I am originally from a teeny town in Georgia, USA where everyone knew my name. As soon as I graduated university, I hopped on a plane to settle in Europe where absolutely no one knew my name. By day I am a middle school English and Music teacher. After a decade in Stockholm, I can no longer claim I’m taking it a year at a time.

I used to say I never wanted to be a writer, but a memory of gifting all my friends a short story about their lives for my own birthday in 2004 resurfaced. So, this was inevitable. In 2022, in the midst of a particularly tumultuous Spring for both my mind and the world, I put the stories in my head to paper. As a life-long learner, I am always reaching for knowledge and practice when it comes to writing (no small thanks to the Stockholm Writers Festival and Network), while consuming as many books as humanly possible.

What I Read

What I Write

Growing up, Isla never knew freedom. Born into an oppressive theocracy, she wasn’t even allowed to speak during religious services. Instead, she sang and played the mandolin until she was old enough to escape. Now, she’s been a cook on a cargo ship for eight years, collecting folk songs in every port and yearning for a place to call her own. One night, during a quiet moment in an arctic tavern, Isla encounters a cryptic tradeswoman who forces her to submit to an ancient ritual. Isla is made Dryke, a soul-stealing creature she had believed to be extinct.

After a futile attempt to deny her strange new instincts and return to her self-made life on the ship, Isla draws the attention of a Druid who offers a warning. If the nefarious court of Dryke learns about Isla, she will lose her autonomy forever. Isla must trust the Druids who promise her protection, or risk discovery by leaving more shriveled bodies in her wake.

Adult fantasy

(Work in Progress)