The Tapestry of a Heart - May 2023
Finnley O'Connell is at a crossroads when her life takes an unexpected turn after getting fired from her family's lawn care business. Seeking refuge in Chicago with her gay uncle, Finnley discovers a vibrant city and a new sense of freedom. But it's meeting Emerson, a captivating and mysterious woman, that truly changes everything. Drawn to Emerson's strength and vulnerability, Finnley begins to untangle the threads of her own heart and identity. What begins as a temporary escape turns into a journey of self-discovery. As Finnley navigates her new surroundings and grapples with her own identity, she realizes that Emerson might be the missing piece in her life. But with their newfound relationship comes a host of challenges, from family conflict to personal insecurities. Will they be able to weave a beautiful tapestry of love and connection, or will the threads of doubt and uncertainty tear them apart? The beautifully crafted characters and vivid descriptions will leave you immersed in the world of Finnley and Emerson long after the final page. |
GLITCH, co-authored with Jackie D - May 2023
In the year 2287, the United States is no more. In its place stands Tekano, a utopian society that seems to have solved all the world's problems. But as Amara Pierce, Secretary of History and daughter of the Tekano president, knows all too well, there are always secrets lurking beneath the surface of perfection. Isa Adams, a Tekano Elite soldier, is the strongest and fastest in her unit. Her strength and skill are matched only by her stubbornness and the oversized chip on her shoulder. When the fate of Tekano is threatened by a group of rogue assassins fueled by their hatred for everything Tekano represents, Amara and Isa are brought together once again. Their unforgettable romance was cut short by Isa's need to protect Amara, but when the stakes are raised, they must work together to save their beloved Tekano. With the help of time travel, they set out to find the rogue assassins and stop them from halting the progress of the technology that has enabled the Earth to survive climate change. As they face danger at every turn, Amara and Isa must confront their feelings for each other and decide if their love is strong enough to withstand the challenges that lie ahead. |
Guarding Evelyn - July 2022 (my first self-published novel!)
After an unfortunate incident and a forced leave of absence from the Secret Service, Arden Ryan is moving back to Chicago where she can get over her failures in the comfort of her childhood home. Her parents, who are lovely, if not a tad overbearing, will provide the support she needs. Healing is hard, though, and when she’s prodded by her best friend to get back out there, Arden reluctantly takes a job guarding one of Hollywood’s leading ladies, Evelyn Glass. Evelyn Glass disappeared from the silver screen unexpectedly when she decided to have a family. At least that’s what the public thinks. She’s making a comeback, though. After landing a role as the star on a top-rated television show, she feels invincible once again. As her ego starts to grow, so does her fan base, and attention, unwanted and otherwise, comes from every direction. Evelyn and Arden butt heads at every pass. Evelyn’s desire to prove herself puts her in harm’s way more than once, until a situation occurs that put her children’s lives at risk. Her change of heart regarding not just Arden’s protection, but the attraction simmering between them, will change her entire life. Can Arden prove her love means more to Evelyn than fame before it’s too late? |
The Hummingbird Sanctuary - April 2022
Enjoy your vacation at The Hummingbird Sanctuary, Colorado’s hottest resort destination. Come for the mountains, stay for the charm, and enjoy the drama as Olive, Eleanor, and Harriet figure out their lives, their loves, and the meaning of true friendship. Owning and operating The Hummingbird Sanctuary was supposed to be the best time of Olive Zyntarski’s life. She was going to tackle the future with eyes wide open and forget about her guilty conscience. All that changes when a chance meeting with a mysterious new guest has Olive’s long-buried secrets bubbling to the surface. As marketing director, Eleanor Fitzwallace knows how to present everything in its best light, everything except her non-existent love life. When her high school heartbreak unexpectedly saunters into the Sanctuary’s restaurant, Eleanor’s determined to ignore her. She wants real love, and people don’t change, do they? After hitting rock bottom, Harriet Marshall made a promise to herself: no more one-night stands that make her feel bad about herself. She’s determined to turn her life around, and that means focusing on keeping the Sanctuary’s restaurant hip, trendy, and booked. So, of course, she meets the most gorgeous woman ever and everything changes. |
Swift Vengeance - May 2020
By Jean Copeland, Jackie D, Erin Zak Months after accomplished journalist Brittany is nearly killed in a motorcycle accident, her body is healing, but her mind has changed. When she begins experiencing the strange, violent visions of someone bent on murder, they lead her to Swift Island, a sleepy LGBTQ+ summer retreat. Toni has wounds of her own to heal. Heartbroken from her breakup with a womanizer she believed she could change, she accepts her aunt Leslie’s invitation to spend time with them on Swift Island and work in their brewpub, the Second Wave. Although consumed with their own lives on the island, when Brittany and Toni meet, their attraction is immediate, but a killer lurks in the shadows of this cozy enclave, and the only way to stop one of them from becoming the next victim is to help Brittany focus on the message of her visions. |
