Represented by Catherine Cho of Paper Literary.
I write historical fiction and fabulism blends that fit in the upmarket or bookclub space. My writing has the immersive worldbuilding, lyrical prose, and pinch of speculative similar to SEA OF TRANQUILTY by Emily St. John Mandel. Other comparable works would be Erica Bauermeister's THE SCENT KEEPER, Susanna Clarke's PIRANESI, and Kristin Hannah's THE FOUR WINDS.
My stories typically include a strong female protagonist, an exploration of the dynamic connection between women through time, and feminist revisionist history. There's also typically some adventure, folklore or mythology, and a slow-burn romance.
IN THE GREAT QUIET
• Shortlisted for 2022 Retreat West Opening Lines Competition
• Long Longlisted for 2022 Cheshire Novel Prize
THE FOUR WINDS with the lyrical prose, immersive worldbuilding, and fabulism of SEA OF TRANQUILITY
Based on the life of my grandmother’s grandmother, IN THE GREAT QUIET is an upmarket historical story of 93,000 words. It is a genre-busting blend of history, folklore, fabulism, hybrid-genre, and romance.
Oklahoma, 1893. High Noon.
Oklahoma Territory, 1893. High noon. It’s the wild west, and in moments, the race begins. Minnie Hoopes flees her past, determined to establish a homestead in outlaw country. At the end of the dangerous race, Minnie, an unmarried woman, has land of her very own—but she also has the blood of two cowboys on her hands. A notorious outlaw helps her hide the bodies, and throughout winter, the sheriff keeps asking questions. When folks start accusing her neighbors, Minnie must decide to either turn herself in—and lose her land—or protect her neighbors from impending vigilante law. Haunted by her secrets, during the long winter nights isolated on her homestead, Minnie hears voices whispering across the prairie. She wonders if she’s losing her grip on her sanity or linking with ancestral memory. In order to survive the wild west, Minnie must reconcile her past, figure out who she can trust, and choose what kind of friend she wants to be. IN THE GREAT QUIET is a dual-timeline, feminist story about memory and perception, isolation versus community, and one’s elemental, propulsive search for home.
Novel - Historical Fiction and Fabulism
Aesthetic - link to Instagram aesthetic reel (with sound)
BLUE BEYOND THE SEA
available from Bottlecap Press
Something calls from the wilderness, but
we must choose to answer.
Bavaria, 1108. Edigna flees an arranged marriage and creates a home in the hollow of a linden tree. She illuminates manuscripts for a nearby abbey, and as she becomes a legendary story told round fires, she begins to lose her grip on the physical world. She doesn’t want to be only a story: she wants to be a body too.
A magical short story that reimagines the medieval legend of Edigna of Puch as the original Rapunzel, for fans of V. E. Schwab’s Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, Naomi Novik’s Uprooted, and Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi. Inspired by the surprising blue fragments of lapis lazuli found by archeologists in the remains of a medieval woman’s teeth, Blue Beyond the Sea is a rewrite of the history of women
in art.
Novelette, 8,500 words - Historical Fiction, Fabulist, Literary
Aesthetic - Link to Instagram Reel
• Honorable Mention for the 91st Annual Writer's Digest Writing Competition, Literary category
Flash Fiction, 1,900 words - Fabulist, Literary
In modern day (2022) Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bavaria a museum guide wonders about the medieval concept of doubles -- and if her own shadow is detaching from her body. "Three Words for What We've Lost" explores pandemic isolation & trauma and the many versions of self & identity.
Aesthetic - link to Instagram reel
submitting to literary journals
THREE WORDS FOR WHAT WE'VE LOST
"weight" in Rust & Moth, summer 2023 issue
"atmospheric instability (noun)" in Chapter House Journal, winter 2023 issue
"excavation" forthcoming in Arkansas Review, fall 2023 issue
"regret (noun): a time traveler" on One Sentence Poems
"nostos" and "achillea millefolium" in Frost Meadow Review, summer 2022 issue
POETRY
THE HISTORY OF STARLIGHT
GONE WITH THE WIND x ALADDIN
This is the story of the battle against oblivion. It begins with a girl, long ago.
Jerusalem, 978 BCE. A reckless princess and surly warrior-scribe must secure their nation's legacy in a world bursting with rebellions and betrayals.
Novel - Historical Fiction
I'm currently drafting and editing a few short story ideas that have been simmering for years.
Babylon, the middle ages, tulips, motherhood, perhaps even a space ship --- all feminist stories about women, each a blend of historical fiction and fabulism.
SHORT STORIES
dreaming up and drafting
TRIBAL ELEMENTS novellas
drafting
Drafting novellas for supporting characters in the world of THE HISTORY OF STARLIGHT.
Currently drafting Bina, Carmiya, and Ximen. There's sailing and secrets and journeys. Outlining Neriah and Benaiah's adventures, with Benaiah's story potentially a novel-length prequel.
Novellas - Historical Fiction