What’s Happening?
Current novel project: Editing my epic fantasy, Dream Songs, which is planned as the first book in a trilogy. This story takes place in a fantasy/steampunkish (I might actually call it magicpunk) realm and is centered around a non-human widow and her half-human daughter. For more on that, click into the separate Fantasy writing page.
Latest news:
Over the spring and summer months, I returned to an upper middle grade fantasy called Tunnel Vision, which I wrote several years ago. The story begins in Limerick, Ireland (my husband’s home) and involves modern leprechaun’s, fairies, and even the banshee. I am working toward getting it published as my first novel.
Speculative Fiction
On temporary hold: After spending a week at the Novel-In-Progress Bookcamp in Racine, Wisconsin in 2024, I 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 fantasies.
Romance
Ready to submit to agents: I intended to begin sending Escape to Kuwait, a second chance romance, out for query earlier this year. Since then, I’ve decided to hold onto this work for a while in order to focus on my fantasy writing.
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.
I am also looking forward to publication of my short story, “Glint of Silver,” in the Where Connections Lead anthology. I do not yet have a firm publication date.
Poem a Day Challenge: During the month of April 2025, I joined a Poem a Day challenge with fellow writers in Second Life. The leader of the group set the them and poetic style for the day and we wrote to that. It was lots of fun and I learned about many poetic forms I had not previously encountered. Though I consider myself far more of a prose writer than a poet, I do recommend the experience to other prose writers. Like microfiction and other short story forms, it makes you think about the value of each word.
