Cover Creations: Revisiting Redwood

Redwood was my first published book and I was excited to see my photography featured on the cover with the initial release. I thought the designer did a wonderful job creating the vibe, however, the cover was printed in matte which didn’t suit the colors. It printed far too dark and I’ll admit, I’m not a fan of matte covers. I love gloss. And, I learned that once you choose a matte or glossy cover when printing through KDP–there’s no switching it later.

When the rights to Redwood were returned, I decided a complete overhaul was necessary and set out on another photoshoot with the original model. I was so pleased with the results, you’ll recognize her on the cover of A Pale Shade of Winter.

As I move to release the final book in The Redwood Trilogy, I’m going back to the original imagery from the first edition with my own stylized alterations. While I’ve teased a design, I’m not yet committed. There will more than likely be a few adjustments.

Meet the Characters: James McKenna from Redwood

What would drive a seemingly quiet and kind young man to murder his new bride? This was the key question I needed to answer as I developed this character, for this act was the key to my ghost’s commitment to seeking revenge.

I decided the parents of my two main characters–James and Autumn–would seek an arranged marriage to fulfill their hopes of a legacy. Autumn had no choice but to please her parents. James, likewise. The clash of personalities between the two set the stage for James’ actions. 

Autumn was a free spirit and disdained her husband’s apparent weakness in all matters, from their wedding night to his tending of the vineyard. Nothing pleased her. James soon gives up trying to please her and focuses solely on the vineyard, to prove he is worthy of respect. Until…it became too much. Her chiding and chastising. And then, the thought came to him…Without her, he could have it all. It would be easy. An unexplained illness. A poisoning would be perfect.

The scene where James sits alongside Autumn’s parents, feigning concern brought me to tears. It was the first time I wrote something so heart-breaking and horrific and still remains one of those “scenes” for me.

James changes over the years and convinces himself that he’s a new man. Worthy of love. Enter Louise–the woman who loves him unconditionally, even after she discovers the truth. Want to meet her, Redwood is available now on Zon or you can order directly

. I have Audible codes I’m happy to share.

Pictured: An unknown couple from the family archives that I used as an inspiration.

In the Beginning…

As the first official blog post of 2025, I thought I’d share with you how my leap into the world of novel writing began. In all honesty, it was not a well-planned venture. Once I’d committed to trying to write a full-length novel, I knew I’d found my new course in life.

In early 2015, I suffered a back injury which left me unable to walk more than a few feet at a time.

I spent days on the couch seething in anger. I knew I had to make a change. Before the injury, my husband and I were wandering the wine aisle at Target and he said, “You know, a story about a haunted vineyard would be interesting.” That idea sparked an idea and given I couldn’t sit at a desk, I grabbed a notebook and began writing. I had no idea where the story was going to take me. Yes, that is how Redwood was born.

Redwood was picked up by a small indie-publisher after a PitMad challenge on X (then Twitter). I was thrilled as I had no idea how the world of publishing operated, even though I’d spent years in communications and design. I’ve learned a lot along the way and I will be forever grateful to the first publisher for giving me my wings. After they closed, my rights were returned and I rebranded Redwood and its successor, Reclamare. The photos pictured are from the photoshoot for the new covers of Redwood. I was thrilled to be able to use my own photography as this is a passionate hobby of mine.

The Redwood Trilogy has sat dormant for the past few years as wrote more books and gained further ground in the indie world of authors. I’ve grown as an author, and I continue to learn. One thing I discovered is my love of history helps me to create fictional worlds and characters. I love research. I spent hours and hours while developing Redwood studying prohibition, architecture, and the wine industry. I created the fictional Redwood Manor Vineyard and set it in the little village in northern California where I spent many years as a child. The book allowed me to revisit my grandmother’s home which was surrounded by fields of grapevines. The area hasn’t changed too much over the years, except her house is no longer there but I did revisit the area in 2023. 

Redwood’s characters are near and dear to me. I wrote my first murder scene. I created my first ghost. I cried. I laughed. I fell in love with writing. I’ve also ventured into the world of audio books which has allowed me to experience my books in a different way. One thing I’ve learned is that I will more than likely focus on stand-alone books in the future. I have one middle-grade book I’ve been working on for years and it too has involved a lot of research into the Old West. More on that later. Another thing I’ve learned is that my writing naturally falls into the Gothic Genre. There will always be ghosts and an array of characters. Some good. Some bad.

The final book in The Redwood Trilogy, Return to Redwood, is haunting me. It is nearly finished. Stay tuned for its release date.

(Pictured is some of the imagery from the photoshoot for the revised Redwood)