I read and write books for Young Adults and Children! I have a few works in progress at the moment!
Here's a bit more info on each novel. I also post an occassional Book Recommendation.
Early Readers
I've written several phonics-based readers designed for Kindy and Year One students.
Firegirl
MG Steampunk Fantasy
12-year-old Antigony Nonsdotter is Lundberg’s top detektive. It’s not her fault no one realizes it yet. Armed with her casebook, a satchel full of candles, and her cogbeetle Bjarnabus, she’s just one case away from cracking the ultimate mystery: her own.
Left on the doorstep of Graystings Academy when she was just a few months old, she was begrudgingly raised by the Headmistress and trained as a maidservant. She’s only had two clues as to who she really is: her name, and her unique talent:
Antigony can speak to fire.
More precisely, she can speak to the objects she burns: wood, wax, and candlewicks. This gives her an edge in local secret-selling and a witness to many crimes. But when a series of suspicious fires rages across Lundberg, tracking down the culprits will bring her closer to danger and closer to the truth about her own history than she’s ever known.
The only question is if she can catch the culprits before they catch her.
FIREGIRL, complete at 73,000 words, is an Upper Middle Grade Fantasy set in a Scandinavian Steampunk world. It would appeal to fans of fantasy ala Shannon Hale’s GOOSE GIRL Series, but in world laced with steampunk and whimsy like that found in Gail Carriger’s ETIQUETTE & ESPIONAGE.
Also ... you can listen to Firegirl's Playlist!
Go Not Quietly / aka "StarSisters"
YA Sci-Fi Retelling
I can't disclose much about this one, but I'm 40% done with my second round of edits, and will soon be looking for readers!
and in the meantime, you can listen to: {{ The StarSisters Playlist }}
Farlight
YA Sci-Fi
Sixteen-year-old beekeeper Violet Everman is only cyborg on the outside, but it’s enough to make her the ship’s resident freak. On a generational starship bound for New Earth, no one looks past her silver skin and ultraviolet eyes to see the girl inside.
When a hunt for a rogue beehive goes awry, Violet is trapped in a secret chamber. She’s not alone. There she finds Act – cute, charming, and not wholly opposed to silver girls. Problem? She’s never seen him before, and on ship this size, that’s impossible. Rushing to free themselves from the chamber, they make an astonishing discovery: what they’d always believed was the entire starship is just one arm of it. Act is from one arm. Violet’s from another. As their two worlds collide, Violet’s feelings for Act grow. But then critical supplies vanish from her side of the ship. And it looks as if Act is to blame.
Violet’s new task? Spy on the only boy she ever cared about.
The more she discovers, the less certain she is about Act … but she’s not sure he’s the thief either. And if what he says is true, the enemies are more than just petty thieves. They won’t stop until there’s nothing left.
However, proving Act’s innocence and tracking the real culprits could put her own life at risk. It would mean delving into an unexplored arm of the starship: one where the inhabitants were engineered for war.
FARLIGHT is a 95,000 word YA sci-fi that should appeal to fans of space-based mysteries in the vein of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE and INSIDE OUT, and the social identity themes of CINDER and MILA 2.0.
also ... {{ The Farlight Playlist }}
The Awakening of Minna Gray
YA Futuristic Fantasy
Sixteen-year-old Minna Gray’s new life in Emerald District is shattered when the two boys she’s babysitting are kidnapped. Guilt turns to panic when she discovers no one is looking for the boys. No one else remembers them.
It’s as if they’ve been erased.
Meanwhile, Minna’s started to see things, hear things that others can’t. She can even speak to trees. A mysterious letter from her deceased grandmother leads her to Corrin - a boy who knows about the disappearances. They aren’t isolated events. Every day more are taken. Corrin claims Minna has a magical ancestry, and that her visions will reveal how to prevent the kidnappings.
Corrin says there are those who understand her heritage in the Outlands – the pest infected waste beyond the city walls. Going there may be the only way to hone her powers, but no one survives the Outlands and Minna’s not sure she’s ready to trade life in Emerald for a slow suicide. She’s not even sure Corrin is trustworthy.
But soon she’ll have to decide. She must race to decipher the visions before anyone else she loves is taken.
THE AWAKENING OF MINNA GRAY is a YA Dystopian Fantasy complete at 89,000 words.
Minna Music { Playlist that inspired the book }
Ava of the Island
MG Contemporary
Ok, so this one is a MG contemporary set in my hometown and I'm all kinds of excited about it. It's been mulling around in my head and some of you know the secret inspiration behind it. I can't say much more here, because *reasons* So you'll just have to wait and see-eee ... Eeeep, I can't wait to write this!!! Ok, calm down - I need to finish my PhD first.
UPDATE: PhD completed, and AVA OF THE ISLAND is written!!
This is a series I'm envisioning, so if you want a sneak preview on a scene in Book ... Four maybe? Go here. By this time the story would be YA. Yeah there might be a kiss in it. I wrote it for a kissing scene contest. But don't worry it's mostly not about the kiss. Or maybe all about the kiss? I can't decide. Life is mostly about kissing or not kissing -- in general.
TeenJournalistWIP
YA Contemporary
Another WIP I'm not quite ready to disclose the full details on. This one is about a High School Cheerleader/Journalist, who is challenged to dig into a subject she never thought she'd explore. Her digging into stories and evidence stirs up bad blood in her hometown and controversy across the country.
Status: Completed, but set aside for the moment!
The Apothecary
YA Fantasy
This story is still being outlined.
Bicycle Built for One
When she found the red bicycle in the dumpster in the alley, she fished it out it on purely practical terms. But when she wakes up in the middle of the night to find it pedaling on its own, she soon discovers that it is much more than a means to get to her across town.
