Happening Now

I am seeking representation for my 86,677-word upmarket novel, THE E-POSTLE.

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Evolving over three days, Jacob Bell's Christmastime trip from London to his childhood home in Nashville is anything but a holiday visit. Two months earlier, he was with mom Abigail Bell and lifelong friend Patricia Goodwin--stargazing and handing out goodies to trick-or-treaters. Not today. Abigail has passed away, and Jacob must return home to deal with her estate, serving as a catalyst for self-reflection and potential major personal change.

THE E-POSTLE unfolds in 2006, in the midst of the newly-forming world wide whatever. Facebook is confined to college campuses, Twitter is in its infancy, and the iPhone is a year away. Millions still "dial into" the Internet. In London, Jacob is celebrated as a computer-coding god and given the nickname e-Zeus. On his daily walks to work, he's questioning his participation in the 21st century's "new, new thing."

A graphic designer-turned-project manager, Patricia battles her bipolar disorder through the life, work, and artistic techniques of her favorite painter, Jackson Pollock. Their friend, Vinod Mehta is upset that he may be forced to sacrifice a company-promised sabbatical to Kumbh Mela, India's largest religious festival.

Can Jacob journey successfully through an existential crisis and come to terms with life choices? Will Patricia navigate through a day of uncertainty and major personnel changes at her workplace and paint a life that may or may not include Jacob? And can Vinod complete his pilgrimage to India, and perhaps--along the way--aid his friends? THE E-POSTLE is an age-old story of friendship, love, and loss--a Southern story with global sensibilities.

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l started the first chapter in 2000. Based upon those words, The Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing admitted me into its MFA in Writing program. Two decades later (from March 2020 to Christmas Day 2022), I returned to this story during the Covid lockdown—rewriting and re-envisioning the manuscript with the guidance of fellow Spalding MFAer, Charlotte Rains-Dixon (The Bonne Chance Bakery, Emma Jean's Bad Behavior).