What's Happening
ROMANCE
Nearly ready to submit to agents: I’m preparing Escape to Kuwait, a second chance romance, to sending it out for query. Editing is complete; I’m now working on backup materials and a list of potential agents. Stay tuned.
Speculative Fiction
On temporary hold: After spending a week at the Novel-In-Progress Bookcamp in Racine, Wisconsin, I’ve decided the beginning of my Five-Minutes-in-the-Future spec fiction draft, Rafi, needs some rethinking as to the starting point (not uncommon for me). I will restructure the already-written first quarter, with some added twists, and write the remaining chapters when I finish mulling over some ideas. In the meantime, I’ll be working on a few short stories and my fantasy.
Fantasy
Current novel project: After several years of letting it sit, I’ve returned to the completed draft of my epic fantasy, Dream Songs, which is planned as the first book in a trilogy. The biggest thing I’ve learned since I last picked it up is that, while it takes place in a fantasy/steampunkish (I might actually call it magicpunk) realm, it is at heart a women’s fiction novel centered around a non-human widow and her half-human daughter. For more on that, click into the separate Fantasy writing page.
Latest news: I attended the Wisconsin Writers conference in October 2024. While there, I received a request for 20 pages of Dream Songs. Now I nervously await a response.
Short Stories
Success and preparing new submissions: My short story, “Compass,” was published in “Dream Catchers: A Writer’s Coffeehouse Anthology” in March 2024. Eighteen writers from the Writer’s Coffeehouse Discord group wrote stories and poem to the prompt, “I think I’m having someone else’s dreams.” Available on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D1XSQKBH). Paperback and Kindle versions are available.
After attending a flash fiction workshop with Ella Peary, of Authors Publish, in September, I am preparing several new stories for submission to magazines. I submitted my last versions to her yesterday. When she replies, I will have half a dozen flash pieces read to submit to magazines.
Poetry
Not working on anything: I created a prose poem to go with an art piece for the HeART of Inspiration event at the Portage Center for the Arts (see my blog for more information on that) but have no poetry in development at present. Though that could change and day if something inspires me.
