Deceptive Cadence

Is it really easier to blame yourself for a good deed than to accept that you care about your brother? Is it easier to consider yourself a monster than to allow yourself to feel love?

Ever since the death of their parents, Kein had to take on adult responsibilities, including the care of his younger brother, Ethan, as they both pursue their studies at the Institute of Music – Ethan only starting and Kein about to finish. Kein can’t help but resent Ethan for having the chance to be a normal teenager, while he himself has to be an unwilling caregiver. As he tries to juggle his responsibilities with his own needs, the last thing on his mind is love, yet he finds it unexpectedly in his new piano instructor, Adonai. Further burdened by coming face to face with his own sexuality and drowning in his unresolved trauma, Kein is not prepared to find out that his brother is in love with Adonai, too.

The novella reexamines the biblical fable of Cain and Abel through the lens of modern psychology, problematizing the traditional interpretation while exploring the emotional journey of a person driven to violence.

DECEPTIVE CADENCE by Kora Reydgar is coming out in the Fall of 2021.

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Meet the Author

A curious mixture of cultures, Kora is Russian by descent but grew up in Austria while being obsessed with the Japanese way of life since early childhood. She always had a strong appetite for both the logical and the creative, and she completed two Master’s degrees – one in Software Engineering and another in Creative Writing – to appease both of her sides. Inspired by her own background, her award-winning thesis explored the issues in intercultural communication. This, as well as her personal experience with trauma and therapy, shaped her interest in understanding the human psyche.

In her work she explores the more sensitive and darker subjects of sexuality and violence. Utilizing her accumulated knowledge, her research skills, and her connections with mental health professionals, she strives to find and expose the elusive logic behind emotions.

Kora is an avid devourer of art and science, omnivore of music, storyteller of role-playing games, World of Darkness fan, gamer, and an anxious traveler. She can’t survive without a daily dose of “Lady Grey” tea and her intense memory for details can sometimes make her seem like a stalker.