The Road Home - May 2020
When she’s passed over for the role of a lifetime, Hollywood actress Gwendolyn Carter is absolutely crushed. That’s when things go from bad to worse. Home to celebrate her dad’s birthday, Gwen discovers her mom is sick and might not have much time left. She stays to help and to repair the emotional rift that has kept them apart for so long. That’s easier said than done, though, because oh-so-perfect Lila Machowicz has all but replaced Gwen as Carol Carter's surrogate daughter. Gwen and Lila are forced to work together to support the woman they both care about, even though they're rivals for a place in Carol's life. The last thing either expects is an attraction as undeniable as it is inconvenient. When Lila helps Gwen rebuild trust with her mom, Gwen’s heart begins to thaw. But every family has a closet full of skeletons, and when she discovers the family secret, will she ever be able to trust Lila again? |
The Other Women - October 2020
Cecily Yates should love her husband, but doesn’t. She should leave him, but hasn’t. Instead, she leads a safe life in Chicago and sees Willow Carmichael on the side. When Willow moves for a job opportunity in Las Vegas, their love affair comes to a screeching halt, leaving Cecily broken, guilty and confused. Francesca Lopez has everything she needs: family, friends, a great job, and glittery non-stop Las Vegas excitement. If she’d known her perfect life was going to be flipped upside down when none other than Willow Carmichael tore her way into it, she would’ve guarded her heart a little better. While on a business trip in Las Vegas, Cecily meets Francesca by chance at a bar and are inexplicably drawn to each other. What starts as friendship grows into more, beginning to heal Francesca’s heart and give Cecily the strength to be true to herself. But when they discover they have more in common than they think, the very person who bound them together may be the reason they’re ripped apart. |
Beautiful Accidents - September 2019
Stevie Adams doesn’t believe in fate, not after losing her parents in a car crash. Now twenty-eight and a star in the Chicago improv scene, Stevie's career comes first. No one’s going to get in the way of her New York City dreams. When her friends beg her to tag along to go see Constance Russo, a deaf psychic, Stevie begrudgingly agrees, as long as no one makes her get a reading. American Sign Language interpreter Bernadette Thompson has two priorities, caring for her mother, and working with her best friend, Constance Russo. But when the headstrong Stevie Adams accidentally stumbles into her life, Bernadette feels an instant connection that’s so intense it frightens her. They can’t seem to stop bumping into each other, or deny their attraction. When Stevie’s goal of starring in New York becomes more than a pipe dream, will competing desires prove their love to be everlasting or a fleeting act? |
![]() Breaking Down Her Walls
Lambda Literary Award Finalist - Lesbian Romance Leaving is what Julia Finch does best. When a meeting with her birth parents goes horribly wrong, Julia escapes on a hastily planned road trip and winds up breaking down in a Colorado town so small the cows outnumber the people. Completely out of her element, she takes a temporary job as a ranch hand at Bennett Ranch. She only has to survive long enough to get her car fixed, and then she’s out of there for good. Her bad luck continues when she meets the ranch owner, Elena Bennett. Elena is unhappy, abrasive, and annoyingly breathtaking. But the longer Julia stays, the more the ranch starts to feel like home, and her feelings for Elena become impossible to ignore. She’s spent years building her defenses high and running from her past. Could a love worth staying for be the key to breaking down her walls? |
![]() Create a Life to Love - June 2019
Romance novelist, Jackie Mitchell has built a life that works: few responsibilities, friends that know she’s far from outgoing, and sex whenever she needs it. She has her past, but she doesn’t think about it. Ever. All that changes when she finds the baby she gave up for adoption standing on the doorstep. Now sixteen years old, Beth Weber is resourceful, a blossoming artist, and a spitting image of her birth mom. To say Jackie is stunned is the understatement of the year. When Jackie meets Beth’s adoptive mom Susan, they’re immediately attracted to each other, but there’s no way Jackie is getting involved with a married woman, especially Beth’s mom. But when Susan and Beth need a place to stay and end up back on Jackie’s doorstep, all of their lives change forever. Will these three women who share a past and face an uncertain future be able to forge a life of love together? |
Falling Into Her - December 2017
Golden Crown Literary Society - Goldie Finalist - Best Debut Novel If you had the chance to grab on to happiness and not let go, would you? Kathryn Hawthorne, local Chicago celebrity, thinks everything in her life is just fine. She has friends, money, a job—everything she needs to survive. Except, of course, love, which, after getting her heart broken, she avoids like the plague. Pam Phillips, on the other hand, just buried the love of her life—her husband of twenty-one years. The last thing she wants is a new friend, let alone a new love interest. When the two women meet and swap witty banter, things start to change. Kathryn can feel that familiar tug of desire in her chest as she suggests—in a smooth-as-silk way—that they meet up again someday. In a moment of pure insanity—or desperation—Pam decides to take a chance. What happens next changes Pam’s life forever. |