A Monarch's Mark
1969, Los Angeles:
Emily Kane buried the love of her life in an empty casket three summers ago. Then James Bonkowski came back from the dead.
Four years ago, Emily said goodbye to James. A year later, his commanding officer sent dog tags and condolences. Emily gave a speech she thought she’d never have to, promising to build the life they once spoke of. So, she did, piece by careful piece: the police academy, a detective’s badge, a fiancé who promised he’d never leave.
But James isn’t dead. He’s her case partner, carrying ghosts from Vietnam and working a job he doesn’t want while the woman he left behind wears another man’s ring. Every unspoken question between them is a land mine they can’t afford to step on while they’re hunting a killer who leaves butterfly tattoos on the bodies of teenage girls.
In a city built on broken dreams and buried secrets, they are forced to ask what matters more: the lives they rebuilt, or the connection that never stopped haunting them.
Meet The Major Players
The characters that began the Monarchverse have taken many shapes.
In 2021, they began as nothing more than the occasional pair for writing short stories with no past and no considerable future. But Heaton and Pierce's love for James and Emily only continued to grow. Each year, the list of fun facts surrounding the characters grew bigger, and by mid-2024, it became too difficult to ignore. What started as something small had grown into an entire universe with enough content to span multiple books.
James Bonkowski and Emily Kane make their novel debut in A Monarch's Mark, a story carefully weaved together by half a decade of love and creativity.
Emily Kane, 22
Protagonist / Co-Lead
A rookie homicide detective in 1969 Los Angeles, Emily Kane is ambitious, perceptive, and determined to carve out space for herself in a profession that rarely makes room for women. After years spent rebuilding her life following James Bonkowski’s presumed death in Vietnam, Emily believes she has finally moved forward — until he returns as her case partner, forcing her to confront the past she thought she had buried for good.
James Bonkowski, 23
Protagonist / Co-Lead
James Bonkowski is a homicide detective and Vietnam veteran whose return to Los Angeles forces him to face the life he left behind. Quiet, perceptive, and marked by war, James carries the weight of both survival and absence. Reunited with Emily Kane four years after being presumed dead, he finds himself navigating unresolved history while working beside the woman he never truly forgot.
Listen To James's Favorites:
To The People Who Made This Possible
All authors know writing a book is never a solo journey, and we're so excited to be working with Valenza Publishing as we bring A Monarch's Mark into the world.
From editing and formatting to helping us prepare for publication, we're grateful to have a team who believes in our story and the characters we’ve spent so much time loving.
Thank you for helping us show Emily, James, and the rest of the Monarchverse to the world.