Curvature of the earth
My novel, Curvature of the Earth, is a coming-of-age story about a girl who despite being born into a life of affluence and privilege is subjected to illness, divorce, alienation, violence, bullying and public ridicule. Her family’s attempts to shelter her from further harm only serve to isolate her more.
As an only child of parents who have grown apart, she is shuttled between her father in New York and her mother in London. Kathryn believes her life has finally achieved a degree of normalcy when she enrolls in college in California, but her peace is soon broken again by violence that this time forces her into hiding and depression.
Only after she reaches the age of legal adulthood does she learn of the existence of a large trust, one established for her benefit just after her birth under mysterious circumstances and the existence of which had been kept from her by her mother. Kathryn uses the newfound freedom presented by the trust to seek her place in the world, sometimes resorting to desperate measures.
Kathryn experiences love, loss and death before a chance encounter leads her to realization and a meaningful path for her new life.
Current Projects
Goldie was the first novel I wrote. It is based on a true story, one involving the murder of a young girl in the last days of the Great Depression in the rural South. As completed it was much more fact than fiction and suffered for it. It has now been re-done in a shorter form that could work as a serial podcast or long-form article.
Slips is a contemporary story about second chances. A couple sees their marriage crumble as their twins become teens and after the resulting divorce their two lives evolve in very different and unexpected directions.
Pride is a possible continuation of the story of Kathryn Cohen, the protagonist in Curvature of the Earth, as she starts a new life in East Africa.
The Crafts in England is an admittedly ambitious project for which I have completed considerable research. It will be a historical-based novel set in mid-nineteenth century London.
Other Interests
Eventually I want to go back to non-fiction. I am especially interested in trying to do biography. I have several subjects in mind, some of whom I met while they were alive. None them have yet had their life stories written—I'm not going to attempt another shot at Lincoln!
I am also writing a play! This is a real stretch as it is a specialized genre. I’ve already learned a lot about it. The play is coming along well, and I’m already studying options for what to do with it.