The Blog

Today is one of the most exciting days of my life.  I’m holding in my hand a signed contract confirming a book deal for Surface and Shadow, my debut novel that I’ve been working on for years.

Set in a small southern town in 1972, Surface and Shadow is the story of a woman who becomes obsessed with finding out the truth about a wealthy man’s suspicious death. The woman, a young wife and mother, recently moved to town so her husband could take over the medical practice of a beloved doctor who’s retiring. The man who died under controversial circumstances owned the cotton mill that’s the town’s largest employer. In this close-knit community, questions are not always welcome, and the woman soon finds her marriage and her husband’s career are at risk.

Pen-L Publishing will release Surface and Shadow in both paperback and e-book formats in the spring of 2016. After talking with Duke Pennell, one of the owners of Pen-L, I’m certain this is the right publisher for me. Duke shares my respect for professionalism, as well as my southern sensibilities. Plus, he’s enthusiastic about my novel.

I have a lot of people to thank for helping me bring Surface and Shadow this far. I’m especially grateful to Ally Machate and Harrison Demchick of The Writer’s Ally for their invaluable editing expertise. I also couldn’t have come this far without my readers and critiquers, including Sonia Linebaugh, T. Greenwood, Rebecca Hayden, Martha Newland, Gary McCann, Karen Bennett, and Mary Stojak. And I’m grateful to Mark Willen for introducing me to Pen-L.

So I’ll be celebrating for a while now. I see a nice dinner in a fancy restaurant. And maybe a caramel cake with extra icing.

But soon it’s back to work. The publishing journey is only just beginning. I’ve published short stories before, but this is my first novel, so everything along the way will be a new adventure. I can’t wait to find out what happens next. I’ll be writing here about each step along the way, and I hope you’ll share the journey with me.

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