"Capture at Penn Cove," a short historical fiction story about the 1970 orcas captures in Washington State, which appeared in the Fall 2008 issue of ColumbiaKids, a publication of the Washington State Historical Society. Here's an excerpt:

August 8, 1970
Boom! The bed shuddered. Boom! Toby bolted out of a deep sleep, arms flailing, alarm clock crashing to the floor.

Boom! There it went again-he hadn't been dreaming. Heart pounding, Toby swung his legs over the side of his bed. The clock's fluorescent hands glowed in the dark. Not yet six o'clock. Too early for Mom to be back from her shift at the Coupeville Motel. Read more

"Breathe To Both Sides" Shayla, a determined 12-year old girl in Mississippi discovers the hidden secret of how her small town struggled with integration in the 1970s. The novel was awarded a Letter of Merit from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators for a Contemporary Work-in-Progress Award. Read sample

"Chasing at the Surface" Inspired by an actual thirty-day visit by nineteen orca whales to an enclosed inlet near Seattle in 1997, the story follows 14-year old Marisa Gage whose mother inexplicably left home months before. As Marisa struggles with her own feelings of loss and abandonment, her journey to help the whales find their way home brings her to a new understanding of courage and the assaults humans have had on nature. Based on an early version of this manuscript, I was awarded the Elizabeth George Foundation Scholarship, a two-year full tuition award, from the Whidbey Writers Workshop MFA Program in Creative Writing. Read sample

"Dodging" a graphic novel for young readers about twelve-year old aspiring photographer Sam Pearl, who's just discovered that his father is gay. Artwork by Stephen Schlott. View and read sample

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