Fiction at the edge of what families
don't say out loud.
When the Barrett family's black cat vanishes into the mountains surrounding Lake Tahoe, her absence becomes a reckoning. What begins as a search for a lost pet unfolds into a confrontation with grief, love, and the thin border between the physical and the unseen.
I'm a Lake Tahoe–based author writing about the intersection of literary fiction, family drama, and the quiet weight of unspoken grief. My work explores what happens inside families when the thing they love most, or fear most, doesn't do what they expect it to.
Before writing fiction, I spent years in media, marketing, radio, and podcasting — work that taught me how stories hold audiences, and what makes a voice worth listening to. I seek representation from agents who value literary rigor, careful editorial conversation, and thoughtful positioning.
My short fiction explores family systems, grief, and the strange logic of the ordinary. Find my writing in the 2023 and 2024 ACES Anthology for Northern Nevada Writers. The pieces not currently being submitted now are available to read here.
Published in the 2024 ACES Anthology. A story about the power of objects we give each other and the weight they carry long after the giving.
Read the story ↗
Published in the 2023 ACES Anthology. An early window into a key event that positioned the Barrett family for failure once the cat disappears.
Read the excerpt ↗
Tori Chardin files everything correctly, straightens all her labels, and slowly becomes a pigeon. She doesn't seem to notice. Currently in submission.
Ellen carries two young children alone through 1865 Panama's chaos toward California, pushing herself toward a life that might finally be large enough. Currently in submission.
A story of generosity, obligation, and how generosity can become both a weapon and a shield. Currently in submission.
On the careful, considered art of not quite lying — and the power words can take on. Currently in submission.
The social rituals can sometimes help us suspend scrutiny to find the connections we need. Currently in submission.
Connecting with someone is hard, especially if you've been avoiding them.
I built a few tools for my own writing practice, some to help and some to amuse. I hope other writers will use and enjoy. Please share suggestions of other tools you think would be helpful for your work.
Paste a draft and find your verbs. Present tense highlights show in yellow and past tense in orange so you can quickly spot tense mixing at a glance.
Open VerbFinder ↗
Everyone wants to know the future. And sometimes its just not that interesting, especially if you're a 3000-year old oracle. Come in, ask your questions. Whatever.
Open Oracle ↗I'm currently seeking representation for Black Cat Walks in the Moonlight and am always glad to hear from editors, readers, and fellow writers. Additional novels are in development.
"The animal's quiet consciousness is a mirror and catalyst, revealing the subterranean griefs and distorted truths shaping the Barrett family's inner lives."
