.

Don't miss Part 2 next week, where we look into the Ethical Mirror and address the cultural costs of bias, the emotional impact on human creators, and the erosion of trust.

Hosted by Lora Tia Subscribe, follow, and share with a fellow creator. This conversation isn't going away.

The Trial of Sand grinds on, champions bleeding into the pit, while the crowd hungers for spectacle.

But Seventeen's focus is elsewhere. She counts the dead, tallies the replacements, and wonders which houses profit from the shifting balance.

And through it all, the Thornkeeper does not look away. Kingmaker. High priest. Executioner. His attention fixes on Seventeen alone, and this time, he calls her name.

The waiting is over.

The Trial of Sand begins, throwing the masked champions into the arena, where blood and spectacle are the throne's favourite currency.

Seventeen faces a lethal opponent whose lightning threatens to expose her for what she is not. To survive, she must mimic the power of the house she impersonates, or risk revealing the truth hidden beneath her mask.

Disqualified or silenced? Politics proves deadlier than the crawl.

The Hall of Masks grows restless. Lysandra Veil has been disqualified, and the champions are forced to wait as her replacement is summoned.

Tempers flare, powers clash, and alliances begin to take shape in the uneasy pause between trials.

Seventeen keeps her mask in place, but behind it, she wonders. Was Lysandra's removal justice, or politics? And when the new Contestant Five finally arrives, one glance is enough to tell her the real trial has only just begun.