Announcing The Atwells Avenue Anomaly with Cover Reveal

The act of writing is very important in Awash in Talent, which is a novel made up of a journal required by a therapist, a young firestarter's secret diary, and a psychic therapist's case log. As I was finishing up the second section, Waterfire, I had an idea to explain where the manuscripts from that world populated with Talented people and those envious of them came from. I was going to frame the novel with the story of a down-on-his-luck Brown University professor stumbling onto a portal to another universe. In the end, I didn't use that text, but there may be a reference to a certain house on Atwells Ave in Providence at the end of Awash in Talent that has its origin in that idea. 

That idea, in turn, came about because of the long drop awaiting anyone walking out this door on Atwells Avenue in Providence, Rhode Island. I took this photo way back in 2008. 

In 2017, after Awash in Talent had been published, I took up the story of the dumb-luck professor in Providence as a kind of lifeline during the first year after my beloved husband passed away. The first part was well-received at the Tin House Summer Workshop that year, but it wasn't yet complete. 

Four years later, the story has become a novella that undermines every expectation a reader might have, The Atwells Avenue Anomaly. 

Here's the description and a first look at the cover (my newsletter subscribers got the first look):

A lonely English professor falls for a physics genius. His only chance to be with her might be in an alternate universe populated by flipper-footed birds and cats covered in rose petals. It's not only the low atmospheric oxygen that makes them lightheaded. 

When the happy couple is separated by chance, the physics genius must raise their brainy daughter with no other humans to ask for advice. Are scientific curiosity and the memory of love enough for mother and daughter to create their own world?

In this unique novella, the author of Awash in Talent and Unpredictable Worlds brings you a fast science fantasy read about isolation and belonging the editors of Hybrid Fiction have called "sweet, imaginative," and "engaging." 


The Atwells Avenue Anomaly will appear in ebook and paperback in August with exclusive illustrations by Shirley MacKenzie. Catch a small glimpse of the artistic wonders below. 

"Something of Monumental Proportions" by Shirley MacKenzie, 2021
Part of The Atwells Avenue Anomaly series. 

The Atwells Avenue Anomaly will debut at a low price so my devoted readers can save a few dollars. Don't miss it! Preorder here.

Hoppin' Around the Blogosphere with Awash in Talent

Awash in Talent, the little novel that could, is celebrating a super secret Kindle Fire sale on September 15 with a week-long blog tour with some great author hosts.

Enjoy!

Today, finally hear what Beth has to say when you meet her without her overpowering sister, Emily, in a character interview at A.J. Culey's blog!

On Tuesday, delve into the fraught world of people who can read minds at Cara McKinnon's blog with an excerpt!

Andi Adams finds out how this sweetly weird book came into being—the characters made me do it!—on Wednesday.

Thursday, J.L. Gribble asks me probing questions about trying to keep paranormal fiction in line and the universal nature of YA, complete with an excerpt at the archaeological dig site!

Jennifer Loring ends the madness on Friday with Emily's zany antics in a character interview. Can her author get her to sit still long enough to answer?

Extra unexpected bonus: scary good author Norman Prentiss features Awash in Talent in an author spotlight (you may have to scroll down to September 2016 if you're reading this in the future). This goes nicely with an intelligent and much-appreciated new review at Amazon.

Many thanks to these terrific authors for hosting me and the crazy, underdog-filled book I dedicated to the love of my life. Thanks for stopping by!

And you didn't hear this from me: If you have a Kindle Fire, don't tell anyone, but Awash in Talent will be available to you and you alone for 99 cents on Thursday, September 15. Look for it then!

Awash in Support? What I've Learned from My Kindle Scout Campaign

It's down to the wire. Tomorrow is the last day to nominate Awash in Talent in the Kindle Scout program. The campaign ends at midnight EDT February 28/29, so if you're looking at this on Leap Year Day, you've missed your chance.

On Leap Year Day, I'll look at my final figures and keep my fingers crossed that someone at Kindle Press loves my dear unusual Awash in Talent enough to publish it on its own strengths and on the support I've been able to muster. Because although a high number of nominations is probably interesting to Kindle Press, the human beings who staff it have the final say as to whether they'll put the time and effort into ensuring any book's success. It's a great policy for quality assurance—I know as a publisher that we can't give our utmost to a book if we don't adore it. There's too much hard, annoying, nasty stuff that goes on behind the scenes of publishing. Without the love, it isn't worth it.

