Young Adult Drama Novels
My first non-fantasy novel, 22 Scars, took years of planning and work to write and publish. It’s a story of abuse, depression, despair and resilience, and is in many ways semi-autobiographical.
The follow-up, The Broken, takes on my love of music, blending it with the gritty and dark realism of 22 Scars and exploring further themes of racism, social injustice and bigotry.
22 Scars
2017
Raised with apathy and spite, Amy’s life is a monotonous drone of deep despair, broken only by coffee and nights out with her best—and only—friend. She battles depression daily, fighting to keep her sanity in a world that, to her, is set on destroying her soul.
Her future is bleak, overcast with shadow and doubt; her past harbors terrible secrets that even those closest to her couldn’t begin to guess. When tragedy strikes someone she holds dear, will she succumb to the crushing weight of despair, or will she find the strength to fight—to live?
22 Scars is a story of what it takes to live daily with depression—and how the scars of a lifetime can pass through generations and beyond.
Can the past ever truly be forgotten?
Can depression ever be beat?
The Broken
2021
In November of 1997, two young men make a suicide pact. That night, one of them dies. On the stereo - the song “Where I Go” by infamous rock band, The Broken.
From the streets of Paterson, NJ, to the heights of fame, The Broken follows the members of this band - Malcolm, Heather, Hayley, Eddie and Johnny - as they struggle to overcome their backgrounds, their identities - and ultimately the cost of fame. From the origins of the band in the early 90s to present day, The Broken asks the question: can you ever truly be free from your past - and from yourself?
Who is responsible when art begets tragedy? Who should suffer, when suffering is in the nature of the music?
Who is ultimately to blame for suicide?