Me wondering what to read or write next.

A Quick Taste of My Current Works in Progress

1. An ancient goblet unlocks the secrets of a centuries-old love story.

British art historian Michael Samaan meets American geneticist Kat Musgrave by the display case of a fourteenth century glass goblet at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. A latent bond, a feeling that makes déjà vu seem quaint, forms instantly between them and connects them to the priceless object before them. The goblet, crafted in Aleppo, Syria, and possessed for centuries by a prominent English house long since destroyed, is an enigma steeped in legend, and an object of obsession for historians, poets, and novelists.

Memories from Michael and Kat’s deep, distant pasts intrude on their present as they peel back layers of history to make sense of this gravitational pull. The goblet, they discover, is among many magical creations from the mysterious maker’s furnace, and they are not the only ones seeking those creations. Others seek to uncover the alchemist’s secrets, including the inscrutable billionaire, Sergei Badawi, and a mysterious woman who has repeatedly threatened Michael’s life. Gamesmanship ensues as Michael and Kat must decide who to trust and how to confront the macabre truth of what was unleashed centuries ago—and the countless lives it shattered.

// romantic suspense, women's fiction

2. What happens when your worst enemy becomes your pandemic roommate?

Three years after the kiss of a lifetime in a public parking lot followed by months of online and in-real-life stalking and misogynistic bullying from tech bro Gabriel Landon’s fan boys, journalist Aria Turner returns home from a year abroad in London just as the world starts to shut down due to Covid-19. Problem is, her condo has been subleased to her arch nemesis: Gabriel Landon. And just when Gabriel is getting his feet back under him, mending fences with his sister, and starting a new business in New York City, a new unwanted roommate for his subleased condo shows up: Aria Turner.

So, the man who almost ruined Aria’s life and the woman who nearly destroyed Gabriel’s career are stuck together in a shared condo, watching in horror as the Covid-19 pandemic unfolds around them. But amidst the escalating case numbers and death tolls and despite the deep-rooted animosity, the connection between them only grows stronger leading both to re-evaluate their beliefs about love at first sight, the gift of second chances, and the power of forgiveness. 

// contemporary romance (trigger warnings: includes discussions of Covid-19, online bullying, sexual assault, and some spicy scenes)

3. Hallelujah Jones Saves the day

(how it starts, for now)
Hallelujah Jones always figured that one day she’d kill a man. While hanging out with friends and going to sleepovers, then heading off to college and on to law school, this thought always lurked in the darkest recesses of her mind. Well, now she’d finally gone and done it. The strange thing was that the man who lay dead at her feet wasn’t the one she thought she’d end up killing. Not that this one didn’t deserve it. He deserved it plenty.

Wincing at the pain, she held her left elbow tight against her body and looked down at the man’s bloodied chest, the bloom of red on his shoulder. God Almighty. She’d shot the man twice. When he’d kept coming at her after the first bullet, she’d fired again. Close range. She knew his blood was all over her, and she swallowed back the bile, tried not to vomit.

She wanted to cry. Scream. Beg forgiveness for taking a life. But the truth was, she wasn’t sorry the man was dead. And maybe it was fitting that she’d sent this one to hell since the one she’d dreamed of killing had sent himself there with too much whisky and a rain-slicked highway, robbing her of her chance. Like the other one, this one had gone too far, hurt too many innocent people, and there was no way under heaven that she was going to allow him to get away with it.

She was surprised she was so calm after being physically attacked by a man who had at least six inches and sixty pounds on her, but she was probably going into shock. The nerves would take over soon, but for now, she had to be steady. Had to be ready. She couldn’t fall apart until after the police arrived. Her injuries, especially whatever was going on with her left arm, would really start to hurt once she calmed down. She’d been knocked flat by a man before but had never had a broken bone. Hank had always hit her where her clothes would hide the bruises. Since she never got the chance to make her stepfather pay for his sins—against her or against her mother—she felt that stopping Ken Lane, making him pay, was worth whatever bruises and broken bones she might have.

Hallie wasn’t a blood-thirsty person. Hadn’t wanted to kill anyone. But she’d spent her entire life standing up and speaking out for those who couldn’t—or those like her mother who wouldn’t—do it on their own and she wasn’t about to stop now. Especially when Cy’s life was on the line.

She carefully set her gun, the one Cy had insisted she carry, on the gleaming steel mayo tray next to the surgical instruments. Pressed her ear to his chest. His breathing was shallow, but steady. His heart thudded with a reassuring rhythm. Swallowing back a sob, she sniffled and swiped a sleeve across her face. Gritted her teeth and took a deep breath. Don’t fall apart. Another deep breath. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Why hadn’t she ever said the words? Why was it so hard to say, ‘I love you’? Why had she worked so hard to push Cy away over and over again?

She turned her back to the body on the floor, pulled up a rolling chair, and sat next to the man she loved, still and pale on the operating table. Then she took his warm hand in hers and listened for the sirens. 

// contemporary romantic suspense (trigger warnings: sexual assault, human trafficking, and some spicy scenes)