I've Written 3 Books: Which One Would You Read?

The answers to the dreaded question, "What are your books about?"

The Distracted Writer is a newsletter founded on the conviction that my “distractions” from writing can often be my greatest sources of inspiration. It includes book recommendations; insights into writing, publishing, and parenting; and original pieces of creative fiction and nonfiction. I’m Alexa T. Dodd (hi!), an award-winning author and mother to three amazing boys. Thank you for reading!

Last year, I decided to devote a paid portion of my newsletter to publishing short stories and novel excerpts. I’ve been absolutely grateful for the support I’ve received so far! It’s been such a gift to share some of my creative fiction in this way.

You can read about my journey to publish a novel traditionally here. While I’m not giving up on that dream, I’d like to start sharing parts of those novels. Below, you’ll find the “dust-jacket” blurbs for my three most recent projects. They are the well-formulated answers to the question I can never seem to answer very well in person: What are your books about?

While they fit into different genres, they each have elements of magical realism and explore themes of family, generational trauma, and belonging (themes, I’ve realized, that are sort of my obsessions).

At the end of this post, you can vote on which pitch sparks your interest more. Feel free to leave a comment about your choice!

Photo by Faith Enck on Unsplash

THE UNTANGLING OF THE FAMILY WEBER

Camille’s relationship with her older sister, Agnes, has been strained since their Irish mother disappeared from their rural Texas town fifteen years ago. But the day Agnes claims to see their mother's ghost in the sun-splotched fields of the family ranch, the relationship unravels. Camille can't believe Agnes's claim, and her doubt and subsequent betrayal leads Agnes to a devastating choice that will change the family forever. Years later, when Camille finds herself battling postpartum depression that threatens to destroy her relationship with her husband and her daughter, Camille undertakes a journey to uncover the truth about her mother’s past. Ultimately, the journey will test Camille’s understanding of herself, her sister, and what it means to live as a family.

BONE FRUIT

As poor workers on the crowded island settlement known simply as “la Isla,” Rebecca and Cassius choose a life together despite the wounds from their pasts. But when their young son develops a devastating illness, they are forced to seek medical care for him beyond the dismal barrios and oppressive government of la Isla. With little more than hope to guide them, they attempt to reach the border of Mexirica—the civilization that survived after a natural disaster known as the Ash wiped out los Estados Perdidos some one hundred years earlier. Ultimately, they find themselves in the Republic, a lawless wilderness plagued by hostile inhabitants, human and non-human. As the family races against their son’s illness, Rebecca and Cassius must also battle not to lose the love, trust, and hope that once brought them together.

LIKE RUST, LIKE BLOOD

In the small west Texas town of Bison Lake, 1960s, the four Atropo sisters are known for their strange, supernatural talents. Alternately beloved and mistrusted by the townspeople, the sisters do their best to keep their family ranch from failing after their father’s death and their mysterious mother’s disappearance. But while her sisters view their talents as a gift, Ariadna has always believed her ability to see the shadow of death is more a curse than a blessing. When her sisters discover a wounded man on the edge of their property, Ariadna declares he is doomed to die. But when he miraculously survives, he puts her powers—and the future of their family—into question. Ellis Atkins, the handsome stranger with memory loss, brings the tensions among the sisters to the surface, especially as Ariadna’s feelings for him deepen and a generational feud with a rival rancher continues to fester. As the sisters struggle to control their powers and Ellis fights to regain his identity, his presence stirs up jealousies and provokes wounds long thought buried in the past. Soon, the sisters realize that the stranger may threaten the survival of their family and the town itself.

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