The Shadow and the Rose

"A satisfying supernatural YA tale that effectively mixes high school, magic and mystery." --Kirkus Reviews

Book one of the Ash Grove Chronicles. In the breathtaking Blue Ridge Mountains, Ash Grove High School for the Performing Arts draws the brightest and most talented teens. But beneath the peaceful surface, supernatural forces are at work...

When ordinary high-school junior Joy Sumner visits a graveyard at midnight on a dare, she doesn't expect to end up sharing a kiss with brooding teen model Tanner Lindsey. And she definitely doesn't expect to make an enemy of Tanner's seductive, sinister mentor, the ageless supermodel Melisande--who may not be entirely human--or to find that her sleepy little corner of North Carolina is buzzing with supernatural energy.

But most unexpected of all is when Joy finds out that she's pregnant. And when Tanner's love for her puts his life in danger, will she be able to rescue him--and save their future together?

Age level: 15 and up

A word from the author: As both a writer and a reader, I've always been drawn to stories in which the heroine rescues the hero, instead of the other way around. In The Shadow and the Rose, the main character, Joy, thinks of herself as ordinary and certainly not a heroine. But when she falls in love with teen model Tanner Lindsey, she finds that she has reserves of strength she never suspected. A loner from a toxic home, Tanner has never been loved before--not even by the beautiful (and much older) woman he's entangled with now--so he doesn't believe he's worth fighting for. But we and Joy know otherwise.

My inspiration for The Shadow and the Rose was a centuries-old Scottish ballad called "Tam Lin," about a handsome knight who is kidnapped by the queen of the fae and rescued by a brave mortal girl who has fallen in love with him. To me, the Tam Lin story is about having faith in the person you love even when they show you unattractive, even scary sides of themselves... and even when your rival is a supernatural temptress!