Columnist for The Wytheville Enterprise/ SWVAtoday.com
I’ve been writing columns for The Wytheville Enterprise since 2017. Publishing columns offers me a wonderful opportunity to communicate ideas, challenge perspectives, and suggest reading in my small southwest Virginia community. Some of my favorite pieces include, “Doing good is good for You,” “Producing ‘Life Ready’ students,” “Cross Country: The story behind the stats,” and “Local government matters.”
Fix You – a young adult contemporary novel
I am currently editing and preparing to query Fix You in 2024.
Hally can whip up a plan with a color coded checklist for any problem. So when she finds Tristan in a diabetic coma on her favorite park bench, she vows to help him manage his newly diagnosed diabetes. But free spirited Tristan isn’t interested in help. He is, however, interested in Hally.
Using art museums and music, Hally tries to help Tristan while keeping him firmly planted in her friend zone. At the same time, Tristan does his best to break down Hally’s emotional barriers. With each carefully crafted attempt to change Tristan, Hally risks pushing him away, until she realizes Tristan might not be the person she needs to fix. Fix You is a YA coming of age that blends Five Feet Apart by Racheal Lippencott with Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon.
Redefined– a young adult contemporary novel
I am in the middle of a major re-write (at least the 12th one) of this autobiographical YA contemporary
Seventeen year old Cat tries hard to keep the peace at home. Huntington’s Disease is stealing her mother away and her father is turning to bourbon. But when she learns about the New River Conservancy’s plans to purchase land in her small town to protect a river habitat, Cat joins the effort, putting her at odds with her father, who owns a lumber store. And her dates with the new photographer on the school paper only add to the rising tension at home. As her mother’s heath fades, and her father’s drinking worsens, Cat must find a way to pursue her passions without losing the people she loves in the process.