It’s Happening!

_{(Again. Still gonna freak out, though.)}

Hi, Friends!

This is my first blog post of 2025! I’m a bit behind…but that’s kind of my thing. Just ask my family members what our inside joke of “I’m on the bridge” means, and no, it’s not a dark reference. When I lived in the city, I’d often arrive late at family functions, so I’d get calls and texts asking for my ETA. Whether I was on the road or in the tub, my response was always…”Be there soon, I’m on the bridge!”

My intentions are good. I never plan on being late, and in fact, I often run early. Initially. Then, I get distracted with all that extra time and voilà! Late. Again.

Anyway. I have a bit of news to share!

The Bleed-Through Effect has been scheduled for worldwide release on July 30, 2025!

I’m super excited, and I have to confess…nervous. I didn’t think I’d be this scared the second time around, but here we are.

You see, when I wrote Periphery, I didn’t expect it to get published. I’d often proclaim, “It’s never going to get published, so whatever.” That thought process allowed me to step back when I was tired. It allowed me to downplay the fact that I’d written a book. It took a lot of responsibility off of me because, well, it wasn’t going to see the light of day, right? And, even if it did, it’s “just” my first book, amiright?

Then, you guys know what happened next. The coolest thing ever. Got a publishing contract, released it into the world, and OMG people are saying wonderful things about it. Then it went and won three awards! Sure, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, and I’m okay with that. I’ll always have imposter syndrome. Self-esteem doesn’t run in abundance over here. Also kind of my thing.

When I first signed the contract for Periphery, I remember asking my editor if I had a deadline to choose whether I’d pen a sequel or not. She left it up to me, as that book would be contracted separately. No lie, guys, I don’t know what came over me.

One day in winter 2024, I thought on it…”if I add an epilogue at the end of Periphery before we’re finished with edits…”

I sat at the laptop and this freaking story poured out of me. It’s almost like I was cautious when I wrote Periphery, and The Bleed-Through Effect painfully rips off the band-aid and shows you the raw realness underneath. The real story. The good. The Bad. The ugly. The debatable-open-for-interpretation moral compass propelling each character. I finished it in four months. Four months! For reference, Periphery was a years-in-the-making process.

I recall telling a good friend, “I feel like Periphery was one huge prologue, and The Bleed-Through Effect is the actual STORY.”

So, what am I getting at?

Well, see above RE: self-esteem. I like Periphery. It’s a love story. It’s original and it’s my book baby.

But The Bleed-Through Effect? It’s something else entirely. I would literally write and see the world as the characters did. I’d feel the pain, the angst, the passion, the anger as each character led me to dark places and navigated their stories back to the light. It was a freaking journey and I’ve never experienced motivation or passion like that in my writing before.

Not to get too philosophical, but it makes me think of Plato [“We don’t learn, we remember.”] His theory suggests that we’re not acquiring or creating something new, we’re recalling what the soul remembers (Apparently, my soul recalls some messed-up stuff from the Periphery, haha!) Kidding aside, this was the coolest experience. The muse was MUSING!

If you can sense my excitement, this is why I’m scared. This book is different. It’s science fiction. It’s romance. It’s complex. And, because I feel the way I do about it, sending it out into the world to be judged and critiqued is terrifying. Maybe I’ll feel this way about all the books I write, but this one? I hope it speaks to you the way it did to me. Is it an easy read? No. It’s firmly in the science-fiction genre whereas Periphery was more of a speculative romance. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still plenty of romance, but we’re delving deeper into the theories and implications of accessing the multiverse.

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for being here. I’m new at all of this. I’m learning and growing and hoping to bring stories to life that make us feel. Stories that connect us via arcs outside of our own and show us that even the good guys aren’t perfect. Heroes can make bad choices; they can hurt and struggle and overcome loss. And the villains? Every single one of us, given the right circumstances, could become one. That’s the fine line we walk every day, guided by a moral compass built out of a mosaic of life experiences and teachings. May we all choose wisely. And if we don’t? May we always be granted secunda opportunitas. (Latin: Second Chance).

E-book pre-orders are starting to open at retailers, and paperbacks will become available within the next few weeks. Pre-order links are below!

^{Please be advised, The Bleed-Through Effect has some dark scenes and themes that may be disturbing to some readers. Reader discretion is advised. For a full list of content warnings, see the FAQ tab and scroll to the bottom of the page.}

Check out the book trailer for The Bleed-Through Effect below!

More 2025 news!

My poem, “Garnet Heart” has been accepted for publication in the forthcoming ARIA (Association of Rhode Island Authors) Anthology! If you’ve ever felt alone in a crowded room, shunned for what makes you unique, or chided for seeking more…this one’s for you. More on that to come soon!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

I’ll be at the Spring Author Event at Barnes and Noble Warwick, RI on May 24th from 2-4 pm. Come by, bring a friend, purchase signed books, meet several multi-genre authors, and get your hands on some cool goodies, too!

I’ll be at several book festivals this summer, to see where you can find me and my books next, click on the “events and signings” tab for the book tour schedule.

UPCOMING PROJECTS:

I am 3/4 finished with my third novel, Fractured Valor. It’s a standalone contemporary romantic suspense (NOT set in the Periphery world/NO paranormal or sci-fi). It’s sexy and suspenseful and funny.
A little about Fractured Valor: An enemies-to-lovers story featuring a bodyguard hired to protect a beautiful scientist who can handle-her-own thank you very much. These characters are hysterical, stubborn, and when danger mounts, both will have to work together to complete a mission for international security. Can they survive the mission without losing their hearts? More on this project soon!