Confessions of a Dark-Hearted Storyteller

I had a moment of realization recently—a full-on Come to Jesus epiphany.

I don’t write soft crime. I don’t write polite mysteries with a sprinkle of tension before wrapping everything up with a tidy bow.

I write dark. I write raw. I write crime fiction with teeth. And I’m done pretending otherwise. It takes too much energy to sand down the edges.

So here it is: I write brutal. I write ugly. And I make no apologies.

If You’re Not Uncomfortable, I’m Not Doing It Right

My elderly neighbor finished Peace of My Heart and told me she felt like she’d run a race by the time she reached the last page.

That’s a flex.

That’s what I want—to make you feel like you’re careening down a mountain road at midnight, white-knuckling the wheel, unsure if you’ll make the next turn.

Sure, sometimes things turn out just fine. But the road to the bottom of the mountain is dark, treacherous, and there are no streetlights to guide you. That sliver of a moon hiding behind the clouds? It’s no help either.

I don’t write for the faint of heart. If you want a cozy mystery, there are plenty out there.

But if you want to skate along the sharp blade of a knife and pray you don’t slip—welcome to my world.

Even My Editor Was Shaken

I thought my editor was going to break up with me. (Bless her heart – she’s a trooper and she’s awesome.)

After reading Hell to the Bone—and again after Between Hope and Hell—she had that Oh, shit, what did I sign up for? moment.

But she came back. She kept editing.

Because deep down, she knows—stories like this matter.

Crime isn’t clean. Justice isn’t neat. And survival? That’s never guaranteed. Most of the time, it’s a bloody, brutal fight right down to the last ten pages.

Grit, Gore, and Southern Noir with a Steel Spine

I’ve realized I don’t just write crime fiction.

I write survival stories.

Stories about women who refuse to lay down and die. Women who fight back with fists, bats, and sheer willpower. Women who claw their way out of the grave before the dirt can settle.

I write about justice that isn’t handed out in a courtroom but in dark alleys and backwoods hollers where the law doesn’t always reach.

This is Southern noir with dirt under its nails, blood on its hands, and a past that won’t stay buried.

Are You Ready for This?

I don’t write for everyone.

And I’m not going to apologize for that.

If you want crime fiction that feels like a punch to the gut—where justice is murky, revenge is cold, and survival means knowing when to fight and when to run—then you’re in the right place.

If you want to play it safe?

This ain’t the ride for you.

So, what’s it gonna be?

Are you stepping into the dark with me?