I'll also reflect on the things I've learned during the Kindle Scout campaign. During this grueling month of trying to get the word about Awash in Talent to the right readers, I've learned more than I can possibly express here. Some of it was technical, such as how to pin a Tweet to the top of your profile so it doesn't get lost in the all the retweeting support you're happy to do for other authors. Some of it was basic marketing, such as how a good book cover can keep a book trending, but it's got to already be trending, because people can't be drawn in by a cover they don't see.

Most importantly, I've learned that if you ask a person a favor, they won't do it for you unless there's some love between you. In the past, I've had some positive outcomes from going outside my comfort zone to ask for what I want. This time around, I asked a few media outlets to cover Awash in Talent's Kindle Scout campaign, outlets I thought might have an interest because they love Providence as much as I do. Mostly I got frozen out. The few I got responses from weren't willing to share the link because it felt like advertising. Is it advertising when you're looking for nonmonetary support? When you wish to share your enthusiasm for a place with people you think also might be enthused? I must not have offered enough benefit to these outlets. Because there's another side to the story.

This graphic, so helpful to an author's self-esteem, shows how many hours
the book was "Hot & Trending" each day through 2/16.

The first time Awash in Talent was "Hot & Trending," at the beginning of the campaign, was the direct result of an email I sent to an exclusive circle of about 30 people. All were either related to me by blood or love, or we had a mutually beneficial working relationship. Their support at this crucial time gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling I'm not accustomed to. They like me! They really like me! All I had to do was ask for their support and they gave it. Those are some endorphins!

I think there was quite a bit of helpful sharing going on from this group, but the only evidence I have is that my brother and brother-in-law mentioned me twice on their popular podcast (Episode 19, minute mark 13:22 and Episode 20, minute mark 13:56).

The Crazy Mind interviewed me and produced some scintillating conversation, too.

The second, even more spectacular, and apparently final spell of "Hot & Trending" was another direct result of asking for support. This time, the group I asked was my high school graduating class. I didn't expect the beautiful outpouring of faith, and it was beautiful. I'm so moved. I think perhaps the connection between human beings becomes really strong when you've spent hours and hours in a room together, as you do in school. The connection lasts a long time, too, because I'm not exactly a recent high school grad. I feel inspired to do a book event or two in my hometown area now, so I can be with my amazing supporters, and get some more endorphins.

I'm also doing that thing the publishing industry declares necessary for building a relationship with new readers: starting a newsletter. You can sign up for my newsletter by putting your email in the box at the top of this post or at this cute page. You likely won't receive anything for a month or two while I sort out the chaos of my writing life. When those rare messages finally come, you won't regret having signed up.

Just to remind you, midnight EST on February 28 is your last chance to nominate Awash in Talent. You'll think it's worthwhile if you like books with heartfelt, developed characters and unpredictable plots, Rhode Island and other exotic locations, fantastic powers, and realistic yearnings of the heart. Emily, Kelly, and Patricia are characters whose story demanded to be told, and who would love to meet all you wonderful readers in the published book.

If you haven't done it yet, you can still be my personal hero by nominating Awash in Talent or by sharing the link with readers you think might enjoy it via social media, email, phone calls, anything that works!

Whatever the outcome, I know I've done everything in my power. That doesn't stop the nerves, though! Thank you so much for going through this challenging experience in hope with me.

Awash in Talent: Get to Know Patricia the Psychic

Patricia is the narrator/heroine of the third and final novella in Awash in Talent (the novel YOU can bring to publication with the power of YOUR nomination!), Friendship Street.

You may know that in Providence, Friendship is literally a one-way street. Patricia understands this only too well. As a psychic, she has a deep understanding of everyone around her, and receives little to no reciprocation. It's lonely being a psychic because, in order to avoid the institutions and practices that may have killed her psychic father, Patricia has never revealed her Talent.

You might think being able to read your husband's mind is an advantage, but for Patricia, it's a burden. She realizes this too late and must figure out how to escape his controlling clutches, all while keeping the secret of her Talent and dealing with Emily, who is her most troublesome therapy client.

