CURRENT PROJECTS
SEEN & UNSEEN
Upmarket Dystopian
Seen & Unseen blends the intricate world building and character focus of The Fifth Season with the tension of Blood Over Bright Haven, where the price for security in this utopian post-apocalyptic society is lies and secrets. Forced to cooperate with the Academies (who would see them destroyed if anyone knew the truth of their forbidden, undocumented power), Sen and Kami must complete a mysterious mission and evade capture if they’re going to save themselves. And when long-buried family secrets surface, Sen will have to choose between the world he’s created here, or the world he was meant to inherit all along.
WHEN STARS DISAPPEAR
Upmarket Speculative Fiction
When Stars Disappear is for adults who enjoy a little bit of magic within a grounded story about love, loss, and later-in-life coming of age. Addie La Rue x What Alice Forgot, if they were queer, had powers, and owned a bookshop and bakery in upstate NY. Bea awakens from a mysterious coma with no memory of who she is, but a toxic relationship with a local art gallery owner leads her to discover the horror at the heart of the strange phenomena. She must rebuild her life and figure out what’s caused this amnesia before it happens to someone she loves.
WRITING SAMPLES
SEEN & UNSEEN
Sen and Kami have spent their entire lives hiding their undocumented magical ability (anima) in a world that closely monitors anima use. But when Kader, a charismatic but pragmatic Academy official, discovers their undocumented power, family man Sen must convince everyone he and pregnant wife Kami are no threat to their peaceful, thriving world. Desperate to protect Kami from the Academies, Sen is forced into a dangerous Assignment in exchange for his family’s safety. The mission’s true purpose remains unclear, but he knows failure could mean imprisonment or worse.
Orphaned as a child, Kami’s primary desire is to provide her children with the love and safety she never had, but all that is in jeopardy now. She may be a powerful Manifold–a rare condition granting her access to multiple anima types instead of just one–but that makes it worse since it’s restricted, she’s unregistered, and there’s an Academy inspector in town, intent on apprehending her. Both Sen and Kami must do whatever it takes to earn freedom, not only for themselves, but for their daughter, who is already displaying terrifying ability, all while navigating the difficulties of strained relationships and generational trauma.
Read First Pages Now
Upmarket Dystopian NOVEL
NOT LIKE THE OTHERS
When hospice nurse—and siphon (definitely not a vampire)—Amaya accidentally heals a patient and grants them immortality instead of killing them as planned, she becomes the center of the shadow world’s attention. She must get to the bottom of how this happened, but right as she begins asking questions, a secret organization abducts her best friend Yuuki, and she’s forced to confront them head on, even if it means revealing herself them. Though she manages to save him, she now realizes he’ll never be safe as long as she’s being targeted, but he refuses to let her leave him behind. So, together, she and Yuuki flee, determined to find answers while outrunning the dark organization that seeks to control her life-giving power. Still uncertain what it all means, Amaya must face her own fears about who she really is, and forgive herself for past mistakes, if she’s going to be able to save her friend and successfully guard her abilities from those who would seek to exploit her for their own gain.
Read First Pages Now
Adult Contemporary Fantasy NOVEL
MEETING MS. SCARECROW
Recently having moved into the neighborhood, 10-year-old Molly must collect orders for her new school’s fundraiser. But that means knocking on the door to the last house on the street, where it’s rumored a witch lives. The other kids call the old lady Ms. Scarecrow, and none are brave enough to approach her, but Molly must face her fears or risk missing out on the grand prize—a brand new Gameboy. More than that, she’s lonely and doing her best not to dwell on the bad things that happened in the last city. This new girl can’t let the neighborhood kids know she’s scared. So, when Ms. Scarecrow answers the door and invites her to stay, Molly must decide if she’s too scared to stick around, or if she’s going to face the big bad witch head on.
Read Short Story Now
*A slightly different version of this short story was inspired by a prompt from the weekly Reedsy Prompts contest, where it was submitted and short listed.