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Trail of Buried Evidence
In The Mourning Locket, an empath confronts the owner of a unique agency comprised of sentient heirlooms capable of remembering their owners and seeks to uncover its long-buried secrets. Where did the idea for this novel come from?
The idea started with my own family heirlooms. I grew up around old photographs, jewelry, keepsakes — things that didn’t look like much from the outside but held entire histories inside them. I always wondered what they’d “say” if they could talk.
When I started writing The Mourning Locket, it was my way of honoring those stories that get lost between generations. I wanted to capture that feeling of holding something that once meant everything to someone who isn’t here anymore. The book grew out of that love for family history and the questions we never get to ask the people we miss.
How did you go about capturing the thoughts of the heirlooms?
To write the heirlooms, I imagined them the way we imagine the stories behind things we inherit. When you hold something that belonged to someone you loved, you automatically think about what it meant to them.
That’s the energy I wrote from. Their thoughts come through impressions, not sentences — a heaviness, a chill, a warmth, a pull. The emotional tone of the object shows up long before the mystery does. It made them feel alive without ever stepping outside of realism.
Were you able to relate to your characters while writing them?
Absolutely. I related to my characters in different ways, sometimes in ways I didn’t even expect. Rowan’s determination, Piper’s anxious overthinking, Cassian’s quiet intensity — those all come from real emotions I understand. And then there’s Sable, whose sarcasm and perfectly timed humor felt like the pressure valve everyone needed.
I relate to her a lot — that instinct to lighten a tense moment, or to say the thing everyone else is only thinking. Writing her was almost like letting the honest, unfiltered side of myself onto the page.
Each character carries something human and familiar, and that connection made writing them feel less like creating fictional people and more like spending time with versions of myself and the people I love.
Can you give us a glimpse inside Book 2 of The Inheritance Bureau series? Where will it take readers?
Book 2, The Music Box from Ashford, drags the Bureau into its darkest investigation yet. What begins as a simple heirloom assessment turns into a trail of buried evidence, altered records, and a past that someone worked very hard to erase.
The music box at the center of it all isn’t just an antique — it’s a trigger. And once it resurfaces, everything the Bureau thought it understood about its own origins is shaken.
This book pulls readers deeper into the hidden corners of the Bureau: the cases that never made it into the official files, the mistakes no one was supposed to uncover, and the people who paid the price for trying. Rowan gets pulled into the heart of it, Piper and Sable uncover secrets that were never meant to see daylight, and Arden is forced to confront what leadership really costs.
The investigation reaches back more than a century, and the past refuses to stay quiet this time.
Without giving too much away — Book 2 opens a door the Bureau can’t close, and what waits on the other side changes everything heading into Book 3.
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Empathic appraiser Dr. Cassian Vale can feel a person’s final emotions through touch—an ability that makes him invaluable, and dangerous. Investigating an 1860s mourning locket, Cassian relives a woman’s death and uncovers a conspiracy linking grief, immortality, and bloodline control.
As the echoes grow louder, the team must decide whether to silence the past—or listen before it consumes them.
Essential Human Longings
Valor, Book Two, follows a young woman of Druidic blood who flees her past and confronts prophecy, peril, and the awakening of her own fierce magic as she steps into a destiny shaped by sacrifice, love, and rebirth. What ideas did you want to introduce in this book that were different from Book One?
In Book One, Sacrifice, Ena—also known as Catherine—is a young woman caught between duty and desire, shaped by the rigid expectations of noble birth and Christian decorum. Her understanding of herself is narrow, inherited, and heavily prescribed. She moves through the world reacting to forces around her.
In Valor, I wanted to explore what happens when that same young woman chooses to step outside every boundary that once defined her. This book shifts the tone from repression to autonomy. Ena sheds the identity that never fit and takes responsibility for forging her own path, even when that path is treacherous, lonely, or morally complex.
So the new ideas I wanted to bring forward are rooted in personal sovereignty; claiming one’s freedom, and experiencing the profound, often painful unfolding of selfhood. Valor is more about becoming. It’s the story of a woman who confronts both the darkness behind her and the light rising within her, and discovers the courage required to inhabit her true self.
