The King of Next Week
After trading his cargo of ice for a djinn bride, ship's captain Matthew Percy returns to coastal Maine to build a new life. Alongside his first mate William Johnson, an escaped slave and Union veteran, Matthew must navigate the prejudices of a post-Civil War community. Together, they face the challenges of love, friendship, and the unexpected magic that now follows them.
The narrative is heavily grounded in the historical 19th-century New England ice trade, detailing the logistics of harvesting ice in Maine and shipping it across the Atlantic to warmer climates.
The author, who also writes under the name Elaine Isaak, is a dedicated history enthusiast who conducts extensive hands-on research for her historical fiction, which informs the highly detailed nautical and economic aspects of the voyage.