My multi-award-winning new novel, Losing Austin, focuses on the Bowman family, represented by possibly unreliable narrator Colton, who tells the story of how his older brother vanished one rainy day and cannot be found. Since Colton screamed in Austin’s face right before the disappearance, he feels responsible and vows to find his missing brother at all costs. He’d also like to prove to the world that he didn’t kill Austin, as many people want to believe.

Losing Austin is a story of grief and trauma and of not being able to take back angry words because the other person is no longer present to accept your apology. It’s about letting go, about accepting that some people aren’t ours, no matter how much we love them. It’s about redemption and the ability to overcome one’s past. And it’s about the need for parents to love their children equally—no matter that one child might require more of their time—because all children need to be nurtured. It’s maybe my most emotional book yet, if early reviews are any indication.

“For readers who seek stories that are emotionally rich, unafraid to confront difficult truths, and tinged with just enough mystery to keep the pages turning, “Losing Austin” is an unforgettable experience. It is a novel that lingers, like a memory, like a question, like the ghost of someone you are not ready to let go.”—Aulia at Goodreads

“This book is not just about a missing boy. It is about grief. About the way loss fractures a family, leaving jagged edges that do not quite fit together anymore. It is about guilt and redemption and that desperate, aching hope that maybe, just maybe, love can transcend time, space, and even reality itself.”—Ralphseyi at Goodreads

Losing Austin has been compared with bestsellers like Gone Girl, We Were Liars, and The Vanishing Season. Author Kim Bartosch (Ask The Girl) had this to say: “If you’re a fan of books that blend real-world emotion with eerie mystery—think Paper Towns meets Stranger Things—this one should be on your TBR.”

I feel I’ve crafted something extra special with this book simply by tapping into the raw emotions of the family members and keeping the story simple and accessible. Yes, Austin disappears without a trace and Colton comes to believe in the possibility of alien abduction. But this book is about holding onto hope under all circumstances. Colton refuses to stop hoping his brother will be found, even when everyone around him says he should, and he refuses to give up searching. His tenacity and devotion to finding Austin against all odds makes Colton Bowman one of my favorite and most memorable characters.

My newest novel, Forever Boy, has been born and, while written for teens, young adults, and the young at heart, the story delves into the essense of human nature, something we can all relate to. Does someone become a monster by choice or is monstrosity thrust upon them such that they can no longer be decent human beings, no matter how hard they try?

Forever Boy appears to be a contemporary youth tale mixed with the paranormal, but the characters grapple with some weighty issues like free will, abuse, bullying, and loneliness. Does monstrosity come from within or without? Does one need to look like a monster to be one? If someone looks frightening, does that automatically make them dangerous? We all have our light and dark sides and every day we choose which one to display. These realities about human nature form the essence of Mary Shelley’s brilliant Frankenstein, and they permeate Forever Boy, as well.

I believe there are monsters in this world, but they are humans who choose to be that way; Frankenstein’s creature didn’t start out violent and evil, but the violence and hatred people directed at him from human society poisoned his soul. My title character Drágan Albescu, has dealt with great hardships and much rejection in his fourteen years and could easily go the way of Frankenstein’s creature.

Does he?

You’ll have to read the book to find out.

Forever Boy has been getting stellar reviews from editorial sites and has, in my opinion, a dynamic cover designed by Sanusi Emmanuel, who has given the book a striking appearance that’s hard to ignore.

Orphan Drágan, always on the move from place to place, lands in Millwood, Maine where he finds himself surrounded by a cast of mostly likable characters who learn and grow and come of age as the story progresses. Isaac, through whose eyes the story unfolds, is someone most of us can relate to. He is also the first character I’ve ever created who, like me, was born with hearing loss and must navigate life through the impreciseness of hearing aids. If you’re a mom, you just might love the character of Penelope Foster who, as one reviewer puts it, is “the kind of mom all kids wish they had; one who listens to and believes in her child.”

