Every year, my writing critique group gathers in August for our annual writer’s retreat. My plan for the weekend was to work on a sequel to Bedlam Bewitched. While looking through my notes, I found a document that I’d written years ago outlining the “rules of magic” for my Bedlam universe. I thought this was […]
Category: Novel
Place as Character
Have you ever read a novel in which the setting itself becomes a character in the story? Often this is the case when the central conflict of the plot is man vs. nature, such as in Jack London’s Call of the Wild. In these instances, the location (e.g., wilderness, mountain, ocean) serves as the antagonist. […]
Inspiring Bedlam
In a past author Q & A, I was asked what inspired me to write Bedlam Bewitched. Good question. Normally, I consider myself more of a plot-driven writer. I start with a general idea for a story and begin writing from there. But in Bedlam, the character came first—Cory Smyth, my plucky, witchy FMC. Cory […]
Plotting
This past December, I attended an excellent presentation on Painless Plot Pointers given by David Macinnis Gill. David is the author of young adult and middle grade novels and has taught plot structure for the MFA program at Vermont College. In his workshop, David walked us through the new Three Act plot structure. The traditional […]
Sweetheart Sale
For Valentine’s Day, I’m running a limited-time sweetheart sale of Bedlam Bewitched. For three days only from Friday, February 13th through Sunday, February 15th, 2026, you can purchase my book at a special discount price. Looking for an escapist teen fantasy with a side of cozy mystery and romance? In Bedlam Bewitched, a teenage witch […]
A New Year, New Goals
The turn of a New Year offers time to reflect back and look forward. I’m not much for resolutions, but I do set writing goals for the coming year. Looking back, my writing goal for 2025 was to complete a first draft of my novel-in-progress. I didn’t quite get there, but I did make significant […]
SCBWI BookStop 2025
My book is part of this year’s #SCBWIBookStop! Visit my page to read more, browse, and snag a copy! Explore the full site at scbwi.org/bookstop/ for more books for children and teens.
Celebration Sale
To celebrate my IPPY award win, I’m running a first-ever, limited-time sale of Bedlam Bewitched. For three days only from Friday, August 15th through Sunday, August 17th, 2025, you can purchase my book at special discount prices. Purchase the eBook for $2.99 (List price $4.99) in this Amazon KDP Countdown Deal. I’m offering the paperback […]
Bedlam Bewitched Wins IPPY Award
I’m delighted and thrilled to announce that Bedlam Bewitched won a 2025 IPPY Award. My debut novel was awarded a BRONZE medal in the Young Adult Fiction – Fantasy category. For nearly 30 years, the IPPYs (Independent Publisher Book Awards) have recognized “excellence in independent publishing,” honoring newly-released titles from university presses, small presses, and […]
The Raven Boys: A Review
If you’ve read my previous “Favorite Fantasy Reads” blog post, you’ll know that The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater is one of my favorites. I loved this book and subsequently devoured the whole four-part Raven Cycle series. So I was excited to learn that The Raven Boys has been adapted into a graphic novel, scheduled […]