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Mostly tea, magic, and my next book project. In the summer of 2023, I signed a two-book deal with Simon & Schuster, and I've been living my wildest writing daydreams ever since. My debut novel, THE CRESCENT MOON TEAROOM, will be published on October 1st 2024. It’s received starred reviews from Kirkus and Library Journal and is an Indie Next Pick for October 2024. I also have a PhD in English with specializations in women's writing, sensory studies, fashion studies, food studies, and fairy tales. And I've taught writing and literature classes at the University of Tennessee, the University of Notre Dame, and Purdue University.
As a passionate reader, writer, and teacher, I love talking with people about stories and the process of putting words down on the page. I'd be delighted to discuss:
- My fiction (THE CRESCENT MOON TEAROOM) or non-fiction books (FAIRY TALES OF APPALACHIA)
- My writing habits/writing process, including brainstorming, outlining, drafting, and strategies to stay on track
- How I go about researching for a novel
- Your writing habits/writing process
- The path to publication (how I got an agent, the timeline for manuscript submission, and things that surprised me along the way)
- What it was like to make the jump from academia to fiction writing
- How my artistic projects (I also work in multi-media and am a dedicated crafter) have helped develop my storytelling skills
- Book clubs! I'm always so excited to talk with bookclubs about my work
Note: I am more than happy to discuss your writing during our call, but I do not look at drafts or excerpts.
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Fairy Tales of Appalachia is a collection of oral stories that I gathered from archives across the region and transcribed to the page. The book is centered around strong female heroines and illustrates how storytelling practices in the Appalachia fit within the larger fairy tale canon.
“Magic meets academia in the wonderful new collection… While reading, it’s easy to picture the familiar gestures that go along with the telling. This is a characteristic that makes the atmosphere of these stories truly magical in their realism because the text directly relates to the spoken word. This language transports the reader to another place; one where stories are told as the sun is going down and children are gathered around, desperate to know what happens next."
Kate Murphy, Southern Review of Books
Ever since the untimely death of their parents, Anne, Beatrix, and Violet Quigley have made a business of threading together the stories that rest in the swirls of ginger, cloves, and cardamom at the bottom of their customers’ cups. Their days at the teashop are filled with talk of butterflies and good fortune intertwined with the sound of cinnamon shortbread being snapped by laced fingers.
That is, until the Council of Witches comes calling with news that the city Diviner has lost her powers, and the sisters suddenly find themselves being pulled in different directions. As Anne’s magic begins to develop beyond that of her sisters’, Beatrix’s writing attracts the attention of a publisher, and Violet is enchanted by the song of the circus—and perhaps a mischievous trapeze artist threatening to sweep her off her feet. It seems a family curse that threatens to separate the sisters is taking effect.
With dwindling time to rewrite their future and help three other witches challenge their own destinies, the Quigleys set out to bargain with Fate. But in focusing so closely on saving each other, will they lose sight of themselves?
“A decadent, enchanting, and exquisitely crafted tale.”
— Breanne Randall, New York Times bestselling author of The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic
