I’m Back!

Hello All! I hope you’ve been well these past few months! I thought it was time that I return and provide you with a few updates.

Firstly, let me start by thanking you so much for your love for Code Name Butterfly. I could not be more proud of my first traditionally released novel. It was a bit different than what I usually write and is honestly, something of a love letter to the historical fiction genre. Naturally, this begs the question of whether there will be another traditionally published novel. And the answer is….yes! But I’ll get to that in a second.

When I last left you, I had just finished A Cloud by Day. I had been writing nonstop for many months, so I decided to take a break. While I did take a break from writing, I also tried to spend that time researching my next project which I will tell you is supposed to be about the railroad, quite possibly about the Pullman Porters. I began to look into them but rather than getting excited about the research, I started feeling overwhelmed. The books I gathered from the library were being constantly renewed and are still sitting in my makeshift office waiting to be read. I quickly realized that my next project would not be what I thought, and I spent weeks twiddling my thumbs, asking people what historical events interested them, and praying. For the first time ever, I did not have a project that I wanted to dive right into.

Then, and I kid you not, an idea comes to me one evening, suddenly, just before I go to bed. I know this is God and I know I’m writing this book because the characters become so real in my mind. I wake up the next morning to an email from my editor asking if I would be interested in working with her on another project. It’s very interesting how things work this way. But I did agree to write a book with Avon and that book is another novel that highlights a real person who accomplished much–Althea Gibson. I don’t know about you, but I knew very little about this woman several months ago. If you also don’t know much, stay tuned for my novel–The Gamechanger–which will be released in the UK and electronically in the US, on or around August 2024!

But, just because I was writing The Gamechanger, doesn’t mean that I had forgotten the book that was placed on my heart–titled The Past Behind Me. Working on The Gamechanger allowed me time to figure out some of the trajectory of this new book. Even still, The Past Behind Me has managed to surprise me. It is a standalone. There will be no sequel (as of right now). All characters are new with the exception of one person from the Thibeaux County series (you do not have to read that series to read this book). I honest to goodness had no plans to write about this person. My mom had asked me if they were going to get their own book and I had emphatically said no. And now here they are, on my mind, every day. I will tell you more about The Past Behind Me in May but I’m having so much fun bringing to life these characters. There’s so much I don’t want to say because I think the book works better if you go in somewhat blind, but it takes place in 1923 and is a tribute to some of my favorite Westerns.

With all of that said, my 2024 writing schedule looks like this:

May/June 2024-The Past Behind Me

August 2024-The Gamechanger. What I can tell you about this book is that the main character is one of my favorite main characters ever and I’ve been told that the romance is swoon-worthy. I will take that description and marinate in it.

October/November 2024-Untitled Railroad Book

These dates are subject to change, but they shouldn’t change by much! Happy Easter everyone!