After the release of Vampire Alley, the sixth Sunshine Walkingstick novel, at the end of June, I took a month off. That time off was completely unplanned. I had intended to jump right into outlining the first book of the newest series, but for whatever reason, one day passed and then another, and before I…Continue reading Time Off, Starting a New Series, and General Updates
Building Crossville
Note: This post first appeared in my newsletter on 1 May 2024. *** When Vanessa Kinley first popped into my head, I had no idea what her setting would be. Crossville, GA, the fictional bedroom community of Atlanta, where the series is set, developed naturally during the writing of the first book, Between a Witch and a…Continue reading Building Crossville
Get Vampire Alley now!
The ebook edition of Vampire Alley, the sixth and final book in the Sunshine Walkingstick Series, is now available at a wide variety of online retailers. We’re working on paperback and audiobook editions and will have more news about those editions at a later date, but I do hope to hire Rebecca Winder as the…Continue reading Get Vampire Alley now!
Just ten more days!
In ten days, on 30 June 2024, the final Sunshine Walkingstick novel will be published. Vampire Alley marks the end of a long journey for both Sunny as a character and me as a writer. I’ve discussed this elsewhere (somewhere!), but Sunny first walked into my life in September 2014, as a fully drawn character,…Continue reading Just ten more days!
Crossville Supernaturals: Power Dynamics
Note: This post first appeared in my newsletter on 1 April 2023. *** Writing Black Witch Rising has led me down some interesting pathways. The interactions between Puck Aefre and Nessa, for example, have been incredibly illuminating. While writing a particular scene in which Puck demonstrates some powerful magic, I realized that Nessa had no true, consistent role model for…Continue reading Crossville Supernaturals: Power Dynamics
Rune Magic
Note: This post was first published in my newsletter on 12 January 2022. *** When I was creating the magic behind the Vaness Kinley, Witch PI Series (and let’s face it; that’s a continual work in progress), I had to decide what kind of witchcraft to include. There’s really no rhyme or reason behind Nessa being a…Continue reading Rune Magic
Of Monsters and Men
Note: This post first appeared in my newsletter on 26 January 2022. *** The first Sunshine Walkingstick story I wrote was Greenwood Cove, which is also the series’ first novel. In it, Sunny investigates some strange occurences having to do with the local waterways. That story was a convergence of several ideas. When Sunny came to…Continue reading Of Monsters and Men
Kinley’s Mirror
Note: This post first appeared in my newsletter on 22 September 2022. *** I’ve got a neat little tidbit about Kinley’s, the bar owned by Nessa’s twin Nick in the Vanessa Kinley, Witch PI Series, later in this email that has something to do with this (truly awful) poem I wrote for you: Mirror, mirror…Continue reading Kinley’s Mirror
On Vampires
Note: This post was first published in my newsletter on 1 October 2022. *** Ok, let’s talk about vampires, because who doesn’t love a good vamp? 😉 Vampires have been a part of folklore for centuries, often taking the form of blood-drinking demons like Lilitu, a Mesopotamian demon who preferred the blood of infants. The word…Continue reading On Vampires
Which Stories Happen When
Note: This content was first published in my newsletter on 15 February 2023. *** During one of my recent aimless drives, I started contemplating how various stories from the same story world fit together. For example, I would love to write another single witch’s guide to dating featuring Nick Kinley, the twin brother of the…Continue reading Which Stories Happen When