2026, Here I Come

Starting the year off strong with two new stories published in March. New, as in newly out, but I actually wrote these two a while ago. They have just been through so many edits and rewrites. I am happy they have found homes, especially these two, since they are each the inception of novels I am developing. New Myths is publishing my beloved Weather Watcher, and I finally broke into Cloaked Press's 'Spring into Sci-Fi' Anthology with Plasma Guns and Wizards Don't Mix.

Obviously, The Weather Watcher is the short story that inspired my current WIP (same name).

Plasma Guns and Wizards Don't Mix is in the same universe as The Last Straw at the Coffee Shop and Dryad on Third Street. These three stories inspired another novel I have on the back burner: Starstruck and Well-Traveled.

I am more excited about these two projects than I originally anticipated I would be, given my passion for the series I have been slaving away on for over a decade. But that series may be just too big to sell with only short fiction stories published on my record. I am coming to accept that. Not give up, but quietly keep working on it while I pitch a standalone.

The Weather Watcher (novel) is about 10k from being complete. Can't seem to cross the finish line, though. This rut is the longest one I've been stuck in.

I also have 3 short stories that are still being held by publishers, so fingers crossed there! I need to write some new short stories soon!

In teaching news, I am now into my second year working for Authors Publish, and I could not be more pleased with the experience. Yes, there have been a few bumps in the road, but they were minor and great learning experiences. I feel prepared and more confident going into my second year as an instructor. I am currently working on writing a new curriculum for my Story Beneath the Story series, which already has 2 iterations. This third installment will focus on all the ways we as writers hold our characters back. I am excited to get it out there and started--hoping to teach it for the first time in late spring.

Here's to a bright 2026!