Dinah is here! And so am I.

I’ve missed this blog. I’m just now getting back to regular writing that has nothing to do with my job, and it feels wonderful to just be talking to you. As we start out the new year, I’ve got some great reasons to be updating here!

My new book is out! The Ballad of Dinah Caldwell has hit shelves, and honestly last year was hard enough I didn’t make a very big deal out of it. So I at least want to tell you about it. It’s a YA thriller with a bit of revenge, moonshine, and queerness. Kirkus Reviews even said “The evocative worldbuilding and action-packed opening will suck readers in… A thriller that takes on enduring questions of loyalty, vengeance, justice, and equity.” But this book really was eight years in the making, and everything I want to tell you about it simply falls flat. So I think I should just tell you about me, and why I wrote it, and who it’s for.

There’s a biblical story of a woman named Dinah (Die-nuh). A man wrongs her, and all the men of her community set out to avenge her. In the entire story, Dinah is swept aside. Who was she? Did she feel wronged, or did the men simply think she was? Did she want revenge, too? We don’t know. We never will. Even in her own story, she didn’t get to speak.

I wrote this book so Dinah could say her piece.

Dinah is for anyone who has ever been so angry and lost they didn’t know what was on the other side. Dinah is for anyone who ever just really, really needed to punch a man in the face. Dinah is for anyone who ever had someone shave away at their survival margins until they couldn’t even breathe. Dinah is for anyone who knows the most evil man in the world is the “good old boy” down the street.

Dinah is for the girls & enbies who’ve been constantly underestimated. Dinah is for the queer kids who just lived with their life because self was so scary, love was too much.

Dinah is for anyone who ever said, “No.” Dinah is for anyone who loved so hard they couldn’t let go. Dinah is for anyone who knows firsthand that hope is a violent thing.

If you want to hear Dinah’s story, you can read or listen to it below. Every time you do, it helps me be able to keep writing. And that’s something that’s wildly important to me. So thank you, really and truly. Storytellers have nothing without someone to tell the story to.

I hope this book helps you take a deep breath. I hope it helps you speak.

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