The book balances sudden bursts of violence or magic with quiet, sacred moments; how did you approach crafting that rhythm in your storytelling?
Crafting is an interesting term here. Because these quiet pauses that occur—mostly after some intense rising action—occur more organically than by any attention to planning. After scenes filled with danger, magic, or emotional upheaval, both the reader and I need a breath! I write from inside the characters’ bodies, minds, and hearts, so those quieter moments feel instinctive—almost like a spiritual exhale. They become sacred spaces within the narrative where meaning can settle, and where transformation can take root.
Mysticism and dreamlike imagery play a strong role in the book’s atmosphere. What mythologies or symbolic traditions influenced your vision for this world?
That’s a great question!
For most of my life, I’ve been fascinated by the worlds that existed before organized doctrine—mythology, symbolism, and forgotten religions, especially the Druidic traditions. Valor draws heavily from years of exploring these ideas. One major influence for this book is Hermeticism, attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, a figure who bridges Greek and Egyptian wisdom traditions. The Hermetic axiom “as above, so below,” and its counterpart “as within, so without,” form a subtle backbone in the series.
Other contributing traditions include the I Ching, Vedic wisdom, and Christian mysticism. On the surface, readers will see the conflict between paganism and the rising Holy Roman Church. But beneath that lies a deeper theme: that across cultures, religions, and mythologies, we share the same essential human longings—to understand ourselves, to find meaning, to feel love, and to experience the sacred.
What can readers expect in Book Three of The Evensong Enchantments series?
Well, lots more magic! In Book Three, Truth, Ena’s gifts continue to evolve and ultimately reach their apex. The stakes intensify when a powerful bishop sets his sights on her young son—heir to the throne—for his own personal and spiritual ambitions. This threat strikes at the core of Ena’s beliefs and forces her into a battle on multiple fronts: political, mystical, and deeply personal.
The narrative carries readers to some of the most evocative settings in medieval Europe, including the sacred crypt beneath Chartres Cathedral and the enchanted Valley of No Return within Brittany’s magical Forest of Broceliande.
Truth blends gritty medieval reality with liminal, mythic spaces where Druidic magic, Celtic lore, and Christian dogma collide. Ultimately, Ena must rely on her heritage, her allies, and her awakening powers to secure her son’s destiny and usher in a new era grounded in enlightenment, understanding, and true fellowship.
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Escape to the Middle Ages with the fierce heroine of this series, as her inherited gifts come to life on a perilous journey to the Middle East.
In distant lands, Ena must confront her darkest shadows to face an ancient force that still covets her powers, while Philip, now king of the Franks, struggles with the weight of his new regime—and his undying love for her—as the First Crusade threatens to consume them both.
As her path intertwines with Bernard Ato, the enigmatic Viscount of Nîmes, his loyalty to the Church and the campaign of the Holy War is a harsh reminder of Philip’s vexing blind faith. Will Ena’s growing attraction to Bernard hinder her journey—or ignite her purpose as an instrument of the Divine Feminine?
For those who love magical realism, profound romance, and historical fiction, Valor is a must-read. If you are captivated by enchanting worlds and gripping medieval tales, you will not be able to put down this riveting blend of history, chivalry, romance, and fantasy.
Buy your copy today and be swept away in the immersive world of Valor, Book Two of The Evensong Enchantments.
Elemental Magic
Sacred Sites
The First Crusade
Slow-burn Romance
Druidic Prophecy
Strong Heroine
Potential Triggers: killing, death, war, violence, trauma, loss and grief, famine and plague, attempted rape, demonic possession, religious persecution, graphic childbirth, near death experience.
Spice level = 1 out of 5 (no smut)
Parents: This book is suitable for ADULTS ONLY.
Comfort and Risk
In Dead Reckoning, a group of detectives and their families find themselves embroiled in a mystery complete with missing passengers and eerie mysteries on what should have been a relaxing Mediterranean cruise. Where did the inspiration for this mystery come from?
