The Glass Inkwell

Six months ago, Ink & Aether Studios was a plan and a filing. Today it’s a catalog. What’s in the world Murder at the Midsummer Feast (J.P. White, Vale & Stone Book 1) opened the studio and introduced Blackvale, North Carolina to readers who made themselves at home in the fog immediately. Available in paperback, ebook and in Kindle Unlimited. Saltwater Between Us (Jade Black) turned one woman's solo sailing adventure into an island romance she never planned for — a story abou

The Ember Mill is open. 🕯️ The Case of the Ember Mill Haunting is live today. Book 2 in the Vale & Stone: Consulting Detectives series. Blackvale has always known how to keep a secret. The Ember Mill has stood at the edge of town for over a century — first a working mill, then a speakeasy where a 1920s poker game ended in gunfire, and now, after years of failed businesses and strange occurances, a nightclub with a fresh coat of paint and a grand reopening. Cressida Vale woul

A year ago, Blackvale didn’t exist. Now it has fog and old money and two consulting detectives who solve murders the locals would rather call accidents. It has séances and masquerade balls and estates full of secrets. It has Cressida Vale, who notices everything, and Miles Stone, who says almost nothing — until what he says changes the entire shape of the investigation. It has, in short, become exactly what J.P. White set out to build: a world that breathes with history and r

J.P. White’s Vale & Stone series returns July 28. Here’s everything you need to step through the doors of the Ember Mill ready. If you’ve read Book 1: Welcome back Murder at the Midsummer Feast introduced Blackvale, North Carolina — a fog-shrouded mountain town where old money, older secrets, and the occasional unexplained phenomenon make for excellent murder mysteries. You know Cressida Vale. You know Miles Stone. You’ve seen the first crack in the town’s well-maintained sur

Some questions don't get answered in a single case. That's what makes Blackvale, North Carolina so endlessly compelling — and what makes Vale and Stone's partnership worth following through every fog-shrouded investigation. The town holds its secrets the way old houses hold their shadows: quietly, and with intent. We're pleased to confirm that J.P. White's Vale & Stone: Consulting Detective Mysteries will continue. Book 3 is in development. We're not ready to share details ju

Cressida Vale gets to be the one readers notice first. She's sharp-tongued, she walks into rooms like she already owns the answer, and she has never once apologized for being right. Miles Stone, by contrast, is the one you underestimate — right up until you don't. Which is exactly why The Case of the Ember Mill Haunting had to be his book. Who Miles Actually Is Miles did not sign up to become a consulting detective. He got pulled into it by Cressida — his childhood best frien

Every Vale & Stone case has a soundtrack nobody sees. I keep one for Cressida and one for Miles while I'm drafting — partly to stay honest about their voices, partly because I'm nosy about my own characters. Today I'm letting you in on both. Cressida's Playlist: "Feel It First, Solve It Second." "Feeling Good" — Nina Simone. Her 'I just figured something out' song. The exact moment her brain clicks into place — and she already knows she's right. "Crazy in Love" — Beyoncé. She

There is a particular kind of character I love to write. Not the obvious ones — not the witty protagonist or the scene-stealing eccentric aunt. Those characters announce themselves. They walk in and demand your attention and they earn it. No, the characters I love most are the ones who seem to be standing to the side of the story, arms crossed, quietly disapproving of the entire situation — while also, if you're paying attention, doing absolutely everything in their power to

Pull up a chair, pour something warm, and let’s talk about a small, delicious secret. When we pick up a mystery, we like to pretend it’s all about the puzzle. We follow the breadcrumbs, we eye the suspicious housekeeper, and we calculate timelines. But if we are being completely honest with ourselves? Plot is just the skeleton. Atmosphere is the flesh, the blood, and the humid air that makes your hair curl while you read. As a writer, I’ve always viewed setting not as a backd

We've been thinking a lot lately about what makes a fictional place feel real. Not realistic — that's a different thing entirely. But real in the way that matters: the way you can close a book and feel, for a strange half-second, that the place you just left is somewhere you could actually go. Somewhere that would smell a certain way, and sound a certain way, and hold you in it the way a good room does. Vale House Inn is one of those places. We asked J.P. White to take us ins

The Case of the Ember Mill Haunting — Book 2 in the Vale & Stone series — is coming July 28 And before it does, I'm looking for a small group of readers who'd like to get their hands on it early. Here's what's in it for you: A free early copy (ebook ARC) First access to Blackvale's newest (and most cursed) location Miles Stone's emotional spotlight — finally, properly, his Here's what we're asking in return: An honest review posted by July 28 on Amazon and/or Goodreads (posit

Hello from Blackvale. The Ember Mill has stood at the edge of town for over a century. First a working mill. Then a speakeasy. Then a crime scene. Then, for decades, a locked door and a town full of whispers. On July 28, it opens again. And so does Case No. 002. The Case of the Ember Mill Haunting is available for preorder today. Miles Stone didn't plan to be a detective. He especially didn't plan to investigate at a nightclub where someone died on opening night — in front of

Pastry on a plate and mug on a sunlit wooden table. Soft, warm morning light through a window creates a cozy, calm atmosphere.

There's a new mystery coming to Blackvale.

On editing Vale & Stone Book 2 and what waits in the shadows of a town I thought I knew There's a version of Blackvale that most people never see. Not because it's hidden, exactly. More because it requires a certain willingness — to stay past closing time, to take the long way home, to linger in the kind of light that turns ordinary storefronts into something else entirely. Something older. Something that breathes. I've been deep in the editing trenches of Vale & Stone Book 2

"Discover the cozy mystery 'Murder at the Midsummer Feast' by J.P. White, now available on Amazon. Dive into a world of gothic vibes, small-town secrets, and a feast turned nightmare, available in both ebook and print." There is a very specific kind of joy that sneaks up on you while writing a book. Not the fireworks kind. More like the quiet hum you feel when the scene clicks, the characters stop arguing with you, and suddenly you are smiling at your screen like it just told

I have been sitting on a secret like a cat on a warm windowsill, pretending I’m not vibrating with excitement. But today! Today I finally get to slide the cover across the table, clear my throat dramatically, and say: look. Look at her. This is the official cover for Murder at the Midsummer Feast, the first book in the Vale & Stone: Consulting Detectives series — and yes, it smells faintly of citrus, summer sunlight, and Extremely Questionable Baking Decisions. A Little About