Like Emily, Patricia is a Californian. She came to Providence to do a post-doc and loved it so much that she stayed to set up her own therapy practice in a Victorian house she adores on the East Side, but which she can't afford without her new husband's help. Patricia takes on Emily's court-ordered case out of curiosity: she can't read Emily's thoughts, no matter how she tries. In contrast, everyone else assaults Patricia with a barrage of continual thought. She must solve this mystery without anyone finding out that she can read minds, and she must do this before Emily does something else drastic and illegal.

The cover for Friendship Street has an artist's conception of what thought might look like as it goes out into the world. To Patricia, I'm sorry to say, thoughts make more sense and are far less beautiful.

I'm proud to say Awash in Talent has made it into the podcast sphere. Have a listen to the Big Gay Fiction Podcast, episode 19! My charming and talented (although not Talented) brother and brother-in-law do me the honor of explaining the Kindle Scout program and mentioning my dear Awash in Talent at 13:23 – 14:01. And once again in Episode 20, minute 13:56, complete with a reading of the blurb!

More great news—The Crazy Mind (appropriately enough) has interviewed me on the Kindle Scout experience, how Emily's little sister started the whole thing, and all the great stuff you'll find in Awash in Talent. Check it out here.

Friendship Street, I'm told, is some of my best writing. In truth, I put my heart and soul into all of Awash in Talent, and it is my fondest hope that it will win a publishing contract with the Kindle Scout program. You, dear reader, can make all the difference in my publishing dreams. It's easy and fun to go to the link and click the "Nominate" button. Not only does it get you an exclusive, unique, free book, but also my sincere gratitude.

I'm sorry to say there's also a time limit on when you can do this wonderful, easy thing. It has to happen before February 29. Let's unite our forces before Leap Year Day! Thanks!

Awash in Talent: Get to Know Kelly the Firestarter

This, the day before Valentine's, is a great time to talk about WaterFire because, of the three novellas in Awash in Talent (the novel you can make sure gets published!), this one has the purest and most innocent concept of love.

Note, I didn't say it had a happy ending necessarily. It's just that the people in love are pretty new at it and are doing it without malice or manipulation, which can't be said about the other love stories in this novel.

WaterFire is the second novella and is narrated by Kelly, a pyrokinetic (firestarter) who's been placed in Providence's special school for her Talent after coming into her power in a surprising and destructive way. I imagine that's Kelly on the cover, sitting on the docks near the school and contemplating her fate as well as the beautiful city she loves but must escape from. The cover was created by Amygdala Designs and inspired the romantic scene in which Brian takes Kelly on a seemingly spontaneous date to WaterFire.

WaterFire is a real-life public art installation that Kelly appreciates and describes in detail in the novella. Check it out here.

Kelly's love, Brian, is another student at the school, which little by little is revealed to be nothing more than a lockdown facility to keep the frightening powers of the pyrokinetics out of the public arena. This is a problem because Kelly's mother is suffering in the burn ward at Mass General Hospital in Boston. Kelly finds out that Emily's sister might be able to heal her mother! How can she bring them together when no one trusts her to be able to control her Talent?

While the love story is a beautiful part of WaterFire, it doesn't define Kelly. She's too busy understanding her own power and trying to save her mother. I enjoyed writing about a teenager who has a lot of problems, but love isn't one.

You can read about Kelly's journey of emotional strength—and don't miss the underaged driving in the snow!—if Awash in Talent gets enough nominations in the Kindle Scout program to win publication. Everyone who nominates Awash in Talent before February 29 will receive an exclusive free early reader copy! Help me make my dream come true. I'll thank you for it.

See even more about Awash in Talent here.

Awash in Talent: Get to Know Emily, Sister of a Telekinetic Healer

Awash in Talent is a YA/NA contemporary paranormal novel in three novellas. You can help it be published by clicking the "Nominate" button at this link. Easy, free, and fun! Learn even more here.

Each novella in Awash in Talent will have its own cover. Hope & Benevolent, the first, foundational novella, called for a cover that reflects the preoccupation of the narrator, Emily, with early hominids, such as Australopithecus ramidus, one of the oldest fossilized primates who is considered to have a relationship to modern humans. It also illustrates Emily's tendency to keep reaching for what she wants, even when it's obvious to everyone else that it isn't going to work out.

I have a real-life friend whose name is Emily, and after she read "Unpredictable Factors in Human Obedience" in Unpredictable Worlds, she asked me, "Do you hate me?"

Simply because the narrator of that story is crazy or evil and has the same name she does? Not a chance.

