Like a lot of people, I have concerns about a variety of issues. But because I’m a novelist, I get to weave the issues I’m worried about into the books I write. My distress about climate change, for instance, led me to write The Shade Ring Trilogy. In The Shade Ring, Albedo Effect and Aerosol Sky I created a near future where oceans have risen fifteen feet as a hotter world causes runaway melting. The scenarios I imagined are founded on a good deal of research about the likely impacts of global warming. The story itself is about a young woman named Neave Alvarez and her battle against evil forces. But the backdrop is a hotter world that triggers a series of crises, both physical and political.
Each of my books deals with a main theme – child abandonment in The Time Telephone, opposing injustice in A Daffodil for Angie, abuse of women in The Going Back Portal, and allowing yourself to be paralyzed by life in VisionSight. My forthcoming time travel novel deals with antisemitism, an issue that concerns me greatly. Of course, my novels also deal with other themes, like coming of age, forgiveness, finding meaning in life, personal growth, good vs. evil, and navigating the modern mating rituals that we call romance.
My goal is always to craft an entertaining story. And there aren’t easy answers to the thorny issues I’m concerned about. But I’ll continue using them as a backdrop for my stories because that’s the kind of writing I’m passionate about.
To keep up with my books and have a chance to win occasional prizes, subscribe to my monthly newsletter here. And connect with me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest or Goodreads.