Writing

I write middle-grade fantasy, short fiction, and essays. Most of the stories begin in a familiar place and then allow one impossible thing through the door.

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Current novel

Ella Alden and the Island of Living Sand

Ella Alden is an observant, scientifically minded girl who uses taxonomy to steady herself when the world becomes too large or unpredictable. Then she encounters something that refuses to fit any category she knows.

The novel combines fantasy, humor, and adventure without treating fear as something a child simply outgrows. Ella’s attention to the world is part of what makes life difficult for her. It is also one of her greatest strengths.

The complete manuscript is currently in revision. It is planned as the first book in a four-volume seasonal series.

Short fiction

My stories often concern people who have built reasonable explanations for their lives and then discover that reason has left something out.

• “Across the Street” — a sinkhole, a set of letters, and the distance between neighbors.
• “Plastic Is Forever” — a speculative story about medicine, the body, and what remains.
• “Jason” — grief, memory, and an ocean kept inside a jar.

These stories are unpublished and are currently in revision or submission.

Essays

I also write about books, games, comics, teaching, art, and the systems beneath them. Current cultural writing appears at Figured Action. Earlier game reviews and backlog projects remain in the site Archive.