The Blackthorn Woods

Monoprint, watercolor, gouache, and collage on paper

This unpublished middle grade novel is currently in progress.

2025

Following two cousins sent to spend the summer with their stern Aunt Esther, The Blackthorn Woods explores the delicate territory between childhood and adolescence. Nine-year-old Frances, full of imagination and terrified of the banalities of adulthood, finds refuge from the pressures of growing up in the mysterious forest behind her aunt's home. Her older cousin Nell, meanwhile, drifts increasingly toward seeking social acceptance in town. When their diverging paths reach a breaking point, both girls must confront whether maturity necessarily means abandoning wonder and imagination. Like the forest at its heart, which serves as both setting and metaphorical living library, the book maintains a deliberate ambiguity about its magical elements while celebrating the profound beauty of the natural world, inviting readers to develop their own practice of deep attention to their surroundings.