Welcome to
Gil Hess Books
I write adventures filled with heart, wonder, and a touch of danger — stories where ordinary people find themselves in extraordinary situations.
My Current Project:
The Inn Side Shop
A LitRPG Adventure by me, Gil Hess
“Adventure? No thanks. I’ve got inventory to manage.”
Fourteen-year-old Wren Alder didn’t ask for a shop—he just wanted a place to tinker. But when his great-aunt hands him the key to an abandoned supply room at the heart of the Crossroads—a quiet outpost between dungeons, cities, and the deep wild—Wren finds himself at the center of something far stranger than he expected.
Because the shop beside the inn… levels up.
With every sale, every discovery, and every clever solution, Wren unlocks new features and mysterious systems. A magical ledger begins to write back. A hidden dungeon leaks ancient mana into a trickling brook. Enchanted pebbles awaken. And a boy who only wanted to be left alone finds himself quietly becoming essential to the adventurers who pass through.
Told through Wren’s warm, witty perspective, The Inn Side Shop is a cozy, character-driven LitRPG filled with magic, mechanics, wonder, and quiet heroism. Closer to a LiteRPG, a subgenre that delivers the satisfying game-like systems readers love, but with a lighter touch—focusing on atmosphere, character development, and immersive worldbuilding instead of overwhelming stats and world-ending crisis after crisis.
This is book one in the series and I expect it should go at least three or four books.
It should be out and available everywhere books are sold by November 1st, 2025. The audible version should be available by March 1st, 2026. Book two, Cinder’s Edge, is in early first draft and is expected to hit stores July 1st, 2026. Book three, and so forth, has no expected release date(s) as yet, so stay tuned.
Upcoming Projects
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The Slippers and the Sleuth
When two stories are forced into the same book, the main characters must work together if they want to make it to the end.
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The Slippers and the Sleuth in The Curious Case of Count Dracula
This time, our favorite duo must survive in the world of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and once again, navigate Victorian London as they struggle to play their parts.
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The Slippers and the Sleuth and the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Can our intrepid duo possibly travel into yet another book, once again in Victorian London, and riddle out the disturbing alter ego of one Dr. Jekyll?