A short story of mine was published in the December 24th, 2021 issue of THE METAWORKER literary magazine.
It's also available to read free for Kindle Unlimited users:
Link to Amazon: In Between
The Cottar Queen
Rights Available - Adult Historical Fiction
The year is 1424. King James returns to Scotland after eighteen years of captivity in England. The country is in disarray and his cousin plots to overthrow him. With no standing army and his heir yet born, James swaps his beloved wife, Joan, for a pregnant peasant woman, Isobel, to act as the queen’s decoy.
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Keen to make a place for herself at the royal table, Isobel endeavors to win the king’s favor. But James dismisses her advances, declaring his unwavering love for Joan. Isobel believes her circumstances are precarious and is desperate to secure her safety. When Isobel gives birth to a boy, she commands the heralds to ride out at once to announce her son, the next King of Scotland.
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Joan is reluctant to leave her husband’s side, but does as she’s bid. She resigns herself to what she believes will be a brief sojourn outside the intrigues of royal life. But danger follows, and she’s forced to flee to the remote western reaches of Scotland. There she gives birth to a daughter—not the heir she had promised. When news arrives that a son has been born to the king, Joan believes James’ desire to retain his throne is more important than his love for her, and that he has claimed Isobel’s son in order to keep the crown.
Joan is a piece in a game of kingdom chess, and she is forced to choose her destiny: Queen, cottar…or traitor.
The Adventures of Caitlin Francis & Dudley Dog
I wrote and illustrated this story as a birthday gift for a favorite kid when I didn't have the means to buy anything. A writer friend later asked me to sell it at an author's booth for a children's fair, not knowing it wasn't a "real" book. I scraped together enough money to have 100 copies printed, and every copy sold.
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