Current Project: PROMISE LAND (2024 - Feb 2025)

Young adult fiction (15 yrs +) / Mirror Gate Press (imprint)

I have been working on Promise Land for quite some time now. I couldn't tell you exactly when I started writing it, but it has been over a year or more at this point. I really feel good about this story, but I have had many roadblocks on this journey. I'm not sure what the underlying issues were, but I took MANY breaks while writing... sometimes lasting for months.

This story revolves around a young man named Tiergan who travels with a group of religious freedom seekers led by his father. They are currently fleeing from the King, traveling to a phenomenon know as The Crossing. Tiergan's father, Aodmin, who is called the "Sauda-Madr" by his congregation, believes that they will find their "Promise Land" on the other side of The Crossing. But what do they really find, and are they prepared for it?

I wanted this story to be for older teens and it deals with more mature topics. Throughout the book, Tiergan struggles with his feelings, desires, and confusion over two girls. There is also some descriptions of violence, death, and cannibalism. I don't feel the scenes are overly graphic, but they are not mentioned in a "cozy mystery" kind of way... meaning many of the scenes occur as the reader "watches" rather than happening off-screen and just being mentioned/described briefing in the text.

This coming of age story deals with many topics/themes:

• Taking responsibility for your actions

• Family relationships / skeletons in the closet

• Believing in higher beings or not

• Being a young boy and all the accompanying issues/feelings

• Making life altering decisions

I really hope you will take the time to check it out... and maybe leave your rating/comments.