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I’ve been looking through a lot of old photographs lately. And today feels like an especially fitting day to do that. October 15 is my Papa Tom’s birthday. He isn’t here to celebrate it anymore, but birthdays have a funny way of staying on the calendar long after someone is gone. The date comes around every year carrying its own collection of memories with it. So today, I find myself looking backward. At him. At family. And at all those younger versions of me who had absolute

I don’t remember the exact moment I became a reader. There wasn’t one particular book I opened and suddenly thought, Yep. This is going to be part of my personality forever. It was more gradual than that. I just remember always loving books. When I was little, there were Little Golden Books. I loved Roald Dahl. As I got older, Goosebumps entered the picture—and those books had me in a chokehold for a while. 😂 But the ones I remember being especially fascinated by were the st

There’s a lot of noise online. Posts. Reels. Notifications. Algorithms. Things you meant to save and then never found again. 😂 So I wanted to create something a little different. The Quiet Page is my email letter—a quieter little corner of my author world that arrives directly in your inbox. Not another stream of constant updates. Not an email every other day reminding you that I wrote books. And definitely not a never-ending parade of BUY MY BOOK buttons. 😂 Just a note fro

There’s just something about October. Maybe it’s the first hint that Georgia has finally remembered it’s allowed to cool down. 😂 Maybe it’s the changing light, the earlier evenings, or the fact that suddenly everything feels a little cozier. Whatever it is, October has always felt different to me. I love fall in general—the colors, cooler weather, candles, blankets, seasonal drinks, and that first morning when you walk outside and realize the air actually feels different. Af

I've always loved books, but when I think about what drew me to them as a kid, it wasn't necessarily one genre or type of story. I loved books that let me see the story. Sometimes that meant vivid descriptions that transported me somewhere I'd never been. I wanted to picture the landscape, the room, the weather, and the characters so clearly that the world existed in my head while I was reading. But I also loved when an author gave me just enough—a few details, a few context

If you look at my books, you might wonder what exactly I'm doing. There's memoir. There's poetry. There's fantasy. And somewhere among all of that, there are family stories, history, old records, half-remembered conversations, and ideas for projects that haven't quite decided what they want to become yet. From a marketing perspective, I'm sure there's an argument for picking a lane. Apparently, I missed that memo. The truth is, I've never been particularly interested in writi

There are certain moments in life when you remember exactly where you were. September 11, 2001, is one of mine. I was in seventh grade, sitting in Spanish class. Our school had something called Channel One—a news program that played in classrooms. For a kid growing up before smartphones and social media put breaking news in the palm of everyone's hand, it was one of the ways we learned about what was happening outside the walls of our school. That morning, what was happening

There are things from childhood that you don't realize you're going to remember. Not the big things. Those announce themselves. Birthdays, holidays, moves, losses—the moments that divide life into before and after tend to stay with us whether we ask them to or not. I'm talking about the smaller things. The smell of salt in the air. The sound of somebody's voice from another room. The truck parked in the yard. What you called a pair of white rubber boots that everyone else app

Sometimes I stop and look at what I've written and wonder exactly how I got here. Five books. Another underway. And another story quietly taking shape. When I wrote my first book, I don't think I imagined that writing would eventually take me in so many different directions. I've written memoir. I've written poetry. I've created a fantasy world that has continued growing beyond its first story. And lately, I've found myself following another kind of story entirely. One that b

Fantasy gives a writer permission to create almost anything. Entire worlds can be invented. Rivers can remember. Forests can whisper. Seasons can carry magic, and characters can exist somewhere between human and something much older. But I've discovered that even when I'm writing fantasy, I rarely create from nothing. Pieces of the real world find their way in. A place I've known. A feeling I remember. A scent. A person. Sometimes a memory becomes something entirely different

When I finished writing Shining Through: A Journey of Love and Resilience, I had told my story. At least, I thought I had. A memoir gives you room to explain. You can provide context, tell someone what happened, describe the people and places involved, and connect one experience to another. But after writing Shining Through, I realized there were still things left over. Not necessarily more stories. More feelings. Thoughts that didn't quite belong in a chapter. Emotions that

Everyone carries a story. Some parts we tell easily. They become the stories we repeat around dinner tables, laugh about with friends, or share when someone asks where we came from. Other parts are harder. They sit quietly beneath the surface—the experiences that shaped us, hurt us, changed us, or taught us how strong we could be long before we ever thought of ourselves as strong. For a long time, many of my own stories lived there. Writing Shining Through: A Journey of Love

Sometimes life has a way of reminding us to slow down. For me, the past couple of months have been exactly that—a season filled with celebrations, unexpected pauses, adventures, laughter, and the kind of memories that quietly become some of the most meaningful chapters of our lives. Since the beginning of May, Jordan has been home from college, and I don't think I realized how much I needed that time together until we were living it. Between work, writing, running my business

The quiet life behind The Whispering Seasons A lot of people imagine fantasy authors writing in massive libraries, mountain cabins, or bustling cities filled with bookstores and inspiration around every corner. But honestly? A large portion of The Whispering Seasons has been written right here in small-town southeast Georgia. And somehow, that feels fitting. Because the older I get, the more I realize the stories I write are deeply connected to quiet places, slower rhythms, a

Why I’m drawn to softer, nature-rooted storytelling When many people think of fantasy, they imagine kingdoms at war, sprawling battles, chosen heroes, and worlds constantly on the edge of destruction. And while I enjoy elements of those stories too, I’ve always found myself drawn to something quieter. Something softer. More spiritual. More connected to the natural world. I think a large part of that comes from the way I grew up. I spent most of my formative years outdoors. Th

The Evolution of The Whispering Seasons When I first began writing The Whispering Seasons, I didn’t fully realize how much the story itself would evolve alongside me. What began as Daughter of the Earth was, at its core, a story about listening. Not simply hearing—but truly listening: to the world around us, to the parts of ourselves we’ve buried, and to the quiet inner voice that tells us when something in our lives no longer fits. Elara’s journey into the Vale of Whispers w

Finding magic in memory, nature, and the places that stay with us One of the questions I get asked most often about The Whispering Seasons is whether the Vale of Whispers was inspired by a real place. The answer is both yes… and no. The Vale itself does not exist on any map, but pieces of it have existed within me for a very long time. Many of the landscapes and emotions woven throughout the series were inspired by my upbringing in coastal North Carolina—a place filled with m

The story continues. I’m honored to share that Daughter of the Flame is now officially published and available in both paperback and hardcover. While Daughter of the Earth introduced readers to the beginning of the journey, Daughter of the Flame expands the world of The Whispering Seasons—bringing new voices, new challenges, and a deeper exploration of balance within the Vale. This book is not just a continuation—it’s a shift. The story grows more layered, the stakes begin to

I’m so excited to officially share that the second edition of Daughter of the Earth is now available in both paperback and hardcover. This new edition is more than just a reprint—it’s a refinement of the experience. With thoughtful updates to the book’s size, layout, and overall design, this version was created to feel more intimate and immersive. The pages now carry a softer, cream tone, and the interior has been simplified to focus fully on the words themselves—allowing the

It’s been a little while since my last post—New Year’s Eve, to be exact—and I wanted to take a moment to reconnect. The truth is, I haven’t been absent—I’ve been deeply immersed in creation. Over the past few months, I’ve been pouring my time and energy into expanding The Whispering Seasons series, while also working on something much more personal: an extended version of my biography, including a deeper exploration of my ancestry and the stories that shaped me. Both projects