I write about the moments that change us—the ones we see coming and the ones we don’t. My work spans young adult fiction, adult thrillers, personal essays, academic discourse, and the occasional ghost story.
Published Works
Corpse Artiste (2020)
Cypress Canyon Books
Eunice Griggs does not want to spend the summer working in her family’s mortuary—but when she discovers a talent for doing makeup on the dead, she starts to find her calling. Then a body goes missing on her watch, and Eunice is racing against time to get it back before things get a lot worse. A cozy YA mystery with heart, humor, and a touch of the macabre.
Sometimes the dead just won’t stay dead.
“Pizza Friday”
12 Days of Book-Club-Mas: Vol IV (2021)
Once Upon a Book Club
Volume 4 of The 12 Days of Book-Club-Mas features twelve, exclusive short stories from twelve authors who curated their stories around a specific wrapped gift that readers were meant to open as they read.
“Pizza Friday” is the fourth story in the collection and follows Kathy Fox, a recently widowed mother, as she celebrate her late husband’s life through a collection of family mementos. This short story explores themes of grief, family traditions, and the evolving roles within a family after loss.
Works in Progress
Livvy Baker’s Kiss of Death — YA Speculative Mystery- Complete (88k words)
CURRENTLY QUERYING FOR REPRESENTATION
Livvy Baker has a secret- she can see the future, but only when she’s hooking up with someone. Even though she has a firm “no kissing” rule, she uses her talent to rise to popularity, but something is missing. As her friends pair off, she wants a relationship too. But a relationship is impossible because she has another secret- whenever she kisses someone, she sees how they’ll die. When an accidental brush of lips shows her an awful vision of mass tragedy at junior prom, she’ll do anything to save her classmates, even if it means partnering with Greyson St. James, the mysterious new boy at school with secrets of his own.
Click here to read the first chapter of Livvy Baker’s Kiss of Death!
Death and the Tower: Book One—If Only — YA Paranormal Mystery- In Revision (75k words)
In the depths of the woods behind her high school, an unexpected encounter awaits Alex—a meeting with her departed mother, bearing a tray of freshly baked cookies. The startling truth sinks in: her mother has been gone for two years. With her mother’s ethereal presence as their guide, Alex, joined by her brothers Donny and Rob, embarks on an extraordinary journey to unravel the mysteries surrounding their mother’s untimely demise. Along the way, they each receive a unique opportunity—a “what if” wish—to alter a single event from the past. This novel explores the complexities of family secrets, the transformative power of self-discovery, the beauty of second chances, and the profound act of forgiveness. However, not everyone proves worthy of redemption.
The Crossroads Killer — Adult Thriller- Still drafting (current WC- 40k words)
Fifteen years ago, the Crossroads Killer took everything from Autumn Grey. With the failings of the justice system pushing her forward and the knowledge that the killer was never caught, she has worked around the country compiling evidence against serial criminals to bring them to justice. When she is called in for a serial killer leaving victims’ bodies shoved into barrels in State Parks, she finds that the investigation is a lot more personal than she expected. It doesn’t help that her husband, one of the few surviving victims from 15 years before, is getting threatening messages with information that only one person could know. The Crossroads Killer is back and is more intertwined in Autumn’s life than she could have ever imagined. This is inspired by the real-life case of the Bear Brook State Park murders in Allenstown, NH.
Mom Guilt: Baby Brain Betrayals — Memoir / Essay Collection- Drafting with five essays complete
This essay collection tracks the impact that feelings of “mom guilt” had on me before I even became pregnant. This explores the intersection of societal expectations, mental health stigmatization, neurodiverse parenting, bodily autonomy, and imposter syndrome through interconnected narratives using a variety of non-fiction essay styles (braided essay, hermit crab essay, etc.).
Short Stories
I enjoy dabbling in short stories from time to time, often based on random writing prompts or images I come across. I use these stories as a space to experiment, improve my craft, and explore different genres and styles outside of what I usually write. The writing featured in Bits and Blogs is at various stages of editing and completeness and is meant to be a record of the writing process.
Selina Marcille 