Dana’s Work
One goal I’m trying to do better at, is finishing. It’s the hardest part for a lot of us. We get inspired and have a burst of creativity and then our internal editors kick in and slow us down. Or, we write something only for it to sit in a drawer and never see the light of day.
While I’m typing away at my latest young adult work-in-progress, here are some links to other works. Sharing them here is the motivation to finish some of these smaller pieces.
These are not professionally polished. Some may say I put them out before they were ready. But, I think we can both learn from them. It’ll be interesting to go back and read an early story to see the writing progress.
Even though these aren’t professionally published, I hope you enjoy. And I thank you for reading.

Firebird
YA Novel – Light SciFi
Firebird is my self-published novel about Grace Peregrine, who, after unexpectedly growing wings, decides to look into her past to find out how this was possible. Along the way, she learns that she can accomplish more than she ever thought. I have a sequel and a prequel planned.

The Caravan
Novelette
I decided to try my hand at a few shorter pieces. The Caravan follows the journey of ten-year-old Corey as he moves from a post-apocalyptic city to an ultra strict campground. Along the way, he learns that there is sometimes a fine line between good and bad, and safety and freedom.

The Waiting Game
Short Story – Horror
I’m not a horror fan. However, every now and then a story idea comes to me, usually vampire stories, like this one. In The Waiting Game, Lydia tries to save Dante from the evil clutches of vampire Stella. But can she save him from himself? Like other stories, this was inspired by a song. Concrete Blonde’s Bloodletting.

The Painter
WIP – Short Strory
The idea for The Painter came from a line in the awesome Matchbox 20 song Bent, which goes, “Could you paint me better off,” and is basically what happens in the story. A man pays for a painter to fix his life, but nothing comes without a price. This is a bit of a morality tale. I’m in the editing process.