When it came time to name the crazy and/or nefarious narrator of Hope & Benevolent, I made use of the name Emily again, for reasons lost to time (but probably related to author shorthand in character development!). I named her younger sister Beth, so in the end the sisters are named after the owner of Clifford, the Big Red Dog.

Emily's simple desire to be recognized for her own brilliance over her ridiculously Talented sister sends her across the country to Providence, Rhode Island, where she finds the love of her life. To be with him, and to spare herself a summer at home with her sister, Emily does a field study in Ethiopia. But even that's not far enough away to escape her sister. And that's when things really get complicated. You can read an excerpt that includes the astonishing incident in Ethiopia at the Kindle Scout campaign page.

Emily doesn't have the same limits to her ambition or her behavior we mere mortals do. Although at first she seems sassy and fun, in reality you probably wouldn't want her as your friend. She will obliterate anything that gets in her way, and she's not above committing what others would consider crimes. Imagining what Emily would do next, I thought about her goals and took possible actions far past their logical conclusions.

Emily is great fun to write. Far from hating my friend with the same name, I'm honoring her. Her name is now immortalized in a character who's so delightful to write, I can't imagine she'll be forgotten by readers any time soon.

At least that's my dearest authorial hope.

You'll be able to read Emily's incredible adventures in Hope & Benevolent and the third novella, Friendship Street, if enough readers nominate Awash in Talent for publication. Wish it luck!

Cover Reveal and the Beginnings of My YA Paranormal Adventure Set in Providence

It's the book with telekinesis, pyrokinesis, and psychic powers. Just as importantly, it's the novel with a field study in Ethiopia, a snowy trip to Boston, and the wonders of Waterfire in inimitable Providence, Rhode Island. It's Awash in Talent, and it's nearly ready to knock your literary socks off!

The amazing cover was created by Jasmine Green. It captures the female focus of the book and the way their Talents can make the characters feel, at the same time, invincible and about to drown.

I'm sharing the cover with you on the auspicious occasion of the beginning of Awash in Talent's Kindle Scout campaign. This is your opportunity to select Awash in Talent for publication by Kindle Press!

The link takes you a rather attractive page with the cover, the tag line (So much Talent can kill you.), an excerpt from the beginning through most of Chapter 2, a short bio, and three questions and answers about the book. It also shows a "Nominate" button. If you think Awash in Talent is worthy, all you have to do is click the "Nominate" button before February 29 (Leap Year Day!).

This simple act will get you three major benefits:

1. If Awash in Talent is chosen for publication (because you nominated it!), you will receive an exclusive edition of the novel for free before anyone can buy it! You'll be under no obligation to read it or to leave a review, although that's what Amazon (and I) will be hoping for.

2. You will have helped an author's dreams come true. How great will that feel?

3. You will be the proud owner of my gratitude. I will remember you when my writing career takes off. The value of this benefit is incalculable.

Here's a little more about the novel. At the link, you can also read an excerpt that introduces Emily's world. More beautiful graphics and descriptions are to come in the following weeks.

Emily can’t escape her annoyingly Talented telekinetic healer sister by going to a university 3000 miles away, in Providence, or even by doing a field study in Ethiopia. Why don’t people give credit where credit is due?

Kelly is forced to attend a pyrokinesis school/lockdown facility, but she must escape and bring Emily’s healer sister to Boston—her mother’s life depends on it.

Appointments with Emily might drive psychic therapist Patricia insane. Meanwhile, Patricia falls ever deeper into her husband’s selfish, cruel trap. In Providence, Friendship is a one-way street.

Awash in Talent is a novel in three interrelated novellas, all set in Providence, Rhode Island, where telekinetics, firestarters, and psychics attempt to function in a largely un-Talented society unappreciative of what they have to offer. Love/hate between sisters, mother and daughter, scared teenagers, a mismatched married couple, adult female friends, and an obsessive and the object of her affection are all put to the test.

The Kindle Scout campaign runs from now until midnight EST February 29. It's easy—just one click brings so much joy! Thank you so much for your consideration.

Out with the Old Word

The Plaza Mayor in Salamanca, Spain, revels in chiaroscuro. 

Many cultures welcome the new year by throwing out what's old and useless. Some Latin American countries observe this idea symbolically by throwing water out the window or front door.

