Themes and Questions

I’ve wanted to write this book for many years. I’ve tackled its major themes before, but this is the first time I’ll be taking them on in the unified and extended context of a “book.” The central themes—questions—are: "What is the meaning of family, and love, when both are so easily revoked?"

Scolding the Winds is a novella that will show the reader how one person was able to find out what’s truly important in life by losing everything she’d once believed to be important. It covers religion, loss, love, addiction—and hope.

Protagonist and Arc

Riley is alone. After being kicked out of her parents’ house at eighteen, getting herself out of an abusive relationship, and finding comfort only in her vices, she has no one left to count on. She tries to make the best of it, working in advertising, trying to make new friends, and obsessing about her latest crush.

But even this delicate foundation crumbles when she somehow experiences even greater losses, all at once. Riley struggles to find meaning in what’s left of her life, and to figure out whether love—which she’ll first need to find—is enough to sustain it.

The novella deals with difficult themes, but is ultimately hopeful, and attempts to show that even the strongest bonds can be broken.

The title comes from Matthew 8:26: "And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm."

With your Money

With the funds raised, I will cover the costs of producing the ebook, getting it edited, and distributing it.