Blue Incarnations

 I am very proud to announce my novel Blue Incarnations is finally available in paperback and digital!

It is a futuristic queer thriller set in a world where everybody remembers their past lives, and a corrupt government has instituted a system where people can be punished for crimes committed in a prior incarnation.

The main character, Diana Callahan, is a teenager with no memories of her past lives. When she suddenly start remembering, however, she learns maybe there was a good reason she wanted to forget… 

I have been working on this book for… I don't know, 7+ years on and off? It was inspired by the line "You've got a brand new soul" in Billy Joel's Only The Good Die Young, and whenever I got stuck on the plot I would pick some other lyrics from Billy Joel songs and work the ideas into the story somehow.

I tried to go to the traditional publishing route at one point but the story wasn't ready and I know that now. It went through a few more edits and then I decided I was going to publish it myself.

I am really proud of it and I think it's good and… Yeah. I hope people give it a chance.

Savior Of The Crying Hemlocks

 Very proud to say my story "Savior Of The Crying Hemlocks" is now available in Sunshine Superhighway: Solar Sailings!

Originally called "SQUONK If You Hate Climate Change," my story is about a woman in a futuristic world trying to save the last ancient hemlocks from poachers.

Her child helps, and they get additional support from the mysterious squonk, a legendary creature from Pennsylvania folklore who is so ugly and sad, he cries constantly. Legend says his tears can dissolve anything, even his own body, and some interpretations of these legends suggest he might be an ecological metaphor created by early lumberjacks who realized they were killing the forest as European settlers made the land more industrial.

Blue Incarnations cover reveal and pre-order

 On January 29, 2024, I will be self publishing my queer reincarnation thriller Blue Incarnations!

I've been working on this book for the better part of 10 years on and off. Writing and rewriting and eventually figuring out what story I wanted to tell.

I tried to go to traditional publishing route with it a couple years and several rewrites ago, but it wasn't ready. I thought about trying again, but querying novels isn't something I enjoy and I wanted to get more experience with the ins and outs of actually designing and publishing a book rather than just writing one.

Anyway. I'm really proud of this book and I can't wait for people to read it. You can pre-order the e-book now, and the paperback version will be available on January 29.

Mighty: An Anthology Of Disabled Superheroes

 I want to do a proper post talking about this more in depth and highlighting all of our amazing authors, but for now I just want to get the links out there and officially announce:

Mighty: An Anthology Of Disabled Superheroes is now available everywhere you buy books!

This anthology was edited by myself and Emily Gillespie, and we are so proud of our authors and we really hope you will check it out

https://linktr.ee/renaissancepublicist

Untamed

 What do you get when you combine Shakespeare and a terrible B movie? The taming of the killer shrews, of course!

Untamed, available in Greater Than His Nature, is my take on a retelling of Taming Of The Shrew, set on an island where scientists have been experimenting on a young woman who turns into a killer shrew when she can't control her emotions.

It's also an allegory for autistic people who are forced to go through harmful "treatment" like advanced behavioral analysis because neurotypical people think we need to be fixed.

In that regard, and because it's based on Taming Of The Shrew, please be aware there is gaslighting and mentally abusive and manipulative situations in my story. They are not glorified or romanticized in any way, at least that was not my intention.

There's also quite a bit of violence. If it were a visual medium, like a movie, it would be very gory. My main character turns into a shrew who attacks and eats people. Of course there's going to be a lot of blood involved in that. However, I believe I handled it tastefully (no pun intended) and did not describe the violence or blood shed in much detail at all.

Also, fun fact: I was struggling with the character of Peter for a while. I knew what he needed to do for the plot, but I couldn't figure out his personality. He was a very boring character to write.

So I decided to write him as if I was writing a character for Karl Urban to play in a movie. Sort of a very toned down version of Billy Butcher from The Boys, complete with Hawaiian shirts (which I even managed to use as symbolism, which made me very pleased).

Blood And Iron

 I am so pleased to finally be able to announce my short story "Blood And Iron" is available in Rosalind's Siblings, a celebration of scientists of marginalized genders. This anthology was scheduled for several years ago but the plan fell through and it finally found a new home with Atthis Arts!

My story is about an autistic forensic pathologist who deals with magical creatures. They've been showing up in our world for some reason, but never survive long. Her latest case—a fairy who might have been murdered—could be the key to solving the entire interdimensional mystery.

This character is a lot like me, and probably the most explicitly autistic character I have ever written. It isn't just a diagnosis she has or something she deals with, it is an integral part of who she is and how she interacts with the world.

My original description for her was "Temperance Brennan from Bones if she was a Disney princess."

The death of magical creatures is central to the story, but there is no death on the page and any mentions of bodies and autopsy of them is dealt with in a non-graphic way.

Wardrobe Of The Worlds

In fashion, one day you're in, and the next day you’re out of this world…

My story "Wardrobe Of The Worlds" is now available in Soul Jar, an anthology of disabled authors.

Imagine intergalactic Project Runway with an autistic model and a Bruce Willis inspired Army general designer, and you've got the idea. Oh, and if they don't make the best dress possible, well… the Earth might be destroyed.