A step I recently had to take in the revisions of Awash in Talent reminds me of this process. There was a particular word I had delighted in using in a single instance, but every person who reads the novel stumbles on it or objects to it.

For your consideration, the context:

At eight years old, Beth began showing signs of severe allergies. My parents had always made me take her to play with my friends or to the mall on the bus, and you can imagine my annoyance, but those allergies made taking her anywhere completely intolerable. Every step had to be planned out beforehand, by my parents, because I just didn’t have the attention span for the long list of things to avoid doing, being around, or thinking about. I would look longingly at the kiosk for the DMV and Talent Registry, a fascinating study in chiaroscuro. Psychics, telekinetics, and pyrokinetics all had to register as the freaks they were, right alongside the happy fifteen-year-olds I longed to be one of, applying for driving permits. 

The first objection came from my critique group in the Barnes and Noble café. What does "chiaroscuro" mean? Would an eighteen-year-old know that word?

My reaction was that I learned it in high school. Did I go to a great high school? No, I merely paid attention to all words that came my way, and come on, this is a great one. It's an art term, meaning the way the artist contrasts light and shadow. I learned it in drama class, perhaps during the stage makeup unit or when close-reading a play. My high school drama teacher had married an Italian and loved to teach about the Commedia dell'Arte, so that may have something to do with her passing on this word of Italian origin. Until I attempted to use the term, I had no idea that not everyone learned this word when they were fourteen.

As you may be able to tell from the excerpt, the narrator would be a hard person to like in real life. She wouldn't choose her words according to what her audience would understand. She would seek out words to confuse and dazzle her reader, and that's what "chiaroscuro" has done to every reader who's come across it since then. These readers include some of the best educated people I know, in places as diverse as Rhode Island and Ireland.

So I've finally recognized it as a "darling," in the sense that it must be killed. I must accept that Emily's antisocial writing has to be curbed if I'm expecting any readers to keep reading. Out with what's old and doesn't work, in with a great workaday word, "contrast."

Imagine the above paragraph, replacing the "chiaroscuro" phrase with "a fascinating study in contrast." Smoother? Easier? More encouraging? Let's hope 2015 is full of these moments of sanity on my part.

I've been working very hard on Awash in Talent, especially this first part, Hope & Benevolent. The idea fairy has planted the seeds of a sequel! Soon I hope to share some really great news with you about when Awash in Talent will meet readers!

Happy Thanksgiving with Waterfire

Happy Thanksgiving! When I first showed this excerpt to my critique group, one member said there was too much good stuff going on and I should add some bad stuff back in. I didn't think Thanksgiving was the time to punish my main character, Kelly, who already has a lot of rough life issues to deal with. 

Kelly and Brian attend the school for fire starters (the PMA), where they are watched and curbed and reigned in at all times. They have to wear patches that contain substances that prevent them from randomly setting things on fire. At Brian's house, things are a little more relaxed.

Enjoy! 

Brian took me into the kitchen for a snack and oh my God, there were like a million potluck dishes steaming away on the counters. The ovens and burners were cooking away, too. It was like an army was coming through, and Brian pointed to each dish and told me what it was and whether I could dig in yet. Most of the things were pre-dinner lunch-snacks. We each took a plate of roasted chicken and noodles to the back deck, where they would be able to see the planes coming in if only it weren’t Thanksgiving Day with its small number of flights. No one else was out there—it was freezing!

We ate our food and talked about stuff. He complimented my piano playing and I complimented his singing, and because I smelled wood smoke in the air, it made me think of Waterfire.

“Brian,” I said, “I’ve been thinking a lot about how you can put fires out with your Talent. Do you think it’s something any pyro can learn?”

“Yeah,” he said, setting his plate on the railing. “Let’s try it now. Make a fire on my plate. It’s stoneware.”

“I can’t. I’m wearing my patch. Aren’t you?”

He reached inside his sleeve and pulled out his tungsten patch. “Where do you have yours?”

I set my plate down next to his and lifted my shirt a little to reveal the patch next to my bellybutton. The location had worked well yesterday for scratching unseen at the dinner table.

His hand was strangely warm as he lifted the side of the patch and tore it off. I guess it was the feel of skin on skin? We gravitated toward each other, I lifted my face and he bent down a little and like magnets, we were all of a sudden kissing.

I heard an explosion near my ear and pulled away in time to see sparks falling onto my plate and settling around the leftover noodles and bones, smoking just a bit, and making a decent little blaze.

