Sunlight reflecting from Manhattan’s skyscrapers in New York City

Fiction by Derek Bellerose

Children arewoven, not born.

Derek Bellerose
Derek BelleroseAuthor & Storyteller
Step inside the stories

A world waiting to be discovered

The threads of Aethera.

Forbidden creation. Found family. A world where every life begins with a thread.

Choose a book. Open a story.

A collection in the making. All titles are unpublished; cover designs are previews.

A doorway into the story

Step into the interactive world of Aethera

Click the arch to enter.

A glowing, empty stone arch opening onto the magical world of AetheraEnter Aethera Or scroll down to discover other books by Derek Bellerose.

Little readers. Big possibilities.

Different abilities.
Boundless adventures.

Stories of belonging, everyday courage, and the joy of being yourself.

Children’s books in development. Publication details to come.

Derek Bellerose

The person behind the pages

A little wonder.
A different way of seeing.

Derek Bellerose is an author, photographer, and entrepreneur based in Amsterdam, where he lives with his husband JR and their pup, Rhett. Before the fiction, there was the camera. His eye for light now runs through his writing.

Meet Derek

Letters from Derek

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The world of Aethera

AetheraShadow, Fire, and Thread

Unpublished novel

Inside the story

She was never supposed to exist.

Lilly Monroe has built the life she was supposed to want. She's a rising Manhattan photographer, engaged to one of the city's most eligible bachelors, and one day away from her twenty-first birthday. Threads of light start appearing that only she can see, and a woman who looks just like her steps out of a mirror of shadow to promise her death. Lilly is about to learn she was never supposed to exist.

Beyond the world she knows waits Aethera, a realm where children are woven on a living Loom. Lilly’s existence breaks its oldest law. To save the world that calls her home, she must face the Royal Trials, the sister who wants her dead, and the cost of becoming who she was meant to be.

A story of found family, forbidden creation, and the choices that change us.

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The world of Aethera

AetheraAsh

Short story · In development

Inside the story

His origin. The beginning of a love story.

In the Lost Archives, Lilly discovers a book with a single word on its spine: Ash. This is that book.

Aethera: Ash tells the story of his origin and the beginning of a love story. Within its pages is a chance to discover the boy in the meadow, and the life that made him who he is.

At approximately 10,000 words, this short story offers an introduction to the world of Aethera. Planned for publication, with release details to be announced.

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The world of Aethera

AetheraEternity

Planned story

Inside the story

Another story waits beyond the page.

Eternity is a planned addition to the world of Aethera.

Its title offers an early glimpse of Derek’s vision for the wider collection. The story’s details are being kept under wraps while it develops.

Follow the newsletter for future glimpses into this unfolding world.

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The world of Aethera

AetheraThreadless Creatures

Planned companion book

Inside the story

Some magic belongs to no thread.

In the Lost Archives, a torn page points to a book called Aethera’s Threadless Creatures. Its secrets reach beyond the magic the fairies know.

This planned companion book takes its inspiration from that missing volume and the remarkable creatures within Aethera, including the slowcat whose hidden gift is his alone to reveal.

An early glimpse of a future project. Its full description and publication details are still to come.

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For younger readers

Everybody Has a Dog,Except for Me

In development

Inside the story

A little story about wanting to belong.

All his friends have dogs, but one boy’s allergies mean he cannot have a dog of his own. When he welcomes a different kind of pet into his life, he begins to discover that his story does not have to look like everyone else’s.

A children’s story about identity, belonging, and learning to embrace what makes you different.

Part of Derek’s developing collection for younger readers. Publication details will be announced here.

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For younger readers

The Adventures ofCharlotte and Her Sugar Key

In development

Inside the story

Different abilities. Boundless adventures.

Meet Charlotte: curious, adventurous, and living with type 1 diabetes.

Follow her through an ordinary day full of discovery as she checks her numbers, makes choices, and finds time to run, play, and explore. Her “sugar key” is the knowledge and tools she carries with her, helping her grow in confidence and independence.

A children’s story about everyday courage, understanding, and seeing yourself in the adventure. Publication details will be announced here.

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