The process of querying agents is underway for my next novel HUMBUG: SCROOGE BEFORE THE GHOSTS, and I can’t wait to share it with all of you. Wish me luck!

Here’s a Summary:

HUMBUG: SCROOGE BEFORE THE GHOSTS, complete at 95,000 words, is a retelling of A Christmas Carol focused on Scrooge’s life before that fateful Christmas Eve when the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Future warn him of his torturous fate.

Scrooge is not a miserly, cantankerous old man, or at least he is not only that. He is a doting uncle, beloved brother, businessman, philanthropist, and lover before a series of calamitous events and soul-crushing losses bury him under the burden of grief and responsibility. His journey leads him to embrace his sexuality, build a life with the man he loves, make sacrifices to support others, and experience myriad joys and ordeals. He achieves happiness for a time, brutal in its transience, and must find his humanity again after he loses it all.

HUMBUG explains elements of the original story Dickens left unresolved, such as why Scrooge is living in his dead partner’s house when the ghosts exact their intervention, why he hates Christmas, feels responsible for the plight of Tiny Tim, first sees Marley’s spectral face in the door knocker, and more.

With new adaptations of A Christmas Carol released almost every year, it seems there is still an appetite for stories about Scrooge and his yuletide transformation. HUMBUG’s fresh take on this iconic tale will earn it a prominent place among them, forever changing the way we think about this character people love to hate. It is time for the world to meet the real Ebenezer Scrooge!

If you enjoyed The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, The Heiress: The Revelations of Anne de Bourgh by Molly Greeley, The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd, or The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, you will love HUMBUG: SCROOGE BEFORE THE GHOSTS!

What Readers are Saying:

I loved meeting Mr. Fezziwig and other beloved characters from A Christmas Carol. That made me smile. But, I cried when [spoiler]. I felt deeply for Scrooge throughout the book.

First Round Beta Reader

This is amazing! Hats off to you for accomplishing this–a new twist on a familiar story.

First Round Beta Reader

I think this is a BRILLIANT IDEA. Your first sentence works–very voicey, and lets us know the kind of book we’re about to read. Great.

Best Selling Author

This is the next Song of Achilles. I am so excited!

Sensitivity Reader