“You didn’t have to do that to get me to make a fire,” I said.

“No, I wanted to do that, didn’t you?” he said.

“Right now you should put out the fire,” I told him.

“No, it’s your fire. You try.”

A few adults had come running to the back door at the sound of the explosion, so I felt watched. Brian waved them away, and finally Brian’s dad told them we had it under control. All the while, of course, the blaze was growing in strength and I was getting more and more stressed.

“You can put it out now,” said Brian.

Easier said than done. I stared at the flames until they looked dark, but couldn’t wrap my head around the way to take them out of existence. I’m still not sure how I get them into existence, after all! I squinted and strained, then looked at Brian for help. “How do you do it?”

“I just reverse the process of setting a fire. It’s very intuitive.”

I sighed and tried sticking my hand out the way he had at Waterfire, but the only thing that happened was my arm got cold away from my body.

“I give up!”

“See, this is why we need practice rooms at the PMA. How will any of us ever get familiar with how we operate, how can we focus our intentions, when all they ever do is throw flame retardant at us?” He held his hand out and sucked my fire into his finger with no apparent effort, like he’d been doing it all his life.

He blew on the end of his finger like it was a pistol or something and came in for a hug.

“Back to the piano for a while?” he asked me.

I nodded, and when he went to open the back door, I scooped up the patch he’d ripped off me and pressed it under my shirt again. It had some dirt and twigs, but it was a lot better than setting fire to his family home.

Waterfire, the middle story of Awash in Talent, will be published in 2015!

A Reader's Guide to Waterfire, Providence's Signature Public Art

All photos in this post taken 2014 by Jessica Knauss 

It was a hot summer night. After a delicious dinner at one of the fine establishments at Providence Place (the best mall I've ever been in and more outstanding for being smack in the middle of things instead of in some dusty suburb), my husband and I headed over to the one event that defines Providence even more than the mall: Waterfire.

As my blog readers know, I've written a novella entitled Waterfire, in which this inexplicably essential art installation plays an inspirational role. When I returned to New England, I was keen to visit the real-life event as soon as possible.

Waterplace Park before lighting.

Large numbers of people were gathering long before sunset, ready for the magic. In the photo, you can see the pyres jutting from the water, well stocked with cedar firewood.

The mystical circle at Waterplace, with DownCity in the background.

And then they were lit! After a ceremony we couldn't really see, a special delegation of sponsors got to sail around the pyres and get them going with the help of a gas jet.

This may not be the best picture of the night, but for me it captures the sense of fascination people have with the fire and the water. It's a magical combination.

Looking back at the mystic circle with Providence Place in the background.

We took a route opposite to the one my characters, Kelly and Brian, take in the novella. When they see this view, they're close to the end of their night and the height of first-date giddiness.

Here the fire throws glimmering light onto a gondola, an essential part of Waterfire and so popular I wanted to do it to celebrate my PhD, but you had to have made reservations a year in advance.

The stokers add cedar planks — quickly as they sail by — to keep the flames alight. In my story, the stokers can start and stoke the fires with their minds — and with the uninvited help of Kelly and Brian, my teenage firestarters.

The gondoliers show off their authentic costumes at the gondola dock.

Waterfire passes along the foot of College Hill.

This is the quieter part of the exhibit. The single-row layout is where Kelly and Brian first come upon the crackling energy and incense-like smells.

And then we heard what Kelly and Brian heard: her favorite piece of music, "The Prayer of St. Gregory" by Alan Hovhaness. In these videos, you can't distinguish the music quite as well as the snaps and pops of the fire, which is how it should be.

Meet My Main Character Blog Hop

One of my favorite authors, Kim Rendfeld, tagged me in the Meet My Main Character Blog Hop. I’m taking the opportunity to introduce Mudarra on the Seven Noble Knights site. Right here, meet the narrator from my current work-in-progress, the final book in the Providence Trilogy.

1) What is the name of your character? Is she fictional or a historic person?

Patricia (don’t call her Trish!) Blundt, PsyD, is a fictional character with many traits of people I’ve met in real life, including myself.

2) When and where is the story set?

The story takes place in present-day Providence, Rhode Island, but it’s not as simple as it sounds. In this version of one of my favorite cities in the world, there are three types of people with special talents aside from the rest of us: telekinetics (who can move objects with their minds), pyrokinetics (firestarters), and psychics. These Talents were discovered in the mid-1800’s and suffer varying degrees of training and oppression from government agencies now.

