FAULT LINES
Intended Womens Fiction
Status: In progress
San Diego resident Mercy O'Patrick lives on an invisible line, and only a 7.2 magnitude earthquake can shake her free of it.
Mercy O'Patrick longs to be free of the tethers that bind her to her estranged husband, but her desire to start fresh is complicated by a peculiar boundary line dispute, her husband’s disappearance, and an over-zealous journalist. While a poetry-writing police officer offers her temporary refuge, the escalating conflict in Mercy’s life propels her toward an unusual crossroads. Mercy supports a local doctor’s philanthropic effort to bring a Mexican woman to San Diego for a complicated surgery, bringing the seemingly unrelated characters together. But when a devastating earthquake occurs, Mercy and the others become trapped and their lives intersect. Now Mercy must find commonality along the fault line, move beyond her invisible tethers, and start anew.
THE CORONADO CROWNS (working title)
Intended up-market novel with crossover historical appeal.
Status: preliminary research stages
Coronado Island is a bedroom beach community ten miles north of the international border and home to the iconic Hotel Del Coronado. Rich in California history, salty beach culture, Hollywood glamour, distinguished United States military personnel and vibrant Mexican influence, The Coronado Crowns is a multi-generational story about three resident families whose lives become intricately woven within their island paradise. But when the tension in their relationships gradually escalates beyond tolerable limits, they must find a way to thrive within one coveted square mile between the Pacific Ocean and the San Diego Bay.
THE MODERN BOOK OF MISFIT PEOPLE
78,000 word up-market novel with meta crossover appeal.
Status: available, pending final edits.
Eccentric college student Camille Winter has just completed a “reality lit” novel. Now she’s recruiting real life “misfits”—including her ailing professor Dr. Theodore Bayer--to participate as characters in her story. When the cast of oddballs accepts her invitation, Camille promises the course of their downcast lives, particularly Bayer’s, will change. But when her characters deviate from her specific instructions the story spirals out of control. Now Camille must gather her faltering literary stars and lead them toward the redemptive ending she promised. Can Camille save her characters from imminent peril and from themselves? In a modern world where common people clamor at the opportunity to be reality stars and where computers threaten the future of print and stifle interpersonal relationships, The Modern Book of Misfit People is a controversial, albeit provocative endeavor. But by participating, the misfits gain indelible value. The Modern Book of Misfit People is where print comes to life, and where life comes to print.
THE NESTING DOLL
80,000 word up-market novel with crossover mystery appeal.
Status: available, pending final edits.
San Diego district attorney Jill Mayflower comes unglued when she learns her fiancé Chase Allister is wanted by the FBI for interstate identity theft. Betrayed and humiliated, Jill recalls the year previous when Chase gave her a Russian nesting doll. Now she realizes Chase’s gift is a chilling representation of himself. Searching for answers, she embarks on a journey to investigate her estranged lover’s true identity and reexamine her own life. But when Chase’s unraveling background leads to additional identities, secrets and lies, Jill realizes her curiosity about his past has placed her in danger. Should she disclose the exclusive evidence she has gained during her journey? If she does, she will endanger her welfare and assist in Chase’s prosecution. If she does not, she may commit perjury, lose her license to practice law and thwart her sense of justice. Jill must look inside the nesting doll to find the key to her future. Ironically, in her quest to learn more about her fiancé, she has discovered even more about herself.
