Completed Novel Manuscripts
Kissed by a Midwife
Kissed by a Midwife is a mother/daughter story that takes place at the turn of the 20th century in western Massachusetts. Pregnant widow Ada Pattison is isolated and nearly penniless after her physician-husband drops dead chopping wood. She sells herbal remedies, but the practice cannot sustain her, and she refuses help amid the harsh realities of rural life. In this emotional odyssey, a midwife teaches Ada the age-old practice. When a new doctor comes to town and purloins her patients, Ada confronts him. She then makes a crucial mistake before she discovers a circuitous route to true love again. Her daughter Marigold comes of age and suffers the consequences of a passionate decision. Witnessing a massive tragedy after a coastal Nor’easter, she is inspired to seek a new career, but jeopardizes her family’s happiness in the process. Kissed by a Midwife highlights the important contributions and sacrifices that unheralded women like Ada and Marigold made as they crashed through misogyny and worked around repression.
Under Her Skin
The Imagined Life of Dr. Virginia Apgar
Every baby faces their first milestone at one minute after birth when they are given an Apgar score—the standard that has helped to save the lives of at-risk newborns since the mid-twentieth century and is still used throughout the world. Yet so little is known and written about the woman who created it—Dr. Virginia Apgar. Under Her Skin is the compelling, reimagined story of a real 20th century medical pioneer who disrupts the female stereotype and leaves a legacy of healing, friendship, and lasting medical discoveries.