I am a writer and nature enthusiast. I enjoy camping and hiking in national parks with my husband, and I have been a birdwatcher for two decades. My passion for birds began with Ornithology, two courses I took at my University—I loved it so much, I took it twice! As a citizen scientist, I have participated in birding events like GBBC through eBird to help collect data. Chronic illness has limited my hobbies in recent years, but I hope to get out every now and then!
Brilliantly Flawed is a fictional universe and the setting of upcoming science fantasy novels written by me, Kaywood Oryx. It includes the Incorporeal Our Art series and its Bringing Fireflies prequel, as well as the Silence Gorgers duology and side novel Whirligig of Clay. I explore themes of alchemical transformation, ecology and purpose, chronic illness, neurodivergence, and the brutality and beauty of nature.
These are the beloved stories I started writing in 2019. Progress is slow, but I enjoy every day spent developing these characters and their worlds. There is nothing like being in the writing flow with my buddy boy, my sweet hoggie companion, beside me. Everyone needs a writing buddy, and mine happens to be a western hognose snake.
I hold immense gratitude for the experiences I have had, all of the time spent in beautiful places with amazing wildlife, including my dreams come true—to visit the Galápagos Islands and see the blue-footed boobies, to encounter burrowing owls, and the chance to witness a solar eclipse in totality (twice)!
I love our natural world, and that is why I choose to write fantasy novels anchored in reality, celebrating our wildlife and landscapes, while exercising my curiosity to explore the magic and the what-ifs.
When your world shrinks, the little beings make it bigger; and books make it brighter.