LEAVE ME A NOTE

LEAVE ME A NOTE is a young adult, contemporary fiction, 40,000-word ghost story about emotionally-gutted seventee-year-old Smudge who feels responsible for her sister’s disappearance, but the only cold-case clues are piano notes Smudge must untangle to find her sister’s killer.

In January 2024, I found myself in the midst of one of my favorite parts of the writing process…discovering the story. Scraps of ideas were stuffed into my writer’s notebook as the snippets of this story unraveled in my mind at the strangest of moments. Often those ideas were sent to me via text from my two daughters, because so often the best ideas come by listening to their conversations and learning of their experiences. I never thought I’d write a ghost story, but this one demanded to be written. I honestly can’t wait to see where this story takes me and my readers.

Although I planned to write this during my Winter 2024 sabbatical, life has a way of delaying plans. I started to serve as Department Chair Fall 2024 after my sabbatical that was overshadowed by a terrible ankle injury, which turned into a story of its own. For 2025, I just missed the Whale Rock Workshop for short novels application deadline.

Fall 2025 had a surprise of its own when a student of mine wrote in her reflection, “Quiet shapes me.” I knew I had the first line of Smudge’s story and proceeded to outline the book.

Anticipating the 2026 application for Whale Rock’s short novel workshop, I applied and received one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever received as a writer: a seven-month mentorship with Gary D. Schmidt. Beginning February 2026, I wrote the discovery draft, while continuing to outline, collect clues, unscramble words created from A-G (notes played on the piano), discover inspiration, and find Smudge’s story. Inspired by Gary’s feedback, I have thoroughly enjoyed my favorite part about the writing process: revising, seeking feedback, revising, sharing, revisions, rereading, revising, seeking more feedback, revising…and so the journey continues upon the music notes of my writer’s heart.