This story is still being outlined.
Here's a bit more info on each novel. I also post an occassional Book Recommendation.
Early Readers
I've written several phonics-based readers designed for Kindy and Year One students.
Firegirl
MG Steampunk Fantasy
12-year-old Antigony Nonsdotter is Lundberg’s top detektive. It’s not her fault no one realizes it yet. Armed with her casebook, a satchel full of candles, and her cogbeetle Bjarnabus, she’s just one case away from cracking the ultimate mystery: her own.
Left on the doorstep of Graystings Academy when she was just a few months old, she was begrudgingly raised by the Headmistress and trained as a maidservant. She’s only had two clues as to who she really is: her name, and her unique talent:
Antigony can speak to fire.
More precisely, she can speak to the objects she burns: wood, wax, and candlewicks. This gives her an edge in local secret-selling and a witness to many crimes. But when a series of suspicious fires rages across Lundberg, tracking down the culprits will bring her closer to danger and closer to the truth about her own history than she’s ever known.
The only question is if she can catch the culprits before they catch her.
FIREGIRL, complete at 73,000 words, is an Upper Middle Grade Fantasy set in a Scandinavian Steampunk world. It would appeal to fans of fantasy ala Shannon Hale’s GOOSE GIRL Series, but in world laced with steampunk and whimsy like that found in Gail Carriger’s ETIQUETTE & ESPIONAGE.
Also ... you can listen to Firegirl's Playlist!
Go Not Quietly / aka "StarSisters"
YA Sci-Fi Retelling
I can't disclose much about this one, but I'm 40% done with my second round of edits, and will soon be looking for readers!
and in the meantime, you can listen to: {{ The StarSisters Playlist }}
Farlight
YA Sci-Fi
Sixteen-year-old beekeeper Violet Everman is only cyborg on the outside, but it’s enough to make her the ship’s resident freak. On a generational starship bound for New Earth, no one looks past her silver skin and ultraviolet eyes to see the girl inside.
When a hunt for a rogue beehive goes awry, Violet is trapped in a secret chamber. She’s not alone. There she finds Act – cute, charming, and not wholly opposed to silver girls. Problem? She’s never seen him before, and on ship this size, that’s impossible. Rushing to free themselves from the chamber, they make an astonishing discovery: what they’d always believed was the entire starship is just one arm of it. Act is from one arm. Violet’s from another. As their two worlds collide, Violet’s feelings for Act grow. But then critical supplies vanish from her side of the ship. And it looks as if Act is to blame.
Violet’s new task? Spy on the only boy she ever cared about.
The more she discovers, the less certain she is about Act … but she’s not sure he’s the thief either. And if what he says is true, the enemies are more than just petty thieves. They won’t stop until there’s nothing left.
However, proving Act’s innocence and tracking the real culprits could put her own life at risk. It would mean delving into an unexplored arm of the starship: one where the inhabitants were engineered for war.
FARLIGHT is a 95,000 word YA sci-fi that should appeal to fans of space-based mysteries in the vein of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE and INSIDE OUT, and the social identity themes of CINDER and MILA 2.0.
also ... {{ The Farlight Playlist }}
The Awakening of Minna Gray
YA Futuristic Fantasy
Sixteen-year-old Minna Gray’s new life in Emerald District is shattered when the two boys she’s babysitting are kidnapped. Guilt turns to panic when she discovers no one is looking for the boys. No one else remembers them.
It’s as if they’ve been erased.
Meanwhile, Minna’s started to see things, hear things that others can’t. She can even speak to trees. A mysterious letter from her deceased grandmother leads her to Corrin - a boy who knows about the disappearances. They aren’t isolated events. Every day more are taken. Corrin claims Minna has a magical ancestry, and that her visions will reveal how to prevent the kidnappings.
Corrin says there are those who understand her heritage in the Outlands – the pest infected waste beyond the city walls. Going there may be the only way to hone her powers, but no one survives the Outlands and Minna’s not sure she’s ready to trade life in Emerald for a slow suicide. She’s not even sure Corrin is trustworthy.
But soon she’ll have to decide. She must race to decipher the visions before anyone else she loves is taken.
THE AWAKENING OF MINNA GRAY is a YA Dystopian Fantasy complete at 89,000 words.
Minna Music { Playlist that inspired the book }
Ava of the Island
MG Contemporary
Ok, so this one is a MG contemporary set in my hometown and I'm all kinds of excited about it. It's been mulling around in my head and some of you know the secret inspiration behind it. I can't say much more here, because *reasons* So you'll just have to wait and see-eee ... Eeeep, I can't wait to write this!!! Ok, calm down - I need to finish my PhD first.
UPDATE: PhD completed, and AVA OF THE ISLAND is written!!
This is a series I'm envisioning, so if you want a sneak preview on a scene in Book ... Four maybe? Go here. By this time the story would be YA. Yeah there might be a kiss in it. I wrote it for a kissing scene contest. But don't worry it's mostly not about the kiss. Or maybe all about the kiss? I can't decide. Life is mostly about kissing or not kissing -- in general.
TeenJournalistWIP
YA Contemporary
Another WIP I'm not quite ready to disclose the full details on. This one is about a High School Cheerleader/Journalist, who is challenged to dig into a subject she never thought she'd explore. Her digging into stories and evidence stirs up bad blood in her hometown and controversy across the country.
Status: Completed, but set aside for the moment!
The Apothecary
YA Fantasy
This story is still being outlined.
Bicycle Built for One
When she found the red bicycle in the dumpster in the alley, she fished it out it on purely practical terms. But when she wakes up in the middle of the night to find it pedaling on its own, she soon discovers that it is much more than a means to get to her across town.
This story is still being outlined.
