new look, new direction

Welcome to my new and improved website! I’ve been juggling a few projects this summer and wasn’t sure I had the bandwidth (or the budget) to update my website, but I couldn’t be happier with this refresh. My friend and fellow indie publisher Matthew Smith-Gonzalez launched a new consulting enterprise—if you’re thinking of updating or building a website, or if you need support with self-publishing, Matthew’s the man to call. You can find out more about his services at Indie Pub Doc. My website is built using an outdated WordPress theme from 2008 but Matthew found ways to fix or work around all the glitches. I wanted something with a completely different color palette but the same overall structure—and a touch of magic…and that’s exactly what I got! As the dragon series comes to an end, I’m looking ahead—and back—to the projects I shelved when my little dragons took flight. I’m not done with kid lit but I do want to get back to writing for adults, especially The Hummingbird’s Tongue. I’m almost ready to self-publish my two Scotland books (cover reveal soon!), and hope to spend my birthday in Ireland after stopping in Glasgow, London, and Oxford. My new genealogist just submitted her first report…I’m not sure where to search next. Or if I even want to search further…this memoir is difficult to grasp because I don’t want it to have a standard form yet I keep producing “typical” forms of writing. And the more I travel, the more I write things that aren’t directly related to the memoir. But I’ve spent all of August at home and feel ready to take flight this fall. Looks like we’ve got one more heatwave coming next week (groan) and then hopefully it will start to feel more like autumn…

If you’re in or near Chicago and plan to attend the Printers Row Lit Fest, join us on the 9th at 10am for “Magic, Myths, and Mysteries”—a panel featuring yours truly, Keir Graff, and Karla Valenti. I’ve been on panels with Karla and Keri before and they’re great conversationalists…