I’ve always been interested in how a normal setting can suddenly turn dangerous. Cruises are supposed to be fun and relaxing, but they’re also closed‑off worlds where people can’t just walk away. That mix of comfort and risk gave me the idea for Dead Reckoning.
How do you balance story development with shocking plot twists? Or can they be the same thing?
For me, they go hand in hand. A twist works best when it grows naturally out of the story. I like to drop little clues along the way so readers feel surprised but also realize the twist makes sense.
What do you find to be the most challenging aspect of writing a trilogy? What is the most rewarding?
The hardest part is keeping everything consistent from book to book — characters, details, timelines. The best part is being able to spend more time with the world and the people I’ve created. It lets me go deeper and give readers more to enjoy.
Can fans of The Stanton Falls Mysteries look forward to more work from you soon? What are you currently working on?
Yes! Dead Reckoning is a stand‑alone mystery, separate from the Stanton Falls trilogy. I wanted to give readers a fresh story with new characters and a different setting. At the same time, I am continuing to develop future projects — including more mysteries — so fans of Stanton Falls can look forward to new work from me soon.
Believable Dark Fantasy
The Siren’s Daughter follows a young, spirited girl, drawn irresistibly to the sea, who finds a mysterious conch shell that lures her away from her family. What inspired you to retell this story in this manner?
I was working on another project, making cultural heritage cards. When researching CHamoru legends, I found that the Marianas had their own sea siren lore. Because of my Latino heritage, I know that “sirena” is Spanish for “siren.” While “Sirena” is a beautiful name, I started wondering if maybe the legend wasn’t actually about a girl named Sirena, but was a warning based on what happened to a girl claimed by a siren. A Spanish word for a warning instantly placed the story in Spanish colonial times, and I imagined that it was a priest who wrote the warning and did not care to keep the girl’s name. The details of the rest of the story just fell into place as I imagined it more. I really liked the whole premise of a siren claiming the girl as her own, and the details being lost to time because of colonial control. I liked it more and more as I kept developing the story.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The legend of Sirena is a Guam legend, but I wanted to make it more of a general CHamoru legend by integrating it with siren lore in the other Mariana Islands.
As with my other works, I want to share CHamoru heritage with readers everywhere. In The Siren’s Daughter, I saw an opportunity to share with audiences another part of CHamoru history – Spanish colonization. I wanted to mention the wars against the Spanish. I also wanted to mention the loss of spiritual and traditional knowledge because the Spanish killed off traditional healers.
What were some goals you set for yourself as a writer in this book?
My main goal was to create a believable dark fantasy that shares CHamoru heritage with readers. I wanted to give a glimpse of life under Spanish rule. But to be honest, I really liked the story that I had imagined, and I was excited to write it.
What story are you currently in the middle of writing?
I am currently working on Books 2 and 3 of what I am calling The Yo’Åmte Trilogy. The Makana’s Legacy is Book 1. I like the outlines that I have, and I wish I had the time to devote to these stories. These next two books will actually bring up topics that even many CHamorus might not have thought about. Because these stories delve deeper into the role of Yo’Åmte (traditional healers) in CHamoru society, I will be consulting with an expert on the topic of Yo’Åmte to help me stay accurate and respectful in my portrayal of Yo’Åmte.
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After the wars, Hagåtña fell hushed. Tasi – restless and bright – slipped to the reef where a siren waited with a black opal conch. At home, her mother’s patience frayed; her grandmother warned that spirits were listening. One bitter outburst became a curse, and the sea answered.
Sailors spoke of a girl in the foam. Priests spread a warning about la sirena – the siren. The word traveled farther than the truth – until it swallowed the girl’s name.
The Siren’s Daughter is a haunting CHamoru retelling set just after the Spanish-Chamorro wars: a tale of mothers and daughters, desire and duty, and what the ocean keeps while history erases.
Includes a traditional telling of the Sirena legend and an Author’s Note.
LITERARY TITAN 