This same reviewer writes, “Drágan is a complete enigma. A boy seemingly outside of time, of place. But Drágan holds dark secrets. As the bond between the boys strengthens, Drágan begins to peel back the dark curtain on who he really is. This is a bell that can’t be unrung; a sight that cannot be unseen.  As Isaac begins to comprehend, he is shaken to his core.”

Grab your copy today and dive right into an unforgettable adventure!

Book Three of my Film Milieu Thriller series is finally out in the world. Yay!

Writing mysteries is tricky and my hat’s off to those writers who turn out so many clever and compelling stories. My series is both mystery and thriller with paranormal and suspense elements, so they are not the “cozy” variety. But I came to love the characters in the first two books and took the unprecedented step of bringing both their worlds together in the third so I could have them interact with each other.

Admittedly, for a long time, I didn’t think I could pull off this sleight of hand. Combining the two books meant bringing a lot of characters together and, while most of my book series sport numerous characters, I’ve never tried writing a mystery thriller with so many. The goal of such books is to keep the story moving, introduce red herrings, depict attempts to knock off key characters, but also, as with any story, to flesh out the characters along the way.

Sidelined by surgery, I took a long, convoluted path toward completing this book, but the end result shocked me by being one of my favorites. I somehow managed to give all the characters a three-dimensional presence, and I loved how they chose to interact with each other. As with most stories, the characters take on a life of their own and some make choices I hadn’t originally mapped out for them. This is probably what makes the often lonely job of writing so fulfilling, when characters become so real to the author that they dictate their own choices and drive the story forward.

I think They Know When The Killer Will Strike is the best of this series and one of my best books, period, so I hope everyone gets a chance to meet my fun cast of characters. However, they’re first introduced in the previous two books, along with plot points important to this story, so it’s best, as one teen reviewer put it, to read the other books first to fully enjoy the latest installment. Besides, you see how the characters grow along the way.

Despite wrapping up the major plot elements in this third book, my mind immediately began formulating stories to continue exploring the lives of my young characters in future installments, and I hope readers will long to know becomes of Leo and his friends as much as I do.

Hello Readers,

Happy April and Happy Book Birthday to Shifter (The Healer Chronicles 2). This is an exciting day for me because it’s not only the birthday of my newest novel, but it’s also my birthday. I love sharing my special day with the release of Shifter because the characters that populate this series are near and dear to my heart, just as are the real-life Special Education students who inspired me so much over the years were.

And, MORE IMPORTANTLY, at smile.amazon.com, a percentage of any of my purchased books goes to one of my favorite nonprofits, RAISE A CHILD, which started me on my journey toward adopting the most amazing son ever and continues its passionate goal of finding forever homes for kids in foster care.

I’m also thrilled that Shifter won a Gold Award in the Literary Titan Book Awards, as well as a passionate 5-Star review. It’s a great start to the life of this book, but I hope many more readers will jump into this series. Book 1, Spinner, is available for only 99 cents, so if you or your friends like horror, mystery, suspense, action populated with unique and memorable characters, definitely check out Spinner and then delve into the compelling sequel, all in anticipation of the thrill-packed conclusion, Spoiler, coming in July.

Literary Titan had this to say about Shifter: 

“The author also created a rich and relatable world by adding small details between big moments.There were plenty of everyday things that we take for granted highlighted in these extreme circumstances. For example, Alex’s experiences with his disability, not being able to reach a shirt in a closet that wasn’t made for someone in a wheelchair. 

Alex’s human existence gave us a closer connection to a character with incredible power. I loved so many of the characters in the novel. They were unusual heroes, abandoned or scorned by society because of who they are, mistakes from their past, or circumstances beyond their control.

Shifter (The Healer Chronicles Book 2) is a suspenseful young adult thriller. With strong and memorable characters, non-stop action, and high tension, readers will not want to put the book down and anxiously await the conclusion of this exciting trilogy.”

So, if you like compelling series fiction with unique and memorable characters, give The Healer Chronicles a try. #yaseriesfiction#yaseriesbooks#paranormalstories#suspensebooks#horrorbooks#disabilityinclusion#endearingheroes#amreadinghorror#amreadingya#amreading #bookbirthday