Author of Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction



Published by Guardian Angel Publishing December 2014:

Jeremiah Lucky and the Guardian Angel
Jeremiah needs a little help and he gets it with the sudden appearance of his guardian angel. Chapter book for ages 7-10.
http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com

Jeremiah Lucky Finds Puppy Love
Jeremiah dodges a kiss from a princess and falls head over heels for a lost puppy. Chapter book for ages 7-10.
http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com

Watch for these titles coming soon:

The Whispering Chimney
Eleven-year old Bethany finds a stone chimney and discovers a beautiful but terrifying past. (upper middle grade)

(Beyond the) Stone Eagle Gate
David, age fifteen, flees a false accusation and takes refuge in a haunted, abandoned mansion. (YA, historical fiction ghost story)

The Interplanetary Adventures of Yan Sunnara: Book I Rescue on Lato
Cultural scientist Yan Sunnara rescues an unusual child on the planet of Lato with the help of an exotic and beautiful Uvian archaeologist. (Adult, soft Science Fiction, Rescue on Lato is the first of a series of four novellas.)

Cross Over
Three teens are connected by a mysterious and sometimes frightening ability to cross over from one dimension here on earth to another. This YA novel placed in the top three in Florida Writers 2013 RPLA competition. Speculative Fiction.





Monday, August 17, 2015

2015 Pitch Wars Contest

Remember the feeling--the deep sigh of relief when you finished the last final exam of the semester in college, or finally got that major paper printed and in the professor's box? That relief marching hand in hand with a slight sense of loss? What now?

This morning I am that girl again having just submitted my young adult story CROSS OVER to a contest called Pitch Wars. This competition was a learning experience all the way. Sponsored by author Brenda Drake {TOUCHING FATE, Oct. 2015 and THIEF OF LIES, Jan. 2016} #PitchWars is a Twitter driven roller coaster ride where hopefuls read bios and submit to up to five mentors one of whom (if the mentee is chosen) will guide the author in both the query process and in preparing the manuscript to attract agent attention in round two. So now I wait. Sept. 2 the match-ups will be announced. Then for two months the mentee and mentor, who is usually a published and agented author, work together to get ready for the agent round.

I've been at this writing business for a while. I know how to wait. After straightening up my writing desk, I'll jump back into my current work in progress and let CROSS OVER fly on its own. It's a great story and I've worked hard. CROSS OVER has already been acknowledged as a winner in a previous competition--FWA's Royal Palm Literary Awards. But even if we're not chosen for Pitch Wars this time, I've learned a great deal about my tribe--those other YA authors who cheer us on, publish valuable advice on their blogs, and most importantly, write fantastic books to inspire.

Some Great MG and YA books

  • Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman
  • These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
  • Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
  • Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby
  • Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
  • Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood
  • The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
  • Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt
  • Red Blood Road by Moira Young
  • On Little Wings by Regina Sirois
  • Nation by Terry Pratchett
  • Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
  • Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley (Printz 2012)
  • The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
  • Fire by Kristin Cashore