“Beyond the Mist”, Where Monsters Lurk & Magic Hides, November 2022
When 15-year-old Alena sees the Luneso’s ships from the other side of the mist wall, she fears for her peaceful mountain village in Oyarén. Her only hope for stopping them lies in an old legend of the trapped goddess Yilra and the help of the frog king, Korú. But undoing old magic isn’t easy and the truth unravels everything Alena understands about her world.
Alena felt pulled deeper into the cave and the spirals glowed brighter on her body. She followed the twisted path until she stood before a glowing, pink crystal that stretched from the floor to the ceiling. It cast just enough light to see Yilra curled up inside the crystal, black hair floating around her like a cloud. A white dress was tied at her waist and a necklace of shells hung down to her chest.
“Yilra!” Alena said, taking a few steps toward the resting goddess. But as she did, she heard a shuffling that wasn’t the echo of her steps, or King Korú, whose calls she could still hear in the cave.
Someone was right behind her.
“The Anger That Feeds Me,” August 2022
Over the centuries, Cassia has found that feeding on anger and enjoying it are totally different things. Her elders and peers resent her, and honestly, she just wants to lay low. But it’s Halloween and she’s hungry. The difference between Cassia and every other drainer is that she doesn’t fuel the anger, she replaces it with music.
“Inkshader” (Ink Anthology, Queer Sci-Fi), August 2021
Once they untie her, they shove her to the ground. “You overpowered perverts can keep her.”
I kneel at her side and take the Inkshade pen from my pouch. “Which arm?”
No answer.
“Left it is, then.” I say gently. As I work, my Inkshade guides me in filling her Sketch. The magic within her swells to color the spot. “This will let you use it. People will leave you alone when they see it. If they don’t, well, you know how effective Inkshade is.”
Isaac 22:3-10 (Macrina Magazine), May 2021
“8What God is this–
who gives you a new name yet gives me
bruises and raw skin from your loyalty to him?“
The Longest Baptism (This Is What America Looks Like, February 2021)
“Stay with me. Breathe slowly. This is the longest baptism and our fingertips nearly break the surface. You’ve just opened your eyes to the stinging, but I’ve been here for ages. It’s time for you to know these waters.”
Lest I Know Your Weakness (2019)
A twisted love story told in alternating poetic snapshots.
Intrigue, tension, darkness, beauty–Carmilla and Laura experience it all as they traverse the ups and downs of their relationship through poetic dialogue. Love is alluring and terrifying.
Paperbacks and ebooks available from most retailers.
I highly recommend the book, both for some beautiful poems and for an existential examining of the nature of literature…
Goodreads reviewer
This is definitely a take on [Carmilla] that should not be missed.
Goodreads reviewer
Roses, Post-Apocalypse (ABSOLUTE DESTINY POST-APOCALYPSE: An Utena Future Zine, 2019)
“The source of that sunset color–
she planted in me a seed that, at first, sprouted thorns,
but now this rose
will grow toward its light.”
Forgive Us Our Trespasses (2017)
When peace like a river is closer to crashing against rocks in the current, when our souls are filled with joy but also doubt and disappointment, when God is a bulwark never failing yet we are a sinking ship, we yearn for forgiveness. This blackout poetry collection reads between the lines of an old text, drawing out hope, bitterness, and relief. Navigate through these complex realities and enjoy the ride.
Paperbacks and ebooks available on Amazon.
Beautiful, emotionally challenging, and visually stunning!
Amazon reviewer
…a theological discourse; a spiritual reflection on the human condition; an offering of encouragement, chastisement, disruption, peace, and so much more.
Goodreads reviewer
Click (Gadfly Online, 2012)
“The early, single digit hours summon the merchants to the screen.”
3AM (Gadfly Online, 2012)
“There’s a difference between a quick signature and an anonymous mural that might make people think outside of their 9 to 5 boxes. That’s what the cameras were for, and as for the 3am thing, well, that’s the hour when things get serious and philosophy becomes as casual as text message break-ups.”
