Historical Fiction Author
The past is my compass; story is the path I trace through time.
Historical fiction has long been my favorite genre to read, so it's fitting that those are the stories I conjure. My writing is rooted in the Appalachian landscape I inherited from my North Carolina childhood.
My current writing project The Beaucatcher Chronicles includes stories set in the land of my upbringing, beautiful Western North Carolina. These tales will span multiple generations from the mid 1800s through the 1970s.
Some of the stories in the collection will occur in real-world Asheville, where I grew up, but many are set in a reimagined version of my hometown, which I call Kent Creek. This fictional mountain town is a gateway to the Blue Ridge Mountains where family secrets, hidden heartaches, broken dreams, and courageous endeavors collide. What began as a single short story in 1999 is growing into a collection of interconnected novels, short stories, and visual art, and I invite you to travel along with me as this collection grows.
At Pearson's Falls, a breath-taking 90-foot waterfall between Saluda and Tryon, NC.
I love discovering how past lives and local stories echo through time. My way of exploring and cataloging the real-world roots of the fictional landscapes in my tales is through a section on my blog called "Retracing Asheville." This is as much a part of my fiction-writing process as the drafting itself, and my hope is to someday take Retracing Asheville to YouTube.
Me refusing to leave our Story Camp retreat beach house on St. George Island, FL.
For nearly four decades, I've been an editor and have worked on technical reports, newsletters, and magazines, as well as fiction. I shepherded more than 50 authors through their manuscript revisions, and witnessed twelve of my clients win state literary awards. I'm the founder of the online writing community Women Writing for Change and the creator of Story Camp, a multi-day retreat that supports women's creative practice.
While I continue editing on a limited basis, I'm super excited to be in a this time when I can focus on the stories I've longed to create.
Fangirling with my instructor, author Glenn Taylor, at the Appalachian Writers Workshop, Hindman, KY.
Oh! And I LOVE vintage postcards. . . and jigsaw puzzles...and coffee and cats. The world would not be right without coffee and cats.
About Me
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