The Big News!

I have blabbed this on my social media already because I am a goon with no self control, but I wanted to wait to announce it here until after the BAD INTENTIONS hubbub wound down.

And today is that day.

Those of you who have been following me for a while know that in 2008, for NaNoWriMo, I decided to write a Sci-Fi story specifically to bust tropes. It was all for fun. I wasn’t a professional writer, and I never would be, so I brought the first iteration of Maran’s story to life just for giggles. She was grumpy princess with a chip on her shoulder, a crush on a girl she thought was probably straight, a boss she was absolutely willing to murder, and a very bad feeling about what she’d been sent to do.

That book has gone through thirteen full rewrites, each of them changing something fundamental about the story: it’s gone from third person to screenplay format to first person. It’s gone from Sci-Fi(ish) to Space Opera to dieselpunk. The family drama has come and gone and come again. The love interest went from someone Maran yearned to see again to standing beside her the whole time. Maran is a little less foul mouthed, a little more amenable to teamwork, and a lot more fleshed out than she was back when she was merely a vehicle for me to bust tropes through. And it has become very clear over these many iterations that I wasn’t a good enough writer in 2008 to tell this story the way it deserves to be told.

A lot happened with the book along the way, including some interest by a publisher that went out of business before we ever reached the point of signing a contract.

After my former agent and I parted ways, I spent some time letting myself be sad and at loose ends, and then I started querying the current, and best, version of Maran’s story: currently titled DAWN CALAMITY. The response was overwhelmingly complimentary of my writing, my story, my characters, and my voice but also that this isn’t the kind of book the Big 5 are buying right now. Which led me to the conclusion that CALAMITY was destined to be a small press title just as the rest of my body of work up to this point has been.

And I had one in mind.

When Not A Pipe opened to submissions this past fall, I jumped at the opportunity to query them. Had they passed, I have a list of other small presses that have impressed me over the years, but I had wanted to work with Not A Pipe since I’d first met a group of their authors and editors in 2018.

And then this happened: Our Authors — Not a Pipe Publishing

I am thrilled to announce officially that DAWN CALAMITY has been acquired by Not A Pipe Publishing. It will be edited by Karen Eisenbrey. A release date is yet to be scheduled.

I will keep everyone updated as things develop. I am absolutely beside myself. Listen to me squeal about it on the newest episode of WRITERS NOT WRITING and watch this space (and my TikTok & BlueSky) for more info!