I’ve begun the process of querying agents for the new historical novel I’ve just finished, called THE LIES WE TOLD MR. HARVEY. As many of you know, I always make two things to accompany me while writing a novel: a fake book cover, to help me visualize the story becoming something real and tangible, and a playlist, to evoke the emotional atmosphere I want the book to carry.

This one is set in 1910 in Belen, New Mexico, and follows six very different young women working and living together as Harvey Girls—each of them carrying secrets, each of them navigating the rules, roles, and restrictions of a world not built for their freedom. When one of them pays the ultimate price for stepping outside those rules, the others face a choice: survive quietly, or fight back—together. It is inspired by the stories of my own great-aunts, two of whom were Harvey Girls right here in Belen.

I’m attaching the mock cover I designed as well as a video of a song made famous by vaudeville icon Eva Tanguay, I Don’t Care, which became something of an anthem for me—and for the women in the story—as I wrote.

Thanks, as always, for walking alongside me on this creative road. I can't wait to share more with you soon.

If you are a good literary agent, or know a good literary agent, who might want to see this manuscript, let me know.

youtu.be/uPCtNbu96N8