3) What should we know about Patricia?

Patricia is the court-assigned therapist of Emily, the narrator of the first story in the trilogy. Patricia is especially good at her job because she’s a psychic and can more or less read her patients’ minds. However, Patricia has never registered with the government, and has kept the secret from everyone in her life.

4) What is the main conflict? What messes up her life?

Patricia is conflicted about whether to tell her husband she’s an unregistered psychic. If she did, it would correct a lot of misconceptions he has about her, but she’s afraid he’ll report her and she could be punished. Secondly, Patricia is mystified because, unlike all her other patients, she can’t read Emily’s mind. It goes deeper than Emily’s intractable personality disorder.

5) What is her personal goal?

Patricia wants to maintain her professional record, and genuinely to help Emily, so cracking her case is a top priority. She also wants to reach out to her husband, but goes about it in a passive manner. It all leads to an explosive finale befitting the zany-serious tenor of the entire trilogy.

6) Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?

The working title is “Friendship is a One-Way Street.” That’s a “thing” in Providence (search "Mad Peck Providence Poster"), because there is a Friendship Street in the DownCity area, and parts of it are indeed one-way. I thought it was appropriate for the isolation Patricia feels because of her sensitivity. She can be a great friend because of her Talent, but who could ever really know her?

You can read more about the other stories in the Providence Trilogy here, here and here.

7) When can we expect the book to be published?

I’m almost certain I’ll self publish the Providence Trilogy. I need to revise the first two and complete and revise this third story before going into “production” mode on them, so I’m projecting 2015. Sooner if I can manage it! These strange stories are eager to be read and to find just the right readers.

If you like historical fiction, be sure to check out these authors who’ve already introduced their main characters, all in their own way:

Kim Rendfeld

Tinney Heath

Lisa J. Yarde

Alana White

Jess Wells

#EggcerptExchange and Cover Reveal: Waterfire

On April 14, I'll be featured at amazing author Tina Gayle's Eggcerpt Exchange. I'll be featuring Tina here soon, so look out for that!

In honor of this auspicious occasion, I thought now would be a good time to reveal the cover for my YA novella, Waterfire. Waterfire is the second novella in the Providence Trilogy. The cover is done by Amygdala Design and actually inspired the fire drill scene on the docks.

Changes in my life have delayed the publication of the Providence Trilogy, but it should still debut, one novella at a time, in 2015.

About Waterfire

Told as a series of diary entries, Waterfire chronicles the way Kelly learns that she has the power to set things on fire with her mind. All such pyrokinetic teenagers must attend a school where their power is repressed at all times. With the help of her friends, Kelly must escape the prison-like regime in order to save her mother's life.

Eggcerpt

September 7

Maybe if I write about the first day here, it will stop rattling around in my head like big clumps of lead.

Actually, I wish I had a big clump of lead to carry around with me instead of this stuff. They give us small patches, like nicotine patches for people who want to quit smoking, but with our kryptonite to wear against our skin and help control the urges. It does seem to cut down on the incidents – I haven’t made a fire since I got here a week ago. But, God, it itches like crazy! I’m always scratching at mine, I can’t help it, and I have to be careful with where I put the new patch of the day because I could look like an idiot scratching my armpits or some other sensitive area all day. They let us take them off at night so we can sleep, because everyone has an adverse reaction to their patch, but not everyone itches. Melinda, the high and mighty, claims it makes her tired so she can’t do PE. Like she’s having her period, all the time. I swear, she’s like a Victorian with the vapors every day at two o’clock. And the teachers fall for it! They let her go take a nap in her room. I wonder what she really does in there while we have to jog laps around the gym and bounce ridiculous balls off stupid things, like each other. I mean, what does that have to do with not setting anything on fire?

Anyway, my first day here, I barely had time to drop my bags before we had a get-to-know-you kind of meeting, which they called “orientation.” They made us all sit in a circle on the floor – yes, the concrete floor, with no rugs or pillow, what were they thinking? About flammability. I swear that’s all we are to these people — big walking fireballs. Todd, the lanky upperclassman who led the group with a senior girl and one of the teachers, had us go around the circle saying our names and what our kryptonite was. It was probably more to orient them to us, to prepare the patches, than for any other reason.

