I’m just so happy, y’all. After some dry years, it’s so wonderful to have so much going on with my writing, and I’m honestly just so excited to share with you all! I hope the new year has been treating you all well, and that 2023 marks a bright shift!
As you may have guessed from my recent European adventures, I love to travel. I sincerely enjoy discovering new cities, customs, and people, and I love that our world is so vast, with so much there to discover.
It’s that love of travel that inspired my latest writing project on Storyloom, The Global Quest.
If I had to explain what this interactive story is, I’d say it’s like The Inheritence Games meets Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes, but it’s also a deeply personal love letter to some of my favorite adventures.
The story stars Ellery, a girl who loves her Grandfather, especially when they go on adventures together, such as geo-caching in the local park.
After an illness, though, Grandfather dies. Rather than a traditional will, he offers his inheritors a choice: take a lump sum of cash, or take a clue to start a global adventure. If you pick the clue, you get to go all around the world as you solve riddles and attempt to be the one to find the ultimate treasure…but only one person can win.
So, each chapter has a different clue and a different adventure as Ellery tries to win her grandfather’s inheritence. Alond the way, she’ll also have to pick between two love interests—her best friend, Cara, or her fellow competitor, Brennan…and which she ends up with will be entirely in your hands, as your choices along the way will determine Ellery’s fate.
What I really love—aside from highlighting some of my favorite travel places—is coming up with fun riddles! This story is all about discovery, and each clue is given in a way for you to help figure it out. For example, the first clue to the first location in the treasure hunt is:
Find an island with a city with streets but no cars,
a tower with ears that cannot hear and eyes that hide the clue.
Think you know where the first clue will lead Ellery? I have to say, I’m inordinately proud of the fact that I stumped even my editor (the brilliant Dahlia Adler) with this one! Let me know in the comments where you think the characters are going to go first. I’ll give you a hint: If you’ve read The Body Electric, you may know the answer…
As you can see, the object of this interactive story game is to have fun! While you get the clues as the same time as the characters and have the chance to solve the riddles before they do, you also get to play the story in a really neat, interactive way, making choices as you go. And, much like my first Storyloom, Ghost in the Machine, your choices matter—not only will you get to decide who Ellery chooses as a love interest, you’ll also influence which ending you get. Because…it is a competition to see who wins the inheritence, and…you may not win…
To play The Global Quest, go to Storyloom.com. It’s still in open beta, so the story is still free to play, and you can access it by either scrolling or looking for The Global Quest in the “All Stories” tab. While the game is free for you to play, I get bonuses based on how many reads my story gets, so I absolutely very much appreciate everyone who gives this fun, interactive story a shot!
You can now pre-order Night of the Witch!
And the cover reveal is coming soon! Sara and I have seen some early mock-ups of the cover, and let me tell you, Sourcebooks is bringing their A game to this one! The cover is stunning—honestly, one of my favorite ones yet, and I have been blessed in the cover department!
Pre-order links are up now:
Additionally, the release date is now officially October 3…my birthday! I’ll be working on signed copies with my local indies (Adventure Bound and Malaprops) and any bonuses soon, so stay tuned!
House of Hex, Vella, and Patreon Bonuses
I’ve started two new programs for writers over at Patreon—each month will feature a 30 minute video workshop complete with downloadable handouts, and each month will feature one person in the writing teir getting a sample, query, or synopsis critiqued by the entire group.
The first workshop I did was “Show vs. Tell in Character Development,” and it was (I hope) a lot of fun! Our first group critique will go out this Thursday, a query critique. There are, of course, still options for critique levels if you’d like to go that route, and I am still doing regular posts every Thursday with writing advice.
Also, did I not show you guys the new cover for the sequel to Museum of Magic?! It’s also by the brilliant Jessica Khoury, and I adore it! House of Hex will be done later this year, but it’s not too late to jump in on the fun and help develop the story with your votes!
Museum of Magic ended with Emmi thinking she had lost her powers but gained her grandfather. In House of Hex, it becomes clear early on that she’s trapped in her own home with a grandfather that’s not…quite…right…
All of this is coming to a head in this week and next week’s chapters, and it’s delightful that the results of the poll so far show that I’ve kept the mystery of who (or what) Grandfather is well hidden!
Also, sign on now and you can be among the first to try out the new comment feature! You can type in comments and start discussions in the episodes!
Join in the conversation now!
Wordsmith in Orlando!
And finally, I want to let you all know that we’re rapidly approaching Wordsmith Workshop’s first live event in 2023! We’re heading to Orlando—along with a bonus day at Galaxy’s Edge!
If you’d like to join us, just check out our website! Five days of workshops, critiques, and writing time…plus a fun field trip!
What I’m working on now…
House of Hex, a YA fantasy with witches and witch bottles, sequel to Museum of Magic. Available on Patreon and Kindle Vella.
Secret adult science fiction project: on sub! Please say a prayer for me or some good vibes; this book means so much to my soul.
Night of the Witch: Entirely done, will be on sale Fall 2023.
YA ghost story: Going back off the shelves…it’s not meant to be right now.
Ghost in the Machine: Playable story video game, complete now.
The Global Quest: Playable story video game, ongoing.
Side gigs!
Weekly posts and videos about writing at Patreon
SNHU as an online adjunct in the MFA writing program
Accepting critique and coaching jobs with Wordsmith Workshops—in addition to doing Word Lab! Also, we’re starting live and in person retreats again!
Actively doing in-person school, library, and book fair events—book me for panels, signings, and workshops for both adults and teens on writing! If you’d like to get an idea of some of the programming I do, I describe it a bit here.
I just pre-ordered Night of the Witch! I’m excited to see what’s coming up. I’m sad about that YA ghost story. Hopefully you can make it happen some point soon.