Artful Story Telling
Author's Mission
To write and illustrate artful middle-grade and short story fiction that resonates with readers like classics as it takes them off the grid.
About Me
I am an author-illustrator creating artful middle-grade and short story fiction. My stories explore many subjects. Realistic magic, the plants and houses shaping worlds, and the stuff of intuition are favorite themes. In my middle grade books remarkable protagonists are entangled in real-world adventures. Some are zany and others more serious, but all are woven with themes that expand the experiences of this open-minded, preteen age. Loss, the need for belonging, and the discovery of personal power are a few. My short stories are made for older audiences. They explore psychology through time and experience. All my stories have strong visual content and lend themselves well to illustrations. Each of my books has at least one house inside and many, many rooms.
Current Projects
Presently I am illustrating the manuscript of REDLEAF SCHOOL and writing HURRICANE RABBITS. Redleaf School is a zany MG hero's journey in which a small school of wildflowers is captured by a spider and rescued by a rose. It has approximately 28,000 words and countless illustrations. I am also submitting my short stories INVASIVE GREEN and BOTTLEBRUSH to magazines for publication. INVASIVE GREEN is a cameo story about the protagonist of REDLEAF SCHOOL, an invasive ground-cover rose. BOTTLEBRUSH is the second story in a collection of stories I'm calling PLANT SHOPPE that relates people to their plants. It is about a bitter woman who finds purpose in saving a young girl. My short story GERANIUMS, the first of the PLANT SHOPPE stories, is published in the December edition of The Writers' Journal. GERANIUMS is a nearly true story about an old couple that travels between their three homes with a suitcase full of geraniums.
Completed and Upcoming Works
I am seeking an agent for two illustrated MG works of fiction: LOVELY HOUSE and SMOKE FLOWERS. LOVELY HOUSE is the humorous MG mystery of a dilapidated, English-style cottage who discovers the power to save her living neighborhood through true friendship. Readers will encounter scheming developers, realtors, HOA members and chatty houses in her STEAM-oriented content. Lovely has 40, 293 words and 52 illustrations. SMOKE FLOWERS is a MG adventure with a southern gothic style where a military daughter overcomes bullying and loss with the help of a Chinese tradition. It has 36, 772 words and 4 illustrations. In-progress works include HURRICANE RABBITS the first in a series of three historic fiction tales that age with the reader. It describes Hurricane Audrey's path through Cameron, Louisiana through the experiences of an 11-year old girl with a captivating smile. I'm also writing EASTER BABY, a cameo story from HURRICANE RABBITS.