So there are precisely twenty of us newbies here. They started the circle with Brian, who was sitting right next to me, but it went in the opposite direction! So after Brian said he couldn’t produce flames in the presence of tungsten, eighteen other people went ahead of me. I was getting more nervous by the minute and barely heard what the other people said, with their run-of-the-mill kryptonites like lithium, beryllium and even krypton, which seems reasonable enough but is pretty expensive for the school to have on hand. My ears pricked up when a girl named Jill admitted phosphorus took away her powers. I snickered quietly to test whether anyone else would, but there were no takers. Come on, it’s embarrassing to be a pyrokinetic and have that ability erased by phosphorus, right? The stuff they put in the heads of matches? Doesn’t that seem a little ironic, at least?

“There’s no shame in any kryptonite. We all have one,” said Todd. He looked at me out of the corner of his eye like I was some kind of troublemaker.

So I rolled my eyes to show my disregard for authority to the other new students and held my breath again. Maybe if they didn’t laugh at phosphorus, they wouldn’t laugh at me, either. Maybe. Possibly.

No one was looking at my reddening face because it was Melinda’s turn, whoop de doo. She demurely announced her name and said, “My kryptonite is platinum.” She flashed a smile that I swear cut the air with a knife-sharpening sound. She drew a shiny necklace from under her blouse. “I already wear this all the time, ever since my parents gave it to me. I won’t need a patch.”

A hushed “ooh” went around the circle. Todd was nodding, as if Melinda had already arranged it all with the administration. Brian, right next to me, sucked in air. I couldn’t say exactly what he was thinking, but I knew right then that I liked him. A lot. Unbidden, the image of placing a darkly shiny tungsten wedding band around his finger entered my mind. It helped that he smelled pretty good. Since then, of course, it’s hard to smell anything other than my stupid patch.

Melinda’s act was hard to follow and I didn’t notice what anyone else said, so when it came to me, it still seemed like I had to compare myself to platinum. I covered my mouth to muffle the name of my fire-dampening element, but of course Todd said, “What was that? Say it again.”

“My name is Kelly,” I repeated, putting my diaphragm into it. “And my kryptonite is sulfur.” I wondered if I’d started a blaze on my face. I couldn’t feel my cheeks as I smiled, bracing myself. It was the same sinking, sick feeling I had with Uncle Jack a month ago. The laughter bubbled under the surface. I could feel it coming.

“Fire, but not brimstone,” Melinda said in a way that questioned the possibility.

Then it started. Todd snorted and the teacher, Ms. Matheson, barked a laugh over the snickering that was growing so sinisterly in volume. She clapped her hands over her mouth and composed herself to say, “There is no shame in any kryptonite! Hush! Quiet! My weakness is lead!”

She reached into her purse beside her — I’d thought she was just kind of weird to keep her purse with her in this situation — and pulled out a key ring with no keys attached to it, but several irregularly shaped rocks that must have been made of lead. She certainly hefted it as if it weighed a ton. “I can’t wear lead against my skin because it would poison me like a regular person, beyond taking my pyrokinesis away.”

The laughter died down with the interest in the new distraction. I thought of getting up and walking out, but Ms. Matheson continued and I had to hear. “I have to carry these pieces of lead with me at all times so I can get to them in an emergency, like a diabetic or something. I can’t even put this charm as far away from me as the conveyor belt when I go through airport security. Believe me, that can add to the difficulties of a trip.” Then she smiled so sweet and silly at all the newbies, they had to chuckle the way you might at a cute baby.

I loved Ms. Matheson then. She looked into my eyes and I could tell that was exactly what she wanted — a new friend from among the outcasts. She must be a weirdo in her life, too, with no friends her own age. I looked away and stayed quiet, hoping no one would remember me for the rest of the orientation. When Todd and Ms. Matheson finished explaining about curfews and hall passes and field trips, I stood up as slowly as I could, my every movement calling attention, in my mind, anyway. They were commencing a ritual of significance I didn’t learn until later and didn’t notice me slip out. Without a hall pass. [...]

What adventures will Kelly get herself into? Waterfire is a humorous, dramatic, and engaging novella and also a love poem to Providence, Rhode Island.

Though Waterfire isn't available yet, I do have other books with a similar flair available now. 

And I'm at jessicaknauss.blogspot.com, Facebook and Twitter.

Thanks for letting me share!