What are you in the mood to read?
My characters are sometimes human, sometimes not—and prefer not to be judged by that criteria. They’re also very fussy about pigeonholing their life stories into neatly-labeled genres.
Generally speaking, my work is probably best described as speculative Southern women’s fiction. I spend an inordinate amount of time down research rabbit holes exploring how mythology, religion, history, and science overlap—which puts the “speculative” in my fiction. (And leaves a trail of gluten-free breadcrumbs meandering through my stories.)
Motherhood, childhood, family, identity, and generational trauma are all prominent themes, portrayed with a mix of humor and drama depending on the characters.
My published books are available in my own shop and on major retail sites—and of course, requesting from your local library is always appreciated!
And for those who enjoy reading in the Substack app…
Paid subscribers have full access to my books, including audio and bonus content as available. Free subscribers have access to the first chapters of each—so feel free to sample and share!
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Daughters series
Secrets and altered memories have shaped generations of Cape Fear women—and the man who’s been watching them…
Forgetting the Lost
Most children are afraid of the dark. She knows better.
Six-year-old Madeline Galloway knows she's unlikeable. Unlovable. Uncanny. But when she encounters a strange man she believes to be a fallen angel, will her abilities save her life—or ruin it?
Series order: Prequel, but can be read as a standalone
Genre: Speculative fiction (Southern gothic/supernatural suspense/coming of age)
Content rating: PG-13 equivalent for thematic elements
Length: Complete novella
Bonus: Chapters include professional narration by April Doty
Daughters of Men
Forces stronger than hurricanes are at work in the Cape Fear.
For thirty-eight years, Lila Givens has hidden her extrasensory abilities, creating a small life in the same coastal North Carolina city where she was born. But her nightmares have grown worse, her angels still haven’t learned Morse code, and raising a thirteen-year-old genius requires the kind of mental focus that Lila has never quite mastered. Still, the abnormal seems fairly normal—until a strange young man appears and a new friend confides a shocking truth about her pregnancy.
Sal, on the other hand, has never attempted to hide. In his experience, humans do not see what they do not wish to acknowledge. He moves among them, identifying the aberrations as he always has, as he knows he must. This existence depends upon it. One choice made long ago, one decision born of guilt and fear, is now a secret he must protect—at any cost.
Series order: Book #1 (not necessary to read Forgetting the Lost first)
Genre: Speculative women’s fiction (Paranormal/science fiction)
Content rating: PG-13 equivalent for language and thematic elements
Length: Complete novel (36 chapters/120k words)
Like Moonlight on Water (WiP)
« « « Serialized novel. New chapters released weekly. » » »
Unable to ignore the booming echoes of another reality's tragedy, Sal compels Lila to explore her alternate lives for clues—but every life she dreams means waking to powerful new memories of the one man she can’t allow herself to love.
Yet there’s no time for her paltry human drama—not with entire realities at stake, a genius child to protect from meddling aliens, dark energies crowding out her angels…oh, and a clothing store to manage. Because, you know…real life.
But is this her life?
As her bond with this reality—and her child—weakens, her precocious teen lashes out with a psychic ability that even Sal can’t explain. It's just one more secret he must keep from his family. One more choice between betraying the humans he vowed to protect or risking the existence he hopes to save.
Series order: Book #2
Genre: Speculative women’s fiction (Paranormal/science fiction)
Content rating: PG-13 equivalent for language and thematic elements
Length: Serialized novel (due to be completed Summer ‘24)
And for a lighter read…
I had plans to create a series of shorter works called Sometimes Stories—quirky, quick reads that could be enjoyed by all ages. So far, I’ve only written the first one…
My Alien Life: A Novelette
A sassy and sweet coming-of-age story full of laughs, tears, and everyday strangeness.
"My mother was a no-nonsense woman. If it wasn’t in the Bible or on Jerry Springer, then it couldn’t happen. Of course, there’s a lot of freaky stuff in the Good Book, with ladders to heaven and angels with animal faces and such. And crazy, muckraking talk shows probably aren’t the best yardstick for anything short of how depraved humans can be. But the point is that when she was abducted by aliens and impregnated with me, she had some trouble processing.” — Lynette, aged 9
So begins this heartwarming, speculative tale of an unusual child who finds a home—and love—with her feisty Great-great-aunt Magnolia Rose McClellan.
Set in rural North Carolina, this Southern fiction "novelette" is short enough for a lunch break—though you may want to have some tissues handy!
Series order: N/A (although I’ve promised to bring back these characters!)
Genre: Speculative fiction (Although most people read it as a simple little piece of Southern lit fic. You decide.😉)
Content rating: G (recommend for ages 8 to 108)
Length: Complete novelette
Bonus: Chapters include professional narration by April Doty
What’s next? You pick!
I have two very different novels that have been percolating for a while now—which would you like to read as I write?
A dark psychic suspense that connects with the Daughters universe…?
Or a lighthearted magical Romantasy?
(Poll will remain open until I’m ready to start writing…)