Autumn whispered to the wind, “I fall but always rise again.”

For a long time, tree sprite Scarlet Oak has watched autumn fall and rise in the same way amidst her forested society of sprites. Wingless and bound to live and die with her birth oak, Horace, she longs for a deeper existence. Then, in 1977, her world is shaken when an autistic boy wanders into her woodland and they share a soulful moment before he takes his life on her tree. Smis, a Grim Reaper, arrives to usher the boy’s spirit to the Dark, but Scarlet insists that the boy did not intend to die. In a rare show of mercy, Smis gives her one year to find proof that the boy’s spirit belongs to the Light.

Scarlet leaves behind all that she has ever known. Passing as a teenage girl, she branches into the grieving hearts of the boy’s parents on a Maryland farm. But as secrets, fantasies, lies, and beautiful truths shadow her quest, the stage is set for an unimaginable fate to fall . . . when autumn rises again.

Narrated by three memorable characters—Scarlet, Horace, and Smis—Scarlet Oak is a mystery, a love story, and a tribute to resilience and the unique gifts that every soul has to offer.

“Weiland-Crosby weaves a moving tapestry . . . [T]his rich fusion of connection and resilience will remind readers of their own magic.” –BookLife Reviews”
In the backwoods of nature's soul I left my wild true heart.
Autumn knows a mother's heart. It gives and then lets go.
Deep in the forest I stroll to hear the wisdom of my soul.
When darkness branches to your soul, light still finds a way to rise.
Sometimes the little things in life are more than enough.
Cry, my love, cry like you never have before. The sky paints beauty for those broken enough to feel.
He met her on life's darkest road; her soul became his moon.
Meet me in the middle of your story when the soul is worn but wise.
There are days when even Hope bows her weary sunlit head. It's okay; a retrun is inevitable.
One pure moment holds the power to create infinite love.
Autumn whispered to the wind, "I fall, but always rise again."
Love is like the sun and the moon. No beginning, no ending. Golden reflectors of each other.
Be kind to Grief that rains pure Love.
The fullest soul is a shimmery reflector of Love.
Home--a magical word! House existed. But home belonged.

- Indie Reader

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“Scarlet Oak is a truly remarkable book which describes the journey of a tree sprite as she battles through her own confused identity and loss, to help a couple come to terms with the unimaginable grief of their son’s death. Written in hauntingly beautiful prose and with a mesmerizingly original storyline, Angie Weiland-Crosby has crafted a spellbinding and wonderfully structured novel that is utterly entrancing, and incredibly moving.”

–-BookLife Reviews

"
“Weiland-Crosby weaves a moving tapestry of grief, family, and the enduring power of nature . . . Audiences will be swept away by Scarlet’s human life as Willow Brook, who learns that fifty years of tree-sprite living have ill-prepared her for love, jealousy, and heartbreak. Her relationship with Finn’s grieving parents will keep readers guessing as to Scarlet and Finn’s fate—expect tears along the way. . . The lyrical style is touched with poetry, providing insight into the world between fairy and human. . . . [T]his rich fusion of connection and resilience will remind readers of their own magic.”

–Patti DiMiceli

author of Embrace the Angel
"Through the eyes of tree sprite Scarlet Oak, we enter a realm of wonder, magic, and profound insights. It is a fairy tale for the real world–for everyone. Weiland-Crosby also gently lifts the veil of cultural illiteracy on autism, revealing a beautiful, different perspective. Each of her graceful sentences holds wisdom, presenting a compelling story that is a work of art."

–J. Sexton

poet, founder/editor-in-chief @poeticreveries
“A mesmerizing and beautiful debut . . . Scarlet Oak will enchant you with its soulful prose. The novel is a magical ode to nature, and a story of grief, hope, and love, from a unique new talent.”

–Hunter Lee Hughes

Critically Acclaimed Indie Filmmaker
“With Scarlet Oak, Angie Weiland-Crosby channels the mystical power of nature into the lives of parents grieving the loss of an autistic child, providing them, and her readers, an experiential path to healing. . . . In a world too often focused on petty squabbles, Angie’s novel—like her heroine—thrusts you into contact with an overlooked soul that longs for knotted oaks, tree leaf canopies, and the imagination to allow the best of nature to inspire the best in us.”

–S. Leutheuser

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“This debut novel is told through the voice of Scarlet Oak, a magical tree sprite who is unfamiliar with the human world. That changes when she encounters an autistic boy who has entered her realm beneath her birth Oak, Horace. His tragic end leads her to become involved with the human world as she attempts to comfort his grieving parents. The author’s understanding of grief and redemption has created a love story as experienced by those who perceive the world through the eyes of innocence. Angie Weiland-Crosby’s writing is poetic and draws you into a sensitive story that is unforgettable. This is now one of my favorite books.”

–M. T.

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"Mesmerizing. Enchanting. Raw. I read this book in just a short afternoon, finding I was utterly incapable of tearing myself from its pages. Angie Weiland-Crosby has poured her heart and soul into each word written on these pages and, somehow, I found pieces of my own soul ever-so delicately intertwined. Masterfully composed, Angie has beautifully navigated the dark, challenging, and often hidden parts of our world and brought them to light and life. I love her inspirational quotes and especially appreciate how she wove them throughout the story. I highly recommend this novel and cannot wait to see what comes next from this author!”

–Kris

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“The writing is beautiful, and so unique! I’ve never read a book quite like it. That’s a fact. This world needs more Scarlet, Horace and Pin Oaks in it . . . I’m going to be watching for sprites in all the trees now!”

–D. Sirchie

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“Through the voice of a tree sprite, a story unfolds lacing a mother’s love and a father’s guilt into a tapestry of wooded tales of magic . . . The author gives voice to her characters with the understanding of nature itself, as well as an imagination beyond the ordinary. Once finishing Scarlet Oak, those voices and sprites, trees and spirits, remain within. A sign of not a good novel, but a great one. "