An Izzy fo New Year's

Swamp Girl

In the 1960s, Agatha Christie decided to only publish one book a year--probably for tax purposes. Because each book was released toward the end of the year, her publicist began to call it "A Christie for Christmas." And, of course, Christmas sales boofed up her earnings a lot.

I don't worry about taxes or earnings, although I would love for them to be higher. I'm more interested in having a book available from the beginning of the new year rather than from the end of the old one. It comes in handy in submitting to contests, too. So since 2012, I have been releasing a book in the first week of the year.

The News in Small Towns (2012)
Madness in Small Towns (2013)
Secrets in Small Towns (2014)
Mysteries in Small Towns (2015)
The XYZ Mysteries (2016)
The 5 (2017)

This year I have released my first Young Adult novel, Swamp Girl. As in all my novels and stories, the protagonist of Swamp Girl. is a lesbian or, in this case, a baby dyke called Sixteen. She is a street girl from New York who, in an attempt to get out of her stifling family and social situation, finds herself in the wild Florida Everglades--on the run from sleazebags and dickheads.

Luckily, Sixteen is rescued--not only from these low-lifes, but from alligators and snakes--by a group of odd friends--a philosophy professor, a carny geek, a voodoo practitioner, a fishing guide, and a couple of ex-marines. And, of course, the alluring Raven, who Sixteen gets an immediate crush on.

It is a novel of love and adventure, and of empowerment not only for girls and women, but for queer youth as a whole.