Writing
Background
I began writing in the summer of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. After ten years of writing professionally, the words flowed easily and my first novel emerged within months. Then editing editing editing. Now I think it’s ready.
I helped raise teenage foster daughters, which was challenging and rewarding. Challenging because their lives had been difficult before we met them which impacted who they were when they entered our home. Rewarding because we were able to change the trajectory of the lives of some of our girls. We have been able to stay in touch with some and we help them out regularly. For our lost daughters, perhaps we provided some light. King of the Mountain came out of that experience.
King of the Mountain
As orphans and siblings, Steve and Laura grow into complex adults who live in response to their traumatic childhoods. Steve’s abuse in the foster care system damages him irreparably--he evolves into an adult who kills and tortures for pleasure. Laura becomes a foster care caseworker who wants to protect children while changing their lives. The siblings have a warped need for each other and Laura unknowingly participates in Steve’s killing rituals over multiple years. Steve descends further into darkness as the murders circle closer to home.
This novel takes place in the region surrounding Corpus Christi, TX.